172 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 
them to carry heavy men, but the work injures them. 
Splints and strained cords, especially, of course, in the 
fore-legs, tell the tale at the end of a season. 
A good part of Schoolmaster’s power — and in a 
less degree this is true of polo ponies generally — lies 
in the muscles of his back. These are so powerful, 
that when he shies, or even meditates doing so, the 
rider feels as if there were a group of radiating steel 
springs beneath the saddle, which, if their full power 
were expended, might shoot him off into space. 
‘Schoolmaster, however, is a very tractable animal; he 
has been known to run away out of high spirits, but 
by a good rider he is easily controlled with a snafile, 
or even with a straight bit. In fact, the tempers and 
dispositions of these half-bred polo ponies are almost 
invariably good. They are high-strung, nervous, and 
extremely sensitive, requiring very gentle treatment. 
I have known one that would tremble if a horse 
sneezed in the box next to her. Indeed, so far as 
mental qualities go, the thoroughbred element seems 
completely to predominate in their composition. But 
they are not so tough as might be expected, being 
poor eaters of hay, and rather sensitive to cold. I 
have sometimes thought that their manner of life at 
the East does not suit them. In their colthood, at 
the West, they live outdoors the year round, wear 
no blankets, and get little if any grain. It may be 
that the change, often a sudden one, to the housing, 
blanketing, and high feeding which they receive here, 
tends to impair their stoutness. 
Broken to harness, these American polo ponies go 
well and steadily, and their short, easy trot, closely 
resembling that of the Morgan horse, carries them 
