Retired/ X Polo Ponies

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Milanesa

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Hi All,

Does anyone else here have a polo pony? I have had a number of them, which tend to be retired due to injury/general unsuitability for polo and i must say they are AMAZING horses to have. All mine have been given/bought for a nominal fee, and they have all been fab to own.

Although some are uk bred, the majority come from Argentina and are shipped over to play polo. If they get injured or too old to play, many look for new homes as school ponies and happy hacks, just wondered if anyone else has experience of this?

The polo pony seems to have bad press with non-polo riders, people think they are flighty/spooky etc, but having worked in polo for many years, i really don't think this is the case-they make excellent hacks/light work horse's after their competitive career's are over. Many seem to relish being a 'one owner pony' and i know loads of people that have had great times with retired polo ponies.

Be interesting to hear if anyone else has experience with x-polo ponies or thoguht about giving one a home!
 
One of the best horses I've ever owned was a retired polo pony. Agree entirely with your sentiments Pony Person about how amazing they are. Neck reining was lots of fun as well, had never done this before and now it seems odd to ride a horse who you can't neck rein on.
 
I think more people would if a link was set up by the HPA whereby suitable ponies could be linked to prospective owners, perhaps a system like BHS are running.
 
hey ISHmad!

Oh that's great news, they are such fab ponies to own, and yes neck reining can be great! I also have a TB that i have retrained and now goes nicely on the flat with two reins, they really are very versatile. Glad you enjoyed yours and hopefully more people will share their experiences too.
 
I had one, played in Argentina as a 4 & 5 year old and shipped over here as a 6 year old. At 7 owner got fed up with him as he was too big and not agile enough (he was 16.1!) and was going to shoot him to save on the livery costs.

Fortunately yard manager at the polo yard persuaded him to advertise and I bought him - on a whim it must be said.

He was the best horse I could ever have had. He had been badly beaten and generally mis treated (not by the polo yard here but previously) but had the most wonderful temperment and outlook on life. I clicked with him immediately but he was never 100% confident with men.

He got up to intemediate in endurance, could jump the moon and was just an all round gentleman.

Unfortunately, probably due to the early polo, he got spavins which were treated but he suffered sacroliliac problems. This was treated but proved unsuccessful and I ended up having to have him put down at 12.

The problem I have now is when I look at horses to buy, all I really want to do is buy him all over again, which will never happen as he was a one off.
 
hey Cuffey,

I agree, at the moment there is no 'rehoming' strategy as such, it tends to be word of mouth. I'm not saying there are 100's that need homes, but it would be good to have somewhere that people can go to...the HPA oversee everything in polo, from welfare to rules and regs, so it may not be something they would have the time to do...but i agree with you perhaps there are more people that would like a polo pony but don't know how to go about getting one??
 
I look after one here and she is the best pony EVER, everyone that rides her loves her, she is 100% safe, she is forward thinking, brave as a lion, beautiful, BRILLIANT with kids (they can groom her for hours and she does not move a muscle) and absolutely genuine in everyway. I adore her!!!

She is also incredibly stoic, she would have to have a broken leg or the like before she let you know she was in pain!

I also think everyone should own or ride one at least once in their life with horses!
 
Foxglove said:
I had one, played in Argentina as a 4 & 5 year old and shipped over here as a 6 year old. At 7 owner got fed up with him as he was too big and not agile enough (he was 16.1!) and was going to shoot him to save on the livery costs.

Fortunately yard manager at the polo yard persuaded him to advertise and I bought him - on a whim it must be said.

He was the best horse I could ever have had. He had been badly beaten and generally mis treated (not by the polo yard here but previously) but had the most wonderful temperment and outlook on life. I clicked with him immediately but he was never 100% confident with men.

He got up to intemediate in endurance, could jump the moon and was just an all round gentleman.

Unfortunately, probably due to the early polo, he got spavins which were treated but he suffered sacroliliac problems. This was treated but proved unsuccessful and I ended up having to have him put down at 12.

The problem I have now is when I look at horses to buy, all I really want to do is buy him all over again, which will never happen as he was a one off.
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hey foxglove- they really are stars. Your pony sounded fab, endurance-what a good idea i never thought of that, many of them would no doubt be great at this, and jumping! Sorry to hear he is no longer with us, but it sounds like you had a great time with him. I agree some of them can be nervous, and thrive in a one to one home. Ahh remember all those good times, you will find another pony i'm sure, are you looking for another one now? I lost my favourite (mad chestnut mare! x polo pony) a few years ago due to a freak accident in the field whilst i was on holiday -i was and still am so sad and miss her everyday, there is never another one the same, just try and cherish the fact they are all individuals, you will fine that 'click' with another horse i'm sure xx
 
Allover said:
I look after one here and she is the best pony EVER, everyone that rides her loves her, she is 100% safe, she is forward thinking, brave as a lion, beautiful, BRILLIANT with kids (they can groom her for hours and she does not move a muscle) and absolutely genuine in everyway. I adore her!!!

She is also incredibly stoic, she would have to have a broken leg or the like before she let you know she was in pain!

I also think everyone should own or ride one at least once in their life with horses!
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Hey Allover, fab news! Yes my uncle bought one for himself, and now his 9 yr old rides in more than him, she is 15.3 hh chestnut mare (yes i know!) but she is good as gold, they have 3 kids and they are so well behaved with them it's unreal. I have one retired one that i actually use as a childs riding pony now as she is so quiet -great for kids to learn to canter on! They really are so versatile-3 cheers for the polo pony!
 
couldn't agree more. Having been involved in polo for a large part of my life, II can safely say I'm a complete horse snob now and can't stand riding anything other than polo ponies due to how much easier they are to get on with.

Having said that though, I took one on a drift in the new forest last summer and they aren't the best on their feet in the rough going, and then pulled a shoe pratting about with all the excitement. Had to walk home with all th people on their forest ponies charging off into the distance
 
Hi Pony person

I have had 3 retired Polo Ponies and I have loved them all, they have made superb hacking ponies and have had wonderful temperaments. I am happy riding in all styles so the neck reining was never an issue for me. I know some can take a little to rebalance in the school if you wanted to do dressage etc but they aren't really bred for that I guess.

I am actually looking for another one as a hacking pony for myself so something quiet, young or old, just not fast enough for Polo and needing a new home really. Do you know of any that are looking for homes at the moment? I am on the Reading side of Basingstoke on the A33 not a million miles from you I am guessing as you are in Berkshire.

:-)
 
I had an ex polo pony, not from Argentina though, he was an Irish bred TB that raced on the flat and was bought by a polo yard after he was turfed out of racing. He was also turfed out of the polo yard 'cause although he was happy to stick & ball, he came to hate playing.

He had the sweetest temp, was the most bombproof horse I've ever had and the fastest thing I've ever ridden. He schooled up well on the flat and would work on the bridle beautifully as long as you didn't move your hands! Sadly his jumping was not safe enough for me so I sold him.
 
I also have the privilege of owning an expolo pony! He is brilliant and after 7 years playing polo he is now eventing. Although my current one is so good I don't think I will get my next
eventer from a polo yard although if I was ever looking for a hack/allrounder I wouldn't look any further!
 
I have one, bought as an 18 yr old (yes indeed!) from a horse sale. He had played high goal for the country in his youth, some thanks you get eh? He had ended up in a school but was too 'knowledgable' to teach on and so they took him to the sale. He was in a bad state having been clipped and turned out mid winter, (I took pity and was going to pts) but with a bit of tlc and plenty of food he soon looked and flet better and was my main horse until he was 28. He is now 30, and mostly retired.

He was always very much a handful but safe as houses, excellent hacking, pleasure rides and won many a veteran class showing. (also got asked to leave the ring on more than one occasion :D) Hes the best and I love him more than anythign.

I would love another when the time comes.
 
Yes I had an ex polo mare...TB type grey 16hh mare, bought her age 18 to hack out on...fab mare, bombproof as can get, and loved the neck reining...x
 
Yup, I have ridden a few and they are lovely! Was very strange to begin with though.

At the moment my friend has an old mare on loan, about 30 years old. She still goes out for a little ride every so often and loves it. She used to be ridden by Prince Charles apparently and friend has a photo of him riding her back in the day...she is only 15.1hh and he is rather tall! :)
 
Hampshire said:
Hi Pony person

I have had 3 retired Polo Ponies and I have loved them all, they have made superb hacking ponies and have had wonderful temperaments. I am happy riding in all styles so the neck reining was never an issue for me. I know some can take a little to rebalance in the school if you wanted to do dressage etc but they aren't really bred for that I guess.

I am actually looking for another one as a hacking pony for myself so something quiet, young or old, just not fast enough for Polo and needing a new home really. Do you know of any that are looking for homes at the moment? I am on the Reading side of Basingstoke on the A33 not a million miles from you I am guessing as you are in Berkshire.

:-)
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hey hampshire, yes i do have a few that might be suitable for you actually..one looking for a knowledgeable happy hacking home, pony not old but not suitable for polo anymore, pm me and ill get in touch..x
 
oh this thread is fab! i am so pleased lots of other people have enjoyed polo ponies too! They are such great animals, and as mentioned it seems they can go on and do many different things. In polo many retire in mid teens which, lets face it is not exactly old when they can live on into their 30's- i have one mid thirties still good as new! They are great ponies to have!!
 
I have an ex polo pony, she is 9 yr old TB used to be owned by Max Routledge the international polo player, he never played a match but played practice with her.
He sold her back to her breeders who wanted to buy her back for the granddaughter to ride who later lost interest and she ended up going through Llanybydder sales and I bought her for £400.

She is a super mare, can ride out with others, on her own, nothing much seems to faze her. I phoned Max to find out more about her and he asked me if she still remembered all the neck reining which she had forgotten alittle. Cant believe i got such a bargain!
 
Hey - fab thread!!!

I have an ex polo pony (he was one of the Rothschilds) - and he is fab! I have had him three years - once we built up a bond and trust between us, it has just been the most amazing partnership. I'm not entirely sure of his breeding - but I have had somebody say to me before that he looks like an Argentinian x TB!

We have had a few bouts of lameness but currently doing well as have had a LOT of schooling lessons, and have been competing in dressage (just at prelim level and hoping to advance to novice by end of the year!)

He is the kindest soul and everybody who meets him think he is a pleasure to handle and ride - wouldn't change him for anything!!!! xx

This is him now:

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hey jaysh- i know Max R well! Small world isn't it! And rocky your x polo pony looks AMAZING! Well done you for re-schooling, they really are so versatile, he looks fab you should be very proud! I am so pleased there are so many positive experiences with them, there are so many that once finished or unsuitable in polo can go on to do many other things! I was unsure peoples response but it has been so positive i am so happy to see yes rocky looks more tb x rather than argentine i'd say, although they do come in all shapes and sizes!
 
I have an ex Polo Pony.. but by ex He was trained but never played. He doesnt enjoy lots of horses running around him.

I just have to say, he is so amazing. Athletic, kind, responsive, calm, but can have attitude when he has to. He's a great little horse and wherever I take him everybody loves him. I wouldn't hesitate to go back for another. x
 
hey bluecakes, great news! yes there are some that just don't get on with the speed and stress of polo for sure. so pleased to here all the positive feedback, anyone else out there with an x polo pony?
 
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