Polo Advice - New Lines on Polo Ponies
by Eduardo A. Amaya (polo instructor)

(The following was presented by Marco Focaccia at Siam Polo Round Table - June 2007)

The following list of bullets can be very helpful in reviewing your knowledge and perspective on polo and polo ponies. Read through this and you can agree, disagree, or modify the following points -- It is food for thought and a forum to invite comment, so that we can all improve and enjoy the art of polo. (TC)

• A polo pony will do anything it is taught.
• Everything a horse has learnt in years can be ruined in minutes.
• Persuasion is the appropriate term when breaking-in a horse. That is to say, patience and control never in an aggressive way.
• A relaxed horse learns, whereas a nervous horse learns nothing at all.
• Horses are a lot like our legs. Be smart when choosing them.
• A good horse makes the game easier, whereas a bad horse makes it complicated.
• A horse that does not stop or jumps is not good for polo.
• When you are playing a horse without even noticing it, you can be sure it is a good horse.
• An ideal horse should be small, very sturdy and strong, and with great stamina.
• A horse must stop through learning and not by force.
• If a horse has a tough mouth, there must be a reason. However, it will surely not be softened by force.
• Pain can be the limiting aspect when it comes to the performance of a great polo pony. Therefore, if a good horse refrains from doing something it used to do well, it is letting you know that something is wrong.
• No horse is evil, but man can turn it into an evil creature.
• Hitting a horse with a tack is an aggressive and cowardly act.
• Treat horses the way you would like to be treated.
• Never vent your rage on your horse.
• A new horse must learn how to work at walking pace and then continue learning as the speed gradually increases.
• Figuratively speaking, a new horses must firstly be fitted with a gearbox and lastly with the breaks, paying less attention to speed which in time will gradually be acquired.
• A horse learns by repetition, and we must devote much time to achieving the positin of the head, the neck profile, and teach it how to stop without jumping.
• Riding crops are the way to communicate with a horse.
• To get to know a horse, we must feel it, and the only way to know everything about it, as regards polo, is by playing the horse.
• To know about its structure, we must observe a horse's stance and the way it moves, whereas to know about its sensitivity, we must mount it.
• A mouthpiece for a horse is like a key to a lock.
• A good horse follows its muzzle.
• You should not make your horses do things they are not trained to do for they will learn to be losers.
• The worst possible alliance is between a new player (beginner) and a new horse, since neither will learn anything at all.
• Anxiety is a damaging factor in the learning process, whereas calmness is beneficial.
• The more you move while riding your horse, the more you complicate its movements.
• Not everybody knows what a good horse is like because they have never ridden one.
• In the case of a playing horse, we must focus on ease, speed and stamina.
• We must lead a horse using our intelligence and not by force.
• Do not waste your horse's energy, so you will always have it when you need it.
• A good horse stands out far more when it comes to a shifting positions than in the actual running.
• Whoever sits on a horse must learn the mechanics of the animal's movements.
• Avoid being a prisoner to your horse's reins. Handel them freely (loosely). This is good for you and your horse.
• You must be good at handling the reins and totally familiar with aids. The latter are the means of communication between a rider and a horse.
• The reins are the link that completes the chain between the horse's mouth, your hands and the game.
• Getting used to controlling a horse with both hands is of vital importance, since 95% of the time we play we are controlling the horse and we spend only 5% hitting the ball.
• Good hands do not exist without an adequate use and support of all other functions of the player's body (aids).
• Independence between one hand (or both) and the player's saddle is indispensable. The rein lays the key to good control.
• A harmonic, healthy and well-balanced horse will offer solid support as regards its mouth. And, the more sensitive the horse's neck and the lighter the head, the lighter it will be.
• Horsemanship applied to polo is a very particular and different type of horsemanship to that which is used in other equestrian activities, since it assembles two fundamental aspects, namely on the one hand a good control of the horse and on the other hand, a clear aptitude to hit the ball.
• A bad rider lacks rhythm.
• The more you use the stirrups (platform) the more you take advantage of your horse.
• A riding crop is a lot like salt - it proves detrimental when used in excess.
• Whenever a play begins at a standstill, before the ball is set in motion, prepare you horse by tapping it with your riding crop, collect the reins and give it a soft tap using your heels. Consequently, your horse will be ready to react quickly.
• If you make a mistake during the game, your should never get your horse nor your team-mates involved. They are not to blame.
• Forcing a heavy or unfit horse is a cowardly act adn we will pay for it since this will ruin the horse.
• The rider's character is passed on to the horse.

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