Buck said that many polo riders rode horses in a variety of gimmicks (tie-downs and harsh bits, for example) and these horses were ridden and handled quite hard, partially due to the nature of the game itself, and partially due to players who just didn't know any better and lacked horsemanship skills.
I can only imagine the kind of mental and physical state these polo ponies end up in after a few years of playing the sport. So my wonder of the week is....what ever becomes of these ponies once they are retired? You hear of "off the track Thoroughbreds"....what about "off the field polo ponies?" Where do they end up? What kind of riding or discipline would they best be suited for using the skills (or lack of) gained from being a polo pony? Do they need rehabilitation? Are they any different at the end of their game, in terms of usability, than say, a champion reining horse or hunter/jumper?
Help me out readers. Do you know anyone that rides polo? That has ever owned a retired polo pony? What breed of horse is it, and what do they use it for now? I worry about these horses, galloped hard on all over the field. I worry that they don't go on to live productive lives once their career as a polo pony is over.
My understanding is that most polo "ponies" are in fact Thoroughbreds, some off the track. They no longer are required to be "ponies" by height. I'll do some digging and see what happens when they are retired.
ReplyDeleteOK, I did a quick Google search. It seems that polo ponies are retired in their 20s and move on to do quite a few other things. This website uses them for teaching beginners - http://www.chukkarfarm.com/boarding_leasing.html.
ReplyDelete{CTG Ponies}~ I checked out that site and they do lease out retired Polo ponies for lessons and beginners. That makes sense since they are a large stable/facility and provide a variety of services.
ReplyDeleteGreat questions! I have a friend who has worked in England, New Zealand and Australia for polo riders, helping at the matches and exercising the horses. She even met one of the British princes once. And she writes for the UK's Polo magazine. I'm trying to con her into writing a guest post (or more!) for my blog that answers these questions and tells us more about Polo from an insider's perspective. That will be super cool if I can get her to do it! Thanks for sparking this interesting topic.
ReplyDeletePersonally I think it is cruel the way they use and abuse them all in the name of a game. They might live the life of Riley off the field but as you stated, the way they are ridden and tacked is just not right. I have heard they are different breeds, quarter horses, warmbloods and TB's but I really don't know.
ReplyDelete{Jackie}~ That would be cool, a real insider's scoop! Let us know if she does a post for you and I can link it here, too! Polo is not big in my area, I just know so little about this sport!
ReplyDeleteYou know that is a good question, and my dad always said you ruined a good horse being a Polo pony, but maybe that isn't always true. I had a similar thought pattern about the female HRT replacement and the horror of that. I went off the deep end when I investigated that.....I am a worrier myself. I also will be glad to hear the answer to your question.
ReplyDeleteI know nothing (or next to it) about polo. However it does seem to be a hard-using sport, I have trouble thinking that horses stay sound in that game.
ReplyDeleteThat said it also seems to me that those horses would be pretty good mentally. Think of what they deal with, mallets swinging, balls flying, horses running every which way around you, cheering crowds.
Just a thought, as I said I have no experience myself.
I took polo lessons at one time. The horses were lovely! They were treated well. The ones we rode were not hot at all. I don't think they are hit with mallets or balls too often and if they do, it's accidental.
ReplyDeleteGalloping across a field, I don't know, seems pretty natural. There are sports we do with horses that are far less natural and harder on their bodies -- jumping for instance. Lots of polo ponies are ex-racers who are on the smaller side. I can think of far worse places for a retired racehorse to be!
They can be hard on their mouths, I agree with that. But, in every discipline, you see people hard on their horse's mouth, whether a beginner who doesn't know better or someone having a temper tantrum. The kids at my barn are hard on their horses' mouths. That's just something we're never, ever going to be able to do away with, no matter what.
Pony girl, so good to hear from you again. I was just thinking a few days ago that I miss checking your blog and seeing you and your cute boy. Thanks for the well wishes. Max is doing great.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of fun posts to read. Life has been crazy lately, but I'll hopefully be caught up soon.
you new lay out is really, really nice. I like how you have your awards listed at the bottom. Cute.
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ReplyDeleteI barrel race and the same sort of thing is often said about barrel racers. Now, I can't really speak for polo ponies, but I know that there are those of us that barrel race that use light bits, lots of basic training, no tie downs, and refuse to yank on the horse's mouth. I imagine a polo pony with the right rider would be taught to really be sensitive to his or her body and steering and could be quick and listen without harsh bits and tie downs. Sadly, there are always people that take the easy way out and would rather tie down their horse's head and yank it around.
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On another note, I'm glad I found your blog, I like it a lot!
-Caly
http://craftyequine.blogspot.com
The WSU Polo team boards and practices right across the highway from me. I know they often sell or give away older horses that can't do the job. They advertise just like everyone else, on Craigslist or Dreamhorse. I think they get their horses out of the teaching herd at WSU. So they're probably not like your average team.
ReplyDeleteI've never met them or seen them practice though, just seen their horses in stalls when I went to ride at the same arena, so I don't know anything about how they ride.
{Caly}~ I'm glad you found me too, because that led me to you and I can check out your barrel horse blog!! ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree that not everyone in any one sport uses foul methods of training or riding. Every horse "sport" has its share of good trainers and riders, and bad. I loaned the book to my mom so I don't have it to refer back to right now, but I remember reading that Buck Brannaman felt he really made a difference with his techniques. There were some naysayers at the Polo Clubs that didn't think his "natural" methods would be successful, but after seeing what the horses he trained could do on the field, it changed some opinions. I think that is what great horseman can do.
I live close to the Polo Field and I'm surrounded by Polo Ponies. The ones around here are mostly from Argentina--and they're bred and trained for this game. They get babied all year--exercised, groomed, fed well. I imagine, like everything, it depends on the owner and rider. The ones I live next to live very normal lives--like my own horses--but compete in the Summer and Fall. Unfortunately, I don't know a lot, but I have friends who managed horses there and they said the riders switch out horses enough during the matches that no one horse is over-run--from what I understand, each rider has five horses.
ReplyDeleteI remember a gal in 4-H got herself a big polo horse to "rehabilitate" into a show horse...you would have thought she was riding a high strung race horse. The girl and the horse were both incredibly tense for the entire training school we were at. I saw her again, years later, and the horse was very well behaved and pretty relaxed, but in no way mellow, like a quarter horse. Now, if you want to talk about some abused animals, lets talk about the donkeys they use for donkey basketball! :P
ReplyDeleteThe horse I was leasing last year, X, the paint that I rode dressage on? He was a polo pony once upon a time. When he couldn't do polo anymore they turned him into a hunter, and he was very sucessful earning many, many state championships. I know not all turn out to be happy endings, but his was.
ReplyDeleteI rode polo ponies through high school for a couple local players. I was the exercise rider and the groom. I went to matches, tied tails, wrapped legs, tacked up, untacked. The ponies were definitely well-cared for and just like anything else, there are bad people in all walks of life. The privately owned horses were probably in better staid than the ponies owned by the local clubs as they let any man rich enough to afford to play the game ride them. There were bloodied mouths etc. But go to any horse event and you'll see the same thing- you may just have to look hard.
ReplyDeleteAnd Trailboss- you should learn about what you desire to speak of before speaking. You can't just go around making generalizations. That would be like me saying, "Well the only people that ride trails are ignorant horse owners that don't know anything about horsemanship". I know that's not true, but does someone else who reads that? Naw. Just makes me look bad.
Just to clarify I didn't think that the horses are hit with the mallets or balls, just that they are in the midst of the melee and have the balls and mallets used around them.
ReplyDeleteGlad to read that some of your commenters say that these horses aren't treated as badly as most of us feel they are. They certainly must be bomb proof after all they have had to deal with but I would have thought that they would be hot as a pistol. Glad to read that isn't always the case.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question about Buddy's coloring, yes, he had much more brown on him when he was younger. His neck was totally brown way down over his chest. I'll have to see if I can find an early pic. He lightened out so gradually I didn't think too much about it until one day I looked at the big picture I have of him hanging in the foyer with Funsize in their first show after we got him and he looked soooooo dark! Don't know if all appy's lighten out or not.
Love your new header, very nice PG! Always good to hear from you and get caught up on all the goings on with you and your big boy!
As far as being hot . . . Polo Ponies get revved up just like race horses, barrel racers, jumpers, any horse in a high-energy sport. It's similar to kids getting hyper and worked up before playing their sport. Or a business person getting a rush of adrenaline before a speaking engagement.
ReplyDeleteOnce you take that horse out of the specific element, everything changes. Race horses are young, given high-octane fuel and drugs, sit in a stall 22 hours per day and so, of course they're off like a bullet out on the track. But, put that same horse in pasture, take them off the drugs and high-octane foods and ride them like a "normal" horse and you get a completely different animal. Of course, every once in a while there's that horse that's just high all the time, but that goes for ANY breed and ANY discipline, including trail and pleasure horses.
Very interesting post and interesting comments. I've never had any experience with polo horses. But, I'd sure like to watch a game or two. The sport is far, far away from here.
ReplyDeleteMy first impressions were that it was a very rough sport and the horses would be lame quite often. I'm very glad to hear the comments of how well cared for most horses are. As stated, there's bad apples in every bunch. So many people are against rodeo rough stock...they have cushy lives in comparison with starved and neglected horses in everyone's neighborhood.
{Great comments everyone!}
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your perspective and stories. I am sure as in any horse sport industry, there are different practices in terms of horse care and training. I believe it was a decade or two ago that Buck worked with Polo ponies, it appears things have progressed since then. It would be interesting to watch a polo match.
{Aunt Desert Rose} ~ I missed your input here as I believe your stepson competes in Polo?
I tired to post a comment to you "Catching Up" post but for some reason, this box wasn't there?? So, I will comment here for both posts!!
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about polo ponies. I do know that they are used kinda like race horses, they do their jobs and then they move on.
And we just bought a horse that is horrible to catch. I tried to catch him today and he just wouldn't let me. I thought of you when I was "chasing" him around our 20 acre pasture. Little stinker, was all I was thinking. I worked two different horses instead. I think our little horse has big trust issues.
And hooray for your aunt leasing that really pretty gelding!! I am so happy for her. It will let her know what kind of horse she really wants.
And i have found so many blogs right now that i just love and I have been getting so far behind on my reading!! I can't believe how many cool horsey blogs are out there!! I have about 60 posts to read everyday!! AHHH!! It's crazy!
My step son plays polo, I have been to one of his matches. Each match consists 6 chuckers lasting 7 minutes. A chucker is polo's word for "inning". A player will ride a fresh horse for each chucker. So when you go to a match you take 6 horses with you which is why you have a groom who saddles, and rides just before you mount for the match. Your horses are ridden in an order that best suits what you need from them. Then you usually have a couple extra horses in case of injury and getting one ready to phase in as you are going to retire one. The best ponies are from Argentina and come to the US after they have been ridden there and retired. They come with a hefty $$$$ tag. I have seen a horse break a leg and then was put down at one match, a man one field down fell and broke his leg...he got to live. My step son gave me one of his retiree's once 18 years ago. She was "crazy" and after 6 months sold her and got my "Major Bonanza Son". One last note... one of my husband coleuge's played polo here in the desert and his home town. He had a horse that stumbled several times and broke some ribs when he went off her. He was advised to retire her because she could not play safely at the leval he was playing at. He did not head the advise and a few months later she stumbled agin as he was swinging the mallet. He went off and broke his brain stem. His family removed him from life support 48 hours later. He never knew he made the goal!
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