Women's Polo vs Men's Polo: Differences, History and Where the Game Is Heading
2026-09-30 09:28
Women's polo and men's polo share the same rules, fields, horses and mallets, but not the same history, economics or visibility. That is the core difference: they are not two different sports, but one game that developed at very different speeds depending on who was playing it.
For more than a century, polo was presented as a man's sport. It was linked to the cavalry, physical strength, risk and a closed social world of estancias, clubs and traditional families. Women were always close to the game, as breeders, horse owners, organisers and spectators, but for decades they had very few chances to play it seriously.
That has changed dramatically in the last fifteen years. Today there is a professional women's circuit, a dedicated women's handicap system, top-level tournaments in Argentina, England and the United States, and female players who compete in high-goal polo alongside the best men in the world. In Argentina, the Argentine Women's Open is now played at Palermo, the home of the most important polo tournament on the planet.
This article looks at the real differences between the two: history, rules, handicaps, style of play, horses, tournaments, money and visibility. It also explains why Argentina leads in both categories and where anyone, man or woman, can start learning, with a concrete example: Argentina Polo School in Mar del Plata.
One point before we begin: comparing is not ranking. Women's polo is not a scaled-down version of men's polo. It has its own rhythm, its own stars and an identity that is being built right now, season after season.
History of women's polo compared with men's
Men's polo has a long, well-documented modern history; women's polo has an ancient history that was interrupted. Persian chronicles already describe women playing chovgan, the ancestor of polo, at royal courts more than a thousand years ago. Tradition especially remembers Queen Shirin and her ladies taking on King Khosrow and his courtiers.
Modern polo, by contrast, was born in the 19th century within the British army in India, and spread from there to England, the United States and Argentina. That military origin shaped its identity. Clubs were organised as male spaces and, for much of the 20th century, several national associations simply did not register women as official players.
The pioneers
The opening was slow, and it was driven by women who had to insist. In the United States, Sue Sally Hale played for years disguised as a man, until the US association formally accepted women in the early 1970s. In England, Claire Tomlinson was key in getting the Hurlingham Polo Association to allow women to compete, and she went on to become a figure in British high-goal polo.
In the 21st century, England's Nina Clarkin set a landmark: in 2003 she won the Gold Cup of the British Open alongside the man who would later become her husband, and she remains the only woman to have done so. With an all-female team she also won national 8-goal tournaments in England, according to her Women's International Polo Network profile.
Argentina: from the estancias to the AAP
In Argentina, women played polo for a long time on estancias and at family clubs, almost always informally. The institutional leap came in March 2010, when the Asociación Argentina de Polo (AAP) created a women's committee and decided to establish a handicap used only in women's tournaments. In April that year the first official women's tournament, open and handicapped, was held: 11 teams of between 7 and 12 women's goals took part, and Pilarchico won, beating Arelauquen 7-4.
Growth was fast. Specialist sources reported that the number of tournaments had tripled since 2009 and that more than 400 women were playing across the country within a few years. In 2017 the first Argentine Women's Open was played; by 2025 it had reached its ninth edition, with the final held on field 2 at Palermo.
The historical comparison is telling. The men's Argentine Open dates back to the 1890s and in 2025 held its 132nd edition. The women's Open has nine editions. That gap of more than a century explains much of today's distance in infrastructure, sponsorship, number of players and tradition.
Rules: what stays the same and what changes
In essence, the rules are identical. Men and women play under the same AAP rules, which in Argentina follow the international principles of the game. There is no "women's version" of the rulebook with smaller fields, lighter balls or different mallets.
What does not change
Four-player teams, with the classic positions 1 to 4 (number 1 the most attacking, number 4 or back the most defensive, 2 and 3 driving the play).
The line of the ball: the central rule of polo, which defines right of way and when a crossing foul occurs. It is identical in both and underpins the safety of the game.
Chukkas of seven and a half minutes, with a change of horse between periods.
The field: the same regulation dimensions, roughly 270 by 145 metres at maximum size. At Palermo, women play on the same fields as men.
Fouls and penalties: the same 30, 40 and 60-yard penalties, and the same rules on hooking, ride-offs and dangerous play.
Safety equipment: helmet, boots, knee guards and protection for the horse.
What does change: tournament format
The difference lies in how competitions are organised, not in the rules of the game. The clearest example is the number of chukkas. The men's Argentine Open at Palermo is played over eight chukkas, the longest and most demanding format on the calendar. The final of the 9th Argentine Women's Open, by contrast, was played over six: La Dolfina's running score against UAE Polo moved through six periods to the final 9-4.
Many low and medium-goal women's tournaments are played over four or five chukkas, just like men's tournaments at those levels. In other words, match length depends more on the level of the tournament than on the gender of the players.
Mixed tournaments
One particularity of polo is that men and women can compete together on the same team and against the same opponents. It is one of very few high-level contact sports where this is common. Mixed tournaments do not use the women's handicap but the general handicap, the same one men hold. That detail, which sounds technical, is essential to understanding how female players are rated, and it is explained in the next section.
Handicaps: men's, women's and mixed
The most important technical difference between the two is the handicap. Today an elite female player holds two ratings: a women's handicap, which can reach 10 goals, and a general or mixed handicap, which is usually much lower.
How the handicap works
The handicap measures each player's goal-scoring level. In Argentina, the scale runs from 0 to 10: 0 for beginners and amateurs, 10 reserved for the best professionals in the world. A team's handicap is the sum of its four players, so the maximum is 40 goals. In other countries, the scale starts at -2, and the Argentine handicap is generally seen as the toughest: a player rated at a given level in Argentina is often rated one or two goals higher abroad.
Tournaments are organised by handicap bands. The Argentine Open at Palermo is high-goal, with teams of roughly 28 to 40 goals. For example, the 2025 finalist Ellerstina-Indios Chapaleufú was a 29-goal team.
Why a women's handicap was created
Under the general handicap, almost all women were bunched at very low values, from 0 to 3 goals. That made it hard to tell an exceptional player from a good one, and building balanced women's tournaments was almost impossible. The Argentine solution, approved by the AAP in March 2010, was a separate scale used only in women's tournaments. Argentina thus became the first country in the world with an exclusively female handicap.
The model was exported. France adopted the Argentine system in late 2011, and the United States introduced a women's handicap in 2014, according to the specialist site. England also uses one through the Hurlingham Polo Association. The AAP reviews these ratings every year: for the 2025 season, it changed the handicaps of 40 players, with 23 raises and 17 drops.
The dual rating in numbers
The gap between the two scales is clearest with two of the most important players in the world:
The right reading of this table is not that a 10-goal woman is "worth" only 2 or 3 goals. It means that within women's polo she is among the very best, and that in a mixed tournament she competes at the level of a good medium-goal player. Several of these players, as we will see, have even reached men's high-goal polo.
An advantage and a debate
The women's handicap has an obvious advantage: it enables competitive tournaments, encourages players to progress and gives them a recognisable professional status. It also opens a debate. Some argue that a separate scale can reinforce the idea that women's polo is "a different sport". Others reply that without it, the women's circuit simply would not exist at its current level. For now, most elite players live with both ratings and choose which kind of tournament to play.
Physical, technical and tactical differences
On the field, the main difference is power and contact, not game intelligence or horsemanship. Anyone who watches a match at the Women's Open and then one at the men's Open notices two different rhythms, but the same language.
Hitting power
A polo shot depends on torso rotation, arm and shoulder strength, and the horse's speed. On average, men carry more upper-body muscle mass, and that translates into longer hits. A long pass from a 10-goal man can cover distances that in women's polo take two touches. That is why men's high-goal polo tends to be more vertical: the ball travels quickly from one goal to the other in few strokes.
Women's polo compensates in other ways. The best players stand out for accuracy, close ball control and handling the horse in tight spaces. You see more carrying plays, more short touches and more collective build-up.
Contact: the ride-off
Polo allows contact between horses: the sideways push that moves an opponent off the line of the ball. In mixed and men's polo, the difference in riders' weight affects that duel. But in polo it is mainly the horse that pushes, and riding technique matters as much as the rider's body. A well-schooled, well-positioned horse can win a bump against a heavier opponent.
Speed and rhythm
The raw speed of the game depends largely on the horses, and in elite women's tournaments the horses are of the very highest level. The difference in rhythm lies more in the number of long plays and the length of matches than in galloping speed.
Tactics
Tactically, both use the same principles: marking your player, covering the line, opening the field for the pass and looking for the change of direction. In women's polo, with fewer very long hits, team shapes tend to be more compact: players stay closer together, the short pass gains value and the back plays an important role in building from defence.
What does not change: the risk
One myth is worth dismantling: women's polo is not "soft" polo. The risk of falls, ball strikes or collisions is the same, because the fields, horses and speeds are equivalent. That is why top female players train with the same physical rigour as men: core, legs, shoulders and, above all, many hours in the saddle.
Horses and organisation
In polo, the horse is said to account for a large share of a player's performance, and that holds equally for men and women. The difference is access: for years the best horses went to men's high-goal teams, and women had to make do with what was left.
Same breeds, different access
There are no "horses for women". The same breed, the Polo Argentino, is used, with the same schooling and training. Some players prefer slightly lighter or more reactive horses, but that is individual preference, not a rule.
What has changed in the last decade is the quality of horses available to the women's circuit. Major organisations such as La Dolfina and UAE Polo now put first-class strings at the service of their women's teams. At the final of the 9th Argentine Women's Open, the AAP gave its best-horse award to Don Ercole Heyla, played by Catalina Lavinia, and the breeders' association named Monjita Bag Lady, played by Hope Arellano, best registered Polo Argentino. These are the same prizes awarded at the men's final.
How many horses per match
The number of horses depends on the number of chukkas. At the eight-chukka men's Open at Palermo, an elite player may use eight to ten horses per match, sometimes changing mid-period. In a six-chukka women's tournament the figure drops somewhat. Fewer horses mean lower costs, which helps make women's polo more accessible for organisations and patrons.
The patron
Men's high-goal polo is built around two figures: the patron, who funds the team, and the professionals, who are paid to play. That model exists in women's polo too, but with more variations: teams funded by large organisations, teams formed by polo families, and a growing number of female patrons who play in their own team.
UAE Polo, an organisation from the United Arab Emirates, is a clear example of competing in both. In 2025 it made its debut at the men's Argentine Open in Palermo and, in the women's Open, reached the final as two-time defending champion. That simultaneous presence shows that for the big organisations, women's polo is no longer an add-on but part of their sporting strategy.
Tournaments: Palermo, the Argentine Women's Open and the world circuit
Men's polo has a century-old high-goal circuit; women's polo has a young circuit that already shares the same venues. The overlapping dates at Palermo every December are the best symbol of that coexistence.
The men's Triple Crown
The Argentine high-goal calendar revolves around the Triple Crown: the Tortugas, Hurlingham and Palermo Opens. The Argentine Open at Palermo is regarded as the most important polo tournament in the world. In 2025, its 132nd edition, La Natividad-La Dolfina beat Ellerstina-Indios Chapaleufú 17-13 in the final on 7 December and took all three trophies of the season.
The Argentine Women's Open
The Argentine Women's Open is the women's equivalent of Palermo. It has been played since 2017 and brings together the best players from Argentina, England, the United States and France. In 2025, the ninth edition featured three teams of between 32 and 36 women's goals. The final was played on Saturday 6 December on field 2 of the Campo Argentino de Polo, the day before the men's final, and La Dolfina beat UAE Polo 9-4 .
Both finalists fielded 36 women's goals:
La Dolfina: Hope Arellano (10), Catalina Lavinia (8), Mia Cambiaso (9) and Millie Hine (9).
UAE Polo: Hazel Jackson (10), Candelaria Fernández Araujo (10), Nina Clarkin (9) and Maitena Marré (7).
Mia Cambiaso, daughter of Adolfo Cambiaso, was top scorer in the final with four goals and was named MVP. With that win she reached five Open titles, a record she shares with Millie Hine and Candelaria Fernández Araujo.
Argentine Women's Open champions
The tenth edition is already scheduled. The AAP announced that the qualifying stages will be played at its grounds in Pilar, with the final set for Friday 11 December 2026 (Pololine).
The international circuit
Outside Argentina, the major men's tournaments are the British Open for the Cowdray Gold Cup in England and the US Open in the United States. The women's circuit has its own majors: the Women's US Open, the Women's Gold Cup and the British Women's Open, plus an English circuit of women's tournaments of up to 18 goals.
One important difference: men's high-goal polo is an almost exclusively male world, while the best women move between both. Hazel Jackson, for example, played the English men's high-goal season, including the Queen's Cup and the British Open, and in 2025 did so for a second consecutive year (Pololine). It is a two-way road that, for now, almost no man travels in the opposite direction.
Money, visibility and professionalisation
The biggest gap between women's and men's polo is not on the field but off it. Prize money, sponsorship, broadcasting, contracts and crowds still show a huge distance, although it narrows every season.
Money and contracts
Men's high-goal polo is an industry. A 10-goal player can hold contracts in Argentina, England, the United States and the Middle East and live entirely from polo all year round, on top of horse sales, breeding and their own businesses.
In women's polo, far fewer players live from the game alone. Many combine competition with schooling horses, teaching, running clinics or working in breeding. Hazel Jackson is a good example: a first-generation player, she kept working on preparing horses for her patron while becoming world number one (Global Polo).
Broadcasting and crowds
The men's final at Palermo is a social and media event: it is broadcast live, fills field 1 and, as in 2025, has the country's president hand over the trophy. The Women's Open final is played on field 2 with a smaller crowd, although it is also streamed on specialist platforms such as ESPN Polo. The positive sign is that the women's final is now part of the most important weekend in world polo.
Rankings and their own structure
Women's polo has built its own tools for professionalisation: a dedicated committee at the AAP, a handicap recognised in several countries, and international rankings such as the Women's World Polo Tour, which placed Hazel Jackson at number one. There are also symbolic awards of its own, like the Fair Play prize named after Myriam Heguy, which Hazel Jackson received in 2025 (AAP).
The player base
The other side of professionalisation is the base. In practice, registered male players still far outnumber women, although the gap closes each year. What is changing most is the age at which girls start: many now begin in childhood, at schools and clubs, instead of coming to polo as adults. That generation, of players like Mia Cambiaso or Catalina Lavinia, who won her first Open a few days before turning 20, is the one that will transform the sport most over the next decade.
Argentina, a powerhouse in both
Argentina has dominated men's polo for almost a century and, in a very short time, became the centre of women's polo too. The reasons are the same for both: horses, climate, tradition and fields.
Why Argentina
The Polo Argentino horse, a breed raised specifically for the sport, recognised worldwide and exported to every continent.
The spring high season, from September to December, which coincides with the northern-hemisphere off-season and draws the best players in the world.
The sheer number of fields and clubs, with polo in Pilar, Cañuelas, General Rodríguez, the Coronel Suárez area, the interior of Buenos Aires province and the Atlantic coast.
The toughest handicap in the world, which lends prestige to any rating earned in the country.
Polo families, who pass the game from generation to generation and now train their daughters just as they train their sons.
Families that play in both
The most visible case is the Cambiaso family. Adolfo Cambiaso is considered by many the greatest player in history; his son Poroto plays men's high-goal and his daughter Mia is one of the great figures of women's polo. The Castagnola and Cambiaso families together formed La Natividad-La Dolfina, the 2025 Triple Crown champions, based in Cañuelas. La Dolfina, in turn, is the club with the most Women's Open titles and the only one to have played every final.
The Heguy, Castagnola, Fernández Araujo and Pieres families show the same pattern: the family structure that made Argentine men's polo great now also produces female players.
Leading Argentine players
Among the most important Argentine women of recent years are Candelaria Fernández Araujo, who reached 10 women's goals in 2025; Mia Cambiaso; Lía Salvo, one of the pioneers of the women's elite; Catalina Lavinia, from Capilla del Señor; and Maitena Marré. They are joined by a long list of foreign players, especially from England and the United States, who choose the Argentine season because that is where the real level is measured.
Beyond Buenos Aires
Argentine polo is not only Palermo and Pilar. The Atlantic coast has its own polo tradition, with a summer season, low and medium-goal tournaments and a growing offer for people who want to learn. Mar del Plata is the clearest example: a resort city with fields, a historic club and a school aimed at both Argentines and visitors from abroad.
Learning polo: Argentina Polo School in Mar del Plata
For beginners, the difference between women's and men's polo practically disappears: men and women learn the same things, on the same horses and in the same lessons. A good school is where that equality is most visible, and Argentina Polo School in Mar del Plata is one of the most accessible options in the country.
Where it is
The school operates in Parque Camet, the large green area on the northern edge of Mar del Plata, about ten minutes from the city centre. It works together with the historic Mar del Plata Polo Club, so lessons take place not in an improvised arena but on a real polo ground with proper club facilities.
What it offers
According to the school and published reviews, the programme covers every level:
Lessons for beginners, including people who have never been on a horse: basic riding, mallet handling, hitting from the saddle and the rules of the game.
Practices and chukkas for experienced players who want to improve their handicap.
Chukkas and tournaments for advanced players, with the chance to compete in local tournaments during the summer high season alongside Argentine and international players.
Multi-day programmes, from a single lesson to polo holidays of roughly 3 to 10 days, plus summer camps designed for the full experience.
AAP-accredited instructors, who teach riding technique, horse care and game strategy (Tripadvisor).
Lessons in Spanish, English and Russian, an unusual detail that makes it attractive to foreign visitors.
Why it is a good entry point for women
Many women come to polo later, as adults, with the idea that it is a closed sport reserved for those who grew up on an estancia. A school with private lessons, groups by level and instructors who start from zero breaks down that barrier. A woman who learns at a school like this learns exactly the same polo as a man: the same line of the ball, the same shots and the same relationship with the horse.
The chukka and local tournament format also lets players take the next step without leaving the city: playing real matches, mixed or women-only, and starting to build a handicap. For anyone dreaming of the women's circuit, that is the first rung on the ladder.
Polo and the beach
What sets Mar del Plata apart is the combination of polo and coast: lessons in the morning, beach in the afternoon. That makes it ideal for families, couples or groups where some want to learn and others just want to come along. Reviews on Tripadvisor rank it among the top-rated activities in its category in the city.
Location: Parque Camet, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires province, Argentina
Conclusion
Women's polo and men's polo are the same sport played in very different contexts. The rules, the field, the horses and the risk are the same; what changes is the history, average physical power, tournament format, the handicap system and, above all, money and visibility.
The most interesting thing about this comparison is the direction of travel. Fifteen years ago there was no women's handicap and no Women's Open; today the women's final is played at Palermo the day before the men's, major organisations compete in both, and the best female players take on men in high-goal polo. Everything suggests the gap will keep narrowing.
And for anyone who wants to join in, man or woman, the path starts the same way: on a horse, with a good instructor. Schools like Argentina Polo School in Mar del Plata show that polo is no longer a closed world, but a sport anyone can learn.