Pony Creation

Mares and foals in the corral of Santa Ana

If you have time, more time than you imagine, and patience, it is quite feasible and quite rational (I use that term loosely) to provide yourself with a ‘homemade’ string of polo ponies. The rational part, as my husband reminds me on occasion, is the cherry on the cake. A love of horses, rather than economics, has to be the true driving force. Having played polo for nearly 20 years, when I moved to Dorset in 2002, I found a new and unexpected direction. A fantastic local club, Vaux Park near Crewkerne, Somerset, provided a perfect crèche for young polo ponies. With enough acreage and three irrigated fields for practices at nearby Vaux, I could provide for our polo pony prodigies who come from Argentina with an ability to play but lack only time and space to grow.

I found myself host to these polo debutants, when eight years ago, Santiago Gaztambide suggested I fly his best pony Calidad (veteran of the Open, sibling to Calena, sired by Pucará), back to Argentina for breeding. Combined with stallions that are carefully selected to vary and complement Calidad’s type – from Fandango, Lunatico, Sol, Menguante and Avelino – every year since she has produced on average three to four new foals. They are among the top polo bloodlines in Argentina.

Between September and March her fertilised eggs are transferred to ‘receptor’ mares at the embryo centre in Cabas, Provincia Buenos Aires. So far she has produced 24 foals – of those, seven are in the UK. The pregnant receptor mares then foal at Santiago’s farm, Santa Ana, near Tres Arroyos, 500km south of BA.

From there they are sent, at about three years old, to the breaker Horacio Amprimo, near Gonzalo Chaves, about an hour away, where it takes approximately a year, on and off, to teach them the basics.

Once the ponies have completed their training, they then go to Santa María, Santiago’s family’s main farm, about 100km south, where they play very slow chukkas with Santiago, various friends and grooms. Only true polo enthusiasts have the patience to deal with these unruly four- to five-year-old ponies.

Finally, when they are ready, they move to Pilar Chico, near BA, the epicentre of the Argentine polo world, for a season of more advanced chukkas and then finally, Dorset. At this stage I take over the care and maintenance of Santiago’s and my ponies. Once in the UK, I work with Alison, my groom, her husband Keith, who is also a breaker, before the arrival of Hugo Piedrabuena, polo groom from mid-April, and Guy Gibrat in May, who will have played the ponies in Argentina.

From April to August, we take it slowly, building the new arrivals physically and mentally. Initially, the general aim is to ‘civilise’ them. It’s all the basic stuff that any horse needs to learn in order to get around, for example, simple things such as standing still while you get on, waiting at gates while they are opened, and so on. I realise that for polo it is not essential, but if you have to live with a pony who hasn’t learnt, it can become a real headache! I enjoy taking them for hacks and teaching them to walk up and down hills. Although this seems ridiculously simple, it’s something they will never have experienced before, as the pampas are totally flat. It helps their physique, balance and above all, builds trust with the rider. Plus we have a lot of hills in Dorset!

The essential training needed for polo is under the supervision of Guy Gibrat, with the help of Hugo Piedrabuena, both of whom come from Santiago’s operation in Argentina. From my perspective, each year brings the excitement and challenge of new projects.

I still have my old faithfuls who I have collected over the years. Despite their age, they are still going strong. While Guy plays Calidad’s ponies, he also has a string of ponies who have

This page, top The author at Santa Ana with various colts and fillies. Below Paso, a fouryear-old by Sol at Santa María. Opposite Hugo Piedrabuena at Parnham with (from left to right) Distinguido, Topolino, Scaramusa, Caramelo, Tango and Figaro

‘been there and done that’. These ponies are for playing tournaments. The newer ponies also get some tournament experience, but it needs to be carefully rationed. In this way we don’t put too much pressure on the young ponies. I generally keep them for at least two years. Sometimes it is difficult to let them go because just when you think they can’t get any better, they seem to go up a gear. Sometimes I think they know that we are considering moving them on, and so consequently they find a delaying technique!

Finally, the ponies go to Martin Brown’s yard near Cowdray to play higher goal chukkas and maybe a few games with Santiago, to round off their experience. By this time, at approximately six to seven years old, I expect them to have figured out what polo at various levels is all about, and to be fully prepared, mentally as well as physically, for the years ahead. Importantly, a year or two in the UK gives polo ponies an advantage over those that come completely ‘made’ from Argentina. The English style of play, quality of grounds and climate, are all very different from Argentina and have a major impact on the game. It is important for ponies to have time to adapt to these conditions.

Having embarked on the long journey, I have discovered that it takes years to build up a pony’s confidence and ability, and no time at all to start the reverse cycle. Above all it takes time: you must be patient and be prepared to wait, but at the same time, never take ‘no’ for an answer! The young ponies learn quickly – good habits as well as bad ones. Trying to ‘unlearn’ a negative experience is much harder than simply avoiding it in the first place. In other words, ‘prevention is the best cure’.

I can strongly recommend breeding and training as a highly enjoyable and fulfilling occupation, but it requires a certain amount of dedication. I would encourage anyone who wants to breed to visit their ponies in Argentina at least once a year. I usually go in March, their autumn. The weather is warm and settled but not too hot. It is fun to see the foals develop over the years and it is important to see and try the new ponies for export, in order to have a feel for their type and to also check their conformation. My involvement, however, is only one part of a long chain, each link just as important as the next. It is certainly not to be underestimated how dependent the entire process is on the skill and knowledge of the breaker Horacio, the polo professionals and their grooms; Marcelo, in particular also plays a big part, as do Hugo and Nelson, among others, all of whom are under Santiago’s watchful eye. This collaboration is for me just as important as a polo team – the team hidden from view as it were, without whom success is not possible.

Now when I look back at the passing seasons, I can measure triumph not only in tournament results (although that certainly helps) but also in terms of the development of the ponies. I still enjoy competing, although that is not the be-all and end-all. Currently I am just starting to play some of Calidad’s older offspring. I am really hoping that parting will not be too much like sweet sorrow.

This season we will test the market by putting Distinguido, who is now six, and Tango, seven, up for sale – and also perhaps Figaro, seven, later in the season. I hope that our experiment goes well, for both Santiago’s and my benefit. If it doesn’t – and for example, I only cover my costs (increased transportation costs from Argentina have not helped that equation) – I would still feel satisfied as I have had a lot of fun teaching and learning simultaneously, and more importantly, I have had the benefit of some spectacular, if at first green, horses to play on. Finally, at some time in the future, when we finish each pony’s training and they have moved on, I will feel a certain satisfaction of a job well done.