The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-02-13
ENGLISH H0RSEMEN
SAY JUNGLE" OFTEN
TO STATES RIDERS
Equestrian Game Finds Place
But Slowly in American
Sport Circles
BREEDING FARMS STARTED
American Mallet SWinRers
Swamped in First Match
Played There in 1886

It was an American team without
technique that faced the British polo
lists at Newport. r. l., in 1886. Polo.
at that time new in the United States,
was 20 years old in England. and the
seasoned birmingham players. cap
tanned by John Watson, one OF the
greatest players of all time, not only
were far ahead of our riders in the
matter of teamwork but had the finest
polo ponies in the world.
The British won overwhelmingly
but the lesson of their precision
and team play started America study
ing, scheming, devising, It was real
lied that polo ponies not only are born
but made Breeders took up the bust
ness Of raising mounts and training
them to the rigorous and acrobatic du-
ties OF polo alone Players experiment.
ed with systems" of play that might
be likened to our modern gridiron
styles.
So when a return series was played
at birmingham in 1902 the American
team, composed of Keene, Waterbury,
Agassiz and Cowdin, at least made a
respectable showing against q British
four rated among the mightiest CON-
bination that ever straddled horse.
The United States team won the first
match. 2 to l, but England's Buck
master. Miller, G. N. Nickalls and p.
w. Nickalls took the next two, 6 to l
and to l.
It was not until 1909 that the Amer
leans we're able to beat the British.
With battling team play and superior
ponies, they swept two games at Hur.
bingham. Harry Payne Whitney. De-
vereaux Milburn and the two Water
burys we're the winners.
The same team won again In 1911
and 1913 at Meadowbrook, but the
British came over the following year
and took the cup. The golden era OF
polo In this country began with the
series of 1921 which presented Tommy
Hitchcock, J. w. Webb and L. E. Stod-
dard to international play. Since then
the British never have won an inter-
national match.
X X =
Thousands tfronged MeadoWbrook
for the international matches, but it's
a long way from Meadowbrook to the
MidWick Club, at Los Angeles, and
polo made its way slowly across the
land. Because of the high prices Of
trained ponies and the time required
for q player to attain respectable
rating. it was accepted generally as a
sport for the wealthy.
But breeding farms for ponies be-
gan to multiply throughout the coun-
try-in Texas. Arizona. Wyoming, Ida
no, Utah, California, Virginia, New
York and Canada-Tith the organl-
cation Of a National Polo Pony Soc
iety. The remount department Of the
United States Army helped to produce
fine mounts, and at Army posts scat
tered across the country the game be-
came a favorite pastime.
Australians and Argentinlans came
to the United States. and our teams
went invading. interchanging ideas,
trading and buying ponies. The game
became faster, demanded more skill
ana uelQ more OF peril year Dy year.
= = \
Last summer at Chicago q half CEN
fury Of the sport in this country was
summarized. The wide spread of polo
into every state had produced west
erners via could meet on an even
basis the high goal fasteners. Texas
gave Cecil Smith and Rube Williams,
hell for leather malletcers. to the
western team. California sent It's FL
mer Boeseke, Jr., one Of the best play
ers in the country today.
And the fact that the west won
two out Of three. with thousands Of
witnesses from all parts of the coun-
try, proved Just the spur the game
needed to put 1t over with the folks
back home" in the smaller cities Of the
country.