What is Arena Polo?
Arena Polo is
played with three players per competing team on a regulation size field/arena
of 300 feet by 150 feet, enclosed by walls of four or more feet in height. The
normal game consists of four chukkas/periods of seven and one-half minutes
each. Riders change horses at the end of
each chukka/period. Arena Polo does not
require the large number of horses to play that Outdoor/Grass Polo
demands. Many players use two horses,
alternating horses each chukka/period.
The Arena Polo ball is similar to a mini soccer ball, larger than the
small hard plastic ball used outdoors.
While the larger size gives the new player confidence in learning to hit
the ball and proper technique; which is necessary, because the arena game is
played on a dirt surface with the ball bouncing on the uneven surface and off
the arena wall.
Arena Polo
can be played indoors or outdoors, days or nights, under lights and weather
permitting, all year around. Many clubs
only play Arena Polo due to the high cost of maintaining grass fields and the
large space requirement for field polo. Arena
Polo Clubs usually have a school/student program with horses for rent to
student players learning the proper way to play the game, the rules of play and
proper riding techniques.
Arena Polo is
extremely exciting, with many changes in direction, high speed, and intense
action it is a great spectator sport.
Arena Polo can be an excellent introduction to field polo and many of
the players start in the Arena. With a
qualified instructor, a new player can quickly learn proper hitting techniques
and learn or improve riding skills. With
the constant change of direction of play in the arena, the player learns to
recognize and properly enter the line of the ball and right of way, change from
offense to defense, and the great need for team play.
By playing in
a confined arena, players feel more secure and with the ball rebounding off the
arena walls, a player has more opportunities to hit the ball than in field
polo. Horses, while moving with quick
bursts of speed, are more under control.
Players are taught proper team play, how to hit a pass to teammates, and
learn to anticipate opponent's plays and strategies.
