CRUELTY IN POLO PLAYING. 



73 



There is one way in which a pony can be tortured 

 unmercifully, and his game of polo converted from an 

 amusement into agony, and that is by his mouth being 

 wrenched about with a severe bridle, by a heavy fisted 

 rider. The cause which makes a large number of 

 ponies pull is simply pain ; for the more they are hurt, 



Fig. 28. — India-rubber Pelham. 



^f r 



Fig. 29. — Ben Morgan bit. 



Fig. 30. — Kerro bridle. 



the more will they pull, until they are driven almost 

 mad. Every polo player, if he cannot trust his groom 

 to do it, should examine his pony's mouth after every 

 game of polo, and should specially look at the bars of 

 the mouth and under the root of the tongue. Any 

 pony which bleeds at the mouth is wrongly bitted, and 



