Room IX
The ponies
Sixty-four ponies live at Hartwell: lesson ponies, polo ponies and a few grand old retirees. Here are eight of them, framed as they deserve.
No. 01NgoziLesson pony, 14 years. Kind to beginners. No. 02ObiPolo pony, 9 years. Fast off the mark. No. 03HarmattanPolo pony, 11 years. Steady in a crowd. No. 04AkwaugoLesson pony, 16 years. The patient one. No. 05ChideraPolo pony, 8 years. Loves the backhand. No. 06OjiiRetired, 22 years. Still on the wall. No. 07UdoLesson pony, 12 years. Good for nervous adults. No. 08AmaraPolo pony, 10 years. The captain’s favourite.
No ponies in that group.
Welfare
How we look after them
Rest days
Every pony rests at least two days a week, and all of them on Mondays.
Farrier
Shod or trimmed every five weeks.
Vet checks
Monthly checks and a yearly dental, recorded on each pony’s card.
Retirement
Ponies retire at the club. Nobody is sold on when they slow down.
Support
Sponsor a pony
Members and friends can sponsor a pony for a season from ₦240,000. Your name goes on the stable door, you get a photograph for your own wall, and the money pays for feed and the vet.
Questions
Pony questions
Can I ride a particular pony
Lesson riders are matched by the instructor. Playing members can request ponies for chukkas.
Where do the ponies come from
Most are bred in the north of the country and schooled here over two years.
Before you leave the room
Meet them in person
Book a lesson and the instructor will introduce you to your pony first.