312 POLO 



men! when it was rumoured that 1,000 rupees had been given 

 for a polo pony, for not long previously less than a third of that 

 sum was deemed a high price for the usually vicious squealing 

 little beast of the country. But when the era of polo dawned, 

 a new avocation in life was found for the ' tat.' English, Arab, 

 and Australian blood had been infused into the race, and 

 made him what he now is. Thus he has rapidly risen in the 

 equine social scale. A pony that but fifteen or twenty years 

 ago could be bought for prices ranging from fifty to a hundred 

 rupees, has now risen to four and five times the latter sum as 

 raw material, and a thousand-rupee trained pony is nowadays 

 by no means a phenomenon. Any animal with four tolerably 

 sound legs, even when unbroken, is unobtainable at any of the 

 great Indian horse fairs for less than 300 to 400 rupees, and if 

 in addition it can carry weight, and exhibits a fair turn of speed, 

 the price goes up by leaps and bounds. For an animal with a 

 reputation there is no difficulty in finding a purchaser at four 

 figures in rupees of course. Very recently, of six polo ponies 

 belonging to an officer in India, not one went for less than 

 950 rupees, whilst four belonging to another averaged consider- 

 ably over this sum. At the sale of the i7th Lancers' ponies 

 after the Inter-Regimental Tournament this year, 1890, forty- 

 three ponies averaged 802 rupees each, and one, an Arab named 

 Happy Lad, belonging to Captain Renton, realised 1550 

 rupees. But ten years ago this officer was supposed to have 

 paid an enormous price for a pony named Rosamond (who is 

 still playing) when he gave 250 rupees for her. This shows how 

 the demand is increasing. Some of these ponies are very good, 

 being not only fast, but very quick at turning, and, though often 

 rather plain-looking and cow-hocked (not a bad fault in a polo 

 pony, by the way), there have been some very good ones amongst 

 them, notably Paleface, a dun. This pony, lately brought home 

 by his owner, Colonel St. Quintin, of the 8th Hussars, is as 

 clever as a monkey, and knows more about the game than many 

 men. The iyth Lancers, reputed the best-mounted regiment 

 in India, had some capital country-bred ponies, notably Pole- 



