178 BREEDS OF POLO PONIES. [Chap. VIII. 



(Fig. 72) are two other ponies of exactly the right 

 stamp for polo. They are short, thick, strong ponies, 

 with great pace combined with perfect handiness. 

 It is a mistake to suppose that, because a pony is 

 short and thick, he has not the same good blood in his 

 veins as the long-tailed galloping sort. My experience 

 is that these short, thick ponies often gallop just as 

 fast, and their conformation enables them to start, 

 stop, and turn more quickly than their less closely-put 

 together brethren. In a race of half a mile the cobby- 

 built animal will probably not have a chance against 

 the long-striding thoroughbred ; but at polo, where 

 ponies are always turning, stopping, and starting, the 

 compactly-built pony does all these movements with 

 less fatigue. Also, the harder the game and the longer 

 it is continued, the more easily will he turn inside the 

 long striding pony, and will repeatedly gallop quicker 

 for 50 or 100 yards. Mickey and Dennis are very 

 well known as having carried their owner, Mr. 

 Lawrence McCrery, in all the important tournaments 

 of the last few years, including the winning team of 

 the Champion Cup at Hurlingham and of the Open 

 Cup at Ranelagh in 1900. Dennis had previously 

 distinguished himself in the Regimental Tournament 

 when he was the property of Captain Pedder, 

 13th Hussars. Wig (Fig. 71), Sunshine (Fig. 41), 

 and Charlton (Fig. 43) are heroes of days gone by. 

 Wig and Sunshine were perfect types of the miniature 

 14 stone blood hunter, but Charlton was perhaps more 

 of the steeplechase type ; in fact, she won several races, 

 and distinguished herself in many hard-fought tourna- 

 ments under the welter weight of the late Mr. " Jack " 

 Drybrough. Wig was the property of Captain Daly, 



