Penalties
Fouls are punished by a graduated system of free hits, numbered 1 to 7 by severity:
Penalty Severity What happens 1 Most severe Automatic goal awarded; no shot taken 2 Very severe Undefended free hit from 30 yards from the centre of the goal 3 Severe Undefended free hit from 40 yards 4 Moderate–severe Defended free hit from 60 yards; opponents must remain at least 30 yards away 5a Moderate Free hit from the spot of the foul; opponents 30 yards away 5b Moderate Free hit from the centre of the field 6 (Safety) Minor Awarded when a defending player hits the ball over their own back line; free hit taken opposite that point 7 Procedural Retake awarded when a Penalty 2–6 was not executed correctly The defending player has a variety of opportunities for their team to gain possession of the ball.
They can push the opponent off the line or steal the ball from the opponent. Another common defensive play is called "hooking." While a player is taking a swing at the ball, their opponent can block the swing by using their mallet to hook the mallet of the player swinging at the ball. A player may hook only if they are on the side where the swing is being made or directly behind an opponent.
A player may not purposely touch another player, another player's tack, or a pony with their mallet. Unsafe hooking is a foul that will result in a penalty shot being awarded. For example, it is a foul for a player to reach over an opponent's mount in an attempt to hook.
The other basic defensive play is called the bump or ride-off. It's similar to a body check in ice hockey. In a ride-off, a player rides their pony alongside an opponent's mount to move an opponent away from the ball or to take them out of a play. It must be executed properly so that it does not endanger the horses or the players. The angle of contact must be safe and can not knock the horses off balance, or harm the horses in any way. Two players following the line of the ball and riding one another off have the right of way over a single man coming from any direction.
Like in hockey, ice hockey, or basketball, fouls are potentially dangerous plays that infringe on the rules of the game. To the novice spectator, fouls may be difficult to discern. There are degrees of dangerous and unfair play and penalty shots are awarded based on the severity of the foul and where the foul was committed on the polo field. White lines on the polo field indicate where the mid-field, sixty, forty, and thirty yard penalties are taken.
All tournaments and levels of play and players are organized within and between polo clubs, including membership, rules, safety, fields and arenas. The official set of rules and rules interpretations are reviewed and published annually by each country's polo association. Most of the smaller associations follow the rules of the Hurlingham Polo Association, the national governing body of the sport of polo in the United Kingdom, and the United States Polo Association.
