How many ponies do you keep?
I like to keep 16 horses and every year I sell the bottom two. I’m always on the lookout and generally go to Australia or New Zealand to buy.
What are you looking for in a polo pony?
Everyone has a type. Mine is about 15 hands and stocky, so ideally that would be a Thoroughbred mixed with a polo pony. I don’t buy them to produce, they are always the finished job. They have to be good in the brain so that they can cope with travel and change of management. You certainly don’t want them wired.
Polo is all about speed and agility and I look for a horse with a small stride as they are generally more agile and more responsive. You don’t want a horse with a high action. I like to see their hooves skim the ground rather than push off the ground.
How do you find them and what do they cost?
It’s not easy. I make my living entirely out of playing so I need to find the best I can which costs in excess of £100,000. The very best players in the world, of which there are six to eight, get the pick of the best horses whilst I have to go out there and find them myself
Best pony?
Pixie – she’s an Australian polo pony by a thoroughbred stallion and out of a polo pony mare. She’s totally my type. Small and stocky and I would ride her two or three times for a major match.
What can’t you live without?
My phone and my Range Rover Sport. I love it. It’s perfect for my lifestyle: tough, rugged but stylish. It’s a brand synonymous with the equestrian world.
