Polo Club Luxembourg

The Teams
On a full sized grass field, each team has four people
In an enclosed arena usually played in winter, each team has three people

The Ground
The ground is 300 yards long, 160 yards wide if boarded. Being boarded means the field has a 12 inch upright board bounding the perimeter which stops the ball rolling out of play easily.
If the ground is unboarded, it is 200 yards wide and marked with a white line.
The goal posts, positioned at each end, are 8 yards apart.

Duration of the Play
The full game is 8 chukkas (each chukka lasts 7 minutes), but often in club matches 4 or 6 chukkas are played.
The game goes on until the ball goes out of play and the chukka ends where the ball is.
The clock is stopped between the umpire's whistle to stop the play and the whistle to start play (eg.ball out of play, foul etc.)
There are intervals of 3 mins between chukkas and 5 mins at half time. Ends are changed at every goal scored.

Handicaps
Each player is handicapped from -2 up to 10 goals (the top professional players).
The aggregate handicap of the four players in a team is the team handicap. e.g. if all players have a handicap of 2 goals each, the team handicap is 8 goals and is referred to as an '8 goal team'.

Ponies
Ponies can play two chukkas in an afternoon with a rest of at least one chukka in between.
There is no limit to the height of ponies.

Fouls
A player following the ball on its exact line has the Right of Way over all other players. Any other player who crosses the player on the right of way close enough to be dangerous commits a foul.
Penalties vary according to the degree of danger and closeness of the cross.
No player may hook an opponent's stick unless he is on the same side of the opponent's pony as the ball.
Dangerous play or rough handling is not allowed - a player may ride an opponent off, but must not charge in at an angle.

Penalty Shots
When a player takes a penalty shot at goal it's very similar to a foul shot in basketball. The goal can be defended or it can be a free hit depending upon the severity of the foul. The more severe the penalty, the shorter the hitting distance to the goal mouth.
Penalty shots are given from any position the umpires choose, from the goal line to midfield, with or without a defender allowed in the goal mouth, depending on the severity of the foul.
In polo, penalty shots are numbered from 1 to 10 depending on the severity of the infraction. Penalties 2 through 5 are the most common.

Penalty #1
A goal is awarded.

Penalty #2
A free hit from 30 yards to an undefended goal.

Penalty #3
A free hit from 40 yards to an undefended goal.

Penalty #4
A free hit from 60 yards to an undefended goal.

Penalty #5
A free hit from the point of infraction or from midfield.

Penalty #6
When a defending player hits the ball across his own back line, with the ball placed at the same distance from the sideline as it went out. A "Safety" is called by the umpires when the ball rolls over the back line wide of the goal mouth as a result of being touched by a defending player. The offensive team is awarded a safety penalty shot from 60 yards out to a defended goal. The clock is stopped and the ball is placed on the 60 yard line approximately in line with the spot where the ball crossed the back line.

Penalty #7
If a player is disabled by a foul to the extent he must retire from the game, the team fouled designates a player from the fouling team to be removed.

Penalty #8
Disqualification of a player's mount for the duration of the match.

Penalty #9
Forfeit of the game.

Penalty #10
Disqualification of the player.