The Sport of Kings is Not Horse Racing, It's Polo

The Game of Polo is said to be the “Sport of Kings”. It was considered an aristocrat sport because it was limited to those that possessed the wealth to participate in the sport. I believe the meaning goes a lot deeper than this. It has often been said that the game of Polo has its beginnings as a celebration after the conquering of one army by another. The leaders of the conquering army would hit the head of the defeated leader around from horseback. Although it was claimed to be the beginning of the game of Polo, there is evidence of Polo prior to this. Some believe that Polo was developed somewhere between the 3rd and 4th millennium BC in the region of Nepal, Tibet and Northern India. The highest Polo field in elevation is found in the Himalayas at an elevation of 14,000 feet. The Game of Polo is played on horseback with a team of players. For outdoor Polo, the team consists of 4 players for arena Polo; the team consists of 3 players. Indoor Polo arena is typically 300 feet by 150 feet whereas an outdoor field is 300 yards by 160 yards. 

The game for indoor and outdoor is very much the same. Outdoor is generally 6 chukkers (periods of play) of 7 minutes each and indoor is generally 4 chukkers of 7 ½ minutes each. The game is started with the Throw in. In the throw in, the two teams are lined up next to each other on the centerline. There is a “T” drawn on the ground where the teams are on their side of the T and can’t be forward of the top of the T. The referee will throw the ball in between the opposing teams to start the game. The forward positions (the number 1’s) will move forward crossing each other’s paths heading for their goals. They would attempt to take the ball with them but they must get forward to receive a pass of the ball if one of their teammates were able to maintain possession of the ball. The player advances the ball down the field by hitting the ball with a mallet.