146 THE POLO PONY. 



should be light in front, should carry his head and neck well, have sloping 

 shoulders and particularly strong hocks; the fact of his being slightly 

 ' goose rumped ' will be no detriment." 



A good polo pony is one that is fast, perfectly sound, of 

 proper disposition, t. e., neither too hot-headed nor sluggish, 

 and has, 



Short straight back. 



Strong rump, thighs and hocks. 



A deep and well-rounded body. 



Sloping shoulders and well " cut away " in front. 



A lean neck, small head and broad between the eyes. 



Strong flat legs and well-developed tendons. 



Level and smooth in gait. 



Trained to guide by the pressure of the reins on the 

 sides of the neck. 



Trained to keep the pace set by the rider. 



Neither mallet nor ball shy. 



Willing to throw his weight against an adversary's pony 

 in "riding off." 



Able to spring from a standstill into a gallop, to stop in 

 a few strides and change his leading leg on mak- 

 ing his turns. 



Regarding the breed of polo ponies, J. Moran Brown, in 

 " Riding and Polo," p. 306, Badminton Library, says : 



" ' Blood will tell, 1 is a common and very true saying and it is apparent 

 that an animal bred expressly for racing must be endowed with the greatest 

 speed. The pluck of a thoroughbred also enables him to go on until he 

 drops. But here, I think, the advantages of the thoroughbred horses cease. 

 They have not always the very best of tempers. Many of them cannot carry 

 very great weights, and in this it must be understood that my remarks apply 

 to thoroughbred ponies, animals which from their being undersized have 

 never been thought worthy of being ' put through the mill ' in a racing 



