A New View

After a couple of months of meditation about what could be useful to publish in this blog, I started to investigate about one of the other roots of the Polo Argentino horse: the Criollos.

The Criollos (that is the name of the breed) are commonly called this way in different South American countries as Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, where Criollos Breeders can be found in many Associations.
It started with the first arrival of horses which the Spanish conquistadores brought to America, and these later spread over all the vast pastures of the New World.
In the beginning, the horses that came with the first Discoverers where left in the wild in America after the failed attempts of building the new cities as Buenos Aires , where it took two foundation waves in 1536 and later in 1580 to establish the city. In the first Don Pedro de Mendoza came with about 80/100 horses but only 50 survived and were left in the wild. Then, in the second attempt, Don Juan de Garay came with several more horses, as the historic papers of the Founders say.


Several well documented essays talk about the prolific reproduction of these horses; in one of them it is said that they practically couldn’t see the horizon in the plains due to the large amount of horses that pastured there.
Here’s where the other important part of Criollos’ history appears: the Indians. They first used the horses as food using only their tongue but after seeing that they could also use them as transportation they started to use them with that purpose too. After years of comprehension they finally domesticated them better that the ones the European had brought. That can be demonstrated with the abilities they had to handle them well just with the use of their voice or even without reins; that is a very interesting world to explore.
For many decades, the Indians used their horses as main and important possession. Due to this, one of the most important objectives in the Argentine Desert Campaign was to obtain the resources of cattle and horses that the Indians (mainly nomads) in the South of Argentina and Chile possessed. The reason of this was because in most of the Indian attacks (Malones) to the new cities or small urbanizations built by the conquerors the Indians looted women and possessions and left everything destroyed in a way similar as the Attilas Hunes’ attacks had done to Rome.
These horses where very appreciated by military forces due to their easy riding, endurance, and forceful will. Coronel Lavalle, one of the most important military commanders, was very eager to obtain these after battling with the Araucanos and keep them for himself as battle trophies. Estanislao Zeballos, in his ‘Viaje al pais de los Araucanos’ , says: “(…)Levalle’s dun horses brought to my mind the legends of the Arabian horses(…)”.

As result of the spread of horses all around South America, wild born horses could still be found in the first decades of the 1900. One the true Founders of the Criollos breed , Don Emilio Solanet, went to the Argentine Patagonia and purchased wild horses he selected from the ones possessed by Chief Shamatr or Sacamata from the Tehuelches tribe in 1911. From these purchases he standarized the modern known horse breed he named as Criollos.

An important contribution was made by Solanet in the construction of this breed, as he was Veterinary, Zoologist and University Professor. He created the petric fundamentals that resulted in one of the most incredible horses that today exists. He then selected the horses that participated in the epic adventure going from Buenos Aires to New York in 1925 without any provision but what they found on the road (see picture of the horses Gato and Mancha).
From these same roots the Argentine Polo ponies which became famous as known in the Olympic Games of 1924 and 1936 (when Polo was part of games and the Gold Medal was won in both by Argentina) where originated. (see photo of the Argentine Olympic Champion team of 1936 hereunder)
In my upcoming articles I will start to define the Criollos from the words of Dr Emilio Solanet and how they made contributions for the actual success of the Polo Argentino Horses.

From other gardens

You must make your own mistakes.

Buy proven sport mares with ancestors that had not exactly been sitting still.

A method: outcrossing followed by inbreeding. By outcross I mean the introduction of foreign blood by means of a proven sire. Then we start crossing them with each other, in fact I always prefer to call this line breeding rather than inbreeding. We are now in the process of realizing stages 4 to 5 a further outcross with a common combination.

This is followed by the second line breeding phase. The products are sharply selected on desirables quality, we only breed on the best of them. That is how the bioindustry produces more milk or eggs than the predecessors. A disadvantage with horses is that development takes much longer.

Selection first approach: Pedigree, Conformation, and lose schooling looking for the natural motion (body position, stride, etc).

When looking for a convenient mating, mainly consider the descent of both mare and sire, which must be of flawless pedigree and noblest blood.

Beauty is no held as high as pure blood and performance, they prefer a hardy and strong sire who is known to be fast and has no major defects to any stallion of the far more striking beauty, of which performance they are not sure. (1851 Jager)

Preserve their perfections not to impose the breed, no bad habits, little importance in conformation but great deal to pure descent because they guarantee outstanding qualities.

Cross breeding in earlier generations are less to adapt.

In Constitution find: Hardiness, Endurance, Character and Intelligence.

He is a very perfect animal, he is not large here and small there. There is a balance and harmony through his frame not seen in the other horses.

The quintessence of all good qualities is a compact form.

The importance in the Gallop: Galloping in such regular pace and easy stride than the Prince would say his rider was able to sleeping and low.

Look for Character, that means: Courage, High spirit, Vitality and Gentleness, rather than beauty.

Quiet temper plus natural balance, gives pleasant ride.

The expression of the eyes is like a woman in love (Prince Badr)

The concept: A Family Mare.

Best horse? Black the beauty, Chesnut the speed , a small leggy Grey mare, Happiness and Prosperity – and Good Luck!!

Walk to sedate, Gallop, long and slow.

Above all my recommendation is to devote great care to broodmare their backs are seats of honor and their bellies are inexhaustible treasures (Ammo 1834)

Paradise on earth is found on the back of a good horse, in the story of good books or between the breasts of a woman (a Thales)

Those who forget the lessons of the past are condemned to repeat them.

Buy or Hold proven mares, no age.

Behind every great horse is an excellent mare.

Make a honest look.

Blue blooded mares, up to 12 so in special care and number not out of hand, near a river, out form the road use only a half of land rest or give to local farmers, stable the mares and yearlings, all mares comes in different sizes , sire to each individual, create your own family roots, have a little luck.

Nicks, the statistics analysis of failures are included??? False propaganda.

Dosage index, Darley Arabian too??

See the Power, size ribs and great forelegs.

Create a quality control method with constant improvements, like new info knowledge about genetics and technological advances

Upon this all will test on a clever and important measurements of all individuals to intent to purchase.

Measurements / Class Pedigree Aptitude Conformation.

It’s a process with unique quality individuals that are similar in size, temperament aptitude and class. Regularly all classic horses come from this.

Old saying: Its pedigree tell us what an animal ought to be and its performance tell us what “appears to be” but its progeny tell us what an animal is.

Birth date, conformation and an extraordinary second mare.

Hear everybody around like grooms, trainers in this order, ask for extraordinary behavior (rest, eats, jog temperament in and out the works or the training field)

Find clues as a great heart over lameness or gallop like on a wheel chair or wildlings to fight.
Its not enough to be good one must do it in the right way.

Aging and Genetics:
Sperm divides itself 33 times a year, over 3 decades, about 660.
Changes molecular structure, reason why the gray hair appears.
Best mares produce between 5, 6 and 7 year of age.
Most production between 5 to 10 years of age, Seatle Slew (5+4/ 9)
No great mares more than 17 to 30 in combination with the age of the sire, examples Forego (6+11), Cigar (8+7) Seabiscuit (6+6) Ribot (11+10)
Sire of Sires Average: 7.6+8.4 or 8.6+7.4
Northern Dancer (6+3) Sadlers Wells (19+5) Storm Cat (4+6)
Bayacoa, 6+9
Paseana, 5+9

Be objective and win

After understanding that there are no possibilities of playing polo and winning a match without a correct management of your horses, which includes their health and their training conditions, it’s necessary to advise about a correct and objective examination of your playing level and style.
We know for certain that in other horseman sports, like show jumping or dressage, it is necessary to find a precise and exact combination between the rider and his horse to create the first step toward success.
Many problems come with a misjudgment of this principle, apart from the waste of time and money , an important risk of life to those who are in the disadvantage not knowing all risks that polo playing involve.
Horses are not machines nor motorcycles, and it demands a great deal of riding ability to play the sport. Remember that the Argentine polo players start from their childhood to ride and play polo with the Argentine older polo horses of their families who, with the knowledge of their age, care for the wellness of the new riders. So if you are starting to play polo look for these kings of polo horses that are also cheaper than the ones that polo players have for sale.
Another important issue, if you are a non professional polo player but with some years of practice, is that you already know about your ability and your better strokes. This will take us to the next step: once knowing the principles of the game and your skills, complement them with the horses that can improve your game, not otherwise. Your horses have to understand what you need from them, so they must be trained according to this, and not only with the same manual that is available for all in the Argentine Polo Breeders web page.
For those few that are in the professional segment, my suggestion is to understand the new trends that the Argentine “Abierto” is showing from last year’s champions, in a few words: horses with greater acceleration, immediate response in short turns (training factor) for a short time of use, and above all a quick readiness to play them again in following chuckers. The game is not frequently open (large strokes and runs) because the present games played are more positional, with the possession of the ball by the more gifted player, as in basketball, and around him the rest of the players play a positional game with a side by side challenge with the adversary team, opening gateways or paths for its teammate, the holder of the ball. This way of playing needs a great deal of ability from the player and bigger horses that can posses more structural volume and also more muscular form to follow this trend and playing needs. This is the reason why Argentine breeders have been including for more than a decade TB stallions like Southern Halo and other TB stallions with sprinting abilities to their polo Argentine playing mares.