Numbers 2 and 3 are usually the highest rated and most experienced with number 3 being the quarterback or field captain, and number 2 being responsible to push the play both on offense and defense at all times. Play is kaleidoscopic, resembling hockey in the continuous shifts from offense to defense. The team with the ball is quick to attack by sending lead passes to players up the field. The team on defense is attempting to ride off or check their opponents so as to break up the play and turn and go on the offensive. Players will attempt to sense the location of every other player on the field, know where the ball is, where it is going, and what his opponent is doing at all times.
Anticipation is as rare in polo as in any other sport.
It is a skill that only comes with experience and is one of the reasons that players don't reach their peak until in their late 20's. As in most ball sports, the broken play is common. All other things being equal, the team that persists in its teamwork and is quick to capitalize on its opponents' mistakes will win. Polo, played by the best players with the best horses, is a spectacle unequaled in sport.