44 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF POLO. [Chap. II. 



which case it will very likely be stopped by the legs of 

 ponies coming up behind. 



As a rule, just as the Back is going to hit his back- 

 hander, No. I is about half a length to the bad, and 

 cannot stop the Back from hitting it. Under these 

 circumstances, we constantly see a player ride straight 

 at the ball, in the hope that it may be stopped by his 

 pony's legs or other part of the animal. If the pony 

 escapes being hit by the ball, he will probably be hit 

 on the legs or face by the stick, while the stroke is 

 being finished. This practice is unfair and cruel to 

 ponies, and nothing spoils them so quickly. /\fter 

 they have been hit two or three times, they will 

 probably either cut it and not try to gallop, or will shy 

 away from the stick, when they see the stroke coming. 

 The No. I should ride about two feet away from the 

 line of the ball, when he finds he cannot get along- 

 side, and hit at the ball on the near side, timing his 

 stroke to come a fraction of a second later than his 

 opponent's back-hander. By this means, if the Back 

 hits the ball, the No. i will often meet it, when it has 

 gone only a foot or so, and will either drive it forward 

 or stop it. With very little practice a player will learn 

 to time his stroke properly. This method will be 

 found more successful than the plan of riding straight 

 into the stroke and trusting to luck for the ball to hit 

 the pony, and it will not spoil the animal, which thus 

 will escape being hit either by stick or ball. 



If the ball has been hit some way past the Back, 

 and No. i has succeeded in getting alongside him. but 

 cannot ride him off the ball on account of being 

 slightly behind, it will not be much good for him to 

 try to do so ; because Back will simply let No. i 



