NEW ZEALAND POLO PONIES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 24 January 1939, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND POLO PONIES

NOTED PLAYER HOLDS HIGH OPINION t United Pre«B Association! AUCKLAND, 23rd January. “I have a great opinion of Now Zealand and Australian horses, which 1 think as good polo ponies as you will get,” said Mr R. ("Bob”) Skene, international polo player, who arrived from Sydney by the Niagara en route to the! United States to take part in a series of matches. One of the ponies he will use in the United States will be a New | Zealand-bred marc. Though he had never played in New Zealand. Mr Skene said he had played against the New Zealanders visiting Melbourne for the Centenary in 1934.

Mr Skene, who is an American, has spent the past 2$ years in England and in India playing polo. With the Ashton brothers he won the championship cup in London in 1937. For the past eight years he has visited India and played against all the leading Indian players. Last year he took six Australian horses and one New Zealand horse to England and these have now been sent to the United States for Mr Skene’s matches there.

Though the New Zealand horse is still a little “green,” Mr Skene has hopes that she will develop into a first class polo pony. Upon arriving at Los Angeles, Mr Skene will join up with a British international team. Eight exhibition games will be played in Los Angeles for practice and also for selection of players and then the team will cross to New York for three international matches.

Mr Skene said he hoped to be back in Australia for the Dudley Cup tournament at the end of June, after which he will take some horses to India and play polo there again. Mr Skene is accompanied by his wife on his visit to the United States