The speed, agility and intelligence of a thoroughbred is not limited to the racetrack and that will be on full display at the upcoming Canterbury Polo Pony Expo, staged on the 23rd of November at Twelve Oaks Equestrian Centre in Loburn.
Thoroughbreds have been a prominent fixture in the highest levels of polo for decades, many of these coming off the track and re-trained into their new careers. Founded by Augustin Cinti and Michael O’Neill, the Canterbury Polo Pony Expo aims to bring together polo ponies and players with a wide range of experience, all showcasing their skills in New Zealand’s first ever Polo Horse Test event.
There will be three categories through the day, with the High Performance Class (five-year-old and older), Green Horse Class (three to five-year-old horses, including six-year-olds who’ve never played polo), and the Social and Youth Class (all horse ages, ridden by players under 15 years old).
This style of event commonly takes place in Argentina and Cinti is looking forward to bringing the idea to the South Island.
“When I came to New Zealand for the first time, I noticed that most of the polo ponies are thoroughbred and they have such good attitudes, they’ve got excellent movement and are fast,” he said. “They are high-goal athletes and I wanted to showcase the ponies and the hard work of their riders.
“We do trials similar to this in Argentina, so alongside Mike O’Neill, we put together this event to show the process and final product of a polo pony, starting at three years old right up to the top level ponies.
“There are three categories and they will be having an evaluation with three very experienced polo players, breeders and trainers in the South Island. They will be a great judge of the performances.”
Lisa Wilson, an NZTR Acknowledged Retrainer under her PinOaks Park banner, has been the stepping stone for a number of polo ponies on the South Island circuit and is looking forward to seeing some of those in action at the event.
“Augustin and his wife Jess have done a great job of putting it together, it is something done in Argentina quite regularly, so he is looking to bring that flair to New Zealand,” Wilson said.
“It’s a showcase of your polo skills, which I think will be great as there is a lot more involved in retraining horses into polo than some people think. There is neck-reining and other horsemanship skills to make them into polo ponies, so I think it’ll be the start of a good bridge.
“There is a massive market and it is a good avenue for retired racehorses to go to polo, but it can depend on the criteria, wanting around 15.1 (hands) and under, the odd person may play one a little bigger. They also are looking for younger horses, anywhere from unbroken horses to four years old, which we don’t always have, but the ones we do have get snapped up very quickly.
“I rehomed a little bit on the side while working in racing when I emigrated to New Zealand, then the opportunity came around with NZTR to do rehoming, so it’s something I’m pretty passionate about and love the thoroughbreds.
“I’ve got a good polo client base down here which makes it relatively easy. I try to keep track of them, their owners send me updates and I may occasionally go along to the odd match and have a look or at home on their farms.”
One of those competing at the Expo could be Grasshopper, a mare that she rehomed into the care of one of Canterbury’s top players Glen Armstrong, who has played thoroughbreds right through his career.
“I started in Gisborne when I was about 12 years old and always rode young horses, both Gisborne-bred types and thoroughbreds,” he said. “I’ve been down here in Canterbury for about 10 years now, originally for polo and I played professionally in England and America for eight years, now more just as a hobby and having a lot of fun doing it.
“Majority of the horses I’ve played have been thoroughbreds, they’re very agile and when you get a good one, they have a great temperament for it and seem to pick up the game very well. They’re real athletes so they suit polo very well.”
A five-year-old by El Roca, Grasshopper raced 20 times for the stables of Lance Robinson and Andrew Carston before retiring at the end of June, when she headed to PinOaks and was swiftly identified for a career as a polo pony.
“I picked her up about three or four months ago and I’ve just been chipping away at home riding her and really enjoying her,” Armstrong said. “She’s got a great temperament, a nice mouth and is very light and responsive.
“She’s really cruisy, so if she keeps going well I’ll take her along in November.”
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing will proudly support the Canterbury Polo Pony Expo through the 1% Welfare Levy, funded by the industry as a shared commitment to the ongoing care and recognition of retired racehorses.