I had never ever seen a match until I moved here to Aiken SC. I was definitely in the minority. Seems like everyone had been to at least one match. Sure, I saw the pictures in the magazines for Ralph Lauren..... the handsome young hot guy in his polo outfit, the half-naked hot chick next to him, lol. Well - that is not really polo, lol. Well, uhhhhh......yes, the players have a little bit of a reputation, but what athlete doesn't. They all have their groupies, haha. Anyway - As you know an associate in my office and I are doing this Polo:101 series to get y'all ready for your first polo match. Polo in Aiken, SC starts up in September - - - - we are running out of time!
Ok - this is what stops the clock: 
Pretty much the same reasons as other sports (except for the horse!)
- in case of a foul - fallen pony or rider - pony or player injured - broken tack (horse gear/equipment) - rider loses his/her helmet - the ball rolls out of bounds -
Let's break it down a little bit here.
A foul: obviously breaking the rules. And I am NOT going to give you ALL the rules, lol. But the most common foul is for ‘crossing the line of the ball' (this is a rule to keep horses and riders safe) the ‘line of ball' is an imaginary line created by the ball as it moves down the field. (changing each time the ball changes direction)
The player that hit the ball has the right of way - and the other players cannot cross ‘the line of ball' in front of that player. They have to ride on either SIDE of the line (to try to steal the ball defensively - - and while trying to assist offensively). The only time they can cross it is if it is not making a dangerous situation. And like I said - most of the penalty shots and fouls are for crossing the line of the ball.
Penalty shot: pretty much like other sports. Your team breaks a rule - - - the other team takes a shot. And depending on how bad it was that your team did - - is totally related to the penalty shot. Whether someone is manning the goal or not - how far away you shoot from.... Just like other sports, really.
Well, there is more to come....just give us some time.
Thanks for your interest and have a great night :)
POLO 101: A series! (AKA: Polo: So much to learn, So little time!) Provided together by Kara Casamassina and Gene Mock, The Carolina Real Estate Company, Aiken SC.
Give me a call when you are ready to make the move to Aiken :)
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