204 BREEDS OF POLO PONIES. [Chap. VIII. 



where, these teams earned a good reputation for play, 

 dash and combination in the game ; but their ponies, 

 with a few exceptions, were too slow to allow them to 

 compete on even terms with well-mounted English 

 teams. Mr. Scott Robson, the Back of both Argentine 

 teams, always has big, strong 14.2 ponies, which have 

 to be really good to carry their owner, who walks 

 nearly sixteen stone. Among his large stud, I liked 

 Langosta and Bismarck best. Langosta thoroughly 

 justified the high opinion formed of him ; for he turned 

 out by far the best Argentine pony we have seen. 

 My brother and I played him in the winning team of 

 the Champion Cup and Ranelagh Open Cup of 1897, 

 after which I sold him to Captain Renton, who has 

 ridden him in all the first-class tournaments played in 

 London since that time. Langosta has now, in 1901, 

 for the second time, come into my possession and has 

 played in all the matches of the Rugby team this year. 

 I sold Bismarck to the late Mr. "Jack" Drybrough, 

 who played him in the Champion Cup in 1898, and 

 in many other first-class tournaments. Moloch, a black 

 gelding, turned out well, although he is not as speedy 

 as the other two. Mr. Spender Clay played him for 

 three years in good company. Orsino was another good 

 one. He was landed in 1896, was subsequently well 

 known as the property of the late Lord Kensington, 

 and is still playing well with Mr. Brassey. 



In 1897, ^^' Balfour imported a large number of 

 ponies, among which were Slavin and Sandow, that 

 were played by my brother in the winning team of 

 the Champion Cup of that year. There were many 

 other good ponies in that lot, but few of them were fast 

 enough to compete against first-class English ponies. 



