Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 184, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 August 1913 — SPORT THAT COSTS $26,600 A DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SPORT THAT COSTS $26,600 A DAY

| ' ™S F racing it the sport of $ 1 kings, polo is the sport of II millionaires. Any king, even though he may II be an insignificant Indian all*.’ potentate or a ruler of a 1 1 J Balkan state, with a pock* etbook of slim proportions, may own a racing stable, but only a man of great wealth can afford to maintain a big string of polo ponies. For race horses, if they are fast, can earn their keep and make a profit for their owner. But a .polo pony is nothing but an expense from the day he is bought until the day of his death. The only thing he can earn is a modicum of glory and a few cups which as a rule do not cost as much as his saddle and bridle. From this it may be gleaned that between racing and polo there is a distinction with a difference. Harry Payne Whitney spent $20,000 on the international polo series of games played at Meadowbrook, L. I. The duke of Westminster’s expenses tor the polo challengers amounted to $60,000. All this for the sake of a silver trophy worth $4,000. f The cost of polo depends largely upon the inclination and desire of the ipolotsts to spend money. Some men can enjoy the sport at an outlay of a tfew hundred dollars a week, while others will spend as many thousands. !H. L. Herbert, chairman of the Polo ■association, recently said in reference ■to the cost of polo: “It all depends on Ihow much a man wishes to spend on the game. One man may be satisfied *o own and maintain three ponies, while another will want at least thirty at his command. The expense is much like that of the opera. One man can ■enjpy it for a dollar, while it will cost another thousands for a box.” Harry Payne Whitney and the duke »f Westminster own and keep in training the largest string of polo ponies an America or England. The maintenance of these ponies costs them ithousands of dollars each year. They fare the financial backbone of the ’sport in this country and abroad. Both enjoy the sport thoroughly, and as they are experts at the sport the money that they spend yearly is to

'them but a trivial matter. t But for their generous support of the game there would not have been any International matches during 1909, 'l9ll and 1913. Mr. Whitney supplied jthe "sinews of war” which sent abroad lln 1909 the American team, of which ihe was the captain. It was his outlay 'Of money and purchase of many great -polo ponies that enabled the Americans to win the cup which the Englishmen had won and kept for 23 years. This year the duke of Westminster defrayed the expenses of the English challengers. Until he came to the financial rescue the English players had abandoned all hope of bringing the ponies over here to play for the trophy. Whitney and the duke of Westminster each own 30 polo ponies. They hire trainers to develop the speed of the ponies and teach them the elementary parts of the game. The salary of these trainers is $4,000 each. In addition to that there are a big corps ol stable lads to support, for the attendants not only receive salaries ranging from $25 to S4O a month, but in addition are allowed their lodging and board. This, with the cost of food, saddles, bridles, bandages, lotions, medicine and the attendance of a veterinary costs many thousands of dollars. A good polo pony these days costs many thousands of dollars. In many respects hie value is as great as a race horse, though his earning- car pacity is considerably less than that of the latter. The best ponies are bred In Ireland and England, but of late years the ponies bred in Texas, California and the Hawaiian islands are equal, if not superior, to the foreignbred horses. There it now such a great demand for polo ponies that they are specially

bred for that purpose. In 1876, when the first games of polo were played in New York, it was possible to buy ponies for prices ranging from $36 to SIOO. Mr. Herbert once bought a pony for $35 that afterward developed into a crackerjack and his value soared to $2,000. Of course that was an exception. Nowadays ponies suitable for polo cost from SSOO to $2,000 each. When Mr. Whitney prepared for his campaign in England in 1909 he spent $85,000 for ponies. Since then he has added many more to hie string and has spent at least $40,000. It will be seen by this that he has expended in the neighborhood of $125,000 for ponies alone. One of his ponies -cost him $16,000. This was the high-water mark paid for any pony, but many good ponies have cost $6,000. The duke of Westminster has spent in the neighborhood of $125,000 for his aggregation of ponies. The ponies that were used in the international matches were made up In large part of those owned by Mr. Wjhitney and the duke of Westminster. Several ponies, however, have been donated for the use of the players by various Americans and Englishmen who are interested in the game. ' “It takes several yeats of hard training to make a pony suitable for pole playing. He Is usually bought when three years of age and for two years is taught the elementary parts of the game, such as not to shy at the mallet, to follow the ball, to “break” quickly and to obey the slightest touch of the reins on his neck. Most ponies are trained so that the rider may guide them by simply touching them on the right or left side of the neck with the reins. Many persons not familiar with polo consider the fastest pony the best pony. This is an erroneous idea. While speed is an essential qualification for a pony, he is utterly worthless if he does not know the game thoroughly and is not subject to inBtant control. If his speed cannot be

White table-linen is important in making- things attractive. If white ta-ble-linen is not within the reach of everyone, it is surely in everyone’s power to set the table well. The knives, forkß and spoons are sometimes apparently thrown at the table, with no idea of order. One has to oe careful to get his own water glass, etc. The knives and spoons snould be placed on the right, and the foras on the left of the plate, at even distance from the edge, of the table, with the water glass at the end of the knife. The napkin is usually placed at the left of the fork. All dishes should be placed inside the line of plates, and so be out of one's way

checked he’ll run over the ball and carry hifc rider out of the zone of play. A pony that will twist and turn, as though on a pivot and then “break” and race at top speed and stop instantly at command is the ideal polo mount. His value is beyond price. There are many poloists who cannot afford to maintain large strings of ponies and hire a trainer. Most of these men have from three to six ponies in their siring. They place the ponies in a public training stable. The cost is S3O a month for each pony. These public trainers hir# stable lads to exercise and take care of the ponies. One boy looks after four ponies. The actual cost of feed for a pony U sl2 a month. Some of the expenses other than those of buying and maintaining the ponies, cost the players many dollars. The balls, made of light willow, are furnished to the Polo association at ten cents each. ,One firm has a contract to furnish the polo associations with 20,000 balls. The mallets are worth from $2 to $3.50 each. The heads of the mallet are frequently broken in the game or during practice. It costs a dollar to replace the heads. The helmets the players wear cost from $4 to $7 each. The riding boots are worth from sls to s2!>. The riding breeches cost from $8 to sl2.

in eating. Cracked and broken disks* are not permissible at any time. The cracks and chipped places hold dirt and microbes, and are unhealthful, beside being ugly to look at. A little garnish of parsley on a coldmeat dish, or a hard-boiled egg sliced on the greens, or the butter made into neat pats or slices, will help wonderfully in making the meal attractive. In this connection we might mention the use of flowers on the table. Most farm tables I have seen have been too crowded for flowers, but when we do away with some of the unnecessary things, there will be room for a flowering plant, or a vase <)f pretty cut flowfers.

A Good Example of an Attractive Farm Table.