How we recommend
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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.
Much of a polo player's kit is personal. Helmets are chosen by the label a governing body accepts and fitted to the rider's head; mallets are matched to the rider and the pony; tack is fitted to one particular pony. Those are poor surprises. The categories below are ones a player can use without fitting, and that the rules either require in quantity or that players commonly use.
What the rules mean for gifts
- Pony leg protection is used in bulk. The HPA's 2026 rules (Part 1 Rule 3c) and the Pony Club's 2026 rulebook require bandages or boots on all four legs of every playing pony; the USPA's 2024 rules (Rule 6c) require them on the front legs and recommend them behind.
- Tails must be put up. The HPA's 2026 rules and the Pony Club's 2026 rulebook both require it.
- Balls have rulebook sizes. The HPA's 2026 rules set the field ball at 3 to 3.5 inches and 4.25 to 4.75 ounces; the USPA's 2024 Rule 13a sets 3 to 3.5 inches and 3.5 to 4.5 ounces.
Our picks by category
Polo books
Books on the game's history or on how it is played and taught suit anyone, with no sizing to get wrong. If you are not sure which side of the game interests them, our history and technique sections give a sense of each.
Best for: Players and fans alike
Polo balls for practice
Because the HPA's 2026 weight range starts above the USPA's 2024 minimum, a ball for a UK or Irish player should meet the HPA range. If in doubt, ask what their club uses. See balls.
Best for: Players who stick-and-ball between games
Arena polo balls
Arena polo uses a different, larger ball. Wikipedia describes it as leather-covered and air-inflated, larger and softer than the field ball. We found no current rulebook figures for it, so check with their club.
Best for: Arena players
Polo wraps and bandages
The St. Moritz Snow Polo World Cup programme (2023) says bandages are wrapped around each leg to protect the tendons, and the South African Polo Association says they guard against the ball. Under the HPA's 2026 rules and the Pony Club's 2026 rulebook every leg of every playing pony is covered, so a player with several ponies uses several sets.
Best for: Anyone who plays or looks after polo ponies
Tail wraps
The St. Moritz programme says playing ponies' tails are plaited and tied up, usually with tape, so sticks do not catch in them.
Best for: Anyone who prepares ponies for play
Riding gloves
The St. Moritz programme says nearly all players wear gloves for grip and protection, and the South African Polo Association says they improve grip on the mallet. Gloves are worn close to the hand, so only give them if you know the size and style the player uses.
Best for: Players whose glove size you know
What to leave to the player
- Helmets. The Pony Club's 2026 rulebook recommends fitting by a BETA-qualified fitter and strongly recommends against second-hand hats, and each governing body whose helmet rule we read sets its own accepted labels. A helmet needs choosing and fitting with the rider present. A gift voucher toward one, from a shop that fits helmets, avoids the problem.
- Eye protection and face guards. Under NOCSAE's ND055 standard, a helmet-mounted guard is certified only with the helmets listed on its packaging, so it has to match the player's own helmet.
- Mallets. Sources tie mallet length to pony size and the player's arm length or height, and give different ranges. A player is best placed to choose their own.
- Boots and knee guards. Rules on footwear differ between the HPA, USPA and Pony Club, and both need fitting.
- Saddles, bits and bridles. The HPA's 2026 rules ban badly fitted tack, and the right bit depends on the individual pony.
- Spurs and whips. Closely limited by the rulebooks, and banned for spurs in all Pony Club polo.
For a newer player, the beginner kit guide shows what they will need first, which can help if they ask for something specific.
Sources
- Hurlingham Polo Association, Rules and Regulations for Polo 2026 (Polo South Africa copy, PDF)
- United States Polo Association, 2024 Outdoor Rules (PDF)
- The Pony Club, Polo Rulebook 2026 (PDF)
- Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, equipment explained (2023, PDF)
- South African Polo Association, polo equipment guide
- Krenkerup Polo, polo equipment explained
- Polo School Argentina, how to choose a polo mallet (2025)
- NOCSAE, ND055 polo eye protection standard (PDF)
- Wikipedia, Polo (secondary)