What is horseball?

As a team sport on horseback, horseball is a discipline suited to adults and children alike. To play horseball, it makes sense to ride a small, lively horse and to have a good deal of suppleness yourself.

Suppleness is a genuinely useful quality here, since it is what allows you to pick up the ball. Team spirit is also a great help, just as it is in polo. Now that you have an idea of what horseball is, let's look at it in more detail.

What are the principles of horseball?

To play horseball you need riders and a ball fitted with 6 leather straps. The straps matter because they are what you use to pick the ball up off the ground or take it from an opponent. Once you have all that, the principles are straightforward.

As in football, the aim of horseball is to score goals at your opponent's end. Riders pass to one another, build attacks and drop back into defence.

Each side also has to work out a strategy to put in place in order to beat the opposition. The difference with football is that here you are not allowed to dismount at any point during the match.

What you need to play horseball

To play horseball you need two teams of 6 riders, 4 of whom are on the pitch while 2 substitutes wait on the bench. You need a sand arena measuring 70 x 30 metres with 2 goals placed at the short ends, 3.50 metres off the ground.

You also need horses that are preferably small or medium-sized, and that are very lively, fast, robust, well schooled and not spooky. Finally, you need a ball with 6 leather handles.

The rules of horseball

The main rules of horseball are fairly simple. Each match lasts 25 minutes, split into 2 halves of around 10 minutes with 3-minute breaks. Each team captain may call one 30-second time-out per half.

The other principle of horseball is to score as many goals as possible, bearing in mind that each team must complete at least 3 passes between 3 different players on the team.

Likewise, a rider must not hold on to the ball for more than about ten seconds. And it is the rider moving in the direction of play who has priority when it comes to picking up the ball.

When the teams have to be separated after a draw, extra time is played. As for the reserves or substitutes, they come on during stoppages in play.

The horseball player also uses a range of equipment that marks them out as a specialist in the discipline: the bridle, leg protection and the saddle, among others. You can find these accessories at La Sellerie Française.