The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-10-02
McCREA TELLS OF
POLO PONY INDUSTRY

II VLO Il Oltl ANDCOlAtA
While every oregonian speaks with
a pride of the states great orchards,
its wheat fields and its enormous lum-
ber mills, how many know, even
though il may be in limited.way. OF
a unique industry the eastern Oregon
pony has created in the past few years.
Carloads Of the prairie bred animals
from the eastern part Of the state
have been taken back to eastern cities,
where they have made decided hit
with the pupils and masters Of riding
schools, and some of them have al
ready become celebrities in polo circles.
Fred +. McCrea, a rancher Of this
valley and an enthusiastic stock lover.
has lust returned from the town OF
Wellesley, near ROston, where be has
spent the past year in training and
dsposing of a shipment of ponies that
were raised in the Pendleton vicinity.
Mr.. MeCrea owns a ranch here and has
recently leased another large tract for
a period of five years, from A. Mlllard
in the Upper Valley, and will devote
his time to stock raising. During the
past year the young rancher PAID es-
pecial attention to the development OF
polo ponies, and he declares that IT IS
his own belief, as we'll as that OF other
experienced horsemen, that Oregon
ponies, bred from thoroughbred sires
and the prairie mares, will be eagerly
sought by polo players in all parts OF
the east in addition to their popularity
as riding horses.
The shipment of horses taken to
Wellesley last fall was made up Of a
number Of half brothers and sisters.
The sire was an imported thoroughbred
runner and the dams selected wild
mares. "They were beautiful lot OF
ponies, SAYS Mr.. McCrea" land created
great deal of interest from the time
we arrived until the last one was dis.
posed of. But they were as Wild as
hares, every one of them, and we mad
a strenuous time breaking them. Our
year experience was an interesting
one.
I'VE secured vacant lots near the
town and equipped the property with
corrals just like those of western
ranch as soon as we arrived. The
ponies bucked like demons and we gave
the popuhce that turned out to see US
a Round Up show almost every day.
Ii wasn't long until the Boston people
had heard of our pony farm and auto
mobile loads of people used to make
pllgrimages out to see US do the break
ing.
"The entire herd was kept in big
corral. We had taken couple OF
trained rope horses with US, and by the
way, one of these was White Socks
the pony that was ridden to the top
floor Of the Mutnomah hotel during
the Elks' convention year before last
and which created so much attention at
that event. When we desired to break
a Rrse we would select one from the
herd rope him around tho neck and cut
him into smaller corral. Then the
fun for the spectators and our strenu-
Gus work would begin.
George Attebury. young horse
man from Echo, who | see recently
participated at the Round Up, accom-
panied me, and he and took turns at
riding and wrangling. We were also
assisted for while by Texas boy,
who had been travelling with wild
west circus and become stranded at
Boston. Attebury lost his heart dur
ing the winter and was married to the
daughter of the chief of the Wellesley
fire department. He and his young
bride are now making their home at
Echo.
When we got horse out in the
small corral, the man doing the wran-
Cling, SONG times Attebury and some
kA mill
horses head up close to the side of the
rope pony. while the future rider of
the steed would halter him, working
under and over the neck of the rope
pony. A blindfold would then be put
on the wild horse, under the halter,
after which the saddle would be placed
on and cinched. The blind waS then
taken off and the wild animal led to
the riding corral, where he was again
blinded while the rider mounted. Each
horse had to pass through this process
about five or six times before he be-
came docile enough to be handled with
out the wrangling.
Mr. McCrea says that the Boston
newspapers BECAME interested in the
improvised breaking grounds and that
phbNbElhIhNib uild iNpoAhtiS
frequent visitors to Wellesley to watch
the bucking. While training the 25
animals taken, both Mr.. McCre8 and
his assistant, dttebury, had some very
bad spills. The former sustained
twisted knee that laid him up for sew
eral weeks and from which he still
limps.
IA frequent visitor to our corrals,
says Mr.. McCrea, twas Jimmie Jack.
son, of polo fame, who bought some of
the ponies We also sold two of the
ponies TO Thomas W Lawson. The
animals were all deep, solid colored,
mostly bays and blacks. Polo players
like them because of their agility and
speed. inherited from the sire, and
their toughness and endurance. impart-
ed from the dams.
81 consider the raising of polo pom
les here in Oregon a good business and
am going to stay in the game; for the
animals we sold last winter and on
fortAer occasions, are making winners
and creating business for us right
now.