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.

Beware of the Aging factor

Following with the importance of the Argentine TB in the current Polo Argentino horses, due to the new techniques of reproduction some precaution must be taken in the use of aging mares in these process. There are some indicators that show that aging mares are not given their same genetic information that in the precedent years due to the factor of aging. A quick explanation can be given in the human experience, when aging gray hear appears commonly as the result of a lack in the transference of genetic information of the new hear due to the constant duplication.
In TB horses the facts are there, and show that there is a very little possibility to have a more than good offspring from these segment. I will be back with the facts in my next posts.

From the list of horses playing the 114th Argentine Open Championship

This analysis is only related to the existence of TB blood in the list of polo horses playing in the Argentine Open, not opening any argument against Polo Argentino (PA) blood lines, its stallions nor its mares. My opinion is based just in the appreciation of the facts.

I do not intend to say that TB stallions are better than a PA stallions, both are extremely good for Polo, so I will try to anticipate the trends in Argentine polo breeding ,which in my opinion was very well oriented, but now has the need to define the next steps, talking only in the positive complementation with the actual TB blood available in Argentina.

Right at the top of this pyramid are the well known Argentine Open Polo Horses which played, that make a world of difference due because to the fact that there are only 8 teams that can play it, and because the excellence in all parts of the organizations they belong to is shown in their training and shape. All these horses touch their peak of performances in this tournament called “Abierto de Palermo” or simply “Palermo”.

As mentioned, the importance of the TB is great in the PA lines. Geographically talking the Argentine Open is played just across the avenue where Hipodromo Argentino de Palermo Racetrack is placed, where, from words of the Argentinian polo commentators in ESPN deportes (some images can be seen at www.espndeportes.espn.go.com in Spanish only, look for ”Otros deportes” label, then look for the images in “Videos” button) when these incredible horses do there sprints during a match, they refer to the proximity of the racetrack as the place where they should belong.

Some more images, photos and a short video can bee seen at My Buenos Aires Travel Guide site.

Back again I will start with the remarks of the new list of polo horses playing on the 2007 Open or “Abierto de Palermo”:

As seen in the last years the same trends are still active and strong , sons of:

PA : El Sol, Sportivo, Pucara, Polo Nevadito, etc.

TB : Southern Halo, Four Fingers, Rainbow Corner, Lode, Salt Marsh, In Class, Capo Maximo, etc

They still command the presence of the active stallions and broodmares sires, showing that they are still vigorous, providing the speed for today’ s polo. The abilities of the polo players are incredible, only they can play this polo (and nobody in the world could do better than them). What I saw as an improvement was a more modernized organization, that tunes up their horses for the Argentine Open with the tournaments played before like Hurlingham and Tortugas, so as said before the horses reach their peak in performance in this championship.

All sizes and colors are seen in the field, tending to a little heavier muscular body and a little taller than the previous decade (mallet no. 51), but with very harmonic proportions (the most common thing between them and very important issue to be taken into account as breeders!) -bone and muscle composition .

The consolidation of a TB sire named River Slaney (Irish River in a Mr. Prospector mare) opens a new line to stabilize the trend commonly used by polo breeders for horses from Haras La Quebrada farm (TB farm) -in sires or broodmare sires (Southern Halo, Rainbow Corner, Señor Pete, Luhuk, Mutakddim, etc.). This trend came because the foundation of the farm was made from small muscular mares from good Argentine TB families matted to American TB with sprinting stallions brought by the farm decades before.

Following with the search of new TB sire lines I found a very interesting one in Lord Hailey (USA) looking for a very good TB Sire and broodmare, very muscular type. He is also a complement to the Southern Halo sires lines, and he also transmits good conformation (polo sizes) and no bleeding problems to his herd , but unfortunately he died a couple of years ago, but fortunately left several mares with his genes.

Another TB sire to be complementary to Southern Halo lines (Perugino, Optimum, etc) as well for the Mr. Prospector line (as Sportivo, etc) is found in Candy Stripes (Blushing Groom- dead a couple of years ago), a great sire and broodmare sire in the Argentine TB breeding, sire of the Argentine 2006 World Champion TB Invasor and broodmare sire of the most extraordinary race horse I have ever seen, named Candy Ride – this last standing now in the USA as TB Stallions.

Future incorporations of TB mares to be made by Argentine PA breeders by type and conformation: Candy Stripes, Raid the Rails, Roar, Lord Hailey, Festin.

I extremely recommend the purchase of the 2007 Annual Review of the Argentine Polo Horses Breeders Association, because of its information, photos of the winners of the best horse prizes of all Argentine tournaments, and interviews as the one given by Mr. Hector Barrantes in the Annual review no. 3 (1989), about the breeding and training of polo horses, another interview given by Mr. Miguel Novillo Astrada (polo Player and breeder, at present 10 goals Hcp), talking about his polo organization, and a conference about genetic, organization and horsemanship in the breed of Polo horses in Argentina given by Mr. Gonzalo Pieres ( ex polo Player - 10 goals Hcp , now PA breeder and one of the most important words in Polo today), and Mr. Horacio and Marcos Heguy (present Polo Players- 10 goals HCP and PA breeders), that make a must read issue if you are in the breeding of Polo Horses from any part of the world.

About breeding horses

First of all, a few words about the principles of breeding. Sport horses are not machines, and they are not bred like cows. They are animals with an ability to play a sport/ to jump/ to run. This ability is the most important trait they have, it is a gift that can be stronger or weaker, but it is posed from day one and could be exploited by a well organized enterprise with clear decisions and knowledge of the greatness of this quest.

The Coram says that "heaven is granted to those who care and feed horses", and after years of reading from different sources I came to these conclusions that I hope could be useful to those who find their heaven between horses in this activity.

Once the main activities are defined the next step will be to find the people that could help to find the foundation of the organization, the mares without which it is impossible to start breeding (obvious, isn´t it?). But it´s not that easy, it depends on different issues where the investment could be a limit but as significant as in other activities. Great breeders like Tesio found great mares from dormant mare lines at cheap prices. It all depends upon the knowledge of whom is looking, like going to a flee market, but you have to fish where you know the fishes are, or someone tell you so. In other activities, like in the petroleum exploration, you can determine different ways where to look for oil business, where nobody is looking or where the analysis (geologists) says that could be, or where it´s already known as well exploration. These guidelines can also be used when you are looking for mares. You can find great horses in incredible places, like the story of one of the foundational sires of the TB “Godolphin Arabian”, (brilliantly written by Marguerite Henry in “King of the wind”), in which the horse was found carrying a two wheel chaise in England. This was a real story, and things like these happen. For years Argentine polo players sold horses to their patrons all around the world, so there are some very good or extraordinary polo horses lines somewhere next to you (!), mostly in England, USA, France or Australia.

In the search of non expensive polo horses, near the great cities of Argentina you can find polo horses raised by countrymen or “peones” that provide the best for the Argentine middle handicap polo players. They are found in not a great shape due to the inexpensive way they are raised, because this is done by people who work in activities related to polo, like tamers or “domadores”, and also by grooms, named “petiseros”, that work for the polo breeders or players . Their main source are criollos mated with TB stallions (most of them coming from the Cuadreras, similar to quarter horse races ) or PA stallions (registered or not, some young PA stallions given away because of conformation problems) That was the origin of the Argentine polo ponies. They give personal care and attention to these homemade horses because their pride is to see them later in great hands of well known polo players, and because if they sell them it means an extra in the family income. These horses are very well educated from their break in/tame, due to the many man-hours of teaching on them by their owners, that sometimes also do these same activities.

From Argentine Open Championship 2006

I took a deep look into the 2006 list of horses of each polo team that competed in the 2006 Argentina’s Open Championship, finding again links to the Argentine TH in the Stallions and/or Broodmare Sires published in it.
As told in my previous post there is an important percentage of TB in the polo horses breed, now registered as “Polo Argentino”.
This list can also inform about the current lines of success in the breed in Argentina. In my opinion the sires are from some different sources: first, the Successful and Proven Argentine TB Sires or Broodmare Sires , second, the Very good TB Racing Horses but with poor sire success and third, the Polo Argentino proven sires strains.
From the First list I can name these Great proven TB Stallions and/or Broodmare sires: Southern Halo, Egg Toss, Lode, Logical, Salt Marsh, Fitzcarraldo, Liloy, Good Manners, Farnesio, Laramie Trail,
TB Stallions: Search Tradition, Rainbow Corner, Four Fingers, Cinco Grande, Sonus, Catskill, In Class, Bombazo Toss, Potomac, Nicodeme, Rutilin, Crown thy Good
You can also find sires like Secretariat, Irish River and Damascus in this list.
From the second List, Great TB Racing Horses: Ultrasonido, El Serrano, Capo Maximo, Louvre, Metz.
And finally from the third List Registered Polo Argentino SIres: Pucara, El Sol, Polo Nevadito, etc.
I will be coming back to this lists and explain the positive side of each list in the Argentine Polo breed. I will also list the previous years too.

Clues in the market

After a deep analysis of the stallions registered in the last annual review of the Argentine Polo Association (2006), a very important portion (over 65%) are Argentine Thoroughbreds, this give us an idea about the importance to understand where the trends go. These Stallions come from different Studs/Farms but mainly from the Haras La Quebrada (TH Farm). This is because enormous success of one of their stallions named Southern Halo, this stallion marked the TH bred in Argentina winning consecutively the best stallion award from 1994 to 2001 and 2003, as also the broodmare stallion award for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Consequently all Argentina breeders went in this direction too.

He transferred to his herd speed ability (up to 8 furlongs but 6-7 furlongs the most), and they won several important stakes (338).

One of his fault as TH stallion is transmiting bleeding (lung problems) that can be sized with the use of Lasix.
Another fault is that none of his sons can equal his extraordinary success.

How to see Argentine Racetracks (Hipodromo Argentino de Palermo and San Isidro) info and videos

Hipodromo Argentino de Palermo Racetrack: www.palermo.com.ar Find the “informacion hipica” label, then click there and find at your left side of the screen, the button named “calendario y resultados” and click there , a year box will appear and you can see the calendar too, click to open in the date, then the racing day result will be displayed, and, if available, videos of the race can be seen.

Also you can see the information of a given horse so you can track his racing record. Look in the same label “informacion hipica”, in the same left buttons, look for -performance de SPC-, then a box opens where you have to type the name of the horse, click and the info is shown (very useful)

Hipodromo de San Isidro (Turf track): www.hipodromosanisidro.com , find the label “carreras” and click there, it opens other labels and there click over “resultados” , where you can see the year button or the current year results named “resultados anteriores 2007”. Click to open and then a calendar will open with the result of each racing program, where the word “video” is displayed if available.