Omaha daily bee., 1908-08-02
POLO PONIES COST MONEY
Great Increase in Values Of Seasoned
Mays.
HIGH CLASS PLAYERS HAMMERED
Record Bidding at Foxhau Keens sails
Ranch Bred stOek Better on san
Dried Turf Thsn Thor
oughbreds.

trains the youthful mind, also the brains
and the less Of a polo pony. That's why
at auction in June last here in New York
two ranch ponies brought - much a. a
herd Of steers on the hoof or q couple Of
thoroughbred yearllngs OF a fashionable
family. The prices were realised. as the
trade reports say, when Foxhali Keene sold
nine ponies for t0,IzS. an average OF tL.1M
Express brought kaIoo and P1ue Peter
R,5oo, Paul J. Rsiney buying the two. while
Keene bid In crotona for 1850 No type
Of horse lasts longer than a polo pony or
gives more fun to the owner. 90 10 a good
player price is no object. But as a rule II
Is the buffers who pay long prices for
ponies good players have developed.
Raised in a bunch of ponies in Texas.
Wyoming or some other western range
country, the 4 Of 5-year-old will not know
the tickle Of q curryoomb until taken up
for a preparation for the eastern market.
This will be In the fall or very early In the
spring. Tails and names are trimmed. but
not locked or 'hogged,' while the pony is
made wise as a saddle horse. IL taken up
in the early fall the ponies may be roughly
broken 10 polo: that IL, 10 follow the ball
and not shirk under the whiriing Of q polo
mallet. They come to the east twenty in
a car, and there is a profit In such a bunch
n sold for s29 a head. Exceptional indi-
viduals sell as high as 1900 to $500, but
those that don't sunit the polo players
usually go begging for a buyer. They
may bring from 800 to $50 for use In har-
ness, and they are grand value az light
country roadsters.
KindlOf Ponies Most Liked.
Cutting out" ponies. trained TO work
hand in hoof with the cowboys in rounding
up cattle OF in taking the certain steer
wanted from out the center Of the herd. are
worth $50 to 5000 on the ranch OF a COW
magnate. They do not come east except
by private sale. 1t IL the same with very
fast racing ponies. for ~ an easterner
wants enc OF this sort he must 60 20 San
Antonio, Cheyenne or some other center and
then begin to scout around. Buyers who
drop off In Texas on thsar way 20 south
ern California have paid as high as $500 at
private sale for . racing pony. Really his
sort are too hotheaded to learn polo. for
they can't be placed In the game, and, as
with the natural high jumpers In the hunt
ing field. they are q source Of danger to the
other horses and riders. But to the ANA
teur Jockeys OF the country clubs no price
Is too high for a pony that can win Tor
them, to gain the smiles OF the women and
the cheers OF their chums. But in consider |
ing the prices of polo ponies the race ponies
often dwarf ~thoroushbreds, may be elimi-
mated.
Auction sales Of seasoned polo ponies
are very rare in this country The record
price In England - $500, paid ten years
ago for q thoroughbred mare at a disposal
sale Of a noted poloist at TattersaIrs; but
tho average OF the Keene sale will compare
favorably with the best OF the English
sales. About five years ago Thomas Hitch
cock. tr., sold two he. had played for sew
eral seasons. Rowdy brining 500 and Il. w.
500. At this closing out sale ten years ago
or so o A. Logan, ir, included six eea-
soned polo ponies. They brought from
500 to 500 apiece. Winthrop Rrtherfurd
paying the latter price for a gray. a color
he had a partially for when in the game
as enc Of the RockaRay big four" and
later on.
Spring Sales Are Quick.
There are not over a dozen men who
bring on droves OF polo ponies. They
come to certain pitches each spring on
Long Island. in Westchester county or
near the polo clubs in Massachusetts.
Quick sales mean quick profits. and II so
fortunate the dealer may be back again
later in the season with fresh ponies. One
westerner three years ago sold three car
loads in three days and set out for home
on the fourth 10000 to the good. But
II sales are slow the dealers have to follow
the polo tournament to drum up trade,
which costs money, while the ponies all
the while will be eating their heads off.
Even when sales are quick, collections
are often very slow. and this 10 q frequent
cause of complaint with the dealers. The
ponies are sold only half broken, and as
this sort would not sell at auction the
way seasoned ponies do the dealers prefer
the lottery OF the private sales to taking
the chances Of an auction OF their carload
lots.
Polo ponies have to b conditioned by reg.
uiar work as carefully as a racehorse, but
unless the veriest novice the owner must
himself break the new pony to polo. Each
mans game is different. and q skiIlful
player win not let q groom break In a pony
for him. This means many hours OF prac-
tice strokes and many preliminary matches
before a pony Is letter perfect. A pony
broken in by a good man and used by him
for two or three seasons. as with the VIC
lin OF a v~irtuoso. improves In use and II put
on the market brings a price far IN excess
OF the value as mere "hoss." There is IN
England a class OF gentleman dealer play
ers, II 1t may be so defined. who make a
living BY training and selling polo ponies.
There are a few OF this class here. but
what they earn from polo comes from
coaching the new teams. They are willing
enough TO deal in ponies, but they cAn't
so very far. as the raw product is con-
trolled by the western dealers.
Ponies Liked In England.
The ponies best liked In England are
thoroughbreds, up to Carrying a heavy man
and with the endurance to gaIlop on a slow
field. Occasionally they are played In this
country but none OF the crack American
players who have visited Hurlingham ever
have brought back any English ponies.
The reason is that the mixed bred ranch
pony has good looks and for light ana
middle weight riders is all tina IL needed
there or on this side OF the herring pond.
while on the sun dried, hard baked polo
fields OF an American August or September
he can ride rings around the Dnsiish ponies,
accustomed to salloping on turf thai stays
green and soft.
A number OF northern gentlemen farmers
have been breeding polo ponies. often using
English stations TO mate with American
ranch mares, and In time we may have
type distinct from the range horse. The
western ponies. however, now have enough