Pony welfare rules, body by body.

These are summaries of rules as the rulebooks state them, as of October 2026. They are not care, treatment or veterinary advice. Where a body's current rulebook was not read, we say so. The USPA revises its rules each year and its 2026 book was not reviewed for this site, so USPA rules here are from the 2024 Outdoor Rules; check the current book. Clubs and tournaments can add conditions of their own.

How much a pony may play

The HPA's 2026 rules (Rule 2.4d) also advise owners of ponies aged 16 or over to have a heart and eye test by an MRCVS vet at the start of each season.

Heat

• HPA 2026, Rule 2.4s: under an Amber Met Office heat warning, or a forecast of 28 degrees Celsius or more, free changes of pony are given, limited to one minute for the change.
• HPA 2026 club guidance: in excessive heat, clubs should consider moving games to a cooler time of day and/or providing a mid-chukka change.
• USPA 2024 Outdoor, Rule 21f(2): when the host tournament committee or the umpires judge heat or humidity to be extreme, and tell the teams before the game, the umpires may allow one courtesy horse change per period for all players on both teams, with one minute for the change.
• HPA Pony Welfare Hub (page dated 27 March 2026): owners, players and grooms should know the HPA's extreme-heat guidance, and play may be suspended when temperatures are judged unsafe.
• New Zealand Polo (guidance passed October 2025): the tournament committee should meet at 30 degrees Celsius to consider options such as free pony changes or shorter chukkas.

Which ponies may not play

HPA 2026 (Rule 3b)

A pony may not play if it is blind in an eye, has an open tracheotomy (tubing), has been de-nerved (until full sensation returns, if temporary), is out of control or dangerous, has a contagious disease, is lame or distressed, is bleeding (unless minor and stopped), is suspended or sent off, or has an injury likely to affect its welfare. Rule 3b also bars a pony that has undergone gene editing, genome editing, genetic therapy or gene doping for competitive purposes. A club representative or the umpires may bar a pony whose visual impact is considered detrimental to polo's reputation.

USPA 2024 Outdoor (Rule 5)

• A mount blind in one or both eyes may not be played, and one showing vice or not under proper control is removed.
• Umpires may remove a mount for blood in its mouth, on its flanks or anywhere on its body, or if they judge it unfit from exhaustion, distress, lameness, excessive sweating or laboured breathing. For visible blood, the interpretation gives the player up to 5 minutes to clean up or change mounts; if bleeding continues, the mount is ordered off.
• A mount out of line with the Henneke Body Condition Score guidelines is removed.

Pony Club 2026

Ponies that are unsound, injured, tubed, blind in one eye or showing blood from the mouth or flanks may not play. Stallions need written permission and an identifying disc.

During the game

• HPA 2026 (Rule 23): umpires share responsibility for pony welfare during play, but the player always holds the primary responsibility. A visibly injured or distressed pony triggers "all may change". A fatigued pony must be led off and may be tagged so it cannot play again in the match. If a pony falls and its shoulder touches the ground, play stops and the player must change ponies so the pony can be checked.
• USPA 2024 (Rule 21f): primary responsibility for each mount's welfare lies with its rider. A visibly injured or distressed mount triggers "all may change" and may not play again in that game.

Tack and shoeing bans

Note the difference on leg protection: the HPA's 2026 rules require it on all four legs, the USPA's 2024 rules on the front legs only. The bits and bridles and pony leg protection pages give the full equipment rules.

Whips, spurs and abuse

• HPA 2026: rowel spurs are banned and the shank is limited to 2 cm pointing to the rear (the 2021 rule had allowed blunt rowels and a 3 cm shank). Whips may be no longer than 48 inches, used in the left hand only while the ball is in play, and only down the shoulder or on the quarters. The rulebook lists hauling or jabbing a pony in the mouth, and using whip or spurs unnecessarily or excessively, as forms of pony abuse.
• USPA 2024 (Rule 5g, 5h): riding crops and spurs may not be used unnecessarily or excessively, or when the ball is out of play except in exceptional circumstances. Striking a mount with the mallet is prohibited, and a single crop strike loud enough for a spectator to hear may be penalised.
• Pony Club 2026: spurs are banned in every section. SUPA (UK schools and universities) bans spurs in all its sanctioned matches.

The spurs and whips page has the details.

Medication and testing (summary)

• HPA 2026 (Rule 2.4j): residual or trace levels of some BEVA-approved medications may be accepted, subject to investigation, only where given under the guidance of an MRCVS vet for a specific diagnosis and without compromising welfare. The HPA and clubs run random and targeted tests, analysed by LGC. A pony whose screening suggests prohibited or permitted medication is suspended from play and umpiring until a vet confirms permitted use or a retest is clear. A pony that has received any medication by injection or ingestion at polo may not play again that day.
• HPA 2026 (Rule 2.4i): under the UK Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, only RCVS members (with limited delegation to registered veterinary nurses) may carry out veterinary surgery.
• USPA: dvm360 reported in June 2010 that the USPA began random post-match blood and urine testing that year, as a pilot without penalties, following the deaths of 21 ponies at the 2009 U.S. Open. EQUUS reported that the programme followed an October 2009 by-law change, and that from 2011 a positive test could bring a Conduct Violation charge against the owner and/or player. The current USPA medication rules were not read for this site.

Health, paperwork and the owner's duty (HPA 2026)

• Every pony needs a valid equine passport that travels with it, and its passport must show equine influenza vaccination under HPA rules, which the HPA notes may differ from other bodies. The HPA may run random passport and microchip checks.
• Suspected contagious or infectious disease must be reported to the HPA. The HPA hub names ringworm, strangles, equine flu and EHV, and says an affected pony cannot play until a vet signs it off.
• Water must not be withheld for an extended period before play, and ponies must be offered water before leaving. Muzzles may be used only briefly to stop feeding. Sensory hairs around the lips, muzzle and eyes may not be trimmed except for veterinary reasons.
• Only a registered farrier may shoe a pony. Clubs must keep a horse ambulance near the ground during play, and a pony that dies at polo must be reported to the HPA within 24 hours.
• The owner holds ultimate responsibility for welfare, including at private grounds, in winter and when a pony is passed on or retired. New Zealand Polo, which follows HPA welfare guidelines, says the same about winter care and retirement.

What we could not read

• USPA: its 2026 rulebook and its Equine Welfare Guidelines (a revision dated 2 August 2017 by its file name) were not read.
• FIP: its 2024 Tournament Procedures reportedly include veterinary and pony welfare sections, but the document could not be opened.
• AAP (Argentina): no AAP pony welfare rulebook was found. La Nacion reported in 2024 that the AAP planned updated welfare rules for that season.