What is paddock polo?

Do you know polo? It's a team sport in which the players have to send a ball into the opposing team's half. Each player is equipped with a wooden mallet in order to manoeuvre the ball.

Polo is a hugely popular sport in Argentina, although it originally comes from Asia. There are several forms of polo, including paddock polo. This is a version of polo that is becoming more and more widespread in France. What is paddock polo? We explain in this article.

What are the origins of polo?

Before talking about paddock polo, it's worth looking at the origins of polo. It is impossible today to say with any certainty how far back the origins of this sport go. It does seem, however, that polo appeared on the plains of Asia, as mentioned in the introduction, around 2500 BC. At that time it was the Scythians who ran everything to do with games in the region. It has to be said that the colonisation of the Scythians by the Persian Empire did a great deal to spread the discipline around the world.

As for France, polo made its appearance in the 19th century.

What should you know about paddock polo?

Paddock polo is played three against three. It is a game that is much easier to set up than full-size polo, because it can be played in an arena. On top of that, players only need one horse for the whole match. The ball here is generally made of leather. Paddock polo is the version of polo most commonly played in France at the various clubs.

What are the other versions of polo?

As well as paddock polo, other versions of the game are doing well. There is women's polo, for example, which women enjoy enormously and for which they can find plenty of equipment at La Sellerie Française to play it.

Women's polo

Women's polo is an international competition circuit for women only. It has its own set of rules. The English and the Argentinians excel at this game. French women are getting better and better at it.

Full-size polo

Full-size polo is played on a large field more than 300 metres long. The discipline is played with either a plastic or a wooden ball. The match is divided into 6 or 8 periods of 7 minutes each. A 3-minute half-time is usually scheduled so that riders can change mounts. The periods are so intense that horses cannot play two in a row without a proper rest.

Indoor polo

As the name suggests, indoor polo is generally played inside. An indoor school will do perfectly well for a match. It is a game in which 3 players face 3 others, or 2 players face 2 others. The balls used here are the same as those in paddock polo.