THE FASCINATION OF POLO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14855, 5 December 1911, Page 9

THE FASCINATION OF POLO.

BT THE BET. T. F. DALE.

[AH , Rights Reserved.]'

The fascination of polo is , neither ; difficult to describe nor understand. For the player it arises from the thrill of pace and the consciousness of strength well and skilfully applied. For the spectator , tho charni is the same, since there is ajways pleasure in watching the skill of others and following the fortunes of a game which changes so rapidly as is the . case in first-class polo. I do not know that the fascination of . polo differs greatly from that which draws so many thousands to a first-class football game. -In both, there is tbo : element of rivalry and of struggle, the image of war, and tho rehearsal of battle. But for Englishmen who love a good horse polo has a further fascination as a marvellous spectacle of animal intelligence, courage, and activity. Moreover, as we watch tho polo ponies galloping, turning, stopping, with certainty and rapidity, we are able to indulge our national self-complacency by reflecting that the English polo pony is the best in the . world, and tho produce of English horses, English judgment, and English skill in the saddle. ' The Origin of the Polo Pony. * If you go on a motor excursion or a bicycle tour through the .New forest or over Exmoor, you cannot fail to see the herds of rough and half-wild ponies. Those ponies which trot away so lightly and sure-footedly over rocks and bogs of their native country, are, so to speak, the raw material'from which the poio pony i 3 made when crossed with the thorough breed of those families of racehorses which havo won classic races in successive generations, and with just en infusion of the blood of the desert-born Arab. As a. rule ponies so bred need but little teaching, though like the play e/s they require much practice, 'for the player, the , fascination is steady and increasing. lor , my own part I can say that I felt it from ' the very first, from the moment when, mounted on one of my , harness ponies, with both of us ignorant of the game, 1 obeyed tho summons of an enthusiast to come and play polo. It was in early days ' then, recruits were valuable, players were few, of rules there were not many, and almost my first experience was to be knocked' head over heels by my instructor, riding a pony he could not hold, and knowing very little more of the game than I did. But soon after a friend lent me a pony experienced in the game, and having a chance to hit the ball, I made my first run down tho ground and scored my _ first goal. From that moment the fascination ot polo took hold of me, and even now I can recollect few- moments more delightful than those which are spent in galloping down a polo ground, when with ono s eye and hand working together, and sitting in the saddlo in perfect unison with the pony, the ball seemed to obey one's will, almost without any- conscious effort on tho ' part of the striker. And while, perhaps, these moments of success are among the bast-, yet there are many others full of excitement' for example, are the occasions when one rides shoulder to shoulder with one's, best friend and keenest rival, trying with every resource of horsemanship and knowledge of the game to 1 ride him off' tho ball, and obtain the stroke for ' oneself. Another of the charms of tho game is in its twofold combination, the unity of the, rider ,and bis pony, and tho combination of the four players for a singlo end. One forgets tho lookers-on, forgets even the desire to strike the ball oneself, and thinks chiefly .of providing opportunities for others or seizing those given to us by our own side. , ' ■

Friendly Rivalry. j There is.no game in which the wish to play for one's side and the sense of unity and comradeship is more closely developed, than it is in a polo team.. Nor is this sense of comradeship confined to the players on our own side, for, except the tie which binds one to one's own team, there is none stronger than our' feeling for the' generous opponents . against whom we have fought "a well-contested match. But these fascinations of comradeship, pace, and healthy rivalry are 'by no means tho only 'charms of the game of polo. To the spectator who understands the game at all, polo is most interesting to watch. And after all its principles and rules are very simple. On each side there arc four players, the sides distinguished by the colours they wear.. The two men who aro forwards are charged with the attack, and their duties and work should bo interchanged according, to the-.fortunes of. tho game and tho positions which they occupy relatively to the ball. Tho two back men in attack support the forwards, stop the ball as it goes towards their own goal, and hold it up and pass, it forward to the men in front of them. Generally speaking the four men should follow one another in the same order, because it is assumed that each man and pony is in the position which they are best fitted to occupy. In defending their own goal there are two duties— stop the ball, and keep it away from the goal posts, - to impede the adversaries and hinder them (by. riding off) from striking the ball, or at from keeping a perfect control over its direction. And lastly, they should await anxiously every opportunity to turn their defensive tactics into those of"attack. If the players follow these simple . principles, which, like many simple things, arc not at all easy, we have materials for a most exciting game, and one which it is impossible for anyone who delights in watching- feats of skill, hardihood, and horsemanship, not to'enjoy. / The Inter-Begiment&l Tournament.

Indeed, anyone who has occupied a place on r the stands at Hurlingham or Ranelagh; cannot fail to have noticed an some great occasion, such, . for example, a.it ho final of the champion cup, or of the regimental tournament, the breathless interest with which the spectators follow the gamo in all its : phases, its chances and its changes. •« I have often watched a great crowd literally hold their breath, as: some noted player singles himself out from a scrimmage, gains possession of the ball, and stretches away at tho best speed of a pony which inherits the hardihood of the mountain, the fire of the desert, and the speed of the racecourse. As the player sits down to settle to his work, each successful stroke is greeted with the almost involuntary applause of the 'lookerson. Tho other players thunder behind, in hot pursuit, once,, twice, the man in possession of the ball strikes it with that clean and certain stroke which is one cf ' tire marks of a great polo player, and then a second man, mounted, •it may bo. on 'a swifter pony,' races up to and after him, closes alongside, and the two gallop locked to-', gether in pursuit of the ball. Now as they approach it the player in possession' of the 'ball and his pony acting like One. press the opponent away from tho ball, and bringing his stick over his left shoulder achieves the difficult' but effective, near-side-forward stroke. Then the player gives up all thought of hitting the ball again; but, .forcing his opponent away/ leaves the path clear for the next man of his own" side to come through and strike the ball, now but a short distance from the goal line, through the posts. •' L '■

The Supreme Moment.' ■ Or, again, some fine player brings the ball down, and hitting on the near or off side, as may bo required, ignoring as ; it were the efforts of his adversaries to drive him off. the ball, just at. that right < moment he cuts the ball to the right, into ,the cjentro of the rrround, following-it- almost as swiftly as it flias, hit® fit sharply to gain la ' better position, and then .makes a long, : straight-, - successful stroke at the goal, knowing full well that' this is his only chance. A game'which provides us with such moments as these must always have n, charm for spectators, and how deep; the interest is can be t tested by the way time flies when we are watching a great polo match. Such a game occupies, with the intervals, about an hour and a-half. but we are taken by surprise when the final bell rings, since the excitement of the game had made us feel that 'but a few moments had been occupied. The pace of polo is Ed great nowadays, its chances of fortune so rapid, that, time seems to fly when we watch it. Nor is the interest., at all events for some of us,, confined to the human players. Ponies learn the game as well as their masters. The feats which we have described are the result of much practice on the part of the; man. but it takes . the cony some time —two or three seasons—to bccome perfect in the game. The Pony's Share in - the - Game. ' If anyone doubts that : the conies .do actually understand and - take j> pleasure >in the game, let me advise the sceptic to take the" opportunity .of watching, a number of ponies that have been turned out, into a meadow. It is interesting to see them at play, galloping, turning, twisting, and going of their own' accord through * many of the evolutions of a game' of.-; polo. ;i But • no'one who has ridden r a well-trained pony can doubt for a moment that, in their measure

they, eater, into. the ,pi me, snare ut tboii masters' rivalry when racing on tbo ball, and learn when a backhander is struck to turn after it of their, own accord, without a touch of the bridle. In my early days of » polo l recollect . riding. one of .the small ponies which were the fashion in those days, which would, on hearing tho stroke of the stick on the" ball, turn" so sharply as to endanger the scat, of a Icosp or unwary rider. That charming writer on the game, tho late Mr. Moray Brown, used to tell of a pony that appeared to follow with his eyes tho course of a ball in the air, and of its own accord to direct the course in pursuit. - At all events, there is no doubt that one of the charms of polo, and not the least fascinating, is to watch the intelligence of the pony. Some of tho - best of those playing now have been bred expressly for the game, and are a blend of those linos, of equino blood which possess the qualities necessary' for the game. A polo ponv must be handy and docile, or v/o could not rido him. . No wise player will keep a pony that is , unwilling or too lteadstrong. The pOny must lie fast, or he could not hold his own at modern polo. He must be strong, or he could not resist th*> actions of tho powerful man in the saddle, but would lose his balance, and come to the ground. ; He must; be courageous, or the Wow's and buffets which 4 are inseparable from' a _ hard-fought Hattle at polo, would caunt his spirit and oow him. The greatest pains have been taken to select tho right lines in tho blood, so , that in tite polo-bred' pony of to-day,'we are.reminded sometimes of t.ie sure-footedncss and resourcefulness of our mountain and moorland ponies, sometimes of the resolute speed of tlie racehorse, which, as we know, must have not only the power, but also the will to go, and of the fiery courage of the desert-born Arab. ' To tnoss who feci a sympathy with the intelligence and oourage of animals, the ponies and their ways at polo, are not among the least of what, my readers . must acknowledge, are. tha . many fascinations of the game. . , ' ,