ARENA POLO COMES TO KANSAS CITY
Arena Polo is played with three players per Team on a regulation size field 300 feet by 150 feet, enclosed by walls of four or more feet in height. Although most covered arenas are smaller in the United States. The normal game consists of four chukkas or chukkers (periods) of seven and one-half minutes each. Riders change horses at the end of each chukka/period. Arena Polo does not require the large number of horses to play that Outdoor/Grass Polo demands. Many players use two horses, alternating horses each chukka/period. The Arena Polo ball is similar to a mini soccer ball, larger than the small hard plastic ball used outdoors. While the larger size gives the new player confidence in learning to hit the ball, proper technique is necessary because the arena game is played on a dirt surface with the ball bouncing on the uneven surface and off the arena wall.
Arena Polo can be played either indoors or outdoors, days or nights under lights and weather permitting, all year around. Many clubs only play Arena Polo due to the high cost of maintaining grass fields and the smaller field size required. Arena Polo Clubs usually have a school/student program with horses for rent to student players learning the proper way to play the game, the rules of play and proper riding techniques.
Arena Polo is extremely exciting, with many changes in direction, fast action and a great spectator sport. Arena Polo can be an excellent introduction to polo and many of the players start in the Arena. With a qualified instructor, a new player can quickly learn proper hitting techniques and improve riding skills. With the constant change of direction of play in the arena, the player learns to recognize and properly enter the line and right of way, change from offense to defense and the need for team play.
By playing in a confined arena, players feel more secure and with the ball rebounding off the arena walls, a player has more opportunities to hit the ball. Horses, while moving with quick bursts of speed, are more under control. Players are taught proper team play, how to hit a pass to teammates, and to learn to anticipate opponent's plays and strategies.
The Current President of the Kansas City Polo Club is Robert E. Arnold III, Esq., former Yale University Men’s & Women’s Varsity Polo Club Coach and Manager of the Yale Polo & Equestrian Center and five goal arena player, and the American Royal is graciously helping with the availability of their new facilities. Plans are underway for an interscholastic (high school) and collegiate program as well and new members and players are being actively recruited. There is currently a lesson program starting in October and interested persons are invited to call Bob Arnold at 816.550.9335 for more information or by email to arnoldlawfirm@msn.com.
PLAYING “THE SPORT OF KINGS”
Polo is played in games of six periods, called “chukkers,” or “chukkas.” Each chukker lasts seven and a half minutes. There are four players on each team. Ideally, each player will have a fresh horse for each chukker. In the early years of the game, this was usually the case, but modern players sometimes will use one horse for two chukkers, because of the high cost of maintaining so many horses. These costs were particularly high for polo players in Kansas City and Johnson County because of the climate. The polo season lasted through the warm summer months, but when the winter came, the horses were often sent to warmer climates for winter pasturing, and returned to the city in the spring. The polo horses are a large investment for each team member. In 1949, top polo horses sold between $500 to $3000. Today, the best can cost $100,000 or more.
The basic rules of polo are deceptively simple. Each team attempts to score by using mallets to hit the ball through the opponents’ goal. The actual game is quite exciting to watch and play. The speeds reached by the horses (up to 40 miles per hour), the speed of the ball (up to 100 miles per hour), and the danger of injury, or even death, make the game a compelling one.
Though not as popular as it was during the 1920s, the game of polo is still very much alive. It is played in over 55 countries, and there are over 200 clubs in the United States alone.
The Mission Valley Hunt Club continues to thrive, and currently has 140 members. The Club’s hounds are kenneled at Fin and Feather in Louisburg, Kansas. Foxhunts are held from October through April, every Wednesday, and either Saturday or Sunday each weekend. The polo season lasts from May through September, and the Club’s polo team has an active schedule, including travel for games with out-of-town teams.1
Arena Polo is played with three players per Team on a regulation size field 300 feet by 150 feet, enclosed by walls of four or more feet in height. Although most covered arenas are smaller in the United States. The normal game consists of four chukkas or chukkers (periods) of seven and one-half minutes each. Riders change horses at the end of each chukka/period. Arena Polo does not require the large number of horses to play that Outdoor/Grass Polo demands. Many players use two horses, alternating horses each chukka/period. The Arena Polo ball is similar to a mini soccer ball, larger than the small hard plastic ball used outdoors. While the larger size gives the new player confidence in learning to hit the ball, proper technique is necessary because the arena game is played on a dirt surface with the ball bouncing on the uneven surface and off the arena wall.
Arena Polo can be played either indoors or outdoors, days or nights under lights and weather permitting, all year around. Many clubs only play Arena Polo due to the high cost of maintaining grass fields and the smaller field size required. Arena Polo Clubs usually have a school/student program with horses for rent to student players learning the proper way to play the game, the rules of play and proper riding techniques.
Arena Polo is extremely exciting, with many changes in direction, fast action and a great spectator sport. Arena Polo can be an excellent introduction to polo and many of the players start in the Arena. With a qualified instructor, a new player can quickly learn proper hitting techniques and improve riding skills. With the constant change of direction of play in the arena, the player learns to recognize and properly enter the line and right of way, change from offense to defense and the need for team play.
By playing in a confined arena, players feel more secure and with the ball rebounding off the arena walls, a player has more opportunities to hit the ball. Horses, while moving with quick bursts of speed, are more under control. Players are taught proper team play, how to hit a pass to teammates, and to learn to anticipate opponent's plays and strategies.
The Current President of the Kansas City Polo Club is Robert E. Arnold III, Esq., former Yale University Men’s & Women’s Varsity Polo Club Coach and Manager of the Yale Polo & Equestrian Center and five goal arena player, and the American Royal is graciously helping with the availability of their new facilities. Plans are underway for an interscholastic (high school) and collegiate program as well and new members and players are being actively recruited. There is currently a lesson program starting in October and interested persons are invited to call Bob Arnold at 816.550.9335 for more information or by email to arnoldlawfirm@msn.com.
PLAYING “THE SPORT OF KINGS”
Polo is played in games of six periods, called “chukkers,” or “chukkas.” Each chukker lasts seven and a half minutes. There are four players on each team. Ideally, each player will have a fresh horse for each chukker. In the early years of the game, this was usually the case, but modern players sometimes will use one horse for two chukkers, because of the high cost of maintaining so many horses. These costs were particularly high for polo players in Kansas City and Johnson County because of the climate. The polo season lasted through the warm summer months, but when the winter came, the horses were often sent to warmer climates for winter pasturing, and returned to the city in the spring. The polo horses are a large investment for each team member. In 1949, top polo horses sold between $500 to $3000. Today, the best can cost $100,000 or more.
The basic rules of polo are deceptively simple. Each team attempts to score by using mallets to hit the ball through the opponents’ goal. The actual game is quite exciting to watch and play. The speeds reached by the horses (up to 40 miles per hour), the speed of the ball (up to 100 miles per hour), and the danger of injury, or even death, make the game a compelling one.
Though not as popular as it was during the 1920s, the game of polo is still very much alive. It is played in over 55 countries, and there are over 200 clubs in the United States alone.
The Mission Valley Hunt Club continues to thrive, and currently has 140 members. The Club’s hounds are kenneled at Fin and Feather in Louisburg, Kansas. Foxhunts are held from October through April, every Wednesday, and either Saturday or Sunday each weekend. The polo season lasts from May through September, and the Club’s polo team has an active schedule, including travel for games with out-of-town teams.1
KANSAS CITY POLO CLUB
