• Polo, played on horseback, is one of the world's oldest sports.Polo Player Hitting Ball image by Clarence Alford from Fotolia.com
  
  Polo is one of the oldest games in the world. Its origins can be traces back to 5th century B.C. Persia (now Iran). Polo is a team sport played on horseback. The objective is to score more goals than your opponents does. To score a goal, the team has to drive a small white wooden or plastic ball into its opponent's goal. Players ride on horseback and play the ball using a long-handled mallet. For much of its history, polo was a part of the training for cavalry soldiers.
  
  

Teams

• Polo rules normally require four people per team, though if the game is played in an enclosed arena (in the winter), the number is reduced to three players. Polo is a tactical game, so players are given certain position with at least one playing in the offensive position, and one playing as a defender.
  
  

Play Field

• The playing field is usually 300 yards long and 160 yards wide when it is boarded, or 200 yards wide if it is unboarded. Being boarded refers to the field having a 12-inch upright board round the perimeter of the field to prevent the ball rolling out of play.
  
  

Duration of the Play

• The usual duration of the game is eight chukkas, but but four or six chukkas are also possible. Each chukka lasts seven minutes, however, after seven minutes pass, the bell rings but the play continues until the ball goes out of play. If the ball doesn't go out of play within 30 seconds of the bell ringing, the chukka ends with the ball left where it is. There are three-minute breaks between chukkas and a five-minute break at halftime.
  
  

Ponies

• Although polo is played on full-sized horses, the tradition holds it that they must be called ponies. The same pony can play only two chukkas in one game, and rest at least a chukka in between the ones it plays. Accordingly, players have many ponies, typically about four ponies per player--often called a "string of polo ponies."
  
  

Fouls and Penalties

• There are a number of fouls in polo.The most common one is when a player turns abruptly in the way of another player. Penalties in polo can vary depending upon the danger posed by the foul to the other player's health and to the health of his pony. The most common penalty is a free hit from the place where the foul has been committed.