Rules of Polo 101 — Spectator Guide

Yes, read this before your first match — knowing the line of the ball and why the teams keep swapping ends is the difference between a confusing afternoon and a good one.

Outdoor matches run four to six chukkers of seven-and-a-half minutes each on a 300-by-160-yard field — roughly nine football fields. Teams change ends after every goal (in arena polo, only after each chukker). Two separate rules keep it safe: the Line of the Ball, the imaginary line the ball travels, and the Right of Way, which — unlike the LOB — does not depend on who last hit the ball. Players are handicapped from -1 (C) to 10, and everyone carries the mallet in the right hand. At halftime spectators are invited onto the grass to stomp divots.