RIDING AT POLO. 21 



Most good polo players ride with shorter stirrups 

 at polo than they do at any other time, because they 

 find that the fact of their doing so increases their 

 power when stretching out to reach a ball, or when 

 riding off an opponent. 



A pony's head should invariably be left absolutely 

 alone when the ball is being struck, 



As the best polo ponies are those which play 

 with a slack rein, stop dead at a touch on the 

 mouth, and turn to the slightest indication of the 

 leg, or weight of the rein on the neck ; our object 

 should be to ride our ponies in such a way that 

 they may obey these indications readily. If a man, 

 when hitting at the ball, keeps hold of the pony's 

 head, he is certain by the movement of his body 

 to give a jerk to the mouth. Therefore, even if 

 a pony be a puller, and it be necessary to keep a 

 tight hold of his head when galloping, the reins 

 should be invariably loosened at the moment the 

 ball is being struck. The reason that very many 

 ponies check over the ball, or shy off it, is owing 

 to the neglect of this rule. A large number of 

 ponies shy off the ball, or lean away from it ; be- 

 cause they are not properly ridden up to it, and 

 kept in the right direction by a strong pressure 

 of the drawn-back left leg. Instead of doing this, 

 many players ride their ponies carelessly to within 

 about four feet of the ball, and then lean out to 

 reach it, which is a method that is open to two 

 serious objections : First, the ball when far away 

 from the pony cannot be hit with the same 

 strength and accuracy as when at close quarters ; 

 second, the fact of the weight of the rider being 



