John O'Shaughnessy, age 12, of Freeport, I11., for his question
HOW BIG IS A POLO FIELD?
Polo is the exciting ball game that is played on horseback on either an indoor or outdoor field. Its rules are a lot like those used in hockey.
A regulation outdoor polo field is a grass covered strip 300 yards long and 200 feet wide. That makes its length three times as long as a football field. If the sidelines of the field are boarded, the field is then only 160 yards wide.
Major indoor polo arenas are 100 yards long and 50 yards wide, with goals 10 feet wide painted on opposite ends.
Indoor outdoor polo has won increased popularity in recent years. It is played outdoors, but the players use the same rules that they use in arena polo. The field is 100 yards long and 50 yards wide and is enclosed by a board fence four to four and a half feet high.
In outdoor polo, two teams of four players each try to drive the ball through their opponents' goal posts. In arena and indoor outdoor polo, each team has only three players.
If the sidelines of an outdoor polo field are boarded, the sideboards are 11 inches high. The goal posts are made of light wood or even papier mache so that they will break easily if a horse runs into them. The posts are spaced 24 feet apart on an outdoor field.
Special horses called polo ponies are used for the game. Horses are not any special breed or size although thoroughbreds and three quarter thoroughbreds are generally considered to be the most acceptable. The horses usually weigh from 850 to 1,000 pounds.
It takes about six months to a year to train a polo pony. The horse must get used to having clubs swung near its head. It must also be able to stop quickly, turn, twist and then resume stride with little loss of speed.
Balls for the outdoor game are made of willow. They are three to three and a half inches wide and weigh about four ounces. Indoor balls are the same size but are inflated with air and have leather covers.
Special rattan or cane mallets from 48 to 54 inches long are carried by the players. At one end of the mallet is a horizontal piece of hardwood, and at the other end is a lightweight strap made of a strong cloth material. The strap fastens to the thumb.
A player's equipment usually consists of boots, white breeches, knee guards, whip, spurs, mallet, helmet and a jersey.
The horse's equipment consists of saddle, bridle, bit and leg boots or bandages.
One of the most difficult things for the horse to learn or develop is the courage to occasionally bump into another horse, at angles up to 45 degrees, on the command of its rider.
Polo most likely originated in Persia, which is now Iran, about 4,000 years ago. The modern game had its beginnings in 1862 at Punjab, India, when a group of British officers copied the sport from some tribal horsemen.
In Egypt, India and England, polo was an outdoor sport. But the first polo game in America was played indoors at Dickel's Riding Academy in New York City in 1876. It remained an indoor sport in the United States until 1880, when it became equally popular as an outdoor game.