Each horse plays two chuckers, and each team gets the horse for one chucker. Usually the opposing numbered player will play the horse. Since arena polo is a four chukker game, the horse will play the first and third chukker or the second and fourth. The split string is used to try and eliminate any advantage that the home team would have by playing their own horses. Handicaps are not used in college polo.
All games are played on the flat, so teams that have the better players have a huge advantage.
Certain schools tend to draw the talented players over other schools. The competition during the year is mostly within each school's region. Some schools will travel to schools outside their region, but for the most part geography limits the amount of travel. Most teams, both Men's and Women's, end up playing roughly twenty games during a season. The season will run from the beginning of October to the middle of April.