John Spittler, age 13, of Gadsden, Ala., for his question:
WHERE DID POLO ORIGINATE?
Polo is a game that is played on horseback. Four players try to drive a ball through their opponents' goal poets as their horses charge at full speed. Polo originated in Persia, which is now Iran, more than 4,000 years ago.
The game was later played in Tibet, India, China and Japan. It became especially popular in India during the 16th Century.
Modern polo playing started in the 1860s in India when British army officers discovered it being played by tribal horsemen. They took the game back to England in 1869 and it moved across the Atlantic to the United States in 1876.
The first game held in the United States was an indoor match at Dickel’s Riding Academy in New York City. Polo continued to be an indoor game until 1880 when it also moved outdoors. In 1886 the first international competition was held at Newport, R.I., with the United States facing an English team.
An outdoor field is 300 yards long and 160 to 200 yards wide. The size of an indoor field will depend on the size of the arena.
A polo pony must be trained to make fast stops, to turn and twist and then hit a full forward stride quickly. It must also be trained to bump into other horses at angles up to 45 degrees, and to not fear having a club swung near its head. It takes from six months to a year to train a polo pony.
Three quarter thoroughbreds and thoroughbreds are usually used as polo ponies. This type of horse will weigh between 850 and 1,000 pounds and stand about 60 inches high at the shoulder.
Four players are on each outdoor team: two forward or offensive players and two back or defensive players. Only three players are used on an indoor game.
A period of playing time is called a chukker. It lasts seven and a half minutes. Usually in an indoor match there are only four chukkers, but there are six for a game that is held outdoors. As many as eight are used in some international play.
A tie isn't possible in polo. If the score is the same at the end of regulation play, an extra period of time called "sudden death" is played. The first team to then score a point is named the winner.
Grass is used as a playing surface in outdoor polo. Indoors the surface may be either dirt or clay.
The ball for an outdoor match is white painted willow that is three to three and a half inches in diameter. Each ball weighs between three and a half to four and a half ounces.
The ball that is used for indoor play is leather covered and is inflated with air to a pressure of between 15 to 20 pounds. It measures between four and a quarter and four and a half inches in diameter.