GENERAL REMARKS. 167 



Canadians and South Africans or Cape ponies being 

 used for the English game. 



During the last few years, Eastern ponies have gone 

 very much out of fashion among English players, and 

 I have lately noticed an increasing tendency to 

 augment the undoubtedly insufficient supply of polo 

 ponies, by importations from the Argentine Republic, 

 and from the United States, instead of from Algeria, 

 Tunis, Gibraltar, Malta, Egypt and India. The 

 principal reasons for this change are as follows. 



The number of good well-trained English ponies 

 has greatly increased during late years, on account of 

 the growing popularity of polo in country parts, w^here 

 the members of the new clubs are constantly on the 

 look-out for likely ponies, many of which, when trained, 

 come into the market. Also, the raising of the height 

 to 14.2 is all in favour of the English pony, which as a 

 rule is heavier for his height than foreigners ; and 

 besides, the bigger he is, the easier it is to get him of 

 a high-class blood type. Hence, at 14.2, an Arab has 

 little or no chance with him ; although there might not 

 be so much difference between them at 14 hands. 

 Few Eastern ponies can go through dirt, carry 

 weight, or stay ; and it has been found by experience 

 that a team mounted on them has but a poor 

 chance against another team on English ponies, 

 especially in the final twenty minutes of a tight match 

 and on heavy ground. They become worn down more 

 by the superior weight and staying power, than by the 

 greater speed of the English-bred animals. At 

 present, there are extremely few Arabs playing in 

 England. In 1891, there were more than a dozen 

 times the number of men looking out for Eastern 



