126 TRAINING THE POLO PONY. [Chap. V. 



to go on for some days quietly tapping the ball 

 along, without raising the hand to make a hit. We 

 may gradually use more strength, and try back-handers 

 and strokes on the near side. When the pony has 

 been thoroughly broken to all this at a walk, we may 

 put him through the same process, at first at a slow 

 trot, then at a gentle canter, and increase the speed 

 proportionately to the progress made. When teaching 

 the pony to go straight, we shall be greatly assisted 

 by having another man on a pony or horse to canter 

 steadily about the field in front of the pony upon 

 which we are mounted, so that he may follow the 

 leader on his own account, with but little assistance 

 from us, while we try to accurately hit the ball (not 

 a very easy matter in a rough field) in the direction 

 taken. We should be very careful to leave the reins 

 loose when hitting the ball ; for a job in the mouth 

 at that moment will do much to make him "ball- 

 shy." Another fruitful cause of making ponies shy off 

 the ball, is the habit some riders adopt of not drawing 

 back the left leg and pressing it against the pony's 

 side (so as to prevent the hind-quarters from swinging 

 round to the left) at the moment when they lean to 

 the off side and forward, in the act of striking the 

 ball. Others, again, make a pony shy off by pulling 

 his head round with the rig^ht hand on the rioht rein 

 instead of using the weight of the rein on the neck 

 with the left hand ; and some always touch the pony 

 with the right heel when in the act of striking the 

 ball, and thereby cause him to carry his hind-quarters 

 away from the ball, and to contract the vice of shying 

 off. During the preliminary stages of training, we 

 should, when hitting the ball, sit straight in the saddle. 



