I want a horse that can take the pressure necessary to prepare him without getting rattled. We use mellow horses, and you wake them up by increasing their grain. I'm a big guy, so to me the only thing better than a nice little Polo horse is a nice big polo horse. Lori Suskin Dempsey on Lady, a Paint mare who is a recent addition to her tournament string. For professional polo, you usually see Thoroughbreds, and usually mares.
Mares seem to take to the game quicker in general than geldings.
They are also still usab le as breeding animals if they should get injured. In hotter climates they'll use Arabians. For club polo and beginners you'll see every kind of horse. The most important thing at club level is for the horse to be gentle and forgiving. Horses in more advanced levels need to be faster-they'll run fast for 7 minutes, the length of a chukker.