The New York herald., 1876-12-18
THE GAME OF POLO.

To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
The crowd at Gilmore's Garden Thursday night
was so large and their interest in the polo playing so
great that the game, splendid If well played may
ary be considered have established its place among
American sports But in spite Of their interest was
pretty evident that the spectators had very little idea
what tho players DOING and within the limits of
q necessarily circumscrbed ring, the players though
some of them rode very well and mounted ex-
celent ponies. quite unable to enlighton them,
the scrimmagcs being endless and the free hits and
far between. have seen something Of the game else
where and might be able to say something about il
that would interest the uninitiated.
It's chief law believe 10 be this:-That a good rider
with good pony be an utter idiot II he cannot
learn to play polo. Even il he spectacles his
eyes will soon be able the distance Of the
ball from his saddle. The body speedily discovers the
proper angle Of inclination and HIS the right mo-
mcnt TO strike. II his wrist is weak he an
elastic band play with light stick he then has 70
acquire few tricks, such as hitting backwards when
running on the right side, and hitting both backward
and forward when running the wrong SIDE The rest
is merely question OF good horscmanshp the strrup
being, as rule, taken rather shorter than usual.
And good horsemen are by no means rare,
especially In America, 1t follows that the great
difficulty in the game Is not TO find the
man that can play, but the pony. That Ia the rub.
For polo not only demands Of the animal
dnary agility ts legs and great speed short
distance but sort Of genius for the game and quite
human interest in its proceedings Odd az this
sounds every practised player knows II to be TACT
You win see ponies following the ball liko kittens,
swerving with every swerve IL makes, stopping dead
II their rider misses It and carrying him back The
scr.mmago once, aud gradually shutting OF steam
when ho IS preparing to make a backhandcd stroke
and all this without the slightest pressure OF the
bride.
That is why II is surely very bad advice to recon-
mend the gamo substitute for the riding school
Put out OF boy an unframed pony and he will
never get near the ball; put him a trained pony
and he will spoil its mouth TO certainty, and then
YOU might as well play with a mule. A hard mouth
brute the bee norc OF the polo player, worse even
than ono that kicks or rears and the choice Of bit
and bride requires the greatest nicc,y of judgment
notice that the American players ride on ordinary
snafIie, which is wise. Cavalry officers In Englan d
IS TOO heavy. Tho natives OF India use the
ghtest of all possible rens, pieco OF twisted hemp
India. They have not only an astonishing qu.kness
OF eye and hand snakelike suppleness OF body and
very firm seat, but their ponies have much Of the
sacred nro In them. Heaven only knows where they
get it. Some scraggy starvoling Of an animal that
brings the bankers presents OF vegetables TO the col
lcctors bungalow or transports tho wares OF the box
waIlah carries fat Badr Singh into the bosom of
his family at nghtfall will be detected by sagacious
eye bought for twenty thirty rupees, sent down to
sold 10 an Englishman Tor 800 rupees, and
turns out TO be prodigousy fine player.
The better sort Of ponies, as rule. won't pay.
| Arabs, for example, are almost useless. They have
i plenty of speed but no strength But on their own
beasts the natives OF lndia are unrivalled. Some Of
| the Manpuri fellows will never miss stroke in a
week. SO IL is easy to conceive what short work a
good straight player like Captain Mowry makes of the
| ring at Gilmorc's Garden.
The requirements Of polo, then, are rs simple as the
alphabet First catch your pony and then train him.
Put good rider his back, give them open plain,
field park, and you have one OF the most delightful
| games IN the world The rush Of . dozen horsemen
alter one who the ball well under control is riding
with IL at fun gaop toward the goal and when
II lies the distance of yard from the flags stoops,
aims and II. worth year OF ordinary
ence Moreover whom properly managed, II Is one OF
the safest oil field sports England Is governed by
unwrittcn but quite effective code OF laws contain
| ing such items thcsc:-rhat no more than six
players allowed each side, that ponies be
missibc over thirteen hands height, that sticks
be raised in scrimmagc, and that any such foul play
riding into pony at right angles be severely dis
countenanccd. When the American clubs have agreed
to recognize common body OF rules they Will bc
able 10 get rid OF that extraordinary innovation, an
UMPIRE who must be Ubiquitous II he is TO be useful.
/ Your obedicnt servant M.