Great Horse Games

There is a long list of sports that involve horses. Riders, hunters, and jockeys all use horses in different types of sports. The list of these sports include English and Western horse riding games. Western horse riding games are pleasure riding, barrel racing, trail classing, and much more. The English tend to play horse games such as cross country jumping, show jumping, hunting, racking, fox hunting, racing, polo, steeple and many more other games. One of the most popular and fun horse games in the world is Polo.

Polo is an exciting horse game that was created about 2,000 years ago. Incredibly, this game originated from Persia and China. The word "polo" was derived from "Pholo" a Tibetan word which means "ball". However, even though the game originated from the China, the English were the first to establish a polo club. This club was created around the 1850's, but the very first game that was recorded was played as far back as 600 BC.

If you are considering playing this type of horse game, then you should start by learning a few tips and the basic rules of the game. First, you should know that are two ways to play Polo; there is the Arena Polo, and there is the Out door Polo. In the Arena Polo each team consist of three players, which in total gives you six players in the arena. In both the Outdoor Polo and the Arena-Polo, a pivotal player in each team is responsible to try and strike goals and play offensively. Usually this is the third player's job. The first player of the team is responsible for defending the goal posts from the opposing team's strikes. The second player on the team usually plays according to their team's pattern or according to the game's conditions. In the Outdoor Polo, each team has four members, which is a total of eight players on the field. In Outdoor Polo, the fourth player is the Pivotal player instead of the third player. The first player also plays the role of the defender, while the second and third players play according the game's pattern. Generally, Outdoor Polo is played in an outdoor Polo Stadium.

Now that you are knowledgeable of the basics of Polo, you should start learning the rules. In order to win, a team must try to score goals. To score a goal, you must hit the ball with a mallet and the ball must cross the opposing team's goal post from a minimum distance of 24 feet. Polo has three umpires that judge fouls. Also, an umpire is capable of awarding a team either with a free goal or free hit depending upon the type of foul. Polo consist of eight periods (also know as a Chukka)and is generally shorter than a traditional soccer match. There are seven minutes to each period and an extra period has thirty seconds. This will make a traditional game last about 60 minutes.

Generally a Polo pony is not capable of running more then two chukkas straight, since a Polo pony would have to run an average of 300 meters per period. Also, in professional Polo matches, only one pony is allowed per chukka so that the match will be played at a quicker pace. If you are interested in Polo, it is usually recommended to join a Polo Club. Especially if you are planning to eventually play in professional out door Polo games. Also, it is advisable to have sufficient horse riding skills as this sport involves horse riding. There are a good deal of clubs that will teach you the basic skills of Polo and also teach you horse riding. Searching through the internet is one of the easiest ways to search for your nearest Polo club or any other type of horse game club. This sport can be played by almost anyone, so give it a go as you might like it.