Polo players practice at the polo fields at Glen Farm in Portsmouth.

The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

Horse around. Portsmouth is the place. Every Saturday through September you can see power at play: polo, half-ton horses running at 40 mph.

“It’s an action-packed sport,” said Agnes Keating, general manager of the Newport International Polo Series. “It’s 10 times the speed of man, so it’s very different from watching a baseball or football game.”

The series is in its 17th season. Among this year’s remaining notable competitors are teams from England and South Africa.

If you’re new to polo, here’s a primer: Each team has four riders who change horses after each of six periods, called chukkers, which are seven minutes long. The players use mallets to hit a ball on an 800-by-400-foot field, trying to put the ball between two posts, 24 feet apart, at each end.

The event is presented by the Newport Polo Club, the oldest polo club in the country, now in its 132nd year. The matches take place at Glen Farm in Portsmouth.

“It’s like going to a lovely park. Children love the setting, the open fields.”

The remaining August matches start at 5 p.m.; those in September are at 4 p.m. Spectators are encouraged to turn the match into a social event. Pack a picnic. Come early. The gates open two hours before the matches. Admission is $10, free for those 15 and younger. A match program will help you understand the game, as will the announcer of the match.

For more information: www.glenfarm.com, (401) 847-7090.

— Bryan Rourke