Six women and 24 legs thundered down the arena at the MSU Bob Miller Pavilion in February. Sand flew and teammates shouted as players fought to gain control of the ball. At the sound of a whistle, play stopped and the women moved their horses into position to prepare for a penalty shot. Such is the exciting game of polo and on February 26 the women and men’s polo teams from the MSU Polo Club competed against the University of Idaho.

Polo is a team sport played on horseback, with the objective of scoring goals against the opposing team. Players score by driving a ball into the opposition’s goal using a long-handled wooden mallet. Traditionally, polo is played outside on a large grass field 300 yards long and 160 yards wide (about the area of nine football fields). Each team has four players mounted on horseback and the ball is wooden or plastic.

The MSU Polo teams play a variation of this, called arena polo, which is played on a smaller scale. Teams only have three players and the game takes place in an arena. The ball is filled with air and is about the size of a softball. The game is divided into four seven-and- a-half-minute periods, called chukkers. At MSU’s club competitions, between each chukker, the students huddle up and talk while handlers walk the horses.

Additionally, a mounted umpire joins the team in the arena during play. Another umpire watches in the stands. Both have whistles and watch for penalties. To the novice observer, these fouls can be hard to see. A foul is basically a dangerous play and frequently occurs when someone crosses in front of the person with the ball. Penalty shots are awarded based on where the foul occurred, or on their severity. There are lines on the field or in the sand that show from where these shots should be taken.

MSU is in the western region and competes against other polo clubs from states like Oregon and California. Competitions are scheduled as frequently as possible, although generally MSU competes only four times a year. The polo club has been around for the past six years and the group is actually a wing of the Gallatin County Polo Club.

Rob Brooks, owner of R. O. Brooks Custom Leather Shop in Belgrade, has been playing polo for ten years. He brought the club to MSU and has coached the teams ever since. The club is open to MSU students and there are no requirements for members to join. All levels of riding ability are welcome. “We take care of horsemanship in practices,” explained Brooks. Weaker riders get mellower horses so they can learn. Additionally, the members are not required to compete. There is a varsity and junior varsity team for both boys and girls and it is entirely up to the player whether or not to compete. Interest has grown as talk has spread around the College of Agriculture. “It only takes four to make a team, but it takes a dozen to have a club,” Brooks said proudly as he watched his team compete in February.

The players are not the only athletes in the arena; the horses are essential to the game. The closest school that MSU competes with is seven hours away, so in order to make traveling easier, the clubs provide both home and away teams with horses. “It’s not like rodeo at all,” said Brooks. “When we travel, we just travel in a car.” Between each chukker, the teams switch horses, requiring the players to ride unfamiliar horses. “Polo makes for an excellent rider because they are forced, if you will, to ride different horses all the time,” Brooks explained.

Wilbur O’Ferrall, the Pacific Coast Youth Polo Director from the US Polo Association flew in to help with the competition in February. He was the umpire in the stands. Others right here in Gallatin County also help to encourage students in the polo club. “Chris Clawson and Rob Brooks work to round up horses for the club,” said O’Ferrall. Volunteers, such as Mike and Brian Ward, spend time preparing the arena for play. It is with the help of these adults that MSU students can continue to learn about the game of polo and play competitively.