132 POLO PONY GEAR. [Chap. VI. 



but which will accomplish its purpose with as little pain 

 as possible. There are many ponies which will pull 

 desperately in severe bridles, but which will go easily 

 in light ones. A pony with a perfect mouth can be 

 ridden in almost any bridle by a man with perfect 

 hands ; the latter, however, being as difficult to find as 

 the former. A pony to have a perfect mouth for polo 

 must, when going at full speed, be capable of being 

 readily turned with a loose rein, and of being halted in 

 a stride or two. A pony with an ordinary mouth for 

 hacking purposes will be a puller according to the polo 

 acceptation of the term ; for although he may bend 

 nicely to the rein when going slow, he will catch hold a 

 bit (which he ought not to do if intended for polo) at 

 top speed. If we cannot get him to go as temperately 

 as we wish, it is evident that we must put something in 

 his mouth which will stop him. 



The most difficult kind of pony to cure of pulling is 

 the hot-headed animal which gets excited whenever he 

 goes fast. There are many such ponies which are 

 good hacks and are quiet in harness, but which are 

 perfectly useless for polo ; because pace has such an 

 exciting effect on them that it drives them almost mad. 

 Although I have had many hot-headed animals 

 through my hands, I have never succeeded in making 

 any of them into decent polo ponies ; and consequently 

 nothing would now induce me to buy a pony, no 

 matter how good-looking he was, if I had any 

 suspicion that he was hot-headed. The use of a 

 severe bit is of no avail for curing this vice, which in 

 extremely rare cases may be conquered by time and 

 patience. Defects of the teeth are another cause of 

 pulling. A pony's upper grinders often get too long 



