Spurs and whips: the most tightly written rules in polo kit.

This page sets out what each rulebook allows, with its year. It is not advice on when or how to use either aid; that belongs with your instructor. The HPA, USPA and Pony Club rules all treat excessive use of the whip (and, where spurs are allowed, of spurs) as an offence, and the HPA tells its umpires to check both before play.

Spurs

HPA 2026 (Part 2 Rule 2.3b)

• Any spur likely to wound a pony is banned.
• Spurs, including any ball on the end, must be smooth and rounded, with a single shank of no more than 2 cm, pointing to the rear and not upwards.
• Rowel spurs are not permitted.
• If a pony is injured by a player's spurs, the pony is sent off and may not play again that day, the player receives an automatic yellow flag and may not wear spurs for the rest of the match, and the incident is reported to the HPA.

The HPA's 2026 umpire guidance adds that a pony found with spur damage while off the field may not go onto the field of play.

What changed from the HPA's 2021 rules

So the 2026 rule is shorter on length and bans rowels outright, where the 2021 rule permitted blunt ones.

Other bodies

• USPA 2024 Outdoor Rules: Rule 4e bans sharp spurs. Rule 5g groups spurs with riding crops as "artificial aids" (see below).
• Pony Club 2026: spurs are banned in every Pony Club polo section.
• SUPA (UK schools and universities): spurs are banned in all SUPA sanctioned matches and championships, with no dispensation.
• HPA arena polo: the HPA's Arena Polo Hub says spurs are not allowed in arena polo.
• Australian Polo Federation (July 2023 change to Rule 2.3b): a player whose spurs injure a horse that is then sent off may not wear spurs for the rest of the match.

Whips

HPA 2026 (Part 2 Rule 2.3c)

• A whip may be no longer than 48 inches, including any tag. Broken whips are banned.
• It may be used only in the left hand, only while the ball is in play, and only down the pony's shoulder or on its quarters. It may not be used when the player is not involved in the play, for example when coming back from a change.

The rule lists misuse as including, among other things:

• using the whip when the ball is not in play;
• hitting the quarters more than once without letting the pony react;
• hitting the flank, meaning anywhere between shoulder and quarters;
• raising any part of the left arm or the whip above the shoulder;
• marking the pony;
• excessive or unnecessary force, or excessive noise.

Misuse counts as unsportsmanlike conduct. A first offence earns a yellow flag, or a double yellow flag if it involved excessive use or marking, in which case the player returns without the whip for the rest of the match. A second offence earns a yellow flag and loss of the whip for the rest of the match. Separately, Part 1 of the 2026 rules lists using a whip or spurs unnecessarily or excessively as a form of pony abuse.

What changed from the HPA's 2021 rules

The 2021 rule listed four forms of misuse and a yellow flag. The 2026 rule adds whipping when not involved in play, marking the pony, and excessive force or noise to the list, and adds loss of the whip for a repeat offence or one involving marking.

USPA 2024 Outdoor Rules (Rule 5g and 5h)

The USPA calls riding crops and spurs "artificial aids". Under Rule 5g they may not be used unnecessarily or excessively, may not be used when the ball is out of play or dead except in exceptional circumstances, and a player may not deliberately strike another player or another player's mount with a crop. Rule 5h bars striking a mount with any part of the mallet. The rule's interpretation tells umpires to treat the force of a single crop strike as being as significant as the number of strikes, and says one strike loud enough for a spectator to hear may be penalised. We found no crop length limit in the 2024 Outdoor Rules. The USPA revises its rules each year and its 2026 book was not reviewed for this site, so check the current edition.

Pony Club, SUPA and Australia

• Pony Club 2026: whips no longer than 48 inches including the tag, no broken whips, used only down the shoulder or behind the leg, never overarm, and no more than once per incident. Use counted as excessive, which means immediate disqualification, includes whipping in anger, whipping that breaks the skin or raises a weal, use after a chukka ends or after elimination, use on the head or neck, use from the ground, and raising the arm above the shoulder.
• SUPA: the same 48-inch limit and left-hand-only rule, and players should not take a hand off the reins except in exceptional circumstances.
• Australian Polo Federation (July 2023): changed its whip rule to match the HPA, so the quarters may not be hit more than once without giving the pony a chance to react.

We found no FIP or AAP spur or whip rule in a readable primary source.

Checks before play

Under the HPA's 2026 umpire guidance, umpires confirm before a match that whips, spurs and helmets conform to the rules, and a player whose kit does not may not play until it is put right.

Check the current rules of your governing body, club and tournament before you ride, and measure a whip with its tag. The pony welfare rules page covers the wider rules that these sit within.