Sport Rules
How the game itself is played: the pitch, the goals, the ball, the teams, the passing requirement, tackling limits and the penalty scale.
Version 4.1, what it covers →Organisation Rules, version 5.0
Horseball Organisation Rules v5.0
The specification a host venue must meet: closer to a facilities checklist than a rulebook.
This is the shortest of the three documents at 14 pages, and the least like a rulebook. It is a specification standard: anyone applying to host an international competition must meet it, and the president and the supervisor committee check that they have. Twenty-three numbered sections and four annexes, the last of which is simply a check list.
It opens with the pitch, repeating the dimensional requirements and adding the practical ones: a five-metre security area down each side, a firm non-slip surface in sand or similar light material, not too deep. Grass pitches are allowed when the weather permits, provided teams are notified two months ahead. Then the paddock, then stabling, then facilities for the players.
What follows reads like an event producer's list, and that is the point: national flags and the anthem, officials, a notice board, a sound system, power supply, referee materials, spectator stands, first aid, flood lighting, horses for the referees, a commentator, the anti-doping policy, veterinary inspections, information provision, the time schedule, the programme, prizes and entry passes. A mounted referee needs a horse; a match under lights needs the lights specified rather than assumed.
The annexes cover the team leaders' meeting, the appeal committee and the ground jury, the three bodies that turn a venue into a sanctioned competition, and then the check list a host works through before the first match.
What the organisation rules cover
- The pitch and the paddock
- Stabling and player facilities
- National flags and the anthem
- Officials, notice board, sound system and power supply
- Referee materials and referee horses
- Spectator stands and first aid
- Flood lighting and the commentator
- Anti-doping policy and veterinary inspections
- Information, time schedule, programme and prizes
- Entry passes, the team leaders’ meeting and compliance
- Annexes: team leaders’ meeting, appeal committee, ground jury, check list
The other two rulebooks
General Rules
The competition framework: which events count as international, who may enter them, and how disputes are settled.
Version 1.0, what it covers →Questions about the organisation rules
What pitch does a host have to provide?
The same dimensions the Sport Rules require, 60 to 75 m by 20 to 30 m, ideally 65 × 25, with a 5 m security area along each long side. The surface must be firm and not slippery, in sand or a similar light material that is not too deep. Grass is permitted, weather allowing, but only if the teams are told at least two months in advance.
Why is a facilities document part of the rules at all?
Because the sport is played at speed on animals, and an under-equipped venue is a safety problem rather than an inconvenience. The document is written as a specification standard, and the president and supervisor committee verify compliance for each international competition.
Where can the current official text be found?
With the sport’s international governing federation, at fihb.net. The edition described here is version 5.0.