Polo (FIP) — Official Rules

The field of play is the prepared area bounded by the side lines or boards and the back lines. A full-size field is 300 yards (275 m) long. Its width is 200 yards (180 m) if unboarded and 160 yards (146 m) if boarded. The minimum permitted field is 250 yards long and 175 yards wide unboarded (145 yards boarded). A polo field is roughly nine times the area of an association-football pitch, making polo the largest field sport.

The goal posts are 8 yards (7.3 m) apart (inside measurement), centred at each end, at least 10 feet (3 m) high and light enough to give way if collided with. The goal line is that part of the back line between the two posts. Boards, if used, may not exceed 11 inches (28 cm) high. A safety zone extends beyond the field, recommended at 10 yards beyond the side lines and at least 30 yards beyond the back line; any incident there is treated as if it occurred on the field of play.

The ball is 3 to 3.5 inches (76 to 89 mm) in diameter and weighs 4.25 to 4.75 ounces (120 to 135 g). Traditionally made of bamboo root or solid plastic. Markings on the field include the centre line and the 30-, 40- and 60-yard lines parallel to each back line, from which penalty hits are taken.

A team is limited to 4 players on the field of play in all games. Team shirts are numbered 1 to 4 (numbers not duplicated) in contrasting colour, at least 9 inches high, and must not be black-and-white vertical stripes. An on-field Team Captain is nominated to the umpires, wears an arm band and alone may speak with the umpires.

By convention each numbered position has a role. No. 1 is the most attacking forward, primarily a goal-scorer who marks the opposing Back. No. 2 is an aggressive attacking player who also works hard in defence. No. 3 is usually the pivot and tactical leader (often the highest-rated player and team captain), linking defence and attack. No. 4 (the Back) is the principal defender whose main task is to protect the goal and turn the ball upfield. Positions are tactical, not fixed zones; players move fluidly across the field.

The right hand only may be used to hold the mallet and to hit the ball or hook an opponent's stick — left-handed play is prohibited for safety. A player may not leave the field during a chukka without the umpires' permission except to change a pony or stick, or for a legitimate run-off. No player may play under the influence of alcohol or any illegal drug. A late, injured or otherwise unavailable player may be replaced by a qualified substitute under the tournament conditions.

The standard game is 6 chukkas (excluding extra time), though a Tournament Committee may vary this by level of polo (4 to 8 chukkas are common elsewhere). Intervals between chukkas are 3 minutes, with a 5-minute half-time interval (and before extra time). A bell signals the umpires to restart play at the end of each interval. Players change to a fresh pony between chukkas.

Except for the final chukka and extra time, each chukka is a maximum of 7½ minutes. After 7 minutes the first bell is rung, indicating up to 30 seconds remain; the chukka then ends at the next break in play or on the second bell (or immediately if the ball is out of play when the bell rings). A foul awarded after the first bell is taken at the start of the next chukka. The clock is stopped only when the umpire blows the whistle.

In the final chukka the game ends on the first 7-minute bell unless the teams are tied. If tied, play continues until a goal is scored or awarded, or until the second bell. If the score is still tied and a result is required, an extra chukka (sudden death / golden goal) is played: it starts where play stopped, and the first goal wins; if no goal is scored, ends are changed for any further extra chukka.

Play starts and restarts after each goal with a throw-in: the umpire bowls the ball underhand and hard between the two teams, which line up in numerical order facing the centre. A throw-in is also used to restart play after a no-foul stoppage and at the start of each chukka after the first.

A goal is scored when the ball passes between the goal posts (or the imaginary vertical lines from their inner surfaces) and across and clear of the goal line, regardless of which player or pony last touched it. A ball hit through or directly over a post does not count. The team with the most goals — including goals awarded on handicap and from a Penalty 1 — wins.

Ends are changed after every goal, a tradition that neutralises any advantage from wind, sun or ground slope. Play restarts with a throw-in on the centre line (or with a Penalty 5b if a Penalty 1 goal was awarded); players are allowed 25 seconds before the restart. Ends are also changed if no goal has been scored by half-time.

Every registered player is rated on a handicap from -2 (beginner) up to 10 goals (the very best in the world). The rating reflects a player's overall value to a team, not the number of goals they score. A 10-goal handicap is the elite ceiling held by only a handful of players worldwide. Ratings are reviewed periodically by the national association's handicap committee.

A team handicap is the sum of its four players' handicaps, and tournaments are usually limited to an upper team handicap. In a handicap match, the difference between the two teams' totals is multiplied by the number of chukkas to be played, divided by 6, and given as start-of-game goals to the lower-handicap team; any fraction counts as half a goal. These goals appear on the scoreboard before the first throw-in.

The Line of the Ball (LOB) is the extended path along which the ball has travelled or is travelling, including when kicked by a pony or deflected off a player, pony or other impediment. If a player has a free hit but misses, the LOB is the direction in which they were riding. The LOB is the fundamental reference for deciding precedence (right of way) between players and is the cornerstone of polo's safety rules.

Precedence (the right of way) follows the LOB. Two opposing players riding on the exact LOB and playing each other — whether following or meeting — have precedence over all others. A player on the exact LOB with the ball on their off (right) side has precedence over other players. Where no one is exactly on the line, the player riding at the lesser angle to the LOB has precedence, and a player travelling in the same direction as the ball has precedence over one coming from the opposite direction.

No player may cross another player who has precedence except at such a distance that not the slightest risk of collision or danger to any player is involved. Crossing the right of way is the most common and most serious foul in polo, because it creates the danger of a high-speed collision between ponies. A player may only enter ahead of the player on the LOB at a safe speed and distance, and once an opponent gains control of the ball safely, others must not ride into them from behind.

A player in possession may continue down the LOB to hit the ball on their off side unless subjected to a legitimate play. A player marked by an opponent within two ponies' lengths must keep moving the ball: if they stop or slow to a walk they may tap the ball only once, after which they or a team-mate must, within 5 seconds, hit it away or run with it. A player may not catch, kick, throw or carry the ball intentionally — only the mallet may be used to play it.

A player may hook an opponent's mallet only when on the same side of the opponent's pony as the ball, or directly behind, and the stick is not over, under or across any part of the pony, nor between its legs. The opponent must be in the act of hitting, and the whole of the hooked stick must be below shoulder height; it may not be hooked or struck with excessive force. A nearside backhand may not be hooked behind the player. A foul (or dangerous) hook is penalised.

A player may ride off an opponent — pushing them off the line or out of a play — provided the ponies are travelling at the same speed, are shoulder to shoulder, and come together at a safe angle. When riding off, the elbow must be kept close to the side; a player may not push with the head, hand, arm or elbow. A ride-off taken at a dangerous angle, or that unbalances the opponent's pony, is a foul.

Renamed for the 2025/26 season (following the USPA's adoption of the same rule), Impeding the Primary restricts teammates of the player on the ball from interfering with the primary opponent's play. (a) When play is resumed with a hit after a break, no member of the hitting team may ride off or impede the primary opponent attempting a play on the hitter (who must raise the stick before play resumes). (b) At all other times, when a player has the ball at slow speed, a teammate may not ride off, impede or block an opposing player within two horse-lengths from making a play on the ball-carrier.

No player may ride or use their stick in a manner that creates danger to another pony, player or official, or that puts their own pony's welfare at undue risk. Examples include riding off at a dangerous angle or speed, riding into the swing of an opponent's stroke, zigzagging in front of another player so as to force a check or risk a fall, and pulling across another player. Dangerous play may attract a flag (caution or send-off) in addition to a penalty.

The umpire must stop play for safety. Play is halted if a player loses their helmet or breaks essential equipment, if a player is dismounted, fallen or injured, or if a pony is injured, distressed, fallen, fatigued or loses a shoe. The welfare of horse and rider takes priority over the continuation of play at all times; the game restarts only once it is safe to do so.

If, in the umpires' opinion, a player commits a dangerous or deliberate foul in the vicinity of goal in order to save a goal, the fouled team is awarded one goal (Penalty 1). The game restarts with a Penalty 5b in favour of the fouled team, ends having been changed. This is the most severe penalty and directly adds a goal to the scoreboard.

For a foul inside the 30-yard line, the fouled captain chooses one undefended free hit, either from the spot of the foul or from 30 yards out opposite the centre of goal. The hitting team must be behind the ball and may strike only once. The defending team has no play and must be 30 yards behind the ball, behind their back line, not between the posts, and must not distract the hitter. A miss that fails to cross the line gives the defenders a Penalty 5a where the ball rests.

One undefended free hit from 40 yards out, opposite the centre of goal. The whole hitting team must be behind the 40-yard line, and the hit is taken in one stroke with the intent to score. If the hitter mishits or misses, only half shots (stick head starting its downswing below the shoulder) are allowed until the defending team plays the ball. The defending team must stand behind their back line, outside the goal, until the ball is hit.

One free hit from the centre of the 60-yard line nearest the offending team's goal, taken in one stroke with the intent to score. The hitting team may position themselves freely. This penalty is defended: the entire defending team must be behind their 30-yard line until the ball is hit or hit at. After a mishit, only half shots are allowed until the defenders play the ball (the stick may be raised to stop or redirect it).

A Penalty 5a is a free hit from the spot where the ball lay when the foul occurred (at least 4 yards from the boards or side lines). A Penalty 5b is a free hit from the centre of the field. In both, the hitting team may position itself freely, and the defending team must be behind an imaginary line parallel to the back line, 30 yards from the ball. These are the standard mid-field free hits for fouls outside the scoring penalty zones.

If a defender hits or deflects the ball over their own back line (a 'safety'), the attacking team is awarded a Penalty 6 (Safety 60): one free hit from a spot on the 60-yard line opposite where the ball crossed, but no more than 40 yards from the centre. It is taken in one stroke as for a Penalty 3, and the defending team must be behind their 30-yard line until the ball is hit. (If the ball is deflected over the back line off any other player or pony, it is instead a hit-in.)

Penalty 7 governs infringements of penalty procedure: 7a re-takes the hit (a goal is awarded if a defending-team infringement prevented a certain goal); 7b awards the defenders a Penalty 5a if the hitting team errs. Penalty 8 is a throw-in by the umpire towards the nearest boards from where the ball lay (the no-foul / lodged-ball restart). Penalty 9 sends an offending pony (9a) or player (9b) off the field over an equipment violation until the cause is rectified.

When the attacking team hits the ball over and clear of the back line, the defending team takes a hit-in from where the ball crossed (at least 4 yards from the posts or boards), the ball placed just inside the field. The attacking team must be at least 30 yards from the ball, behind the 30-yard line, until the ball is hit. The hitter must play within 10 seconds; delay results in a throw-in (or a Penalty 5b for the attacker's infringement).

When the ball goes over the boards or side line, out of play, the umpire restarts with a throw-in, bowling the ball hard and underhand between the lined-up teams towards the centre. Precedence between players is established only once the ball leaves the line-out (whether direct from the throw or after being hit away); until then players may play it from any angle provided they create no danger.

The mallet (stick) has a flexible cane shaft and a hardwood (traditionally tipa) cigar-shaped head; the ball is struck with the side (broad face) of the head, not the end. Mallet length is chosen to suit the height of the pony, typically 49 to 54 inches. It is held and swung in the right hand only. Players carry several mallets of differing lengths and may change them during play.

Protective headgear (a helmet) with the chinstrap correctly fastened is mandatory — no one may play without it. A face guard is commonly fitted. Polo boots and protective kneepads must always be worn, with white breeches for matches. Goggles, elbow pads and a gum shield are recommended. Spurs likely to wound a horse, and any equipment with sharp projections, are forbidden.

Mounts are universally called 'polo ponies' regardless of height; most are agile, fast Thoroughbred-type horses. A pony may not play if it carries a contagious disease, is blind in an eye, is unsafe or out of control, is lame or distressed, or has been nerved (desensitised) or has open tubing. Ponies must wear boots or bandages on all four legs and have their tails put up. Welfare is paramount: poorly fitted tack, blinkers, vision-obstructing nosebands and any sharp equipment are not allowed.

The game is normally controlled by two mounted umpires whose authority is absolute on the conduct of play. When the umpires disagree, a Referee (the 'third man'), seated in an elevated central position, gives the final decision; if unable to judge, the referee rules 'No Foul'. They are assisted by goal judges (who wave a flag to signal a goal) and a timekeeper who works the clock and bells.

In addition to any penalty, umpires may award a flag for dangerous play, unsportsmanlike conduct or persistent rule-breaking. A yellow flag is a caution; a player may be sent to the sin bin for 2 minutes of playing time for a first offence and must be sin-binned on a second yellow in a match. A red flag sends a player off for the rest of the match (substitution allowed after 2 minutes) and carries an automatic one-match suspension. Reports go to the Disciplinary Review Panel.