BREEDS OF PONIES SUITABLE FOR POLO 307 



being undersized have never been thought worthy of being 

 ' put through the mill ' in a racing stable. The thoroughbred 

 pony does not seem to withstand the constant strain he has to 

 undergo in twisting and turning during a game of polo ; his 

 constitution is very often delicate, and his narrow formation in 

 front and high withers prevents him from turning very sharply. 

 I am aware that, with regard to this question of a narrow high 

 wither being a detriment to turning power, I differ from many 

 whose opinion is entitled to respect, and though I freely admit 

 that a pony must turn on his haunches, yet he must supplement 

 the action with his shoulders. Of course, there are and have 

 been brilliant exceptions in the case of high -withered ponies, 

 such as The Fawn, Dynamite, Dancing Girl by Sefton, &c., 

 that must be very near if not quite thoroughbred. 



But exceptions prove the rule, and I could instance many 

 other thoroughbreds that have proved a dismal failure on the 

 polo ground. Unsound wind, that curse of our thoroughbred 

 stock, is also a disease to which such ponies, or rather horses, 

 (for such they are) are liable ; and though ponies, as distinct 

 from horses, are more free from diseases of the respiratory 

 organs, yet they are often unsound in this respect. As an in- 

 stance, Esmeralda (the property of the Messrs. Peat) is generally 

 admitted to have been the best polo pony ever known, yet she 

 was latterly unsound in her wind, and other similar instances 

 might also be adduced. Much, therefore, as there is to admire 

 in the speed, gallantry, and the game qualities of our English 

 thoroughbred qualities which eminently fit him for the hunting 

 field and racecourse yet it must be admitted that, as a rule, he 

 lacks others which, if he is to train into a perfect polo pony, are 

 necessary. Though not endowed with the speed of English 

 ponies, Barbs and Arabs certainly have all the other necessary 

 qualities that I have alluded to. Above all they have brains. 



To look at the clean-cut patrician head of a Barb or Arab, 

 with the broad, intelligent forehead, tapering muzzle, full, gentle 

 eye, and large, fine nostril that you can almost see through, and 

 to compare him with many English animals will convince the 



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