A fundamental skill to learn in polo, the ride-off is an action that constantly occurs throughout a game whether it happens on an opposing player with the ball or away from the ball. It is the action of using your momentum to push a player off the line of the ball, or win position. It is executed by matching the speed of the opposing player and moving into a position of being saddle-to-saddle (or shoulder-to-shoulder) and pushing the player away from their intended direction. If a defending player trying to execute a ride-off comes into the play at a dangerous angle (usually meaning more than 45 degrees), it can create a potential dangerous situation or an uneven ride-off which is whistled as a foul.
An example of how the ride-off is successfully executed both on the player with the ball and away from the ball can be seen in the following play from the 2021 USPA Gold Cup game between Cessna and Aspen/Dutta Corp. The recognition of both players resulted in a positive play that helped Cessna gain possession and turn the direction of play. However, if the ride-off attempt on the ball proved to be unsuccessful, the ride-off behind the ball would have proved crucial as the Cessna player maintained better positioning on the field and prevented the ball carrier's teammate from trailing the play.
The play is initiated by the defensive recognition of Cessna's Ezequiel Martinez Ferrario (#3 white) to first try and make a play on the nearside and cleanly still the ball. This allowed him to maintain his defensive positioning and speed. Although the initial play on the nearside was unsuccessful, Ferrario was then in a position to attempt a ride-off by matching the Aspen/Dutta Corp player's speed and angle to ride side-by-side.
At this point in the play, Ferrario is shoulder-to-shoulder with #2 in blue, allowing him to begin executing the ride-off. This is done by leaning into the opposing player and shifting the weight to the left to encourage his horse to also push the opposing horse in the same direction. This instance of the play provides insight into a variety of different aspects of this play as #1 blue is effectively trailing the ball carrier to pick up a loose ball should Ferrario make a neutral play or prevent #2 blue from making a play on the ball. As Ferrario continues to execute his ride-off, his teammate Jared Zenni (#4 White) enters the play to provide support.
Although the first ride-off attempt on the ball was unsuccessful for Ferrario, he is able to re-engage the opposing player for a second on-ball ride-off attempt which is ultimately successful in pushing #2 blue off the line to gain possession. While the play on the ball is often the area of focus, what is important to note here is how Zenni has now positioned himself to benefit from a neutral play and support his teammate Ferrario. At this instance, he is identifying his mark (#1 blue) to initiate a ride-off of his own off the ball.
Gaining position, Zenni begins his ride-off by angling his horse and removing #1 blue from his position behind the ball. By doing so, it allows Zenni to hold the advantageous position on the play and also allow him to come back to the ball unimpeded if needed. Ferrario has now won position from his second ride-off attempt and is preparing his next play.
Immediately upon arriving to the ball, Ferrario executes an offside tail backhand to change the direction of the ball from going across the field, to going down the field in Cessna's favour. What can often be unnoticed in this play is the impact of Zenni off the ball. Even though Ferrario has already executed his backhand, Zenni has maintained his off-ball ride-off to maintain position. This means he can turn back into the play ahead of the opposing player, or even force that opposing player to turn to the right away from the play.
In summary, this play is very effective at showing the positioning of both an on-ball and off-ball ride-off and how that can create a positive play for a team. Although the off-ball ride-off didn't result in a play on the ball, it gave Cessna the positioning to then transition into offense with one less defender for Aspen/Dutta Corp. In many plays, the player off the ball can often be caught "watching the ball", but Zenni identifies his mark and makes sure to win his individual play at the same time Ferrario wins his play.
For the full play, see the below video.