Most polo ponies today are thoroughbred stock, for their essential quality of speed, sometimes with some quarter-horse or native blood. This technically makes them horses, but it is traditional to refer to them as ponies. The three essential items necessary for polo are a pony, a mallet, and a ball. The Throw-in Each game begins with the two teams lining up in pairs opposite the umpire in the centre of the field. Each team will be on the side of its own goal.
Play starts when the umpire throws in the ball between the two lines.
Play is continuous, even when goals are scored, unless an umpire stops the play on a foul or the ball goes off the field. Play resumes with another throw-in or a penalty hit. Riding off an opponent, or hooking his mallet, to prevent a hit, is allowed, and you will see plenty of both throughout the game. The ball can be hit from either side of the pony, in either direction, but the mallet must always be held in the right hand. If you notice several goals marked on the scoreboard at the start of the game, the scorekeeper isn't drunk, he's showing the handicap.