Evolution of the Polo Horse
In response to the call of one of our members for more stimulating discussion, perhaps we can start a dialog about the evolution of the polo horse--- past, present, and future.
If polo began in ancient Persia, what do we know about the horses of ancient Persia and how they evolved. Who first brought horses to Persia? Where did they come from? What were they like? Were they big or small, fast or slow, agile or clumsy? What color were they? Did they have multiple gaits? Etc. Much later, we know that Alexander and the Greeks brought horses with them from Macedonia. What sort of horses were they? Were the Persians impressed with them? Were they big or small, fast or slow, agile or clumsy? Were they good for polo, or not? Did they become part of the ancient Persian polo breed? And what about, Bucephalus, the horse of Alexander himself? We know he was a great war horse. Did he play polo? Did he breed with the Persian polo horses? Have the genes of Bucephalus been passed down to the modern polo horse of today?
And what about the highly evolved polo horses we are seeing today? How are they different from the polo horses of, say, ten years ago-- twenty years ago-- forty years ago-- sixty years ago? I have read that players at Palermo now change horses two or three times a chukker! They don't need a horse that can play for six minutes. They need a horse that can play very, very fast for two minutes. How is this affecting the polo breed? Are we moving to an era where the best polo horses lose speed after two minutes?
Who are the best breeders of today? What do they think? We know the Heguy family is legendary. Who else is really, really good? I have heard that Bautista Heguy will not sell his mares because he never wants to face one on the polo field. Does anyone else feel this way?
It is probably true that I always have many more questions than answers, so naturally I look forward to the responses of the many knowledgeable and thoughtful posters we have here. But I will say this, I think the evolved polo horse of today is the most exciting animal on the planet. For sheer speed, agility, intelligence, and beauty, nothing surpasses the polo horse.
So, may we always honor the work of the great players and breeders--- past, present, and future--- who bring us these fascinating creatures!
All the best,
GB
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Anthea Boyle on -
i think we are all losing sight of the "game" it is meant to be about teams playing against each other and one being the best overall. Admitedly pony power is an advantage, but the greatest advantage is team play?. Playing as "a team" is surely better than one loose cannon on superior ponies? although i have witnessed a one player show, and although amazing, most players are not that gifted and certainly 98% of players are not going to be so.
Each rider will get something different from their mount, thus proving that we already have good ponies to play off.
I doubt most ponies could cope with high altitudes and 30 min chukka's, but maybe if they had a "proper" working life as well as their polo they would be a little more robust?
Are we making the high goal mount more precious than it needs to be?
Also having ponies that do a short burst of speed to enable a player to be "brilliant" for a short period of time, what do we do with these ponies when they have out-lived there shelf life?
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Permalink Reply by GB Polo on -
I can see the need for three different "types" of polo horse: the Club Horse, the Olympic Horse, and the Palermo Horse.
The Club Horse should be easy and docile and most of all fun to ride and play. Their endurance must be good, but most of all they should have the temperament for club polo. You should be able to buy a very nice club horse for $5,000 to $10,000.00. Polo ranches who want to cater to this market should go for volume and solid bloodlines.
The Olympic Horse should be fast, agile, and with enough endurance to play an entire chukker, if need be. If we are lucky enough to see polo returned to the Olympics, I think the sport will catch on like wildfire around the world. Of course Olympic polo will be very, very competitive, but it will be more like amateur polo. A good Olympic horse should be available to Olympic polo teams from $10,000.00 to $45,000.00. Polo ranches who specialize in this area should concentrate heavily on the English Thoroughbred. Not as exciting as the Argentine Criollo, but very solid and very strong.
The Palermo Horse is in a category by itself. It is the Formula One car of polo horses. No expense should be spared in the breeding and training of this horse. It should have all of the necessary qualities in the highest possible degree: speed, agility, intelligence, competitiveness. It is impossible to imagine buying a Palermo Horse for less than $45,000.00 and the top end is probably in the millions. There is no more exciting horse on earth than the Palermo Horse, and the ranches who breed and train this horse are in a class by themselves.
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Permalink Reply by Luis Wetzler on -
GB your numbers are too old, last May we had an auction of horses, polo ponies from the Neuss family, Gonzalo Pieres bought a mare from their own breeding, and he paid (for someone else) 480,000 USD, this was at the Tattersall’s in Palermo, the average price was 140,000 USD. Which in my opinion represents a problem, if those are the prices to be paid for our horses, very few will be able to buy them, I hope that this was an exception and in the future we shall see more normal prices.
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Permalink Reply by GB Polo on
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That's impressive, Luis. Thanks for the insight. I was wondering about the low end for Palermo horses, and it really doesn't surprise me that it's much higher than I thought. But it's all about supply and demand. If they breed enough of those great mares using embryo transplants, the number of great horses is likely to increase, and then the price will come down. It goes in cycles.
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Permalink Reply by bruce cowley on -
GB - i started an appaloosa mare - who I could hit the ball in a circle with, at a canter, the very first time she ever saw a polo stick. She could also do sliding stops during a polo game. And I could put my mate's 7-years old kid on her and forget about them. Fantastic horse - sadly lost to colic. It's a lovely breed and quite possibly an ideal low-goal type.
But, I don't think a TB appaloose cross would produce results very different to any of the TB other stockhorse (criollo, quarterhorse) type breeds.
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Permalink Reply by GB Polo on
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Great story, Bruce. I love those horses. There's got to be a way to incorporate their amazing gait into a top level polo horse. Personally, I think we're just getting started with cross-breeding and gene manipulation. The possibilities are really endless.
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Permalink Reply by GB Polo on
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Here's a nice looking TB Appaloosa cross.
Looks like she could play polo to me.
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Permalink Reply by GB Polo on
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Here she is romping around with her brother.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBTtOAL7iH8&feature=related
What do you guys think?
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Permalink Reply by GB Polo on
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Here she is by herself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvDatfNyq2Q&feature=related
Has she got moves or what?
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Permalink Reply by Rajen Sudan on -
like a dream..
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Permalink Reply by Rajen Sudan on
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just....waaaaaaaaoooooooow....GB.....you made my evening...
god bless
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Permalink Reply by GB Polo on
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Glad you like the videos, Rajan. Here's another one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVr0sEAdFe8&feature=related
On her own, at six months, she's stopping, starting, accelerating, and making tight fast turns---- everything you would want in a great polo horse. I think she would be fantastic on a polo field. It just seems obvious that she's got the right instincts and right moves. Plus, she's totally unafraid.
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