Polo Ponies

Have you ever wondered what makes a polo horse (or better said, polo pony) different from normal horses, like racing horses, or field horses? Well, on today's post I'm going to tell you the characteristics of a polo pony, or better said, what makes them different from regular horses.

In polo, the two most important things are the player, who needs to have great skills, and also the polo pony. Sometimes, the winner itself is the one who has the best horses.

First of all, it is important to understand that polo ponies are not recognized as a distinct breed. However, they are considered unique horses because they combine the traits of different breeds.

The equestrian sport of polo demands extremely fast and obedient horses, as well as strong. Arabian horses are normally preferred because of their intelligence that helps in the strategic part of the match. However, sometimes intelligence is not enough. That's why Quarter horses are also used because their agility. Also, for speed, Thoroughbred horses are chosen. This difference of skills in the horses is the main reason why people started breeding horses, an activity that started in 1893 in England.

In the United States, people usually breed Thoroughbred horses and Quarter horses to produce better ponies, which have more agility and speed. However, the best polo ponies in the world are produced in Argentina, since year 1930. The Argentines cross Thoroughbred horses with Criollo horses (the local horses).

It is important to add that polo ponies must be trained to create a perfect polo horse.

Alejandra Treviño Lozano A01280206

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Bibliography: Sport Polo. "What Is a Polo Pony." Equestrian Sport of Polo. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .

Polo, Ralph Lauren

On earlier posts I've talked about Polo as a sport, and its derivations. However on today's post, to change things a little, I'm going to talk about the clothes brand Polo (Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation). Polo is a sport and luxury-clothing brand, company of the American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. This brand specializes in creating casual and semi-formal clothes for men and women. It also makes accessories and fragrances for both genders (Wikipedia).

This brand was made in 1967 by Ralph Lifshitz (later Ralph Lauren). Two years later he opened a store in Manhattan, and in the same year he made a line of women suits with a man style, which was made characteristic of the brand. However, these clothes were sold just in the United States until 1981, when the brand became global with its first international store, which was made in London. In 1933, the sports line was launched, and five years later the company went public (Wikipedia).

Then, the brand started producing accessories, fragrances, and furniture. As it was said before, the brand Polo was launched in 1967 and it was specialized in creating casual clothes, but it also created clothes for polo players. Since then, the brand has expanded to include some other types of clothing like rugby or golf clothes (Wikipedia).

Nowadays, the brand has over 35 stores only in the United States, and its revenues reach 4.2 billion dollars. The brand has sponsored some important events, like Wimbledon or the US Open (Tennis championships). It is also the favorite brand of some PGA and LPGA (golf) players like Tom Watson or Davis Love III (Wikipedia).

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Alejandra Treviño A01280206

Bibliography: Wikipedia. "Polo Ralph Lauren." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. .

Polo + Basketball = Pato

On today's post I'm going to talk about Pato, Argentina's national sport. But you may wonder, what does this has to do with polo? Well, Pato is a game played with horses that combines elements from polo and, believe it or not, basketball (Wikipedia).

Pato has been played since 1610, and originally it was played with a duck, which was put inside a basket and used as a ball. This explains why the game is called "Pato" or "Duck" in English. However, Pato was banned several times during its history, mainly because of its violence, not only to the ducks, but also because of the aggressions it generated in the players. In the 1930's Pato was regulated by the rules made by the ranch owner Alberto del Castillo Posse, who made some rules inspired in polo. In this rules, we can find protection of the players and the horse, the divisions of time, and some other rules that are similar to the original Polo regulations. In 1953 president Juan Perón declared Pato as the national sport of Argentina (Wikipedia)

In today's Pato, two four-member teams try to get possession of a ball (not a duck anymore) which has six handles, so they can catch it easily. After they get this ball, they have to throw it through a vertically positioned ring with a diameter of 100 cm and a height of 240 cm. The dimensions of the field are approximately the same size as in polo (Wikipedia).

However, this game is not very popular yet. It is estimated that 90% of Argentineans have not seen a Pato match in their lives; even this is the country's national sport (Wikipedia).

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Alejandra Treviño A01280206

Bibliography: Wikipedia. "Pato." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. .