Get trained
This page explains the principles. It is not a substitute for lessons from a qualified polo instructor or club, and it does not replace the rules of your governing body, club or tournament.
Most of what a polo player wears is there because a rulebook says so. A helmet is compulsory under every polo rulebook we read, the HPA and Pony Club rules require its chinstrap to be fastened, and the USPA's 2024 rules require a helmet with a chin strap worn as its maker specifies. Knee guards and polo boots are compulsory in play under the HPA's 2026 rules, and so is eye protection. Spurs and whips are limited in size and use. Even the pony's bit, girth and leg bandages have rules.
Whose rules?
Polo's rules differ by governing body, so these pages always name the body and the year of its rulebook:
- HPA 2026: the Hurlingham Polo Association's Rules and Regulations for Polo 2026, which govern polo in the UK and Ireland.
- USPA 2024: the United States Polo Association's 2024 Outdoor Rules. The USPA revises its rules each year and its 2026 book was not reviewed for this site, so players in the United States should check the current edition.
- Pony Club 2026: the UK Pony Club's polo rulebook for junior players, which plays under HPA rules but adds stricter kit and tack rules of its own.
Where we use other national or university bodies, or test standards such as NOCSAE's, we name them too. Clubs and tournaments can add conditions of their own, and equipment standards change, so always check the current rules of your club or tournament and the label on your gear.
How the section is organised
- Player protection: helmets, eye and face protection, and boots, knee guards and gloves.
- Aids: spurs and whips, the two pieces of player kit that act directly on the pony.
- Stick and ball: mallets, mallet length and balls.
- Tack: saddles, bits and bridles, and girths, breastplates and martingales.
- The pony: pony leg protection, including tails, manes and shoes.
- Other formats and practice: arena and snow gear and practice gear.
How we handle claims
Rulebooks are our primary sources. Where a maker, retailer or school describes its own products, we label that as a claim. Where sources disagree, as they do on mallet length, ball weight and boot colour, we give each version with who says it. We do not quote prices. When you are ready to buy, the guides cover gear by category.