', also called ' (, literally "duck game"), is a game played on horseback that combines elements from
polo and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
. Since 1953 it has been the national sport of
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
.
' is Spanish for "
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a fo ...
", as early games used a live duck inside a basket instead of a ball. Accounts of early versions of ''pato'' have been written since 1610.
The playing field would often stretch the distance between neighboring ' (ranches). The first team to reach its own ' (ranch house) with the duck would be declared the winner.
' was banned several times during its history because of the violence—not only to the duck; many
gaucho
A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...
s were trampled underfoot, and many more died in knife fights started in the heat of the game. In 1796, a Catholic priest insisted that ' players who died in such a way should be denied Christian burial. Government ordinances forbidding the practice of ' were common throughout the 19th century.
During the 1930s, ' was regulated through the efforts of ranch owner Alberto del Castillo Posse, who drafted a set of rules inspired by modern
polo. The game gained legitimacy, to the point that President
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was electe ...
declared ' to be Argentina's national game in 1953.
In modern ', two four-member teams
riding on
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...
s fight for possession of a ball which has six conveniently-sized handles, and score by throwing the ball through a vertically positioned ring (as opposed to the horizontal rim used in basketball). The rings have a 100 cm (3.3 ft) diameter