How to Play Pato (Argentine Polo)

Pato is an authentic Argentine horse-riding sport, played since before the arrival of Europeans. In the early days, it was played not with a leather ball (like today), but with a basket containing a luckless duck. A trial of horsemanship, it would evolve into fights so often that the Catholic church tried to ban the sport in 1796, and the government tried the same thing in 1822. Pato made a comeback in the 1930s, however, and is once again played throughout Argentina.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Pato is played by two teams of four, all of whom are on horseback. Players battle for a leather ball, which measures 40 cm in diameter (about the size of a soccer ball) and weighs 1-1.25 kilograms. Each ball comes with six convenient handles. Games are played on a field that measures anywhere from 180-220 meters long and 80-90 meters wide.
2. The ball is placed in the center of the field: at a signal, both teams race forward for possession. Teams can pass the ball back and forth to one another, but the player who holds the pato must ride with his right arm outstretched: this allows rival players the chance to steal the ball. Not extending the arm garners a penalty.
3. When players battle over the ball, this is called "he tug," or "cinchada." Players must stand on their stirrups during this tug, and cannot sit on the saddle. This is a one-handed battle, as the players' other hand must hold the reins. Every cinchada is an amazing feat of skill and balance.
4. Points are scored by throwing the ball through a vertical ring, which is 1 meter in diameter and placed atop poles that stand 2.4 meters high.
5. The game lasts for 6 periods of 8 minutes. The team with the most goals wins.

Tips & Warnings

• Players still wear the traditional clothing of gauchos (cowboys who lived in the South American pampas or Patagonian grassland). Modern teams, however, compete with helmets.