Before i go and buy another horse... ex polo pony

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alfirules

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I have been to look at a horse today, sorry there's no ad on the internet and i dont have any pics to show. so anyway, he's a 15.1hh ,6 YO, TB gelding and has been schooled to play polo, he wasn't very good at it so he was sold on to his current owner. With too many horses to look after and ride and job commitments the horse has not really been ridden since she bought him in October.

He's clipped but unshod and he is slightly underweight and coat looks a bit scabby in places but he is in good health.

He is very quiet and has a lovely temperament and no vices, he also has good conformation.

when i sat on him he was quite nervous at first, especially if you raise your hand when on him (apparently polo ponies are beaten when being trained to turn sharply). He settled after a coulple of laps of the school and i then carried on to trot and canter him which were both lovely paces very well balanced and collected. i hacked him up the lane alone and he was very well behaved considering it was windy and he was fine with traffic.

I am having him vetted this week and i am going to pay £1800 for him.

So, i just want your opinions really, does price sound about right and is there anything you would stay clear of with polo ponies?

thanks for reading!
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i had one as a livery, she was very spooky getting in and out the field especially when it was windy and difficult to keep weight on. the owner also exercised in a field as the mare did not like the school. she was 15yo and her legs were knackered. but was a really sweet mare .
 
when i sat on him he was quite nervous at first, especially if you raise your hand when on him (apparently polo ponies are beaten when being trained to turn sharply).

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Is that true???
 
this was just what i was told, i wouldnt know but the owner has a lot of ex polo ponies and she says they are all the same and some are much worse!
 
Never personally had one but one of my fellow liveries has one and she is one of the sweetest, easiest horses to do. Totally unspooky, never puts a foot wrong. Really really well mannered. She also has knackered legs but is still ridden etc.
 
This one is also really sweet, his legs looked good to me, no lumps, bumps, heat or swellings, he should be alright as he never played polo professionally, he was just broken in to play polo.
 
We had one on my old yard not disimilar to the one you've tried ie. no good, so sold on at a youngish age. The only thing she did that could be down to her polo training was that she would try and shoulder her hacking partner out of the way, if you get my meaning.
 
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he is slightly underweight

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He is very quiet

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He sounds great and the price is ok I think. However, bear in mind that once you have fed him up he may not be quite so quiet!!!!
 
My friends got an ex polo pony, Irish Sports pony type ting, its really sweet, except tjheir having to doa little re schooling.


''(apparently polo ponies are beaten when being trained to turn sharply)''
I expect thats true of some yards, dpeends, some of the lower standard polo ponies look awful poor things, but i doubt its true of all
 
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when i sat on him he was quite nervous at first, especially if you raise your hand when on him (apparently polo ponies are beaten when being trained to turn sharply).


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This is a sweeping generalisation and whoever told you this needs setting straight.
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Yes, maybe some polo ponies are beaten, as are some SJ horses and some family ponies.
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This is not the normal way that polo horses are trained.
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They CAN be sharp, but they are picked for their responsiveness. If he is nervous when you lift your hand it may well be because he didn't like the stick being swung about so close to him. It is not necessarily because he has been beaten.
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when i sat on him he was quite nervous at first, especially if you raise your hand when on him (apparently polo ponies are beaten when being trained to turn sharply).

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B*llocks - they are not beaten to turn. Blimey they are taught to be bombproof with a mallet, whip and reins flopping about. A beating for turning is not practical with all the gear and pointless.

To teach a polo pony to turn you generally point it at a hedge so it has to go onto it back legs and do a mini rear ot avoid a face full of leaves. However you don't whack them!

Yes polo ponies have a hard life, but in the UK IMHO they are better trained than your average riding horses!
 
Couple of things to bear in mind with an ex-polo pony (and I have had a few in my time!).

1. Where are they from? If they came from Argentina, they are broken early at 3 years which can sometimes set them up for a short working life. I have seen some 6 year olds who were completely crippled from being started so early. If they were UK bred, did they come off the track? Some polo ponies are just not great racers who have been 'converted', so to speak. Again they have been started early so watch out, check the horse's passport for where their flu jabs were done eg. at a racing yard.

2. They are usually pretty bombproof and well mannered but they haven't been schooled as such and tend to get a bit giraffe about taking a contact in the mouth. Can be reschooled though but be patient - they don't really get jumping either! But this pony is young so should be ok.

3. Feet - beware concussive navicular! Especially in the Thoroughbred ponies who have been galloped up and down concrete-like pitches and often poorly shod. Get the vet to lunge on a hard surface to show up any lameness. I saw a 5 year old polo pony put down last week with navicular, so age is no guarantee!

4. Legs - check how thick the tendons feel. I would look for a good thickness as if they are slim and ropey-feeling the horse may well have a short working life before getting injured.

5. Back - polo ponies aren't asked to work in an outline so they usually have little topline, dippy backs, and can be prone to back injuries.

Sorry - long post, hope that's useful! I do like them though, they are great well mannered little chaps!
 
I worked at a polo yard for a season. Polo horses are not pampered pets (like most horses in the UK) and some can be a bit of a handful but most of them are quiet, safe and reasonably hardy, they often lack basic schooling and as mentioned above because of the job they do they are prone to tendon and back problems.
There were many polo ponies that I fell in love with, they aren't pushy, respond well to attention and even a nervous nelly like me felt safe onboard.
 
Firstly it is unlikely from Arg - they would not ship something unless it is playing, and playing well.

Polo ponies are not beat to turn - infact most I have come accross are not ridden with whips, until they have the basics.

Most polo ponies are great, though they are used to going fast, running in herds, etc - some have very little time in an actual school doing circles so they find them confusing.
 
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