Polo-Game of Kings!

Recently, I attended my first polo match. It was so much fun! Who knew how thrilling it could be to watch a bunch of men chase after a little ball? Well, it was the horses that made it different, I have to say.

Great care is taken in the rules to keep the horses safe. But even though each period (called a chukka) of the game lasts only 7 minutes, they do a lot of running. If you participate in a match, you must bring at least 2 horses for a game of 6 chukkas (4-8 chukkas are allowed). It's preferable to bring 3 horses.

There are 4 players on each team, although the players can be rotated out during the breaks between chukkas.

This was one of my favorite parts. At the half, the spectators are asked to go onto the field and repair the divots. Divots are clumps of earth dislodged by the horses. The resulting holes in the turf can be dangerous for both horses and players. Here they are:

 Here are the players in all their glory. (I had a more exciting video, but it was too large to be accepted on the website.) You can barely see the ball, so imagine how hard it is when you're atop a running horse.

The ref was a woman! 


I haven’t written a story featuring polo yet, but I intend to. And no, I did not see any princes, red-haired or otherwise. Sadly.

Has anyone else been to a polo match? I'm going to another one on July 23. Can't wait.