172 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



them to carry heavy men, but the work injures them. 

 Splints and strained cords, especially, of course, in the 

 fore-legs, tell the tale at the end of a season. 



A good part of Schoolmaster's power — and in a 

 less degree this is true of polo ponies generally — lies 

 in the muscles of his back. These are so powerful, 

 that when he shies, or even meditates doing so, the 

 rider feels as if there were a group of radiating steel 

 springs beneath the saddle, which, if their full power 

 were expended, might shoot him off into space. 

 Schoolmaster, however, is a very tractable animal ; he 

 has been known to run away out of high spirits, but 

 by a good rider he is easily controlled with a snaffle, 

 or even with a straight bit. In fact, the tempers and 

 dispositions of these half-bred polo ponies are almost 

 invariably good. They are high-strung, nervous, and 

 extremely sensitive, requiring very gentle treatment. 

 I have known one that would tremble if a horse 

 sneezed in the box next to her. Indeed, so far as 

 mental qualities go, the thoroughbred element seems 

 completely to predominate in their composition. But 

 they are not so tough as might be expected, being 

 poor eaters of hay, and rather sensitive to cold. I 

 have sometimes thought that their manner of life at 

 the East does not suit them. In their colthood, at 

 the West, they live outdoors the year round, wear 

 no blankets, and get little if any grain. It may be 

 that the change, often a sudden one, to the housing, 

 blanketing, and high feeding which they receive here, 

 tends to impair their stoutness. 



Broken to harness, these American polo ponies go 

 well and steadily, and their short, easy trot, closely 

 resembling that of the Morgan horse, carries them 



