Spring is a major part of the horse racing calendar, and from the Cheltenham Festival until Royal Ascot, a lot of the eyes of the horse polo world focus not only on the sport of kings but also on the steeplechases.
With so many eyes on equine sports following the Grand National at Aintree, one question that is sometimes asked is whether a racehorse can be trained as a polo pony, as well as whether a polo pony could be a successful racehorse.
The answer, surprisingly, is yes. Thoroughbred horses will always be fast and successful if trained properly, whether for racing or for polo. However, it is not necessarily quite that simple.
Racing thoroughbreds were far more common before the Second World War, and the reasons they were used at the time are similar to the reasons some players use former racers for their strings. They are fast and often a lot cheaper if they are suited for polo.
There are two key factors that make a racehorse a good fit. The first is movement. A polo pony needs to turn tightly, stop quickly and move close to the ground to allow for a player to hit the ball, so this is a factor that a trainer will look for in a suitable racehorse-turned-pony.
The other crucial factor is temperament, as polo can often require a racehorse to do the opposite of what they are used to. They go against traffic, need to handle someone swinging a mallet around and other similar strange actions.
Even mounting and dismounting are performed differently in polo, with most riders jumping from one horse to another or being mounted from the ground, completely at odds with the norm in horse racing.
However, once they learn these basic elements they can become formidable, skilled mounts that can reach incredible speeds on the field.