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



and trouble to train, and are not so easy to ride as 

 little ones. 



2. Hard gi^ound. — The danger from falls, which, 

 with every precaution, will sometimes occur, is pro- 

 portionate to the hardness of the ground, a fact 

 which I think will account for the many sad acci- 

 dents that have happened at Polo in India. Luckily 

 in England, where the turf is comparatively soft, 

 there have been few serious mishaps. There has 

 never been a better regulation framed than the one 

 which enacts that players in India must wear sun 

 helmets. Considering the hardness of the ground 

 in the East, players there should be particular to use 

 only ponies which are perfectly trained, well up to 

 the weight they have got to carry, and possessed of 

 good shoulders and true front action. 



3. Dangerous and reckless riding. — For this there 

 is no excuse, as the rule about crossing is so clear 

 that its meaning cannot be misunderstood. Some 

 men, who are generally the cause of these accidents, 

 get so excited that, as soon as they start off gallop- 

 ing, they lose their heads, and do not know what 

 they are doing. Neither they nor bolting ponies 

 should be allowed on a polo ground. 



The whole question of crossing (see No. 16 Hurl- 

 ingham Rules) turns on the words : " at such a dis- 

 tance that the said player shall not be compelled to 

 check his pony to avoid a collision." This is a vast 

 improvement on the old wording of the rule, under 

 which a great deal of the game of bluff* was played. 

 Now a smart umpire will give a cross if a man, from 

 reasonable fear of collision, is obliged to check his 

 pony ever so little. It must be borne in mind that 



