From its fairly helter-skelter beginnings – large groups of men astride small ponies trotting here and there – polo evolved into a more organized and skillful game. And as mallet technique evolved from dribbling the ball while leaning over the pony’s neck to full swings taken at speed, the advantages to well-mounted players became clear. Small, hunter-type ponies – once the favored mounts – gave way to larger, faster ponies and small thoroughbreds.

For a time, the Hurlingham club, the English authority,