Polo Success Stories

A racehorse with international form on the Flat, Crafty Politician, has also made his mark as a polo pony and polo stallion. A RoR polo winner at Pony Club level and higher, he had previously raced successfully in five countries before being trained by Gary Moore in the UK where he won on the all weather.

He was then purchased at Ascot Sales by Margaret Routledge for her son Max, and just six weeks later was playing polo. Now 13 years old, he is playing 12–18 goal with Max, and was part of the team that won the FIP European Championships. At the same time he has had four seasons at stud.

To leave racing at seven years, and change roles so quickly as well as start a stud career he is a great success story for former racehorses.

(December 2009)

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My ex-racehorse, Little Dunney has come on in leaps and bounds. In the beginning of 2009 when I bought him he was a nightmare. It was a challenge to catch him, put his bridle on, get on and then stay on. He did everything from running away to fly bucking. Little Dunney, despite his name, is a rather big 15.3 and strong horse.

I battled on with him, sending him for flat work with Neil Smith, who also managed to get himself run into a few fences. He was then sent to Jason Webb (Australian stock horse breeder and trainer) who didn't have any problems with him. In the end it was me that was coached to ride Little Dunney. Jason helped me understand why Dunney was so uncontrollable. When Dunn came home he was still hard to handle, but I remember the day I stopped being scared and remembering what Jason had told me, I conquered Dunn. Ever since then we have only been progressing.

Dunney was the horse no one else rode and most of the time people refused to ride along with me in fear he would raz up the rest of the horses, which in truth he did.

Today he is being ridden by my husband who only begun riding mid last year. He is playing polocrosse in E and D division and we have had a request to put him forward for the international tournament being held in 2011.

Little Dunney continues to go from strength to strength in any event. He has hunted, jumps extremely well and rather big, although he does squeal after each jump. He is also showing potential in dressage. The sky is the limit. He has already been recognised by the ROR in polocrosse.

Written by Angela Ristow (December 2009)

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Winning Spirit, or Spooks as we call him, came to us straight from the racetrack as a four-year old where he had got into trouble by breaking out of the stalls and causing havoc.

However, apart from some stubbornness (usually on loading) and an uncanny ability to tread on your foot, he hasn’t caused us any problems. Within a couple of days of being with us, he was responding to neck reining and showing an amazing ability to stop.

My husband put in a lot of schooling time, and within four weeks he took part in his first polocrosse tournament. He was an absolute star, turning on a sixpence, outrunning every horse on the pitch and riding off easily.

He completed three tournaments this year, winning best no 1 and best no 2 in two of them. The picture shows my husband carrying the ball and riding Spooks while holding off the opposition. Next year, he will hopefully complete a full season and compete in the highest grades.

Written by Karen Smith (November 2008)

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We bought her as a five-year-old off Seamus Mullins, a trainer local to us, for whom she raced under the name of Sigy Point. My father (Giles) made her over a period of three years, two years in the low goal at Tidworth and Druids Lodge, then a season playing in the Arena, where she double chukkered in the Arena Gold Cup.

Then I took her on in 2006, and have been playing her in all levels up to eighteen goal ever since. I double chukkered her when winning in the final of the Coworth 15 goal Challenge, in both 2006 and 2007. This year she has relaxed even more into her polo and has improved to another level because of it, she is my best horse playing with Emlor this season, and I always bring her out in the last chukka. So far in 2008 we have won the Arthur Lucas Cup and the Beaufort Polo Club and we were thrilled to win the RoR polo pony prize (medium goal) at this match.

She is by no means the most straightforward and there are still days where she is almost impossible to school, she has a very strong character and over the last three years we have fallen out alot! But invariably the day after her worst schooling session, she has her best match! The moment she sets foot on the pitch she relaxes. To play, Scarlet is not the easiest or the strongest, and she's not even the fastest, but despite this she is still the best. This is because she tries the hardest, she is as hard as nails and will keep going for as long as I ask of her.

Written by Eden Ormerod (July 2008)

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The 1992 bay gelding Te Amo, now called Martez, was bought as a four-year-old from Ascot Bloodstock Sales after running 27 times on the flat and over hurdles for trainers, John Akehurst and Martin Pipe.

He is a very well made and correct horse by Waajib who began his polo career playing adequate low goal polo for two years before developing into a high goal performer.  He has been playing at that level now for several years and is a solid member of British team member, Tom Morley’s string.

Martez was a tough performer on the racecourse and is an equally tough pony on the polo field.

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