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from 2023 SCORE Magazine

POLO A Spectator Experience

Anyone who has watched a polo match knows that it is the mix of speed, action, and athleticism that makes the game so thrilling. The relationship between the player and their pony is one built on a combination of innate talent, character, and years of careful training.

Polo Pony Stats

HEIGHT: 15 to 16 hands (60–64 inches from the ground to the withers)

WEIGHT: 1,000–1,100 lbs

AGE: 4–18 years old

BREED: thoroughbreds, thoroughbred–quarter horse crosses, Argentine ponies

POLO STRING: 4-10 ponies, depending on the level of play

PERFORMANCE: galloping up to 3 miles in a chukker and reaching speeds of 30 mph

Most players will concede that their string of polo ponies makes up about 75% of the skill on the field. The qualities of a champion polo pony take a keen eye to recognize in a young (or “green”) horse. The first component that polo pro and trainer Horacio Onetto looks for is the horse’s physicality: “I look for how they move, their form. You can tell a lot about how talented they are. I look for soundness and good conformation for polo.”

Good conformation in a horse can include observing its balance, its structural soundness (alignment, its legs), tracking (how it moves), its muscling (especially a well-muscled hindquarter), and its breed. A champion polo pony needs to have agility, maneuverability, speed, and stamina. Thoroughbred horses are the most popular breed for polo for their stamina, and thoroughbred-quarter horse mixes are chosen for their agility.

The next quality to look for in a polo pony is temperament: they need to have a heart for the game. The pony should have the confidence and drive to take a player into an aggressive play, but also remain obedient and respond quickly to the commands of the player. In addition to warrior traits, the polo pony needs to be able to stay calm in the midst of all the action on the field. A polo pony also needs to have a mind for the game. Because the training process evolves over 2 years, the horse must be able to retain the lessons they have learned while adding new skills. However, a horse can have all of the intelligence and physical skill in the world, but if it cannot handle the pace and pressure of the game, it will not succeed on the field.

How To Train Your Pony

Many professional polo players also breed, broker, and train polo ponies. Who better to develop a fine string than the men and women who truly know and appreciate these equine athletes?

JORIE BUTLER KENT, DAUGHTER OF OAK BROOK FOUNDER PAUL BUTLER, IS A RENOWNED HORSEWOMAN WHO MANAGED THE OAK BROOK POLO CLUB FROM 1967 TO 1979. SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN REGISTERED AS A POLO PLAYER WITH THE USPA IN 1968. AMONG HER OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SPORT, JORIE COACHED THE INTERNATIONAL ROLEX/ABERCROMBIE & KENT POLO TEAM AND RAN A HORSEBREEDING OPERATION OUT OF HER RANCH IN MONTANA.

Oak Brook polo pro Horacio Onetto grew up in Argentina, where he learned from his father, who was a polo player, breeder, and trainer. Onetto says that the average pony takes between one and three years to train, though every now and again, you find a special one: “It depends on the talent of the horse and how natural and patient the horse is. I train them, then I back off. I turn them out and let them be a horse, then I grab them and train them again. If you keep pushing and pushing, you may push too hard and they can burn out. You have to take your time.”

A trainer can get a young, green horse ready for the rigors of the field, but when it comes to buying a pony, the most important element is matching the skill and temperament of the pony with that of the trainer. Onetto explains: “I like a patient horse. I am aggressive enough myself that I can make them aggressive. I would rather have a more passive horse. I train both kinds, because you never know what you’re going to get, but with the way I play, the more chill they are, the better.”

In addition to breeding ponies from a lineage of polo champions, there have been great strides in reproductive technologies for polo horses, from embryo transfers to surrogate mares to cloning! Many thoroughbreds also come to polo from the racetrack where their speed, endurance, and competitiveness can be put to good use.

Pamela Flanagan, a USPA Governor-at-Large, is a tireless advocate for rescuing, rehabilitating, and repurposing horses for the polo field. Her first rescue, Stella in 2016, has become a valuable part of her string, making her high-goal debut at the 2018 Susan G. Komen U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship. Since then, Pamela has rescued and repurposed 6 more ponies, with plans to continue her advocacy. “My focus is to find ways to regulate and minimize reckless backyard breeding, promote repurposing discarded horses, and do away with the stigma of adopted or rescued horses.”

Matchmaking

Nina Gowl is a polo manager for James Drury, patron of the Oak Brook polo team. She takes care of Drury’s string of eight horses year-round, conditioning them for the season, coordinating polo team practices, and taking care of the logistics of each polo season. Gowl also finds horses for Jim to purchase with the input of pros that she trusts.

“People at different levels seek different qualities that help them excel on the field. The pros can be very differently mounted than the amateurs, meaning the horses may be more complex to ride and play. In Jim’s case the type of horse that helps him excel on the field is one that is very steady, honest, and safe. He wants them to be the same every time he’s on them. Like people, horses have off days. I work very hard with his pros to try to make sure the horses are on their ‘A’ game whenever Jim puts his foot in the stirrup.”

When players are starting out, they often want the best horse that money can buy; however, the price of the horse isn’t necessarily what makes a pony the best fit for the player. Onetto reiterates that matching the skill and temperament of the player and pony is the most important thing: “Players have different needs for their horses. I can ride any horse, but a player that is learning to ride will need a horse that matches their skill level. It is very difficult to match a player and a horse. It’s like fitting a glove.”

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