Making my Polo Pony

Mayday tries a New (copper) Gag Bit

2009-05-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

We tried a new bit recently which had a much larger diameter ring as well as a copper bar. I was pleasantly surprised by how well he went in it. Stopping and turning seemed to take much less effort than normal, which made our communication much more fluid for some reason. He felt like a "happier" pony if that makes sense. The tension I usually associate with his heightened responsiveness appeared to be almost (alomst :) ) nonexistent. There were still moments when his high spirit got the better of us both, but his carriage was round, relaxed and supple for the duration of the session allowing me to work with longer reins.

I talked with my coach Lesley Fong-Yee, one of Jamaica's top polo players and one of the top female polo players in the world, to try and pin point exactly what might have accounted for the improvement. Lesley as usual had some great insight to share.

"Copper mouth bits make the horses salivate and therefore the bit sits more comfortably in their mouths. Like a person with dry lips that chap when a horses mouth dries out it less supple and more prone to being pinched or cut. I use them on my young horses and as exercise bits as much as possible. The large ring provides greater leverage and therefore a sharper response"

Here are a few pics from the day.

Impulsion (or lack thereof)

2009-04-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Impulsion is the pushing power (thrust) of a horse, which comes from his desire to move powerfully forward with energy. However, speed does not create impulsion, and a rushing horse is more likely to be "flat" than impulsive. A horse can only have impulsion if his hind legs are engaged and his elastic back allows the power to come through.

In the very beginning, this is not a word that I would readily associate with Lupe. The difference now is encouraging. She is definitely getting stronger, so the whole business of forward movement is physically getting easier for her which makes hitting the ball much more comfortable. I never used to be able to do a flying change or even get her to strike off on the left lead. Now, however, both get easier and easier to do every day out. Overall, she still "stops" better than she "goes". Her temperament continues to be level and consistent. I enjoy riding her.

"Trial & Error" - from Polo Player's Edition.com

2009-04-15T07:49:00.000-07:00

I came across this really great article from PoloPlayer'sEdition.com purely by accident. Polo Players Edition Online Magazine is a publication dedicated to the sport of polo and the lifestyle of polo players. Part of it describes in detail many of the subtle nuances that are a part of schooling a polo pony - which ideally starts from they are foals.

Many, if not all of the references, standards and techniques mentioned in the article are used by Jamaica's best trainer of polo ponies in his operation, which I'm sure accounts for the top quality ponies that he produces consistently. That is a sentiment is usually expressed by the majority of high goal players that have visited Jamaica to play in local tournaments over the years. With his guidance so far, there isn't any goal which seems out of reach for Mayday or Lupe - I think by the time we're done, I'll have two solid polo ponies.

Here' the link to the article. Enjoy!
Trial and Error - Breeders look for the best formulas for creating top ponies.

Many thanks to
Polo Players Edition (thanks again Gwen!)

Finally Sound

2009-03-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

After about of month of an aliment that had everyone puzzled, Mayday is sound again and has a new haircut (I had almost forgotten that his mane was that colour grey!). Anyway, we played one very slow practice chukka – taking it easy as his time away would’ve made him less fit. I was wondering how he would play with all that time off, but surprisingly he went very well. He stopped and turned nicely. Turning to the left continues to improve. Even though he didn’t get hot once, I thought that some ring work would be good for us both in order to re-establish some things.

As luck would have it, the weekend that followed was very rainy and therefore too wet to play making ring work the best option for me if I wanted to ride. It turned out to be one more beautiful day. There was so much blue sky that afternoon, you would never have guessed that it was so overcast that same morning.

On the drive out

On the drive out

We did about 12 minutes of slow cantering making progressively smaller circles then larger again, changing leads and doing the same on the other side. I've also been trying spurs with Mayday to try to help sharpen up his response to my turning aids. More than that, I am too lazy to take them off and put them on in between chukkas when alternating between Mayday and Lupe :) and luckily Mayday does not over-react (at least not after that first time).

Sometimes having both hands free is very helpful as it seems to make my aids more clear to him and he is usually more responsive (laterally). We settle back into the old rythm quickly. It feels good.

He feels a little more improved each and every time out. Moving off and “checking” are greatly improved from last year November. And even though his steering is improving, it is at a slower pace that everything else. We’ll have to work on that aspect some more is all.

There was one other good thing about the day... Because we used the ring, I was able to keep an eye on my girlfriend's second riding lesson ever which was going on at the same time. She did really well!

By the end of the session, he feels fantastic. We finish with a long walk on long reins around the polo field.

KINGSTON v. ENGLAND

2009-02-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

The second tournament of the season got underway on Sunday February 8, 2009 at the Kingston Polo Club with a visiting team from the UK. The opening match however was a Club League low goal round robin between three teams in which I played.

Mayday has been lame for about a week now (still no visible signs of swelling or other injury) but is improving slowly, so he was a no-show on Sunday. I played Lupe (it's official... her name is now Lupe) in the first and fourth chukkas. It was another perfect day and the game was a lot of fun. I think our team won by goal difference.

This is the best Lupe has gone for me. I'm sure my new spurs helped, but she felt lively and responsive. Even the way she carries herself seems to have matured over a short period of time. I am seeing signs of the potential that the trainer has said from day one that he sees in her. The prospect of her development is now equally exciting to me as Mayday's (I hope he is sound soon).

Here are a few pics from the Club League match.

Plus 2

2009-02-02T14:39:00.001-08:00

There's always something or some sign that reminds me that I must be one of the luckiest people in the world. The lastest affirmation of that notion is the newest addition to my polo family. It's been a couple of weeks now, so I thought it best to make the introductions before too much time passes.

A four or five year old filly with probably the most agreeable temperament ever. She's Mayday's opposite in many ways namely, speed, temperament and athleticism, but she is certainly a sweetheart. Her unique colour and ahhhm... "expressive" ears make her truly one of a kind. She's somewhat sensitive about their size at the moment, so we don't like to call them big - Sue that means you ;)

She still doesn't have a name though, but i'm working on it.

Above: Our first chukka on the big field.

Above: Chasing without spurs.

Our first tournament together - The Doc Masterton 2009 was February 01, 2009. I played her in the first and fourth chukkas and she played her heart out. It was great! Our team lost our match by one goal (4 - 5), but the horses went so well it didn't matter so much.

Above: Mayday's first flat stick run. I only just clipped the ball with my neckshot (I'm truly impressed with his speed. we ran past everyone like they were not moving)

Above: Immediately following the play above, i tried to pick up the ball on the near side, but missed. The best part about the play was that he calmed right back down after the run. (I thought he'd be very "hot" after a run like that)

Above: Staying with the other team's #4

Above: Chasing from way behind (with a little left-handed encouragement)

Above: We actually caught up and saved a possible goal by the other team

One week to go

2009-01-26T08:43:00.000-08:00

Our last chukka on the big field before the 2009 Jamaica Polo Association season officially begins. Was a perfect day - plenty of blue skies and sunshine. Here are some photos with the new cam.

Above: Kingston Polo Club, Caymanas Estates

Above: Warming up

Above: Warming up

Above: Warming up.

Above: Mayday's look says "I intend to shoot off to the left"

Above: From the throw in.

Above: Settling down after a play with a good run down the field.

Above: Caymanas "Game Hen"

Above: Nearside disaster

Above: Stolen from the throw in 01

Above: Stolen from the throw in 02

Above: Stolen from the throw in 03

Above: Stolen from the throw in 04

Above: Just before I lost the ball in front of the goal (argggh!!!).

Above: A neck shot attempt (landed 10 yds from the goal).

Above: After a run

Highs, Lows & More Highs

2009-01-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

HIGHS
2008 definitely ended with a bang. On the last day of the year we played on the big field together for the first time. Despite forgetting my boots at home and having to borrow a pair (which was a full size smaller) that could not zip up all the way, the day turned out to be loads of fun and what I considered - at the time - to be an exhilarating success. I played Mayday in the first and third of what was supposed to be slow chukkas for young horses.

Since up to that point we were only accustomed to playing slow chukkas with other green horses, it ended up being a baptism of fire because the game consisted of many regular players back for the first time preparing for the 2009 season with experienced ponies on their second or third week in. Both players and ponies back from their much needed two month holiday from polo. The annual break is very good to rest and repair the body and mind of players and horses alike. There was the sense that everyone was rearing to go. Immediately after the first ball was thrown in, the notion of easing back into things and maintaining a nice and relaxed tempo when going to the ball, or getting on the line and challenging for balls properly disappeared and the competitive spirit common among polo players took over. For me, it was as though I had forgotten I was on a green pony still learning the game. To Mayday's credit, he seemed up to task and performed well.

His “steering” for want of a better word was much more responsive. Prior to this it was a bit dead in spots when asking for quick lateral movements or reducing the size of a circle very quickly. This was not a really a bothersome issue when playing slow chukkas on the small field. Weeks earlier, my coach and polo mentor, (Lesley Ann Fong Yee), had suggested trying the schooling technique of tapping Mayday's outside shoulder with the whip when asking him to circle in either direction. The groom who takes care of him (Kev-O) and I (practically the only people who ride him) had made a concerted effort to improve his responsiveness to lateral aids. It seemed to be paying off in spades.

As usual, he did get a little “hot” and frisky towards the end of the 3rd chukka, but the game was such a rush I didn’t think anything of it.

LOWS
Two days later, we tried some slow stick and balling around the big field – just the two of us. It was a total disaster. He felt like he did the very first day I got on his back, except worse. Hot and overly high spirited. His gate never settled down to a nice tempo where I could hit the ball comfortably without constantly checking with my left hand. He was prancing all over the place and would get excited on approaching the ball and run over it. No matter what I did, he only got more worked up as the session went on. Admittedly, my frustration with the situation didn't help one bit.

It was clear that we had gone a little too fast the last game. This combined with his high spirit had seemingly undone all the work we had put in over the last two months. Still it never felt like he was purposely being difficult or did I feel out of control. I took some solace in that. The trainer suggested that I stick and ball at a walk, until he settled down. We tried that with limited success for the remainder of the session.

So dismal was my interpretation of the day’s events, that I voluntarily opted out of practice chukkas that weekend for fear that I would set back his training even further. This was unprecedented for me as ordinarily I'd probably have to be dead (literally) to pass on playing chukkas :) Polo really is that addictive.

After the session, the trainer did confirm that I need to put in the time with a lot of slow work and get him to settle right back down. He also encouraged me to participate in the practice chukkas over the weekend, but just to take it easy and go “nice and slow”. I agreed a few days later to give it a shot only after he assured me that if I took my time, it would be fine.

MORE HIGHS
Two days and some anxiety later, we gave it one more shot on the small field. It was as though some kind soul who felt sorry for me had pressed an imaginary reset button. I had an excellent slow chukka from him. My reins were relaxed, and he was relaxed, and his response to lateral aids to turn and circle was improved. Mayday was focused and maintained an easy tempo the entire chukka. Didn't get hot once. It was just the one chukka for him since were going to play chukkas the next day. The trainer even commented that he was going nicely for me, which was surprising so soon after all that had happened.

The next day, I played four practice chukkas – playing him in the first and the fourth. He went well both times, with almost no hint that we ever had issues. Once again I was exhilarated by how good he felt. The trainer (thankfully a believer in positive reinforcement) commented once again how much better he looked.

I’m learning to be more patient and not get so easily frustrated with this process. Mayday and i will hopefully have many long years of playing polo together, so it's better to take the time now to get the foundation right.

I would’ve never imagined such a huge swing of emotions over such a short period of time. If you are passionate about something, then I guess it's to be expected. One thing is clear... the feelings I experience when things go well far outweigh the feelings when they don't.

Settling Even More

2008-12-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

On this day, I doubled him and it went really well. He was clipped the day before too and his coat is starting to look better and better.I think he's starting to understand what polo the game of polo requires of him.

Apart from feeling a little tried the second time I played him, i was very pleased with our progress. His fitness level - as with most of the young horses - will improve as we get closer to the start of the 2009 season.

Here are some photos from the day:
(apologies for the poor photo quality. The sun had all but gone down, so the lighting was less than ideal - the photos were colour corrected)

Beginning of the first chukka.

Dribbling the ball towards goal during the game.

Following up a teammate from the back.

Beginning of the second chukka of the match (he was relaxing more and more as the game went on)

One of the many picturesque views from the field.

Frist Chukka

2008-12-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

Our very first chukka together came at a perfect time as I too was getting a bit bored with the schooling routine of circling and circling. A small informal scrimmage for green / young horses would be the setting for us to see exactly what we’re working with.

Anyway, the work we had been doing prior to this seemed to be helping because he was smooth an steady in that nice rhythm we usually establish in our schooling sessions, which made dribbling the ball quite easy. I couldn’t have been more pleased at that point.

I anticipated his over-excitement during actual match play and played more in the back or the number 4 position so that we could watch what was going on and get him accustomed to the process of the game changing ends of the field over and over again and again while maintaining a calm and unhurried rhythm.

As I expected, he was super excited at times and there was a lot of overly bouncy strides and cantering sideways – which seems to re-affirm his natural athletic abilities. As usual, I tried my best to ignore those He stops quite well too – no pulling or fighting, the slightest pressure applied to the reins by way of shifting my body position slightly back stops him on a dime. The bit and his mouth felt fantastic, and at no time – despite his antics - did I feel out of control.

It was more fun than I could’ve hope for, and I’m certain that he also enjoyed it, which was a great feeling.

Incidentally, it was also my first time playing on the club’s new field behind the riding school. It’s always amazing to consider that polo has been played in the island of Jamaica for more than 100 years, yet I’m almost certain that 2008 will mark the first time that a club has had more than one operational polo field. It could be maybe 60 yards shorter than the main regulation field, but what it lacks in length, it makes up in aesthetics – to say that it is picturesque is an understatement.

Settling Down

2008-12-08T16:40:00.001-08:00

So far, I can tell for sure he is settling down and accepting the schooling. Despite that, I feel that he is getting bored with the routine, so the next time out we set up some cones 40m apart so we could circle each cone individually and make the occasional figure 8 around the cones alternating leads.

It takes some time, but as usual he eventually settles down into a nice rhythm and we get through the session without incident. He feels more settled than ever, but his spirited side is still very much present at times. I know that he’s been stick and balled at some point before, but I do not know how much and what the outcome was, so I’m anxious to try for myself.

Schooling Vid from Australia

2008-11-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

This vid is from Australia. Anto and the White family breed and train polo ponies at their property, Belltrees Station on the Hunter River in NSW, Australia. Anto White shown here putting "Nicole" through her paces.

I like this vid because of how subtle the riders aids are and how relaxed the pony is while at the same time being extremely responsive. I too would like to get my horse to this standard and think he is more than capable.

DAY 4

2008-11-19T14:26:00.001-08:00

I've officially named him Mayday. Given his high spirited nature, it seemed approproate :)

BTW, that's stuff on his coat is MUD! The other side effect of all the rain we've been having.

On the way into the arena.

Circling (left) at a walk.

Cantering (left)

Taking a break.

Circling (right)

End of session under Master Obiwan's watchful eye.

DAY 3

2008-11-19T14:25:00.001-08:00

We started out with the same routine as always establishing a relaxed tempo at the walk before trotting, and at the trot before cantering. The repetition of the routine seems to be working and it is taking less and less time to settle down each time out.

We worked on making the circles smaller and smaller (20m, 10m, 5m) then back to the original size until changing leads transitioning through the walk and repeating the same on the other side. I was aware of the need to steer in the direction I wanted to go with my body and my legs and not just dragging him in that direction with the reins. So we circle left, with me looking in the direction I want to go and turn my body slightly in that direction and repeated this on the right side. His carriage seemed to get a bit more supple and rounded and he eventually dropped his head after a few times round.

While circling I would aim to pass though a pair of cones set out in the arena with each circle I made. He seemed to actually enjoy the objective of bending round the cones and once again picked up what I was asking him to do quickly.

We settled into a very nice easy rhythm. So much so, that I tried a flying change which he executed effortlessly, so tired again on the other side – same result. A few times, he got a little excited in anticipation of the change, so I just continued to circle in one direction before coming to a walk and picking up the other lead while circling to the opposite side.

We ended on that note and had a relaxed walk around the arena before returning to the pony lines. I’m exhilarated by the progress we’ve made in a short period of time.

Although I’m sure about what I want to name him, I haven’t yet committed to it just in case something better comes to mind as we get to know each other more. I think that if I wait much longer to name him officially, the grooms will unofficially name him for me. From what I’ve heard so far I need to get cracking :)

DAY 2

2008-11-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

Day 2 started out all wrong. I was delayed and ended up having to make a mad dash out to the club after work (in rush hour traffic) to try and catch what was left of daylight. By the time I got there, I was a little tightly wound to say the least.

Unlike DAY 1 when I had the arena all to myself, on this day it was bustling with activity. At least 5 other polo ponies were being worked in the arena along with a few riding school horses. There was a lot going on and I did not know how the horse would react to all the confusion going on around us.

As I suspected, he felt more fractious than before, and the first few circles at a walk there was more prancing than walking going on. But while doing what I’m sure appeared to onlookers as high level dressage moves (trotting on the spot and walking sideways), a suitable name for him came to mind – under the circumstances it seemed appropriate, but I decided to think about it some more. It took longer to settle him down than before, but again I exercised patience and gave him as much time as he needed to relax a bit before we started trotting. We were in no rush.

After circling a few times in both directions, he was still flashing his head, drifting wide and not stepping his hind legs underneath himself - like he was stiff and cutting the corner instead of bending his body around my inside leg. Fortunately, I had my whip in my outside hand to tap his hind quarters whenever he would drift. It took only a few light taps of the whip for him to realize what I was asking him to do.

I found also that using my inside hand to open the reins slightly let him know where his head is supposed to be looking when he’s making a circle. He picked this correction up quickly also and flashed his head and drifted less and less as the session went on. His left side is still not as good as the right side though. It took almost the entire session before he relaxed his breathing, but it did happen eventually.

The session was a bit ragged at times, but all in all a very positive day. I need to remember to ride my horse last (I help out the trainer and ride 2 other young horses) so my muscles and my brain are relaxed by the time I get on him. I also need to remember to be extremely subtle with my aids as he is super-responsive and tends to over react to my leg aids if I am not careful. I am recognizing more and more his willingness to do what I ask of him and I am hoping that he recognizes that I ask and not force him.

DAY 1

2008-11-17T14:15:00.000-08:00

Up 'til now,whenever we spoke the trainer would always drill the point home , that if this pony doesn’t work out, we’ll just have to find a different one for me because the horse is a bit “high spirited”. With that kind of caveat, I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell I’d gotten myself into.

After being delayed for several weeks because of the heavy October rains (weeks upon weeks of rain) here in Jamaica, I was very excited that the day I was to meet the horse had finally arrived.

A smart looking grey somewhere in the 15.1hh range, he was - despite a generous belly - a very handsome pony. And being only 8 or 9 years old, as long as I put in consistent work his belly should be gone in no time once he gets fit. To me he looked perfect in every way! I was happy that I would continue to use a 52” stick as that's the length (and size horse) I’d become most proficient with this last season.

He seemed to have a very gentle and accommodating demeanor while tied up in the pony lines, however as soon as I got on his back it was a different story. The word that came to mind was “fractious”. Nostrils flaring, sweaty and breathing hard, he seemed to be a bundle of nervous energy and didn’t, wouldn’t or couldn’t stand still for me to make my stirrup adjustments.

Knowing before hand about his temperament helped me to be patient with that. So I didn’t make a big deal out of it or try to correct it at that point. Instead I pat his neck repeatedly from his shoulders to his ears in an attempt to reassure him that everything was good – which seemed to help. To me, he felt great! He felt alert, responsive and with a sensitive mouth.

I spent the next few minutes in the ring walking around on long reins on both sides trying to get him to loosen up and settle down. When I felt he had settled down enough, we tried some trotting. Slightly more relaxed than when we started, he still felt quite tense by the time we were ready to canter. I proceeded to canter a few large circles going in both directions. He seemed to get worked up at times to the point he would stray wide on the circle - more so when circling towards the left side. I did not have a whip with me to keep in my outside hand to tap lightly tap him on the outside whenever he went wide, so I had to use a lot of outside-leg to help.

Again, I tried not react to anything he was doing. The head tossing, the prancing on the spot or the occasional mini-bolt. Instead I tried to focus on establishing a rhythm that was relaxed and not rushed in any way – the trainer's mantra plays constantly in my mind... "nice and easy", "nice and e-a-s-y". I also became aware that I was probably transmitting to him my own body tension from being a little anxious feeling at times like I was sitting on a rocket waiting to launch or explode. So I worked on relaxing my seat and body. He began to calm down a bit and breathe in time with his strides. The change was almost immediate. He eventually calmed down to the point where he would make the horse equivalent of a deep human sigh (a long exhale through the nose) - I gather that this is usually a sign that a horse is relaxing.

After about 20 mins we ended our first session as we began, with a relaxed walk around the ring giving with my hands (with slight contact) where his breathing relaxed even more. I take from the day the positive that despite a few problems I consider minor, there is nothing that happened that feels unfix-able. I read once somewhere about a famous polo pony trainer/breeder from Argentina on his philosophy and he said something like if you treat a pony like a mule then you’re going to have a mule, but if you treat it like a champion, then maybe one day you’ll have a champion. I intend to school my horse with that in mind. I couldn’t be more pleased with our first day, excited about his potential. I'm looking forward to the next session.

About my Blog

2008-11-17T12:45:00.000-08:00

Jamaica, W.I.

The first time i sat on the back of a horse (age 7 I think around '85) I was hooked instantly. Scared %$@#less from what seemed at the time to be too far off the ground for me. Exhilarated and scared all at the same time, I was hooked. I was show jumping from then and rode regularly all the way into my late teens, then sporadically into my early 20s. After that, I stopped riding completely and didn't get on a horse again until November 2005 when I tried polo for the first time at the age of 29. Once again I was hooked from day one. I’ve been playing ever since and been having more fun than I can describe. It’s always difficult to explain to people who are not intimately familiar with polo why playing it is so addictive, so I won’t try to do that here except to say only that those who know… know ;)

In the 2008 polo season I leased a chestnut named Fresh Prince. “Freshie” as he is known turned out to be a fantastic pony for me and helped my game grow by leaps and bounds. The only problem I had with that pony, was that I did not have two more just like him. I played him with a 52" stick. Well in October of this year I was presented with the opportunity to own and “make” my own polo pony, which I grabbed with both hands. This would not be a pony that was already “made”or schooled by a polo professional. I understood that the horse would have - on a couple of occasions - had a brief try with stick and balling a few years ago, but was deemed unsuitable. So the pony's development as it relates to the actual game of polo is to be my responsibility. How exciting.

Now, if you’ve ever tried looking up information on schooling a polo pony online, then like me you've probably found very little if anything. Polo seems to be one of those sports where knowledge is best shared by direct person to person interaction for the most part like a mentor and apprentice relationship type deal. There are some exceptions that you can buy online which attempt to impart knowledge via instructional videos and manuals, however actual personal accounts are usually hard to come by.

I’ve found Youtube to also be a great resource if you know what to look for in polo videos. In the future, I plan to post the youtube vids that I’ve found the most helpful along with the reasons why.

This is my personal account of everything that goes into making my first polo pony. Feel free to share your own personal experiences and any tips – the more the merrier!

minus2bie

Enjoy this "Passion of Polo" vid: