Modern polo . they knowseveral words of command. After a month or so of the practice I have described,we may take for granted that the pony is quiet to ride,and that his polo education may commence. The pony may now be worked daily for about anhour and a half, and should not be given more thanabout 5 lbs. or 6 lbs. of corn, but he may have asmuch hay as he likes to eat. Although under-feeding does not pay, it is not advisable togive ponies in training much corn. The ponyseducation will be greatly simplified by having ariding school, which, however, is not essential,because all the exercises I
Modern polo . they knowseveral words of command. After a month or so of the practice I have described,we may take for granted that the pony is quiet to ride,and that his polo education may commence. The pony may now be worked daily for about anhour and a half, and should not be given more thanabout 5 lbs. or 6 lbs. of corn, but he may have asmuch hay as he likes to eat. Although under-feeding does not pay, it is not advisable togive ponies in training much corn. The ponyseducation will be greatly simplified by having ariding school, which, however, is not essential,because all the exercises I shall describe can be donein the open, or between unjumpable fences in a field. LONG REIN DRIVING. 115 It is so very much easier to control a horse in anenclosed space than in the open, that I would re-commend any one who trains many young animals andhas not a riding school, to rail off in the corner of afield a rectangular space about thirty-six yards bytwelve yards, in which to teach them to turn, stop, and. Fig. 52.—Standing Martingale on nose-band. canter in small circles ; but the enclosing fences mustbe unjumpable and solid. The programme for the first week may be a lessonin the riding school for half an hour, and riding aboutthe roads at a walk for an hour. 8* ii6 TRAINING THE POLO PONY. [Chap. V. TURNING. The first object to aim at is to make the pupil obeythe rein and leg ; to turn to the right or left; and torein back collectedly. To begin with, I would recom-mend a plain smooth jointed snaffle, and a long-standing martingale on the nose-band (Fig. 52). It must be remembered that horses turn in threedifferent ways. 1. On the forehand. 2. On the centre. 3. On the hocks. When a pony, which is going fast, turns to the righton his forehand, his hind-quarters will have a stronginclination to turn out to the left ; and vice versa. Theresult of this will be that he will not be firm on hislegs, and through not being collected, will very likelyslip up and fall. Many ponies t
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