Home / Equestrian sports / Pato
Team games on horseback
Pato is Argentina's national game on horseback, in which two teams of riders try to throw a ball with handles through the other team's high ring. The name means "duck", because a duck in a basket was used instead of a ball in the past.
| Group | Team games on horseback |
|---|---|
| Also called | juego del pato, duck game |
| Olympic | no |
| Governing body | Federación Argentina de Pato y Horseball |
| Where it is popular | Pato is played mainly in Argentina, especially in Buenos Aires Province, which has about 50 fields. The similar game of horseball has spread to France, Portugal and other countries. |
Two teams of four riders play on a grass field 180-220 m long and 80-90 m wide. At each end stands a vertical ring 1 m across on 2.4 m posts, with a net to catch the ball. A rider holding the ball must stretch out the right arm so an opponent can try to grab it, and the two then pull for it while standing in the stirrups. A match lasts six periods of 8 minutes, and the team with more goals wins.
Pato needs fast, tough and brave horses, and a good pato horse is often suitable for polo too. A player may use five or six horses during one tournament.
The ball is leather with an inflatable inner tube and six handles, and weighs about 1-1.25 kg. As in any mounted game, riders need a protective helmet.
The main event is the Argentine Open Pato Championship, whose final is held every December at the Campo Argentino de Polo in Palermo, Buenos Aires.
In Argentina, people can try pato at rural fairs and clubs in Buenos Aires Province. Beginners should first become good riders and train only under a coach's supervision.
Pato was officially declared Argentina's national sport in 1953, and its modern polo-style rules were written in the 1930s.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar, bichosdecampo.com