Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-17
TRAINING THE POLO PONIES
School Where Ranch Horses Learn
the Game.
EDUCATED ANIMALs ARE COSTLY
Ponies of the Championship Glass Are
Rare and High in Price--Ixip-
IinE's Maltese Cat Only
Clever Fiction.

ship class a polo pony, whether bred In this
country or imported, will bring at sight
5000. In southern Nevada they have been
shooting wild ponies that attack or stam-
pede the horses used to haul freight over
the desert to the Tonopah railroad and in
Nebraska a band OF men has set out to
round up, civillze or destroy some 5000 or
1000 ponies running wild 1t Is possible,
but not very probable, that some Of the
wild ponies might be made into flrst-class
polo mounts.
More is required now of polo pony than
in former years Within a few years many
Of the best ponies Of England and Ireland
have been in the game here. bought regard
less OF price. and only the topnotch Amer
ican ponies could live against them. 1t is
no longer possible to get COW ponies in the
west for from $l5O to $500 and play them in
the fast polo now seen on the eastern
grounds 1t is education that makes the
polo pony, backed by conformation and
some breeding Type is the first considera-
toin; next training for handiness.
That the game is worth the candle is in
dicated by the regaining after twenty-three
years Of the international cup at Hurling-
ham by the Meadow Brook team and the
team this summer to try to get 1t back.
Captain ]. Hardress Lloyd and a commit
tee of three have been named by the Hur-
lingham club to pick out the invading team,
and London newspaper is urging a popu-
lar subscription OF $4,000 to tighten the ex-
penses OF the visitors. Every indication is
that this will be a great polo season and
that the prominence Of the game will be
- fo 81
business to get ready some ponies Of cham
pionship class.
The players too have now to train as
carefully as those who seek honors in row.
ing. foot bali or on the cinder path. but
until lately polo players seldom endeav-
ored to learn anything about the game in
a systematic way Captain e. D. Miller,
who is one OF the English team now par
ticipating in the polo carnival at Lake
wood, has conducted for a long while
school for training polo ponies at Rugby,
England. Captain Miller and his two
brothers are noted players. and to deal
In polo ponies there or here does not mar
an amateurs standing.
Hugh Drury, an Englishman who has
been on the New Haven Polo club team for
four or five years, has started the first
school Of the sort in this country, 1t is
adjacent to the Meadow Brook club on
Long isIand and here the rough ponies
from the ranches are to be polished up
and taught the graces that win make them
star nags.
Under a dumb jockey each pony is
taught flexion Of the neck and trained to
turn on it's hind feet at the pressure OF the
knees or riding hand, for the rein is
never used 70 turn the pony Many more
accomplishments are also taught. There
is riding school for this teaching in rough
weather and a private polo field where
later on the ponies are ridden until mas
ters OF such mysteries as Figure eight.
"c'rowding out" following the ball." until
they seem to know the game as well as
the rider.
Seem only. however, for the Maltese
cat of Kiping's story was only clever
fiction. A well trained pony obeys the
player in it's dashes, turns and stops so
quickly that an onlooker may be excused
for thinking It Is acting on It's own ae-
count. A good pony is half the game. but
IL does nothing OF its own volitlon except
snooze on the side lines between the play
Ing periods. A made pony does what its
rider wishes. and the quicker the better;
properly trained hint is as good to such
a pony as kick Of the spur
At some ranches the ponies arc in train
ing at polo for a season before being
shipped east. but more often they do not
feel a currycomb until a couple OF months
before boarding the cars. An English pony
Is at school for two or three years before
being played. then after season or two
In the game Is ripe for a training school
and TO be made ut for championship
team.
Once good always good, is the rule with
classy ponies. Unless out OF Il BY accident
such a pony viii be in the game six or
eight years. They are best when from 10
TO IA years old.
Real championship ponies are rare, but
the ordinary ones must be tested to see
that a prize is not overlooked There are
more ponies now, Tor there are many more
players and the best are worth more. At
private sale 5000 is the record price here
and al auction F,loo. paid for the ranch
pony Express az Foxhall p Keene's dis
Dersal sale here three eyars ago.
Regarding the number OF polo players.
a booklet issued by the Point judith Polo
club. Narragansett Pier. where the cham
pionships are TO be played this season. con-
tains the names and addresses OF about
100 American ana 900 European supporters
Of the game