The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-12-20
TRAINING POLO PONIES
some OTHER FACTS ABOUT THIS
INTERESTING SPORT.

tho sport-loving spirit OF Americans,
maintains the New York sun. II re-
Guircs nerve, strength. good horseman-
ship, and q quick accurate eye on tine
part Of the player, 10 say nothing Of
the gameness. stamina, speed and en-
durance Of the pony.
Like other Old World games polo
has flourlshed and greatly improved
since its introduction into this coun-
try some tweDty-four years ago. The
growth OF the sport can be imagined
when It Is stated that there are over
1900 ponies in training n this country
Mt the present time, and owe" a score
OF polo clubs, whereas in 1880 there
We're only about 100 ponies and less
than half that number Of players.
Polo Is one of the oldest Of eques-
trian games in existence as 1t can be
traced to the time when the Turkish
and Persian monarchs and their cour-
tiers played a game called "chaugan."
This game reached China in the sixth
century, being called "dakiu." Polo,
as 1t is played to-day, was adopted by
the English army officers stationed in
India, from the Hindoostanish game
of kan ai-bazee," or polo, as it is
played to-day. Certainly, the names
are very much alike. A regiment re-
turning from India brought the game
to England in the early sixties, the
first game being played at Aldershot
In 1869 between a team of the Sew
enth Hussars and the Ninth Lancers.
The English pony is bred and trained
much differently from the American
pony. In the first place in England
they go in for breeding polo ponies or
buying miniature race horses which
will come under the standard Of four
teen hands two inches. Ponies over
in England are usually of the Arab or
Barb blood, bred to the understood
thoroughbred. This makes good ma
terial for a good polo pony, but one
can never tell, no matter how small
the sire or dam may be, what the off
spring will be. 1t may be too small,
or go to legs and be too high to come
under the standard Of 14.2, which, of
course, bars him from the game.
The pony bred for the game, of
course, has to be trained and broken
for polo; he must learn to turn sharp
ly, stop and start quickly from a walk
into a canter and from a run to stop
ping in almost the length of his own
body. First of all, it is always advis-
able for a player to break and train
his own ponies; they seem to do work
better for the man who has trained
them, exactly as a horse always goes
best to hounds when ridden by the
man who taught him to jump. A
pony gets to know a man, understands
his seat and hands, and surely must
be Of more use to him than to a stran-
ger.
In England where they make po-
MES, a player is very careful with his
protege At first he takes the pony
and rides or hacks him about until
they get to know one another; then
the pony is taught to start quickly into
a gallop from a walk, and to stop
short. He is then taught to change
his legs, or, in other words when turn
ing to the off side his near leg must be
extended forward. After he is good
at this, which is taught him by placing
q row Of poles some thirty feet apart,
and making him go from one side to
the other, twisting and turning around
the poles, which are gradually placed
closer together, so as to make him
handler or quicker at turning. The
na-let is then used, very carefully at
first, simply being carried in the hand
till the pony is thoroughly used to see
ing it, and does not shy when it is
whirled about his head. This is q
very serious period in the education
of pony, as he is at any time apt to
become "nallet shy" about as bad a
fault as q pony can have. a pony Of
this kind is almost useless, as he will
swerve from the ball, the player being
unable to come close enough to make
his stroke.
After the pony becomes used to the
rallet the trainer starts knocking the
ball about, only few yards at first
very easily, till the pony becomes uset
to the sound of the knock and gradl
ally realizes his object-that is, to fol
low the ball, as a retriever is laugh
to fetch a bird A good pony will fol
low the ball, and at the Same time
when he comes to it, will ease Up 81
as to give the player a chance to nakt
the stroke. However, a pony who vii
stop too much, is not as Useful as
nOnv that will OolIO71 riChf alone