298 CENTURY OF ENGLISH FOX-HUNTING 



programmes ; but as late as 1898, during the summer 

 of which year I was engaged on the staff of the 

 Polo Magazine, my editor, Captain F. Herbert, late 

 of the 9th Lancers, laughed at me for suggesting 

 ladies' polo. I am afraid that his vision did not 

 extend beyond the aristocratic clubs, though he 

 ought to have remembered that the brothers Peat, 

 probably the finest players who ever handled a 

 stick, stated that they derived more enjoyment from 

 practising amongst themselves in the early hours of 

 the morning on Wimbledon Common than from 

 playing in big matches. But Captain Herbert 

 was also the editor of The Hurlinghani Club Polo 

 Calendar, and had a contempt for any imitations 

 of the genuine game. Yet in this same year, 1898, 

 Mr. T. F. Dale was telling us in the columns of 

 Baily's Magazine that " as men grasp the real 

 science of the game, and separate it from pleasant 

 but quite unnecessary surroundings, I anticipate an 

 even greater expansion in the future than in the past, 

 great as that has been during the past four years." 



It may appear that I have broken loose from the 

 hunting-field in order to graze upon the polo ground. 

 Nothing was further from my intention. What I 

 wish to contend is that casual practice with stick 

 and ball during the summer months will not only 

 add to the firmness of a lady's seat, but will also 

 make her more lithesome in the saddle, and give 

 her experience in the art of riding by balance. 

 I know that it is difficult during the summer in 



