SADDLE HORSES. 171 



difficulty the horse, as well as the man, was rescued ; 

 and this was his last as well as his hrst appearance in 

 harness. 



The best polo ponies bred in America are broncos 

 crossed with thoroughbred stallions, and they are 

 raised chiefly in Texas. I am aware that some horse- 

 men believe the pure bronco, in his best form, to be 

 equal in capacity, and even in " quality," to these 

 half-bred ponies, — a fact which they explain by his 

 descent from Spanish horses or Barbs. So far as 

 speed is concerned, this may be true. Pale-Face, an 

 unmitigated bronco from Wyoming, won a race at 

 Boston in 1891 ; but I doubt the existence of bron- 

 cos having the quality and docility of the bronco- 

 thoroughbred. 



Some of the most charming pieces of horseflesh 

 that I have ever known w^ere half-bred polo ponies. 

 Schoolmaster, 1 winner of all the prizes for which he 

 was eligible at the Boston Horse Show of 1890, is an 

 example. Schoolmaster, a medium-sized brown pony 

 with a plain but good head and an intelligent eye, 

 has the strength of a little cart horse and the speed of 

 a deer. He weighs seven hundred and fifty pounds. 

 His legs and feet are perfect ; cannon bones short ; 

 hind quarters well let down ; and, above all, he satis- 

 fies the supreme test that used to be applied by a 

 famous judge of race horses in England, for " he 

 stands pretty \ n Schoolmaster is "up" to a weight of 

 two hundred pounds, and has carried it for several 

 seasons without sustaining puff or splint. There are 

 few ponies, however, of which so much can be said. 

 Their short, strong backs, and great courage enable 



1 The property of S. D. Warren, Esquire. 



