New-York tribune., 1916-02-06
Ranged Texas, France and
England for Dashing
Mounts.
:. BELMONT PURDN
RECALLS OLD GAME
II. p. Whitney. in 1909, Secured
the British Isles for Ponies
to Lift Cup.

Ia collecting from Texas. France and
England ;hc string Of five polo mounts
TO hear him with dash and courage M
the early games OF American polo at
Jerome Park and Newport, from 1876
10 1879. James Gordon Bennett estso-
NsheG q precedent that has been fol
lowed ever since by aspiring poloists.
This IS 60 range the world over for
mounts ;hat will exactly on the bill
The frs. string of American polo
mounts then called ponies was pho
,ccrarhei or the sidelines Of the West
chester Polo Club. Newport. in 1879.
and the illustration is a copy OF the
original. owned hy William Ayrault
Hazard. secrctary-trcssurer OF the Polo
Association.
Ordinarily Hazard IS dubbed Uncle
Billy" By the polo players, and those
who will gather as delegates TO the
annual meeting on Tuesday night st
INC RACQUET and Tennis Club VIII so
erect him. Yet "Uncle Billy IS
,unior in comparison with the veterans
Of the pioneer polo days who s'lH lo'-
low the game.
Lord Vaudeville. who was Bennetts
cues. here in 1876. had kndled the
res for the game by describing how Il
lad been introduced al London by the
ofscers who rad learned 20 play Al
India stations. bennett sent Harry
Blesson. a dapper little Englishmsn, to
Texas 20 pick out carload OF MES
Thev were brought to Dickels Riding
Academy. on Fifth Avc~"e. whore the
Union League Club ,, stands ana
Bennett. with the men ut town he
lad invited 10 Join him, played their
first polo on the tanbark there;
when Bennett had selected the least
objectionable ones says a. belmont
Turdv. who was one of the group OF
polo neophytes, "the others were al
lowed to take their .pick. OF those tnat
remained at SIS each, which was what
thev cost" There were forty mounts
in The first lot. which had been MUNICH
ng each others names and tails During
the trip and reached DickeFs as ragged
IN looks as worn carpet. blessqn OF
made several trips, but, according 10 H.
l. Herbert. who took up the game at
Long Branch that summer, $50 was the
unset price on the ponies.
The polo players had their PICK at
his set price. the others being DIS
posed Of in the open market John
Sanford. then a thin-waisted youngster
ehout town and now the rather portly
pillar Of the Jockey Club, as owner OF
,be Hurricane Stud, at Amsterdam,
y. Y. broke up this friendly little ar
rangement and put polo mounts on the
man as q source of revenue 20 morse
dealers and breeders. lie staked Bles-
son on the quiet 10 $3.50 retainer for
the first choice OF the carloads brought
on from Texas. and ever since bargains
in polo mounts have been ehieny secl-
dental. ~
-ration were from the first Texas con
signment, and named Pet, the niue
gray mare; Tommy and Billy. ret was
only thirteen hands, and Bennett never
scant Of limbs, had to shorten the stlr-
rups and play with his knees nearly on
his chin 70 use the little mare. g,
Lilly. the first mare on the line sno
reNt 20 Pet, was French thorough
bred. nearly fifteen hands, while the
,-rav. Silver. on the extreme end, was
an English pony bought at hurHngnam
for long price, the first OF countless
mounts 70 come from that haven Of the
game with the same recommendation.
Riding Silver in the 1879 season at
Newport once. H. /. Herbert had a bad
faU after a coll sion with ). ). How
lard. then popularity known as sammy
which is one of the "reminiscences the
sight Of this group Of ponies Will recall
20 the oldtimers.
The first outdoor polo field. TO quote
4 Belmont Purdy again, was o
stubble field at the head Of the half
mile chute at jerome Park, mown with
scythes and not rolled. There was Q
stone wall at one end, about twenty
feet from the goal, and the esrrlSeeS
were lined up on one side close 10 'ne
side lines. and society turned OUT "
see the new sport. Inc maiiets' ui,
wieldy implements, made atter LoIc
Nandeville's designs, were never rslsec
hove the height Of the knee, sccoId
mo 10 A rule in the Hurlingham Clup''
hook 80 that q bunt that drove th'
bell few Yards over the rough grouh'
t~as the most that could be accom-
Iater Bennett rented e house viii
Grounds suited for polo held' adJolh
inr Jerome Park. and established 'h'
Xcstchester Polo Club, which sooT
after moved its larcs and penates t'
Iewport which has since been It's
home.
1t would be obvious to state that tht
ramc introduced in this informal way
and tho creation OF the first American
string Of polo mounts have led 70 vast
aggregate expenditure since for nag'
TO be used IN the game. Yet as thF
needs of the polost are confined only
10 the sort of polo he intends TO play
thcrc are still ponies 70 be had al
sums within th3 limit Cf the boys 1ho
gre taking up the game so generally In
I'D parts Of the country and from
HON the players q the future must
Le drawn.
r. is different when an international!
match is in prospect, for then money
must flow like water II the best on
The market are 10 be gathered together
as mounts for challenging or de-
lending team. Visitors 70 the great
game for the international cup OF
Meadow Brook will not soon forget the
Iarades Of ths two strings, each rep
resenting an outlay OF over 100000
The total is easily reached when picked
mounts ere bought FOR $4,000 and So
coo apiece.
H. p. Whitney. before essaying the
successful campaign at birmingham
hat lifted the cup In 1909, had agents
securing the British Isles f'r the best
mounts that money could buy II would
take some figuring TO tell what the
outlay cost him. but, as nothing sue
c,eds like success, the results must
have satisfied him. II will be recalled
while the Polo Association backed MIN
.n every way and many individuals
loaned 10 him The best mounts In their
American strings, the initiative was
made as a personal venture by the Long
Island sportsman. And he never played
lot;,.. teor, Some four months