Breyer Manaos Polo Pony

Don Ercole Manaos - an Argentine Polo Pony whose pedigree includes both Polo Horse royalty and racing legend Northern Dancer - is a shining example of a breed partially descended from Spanish horses and forged on the steppes of Patagonia. Manaos is part of a string of horses owned by top-ranked American polo champion Nic Roldan, who participated in the Argentine Triple Crown and won the UK’s coveted top prize: the Queen’s Cup. True to the breed, Manaos is “notably petite … but mighty.” She is known in Roldan’s barn for her relaxed, friendly ground manners - a stark contrast to her serious, businesslike attitude under saddle. Roldan often rides the comfortable, handy mare in his pre-game warm up and in the first or second chukker, or period, of a match.

An ancient sport that began in Persia in 600 B.C. before spreading to Asia, polo eventually flourished throughout the British Empire, where it was first called “hockey on horseback.” By the late 1800s polo was a favorite sport in places as far flung as Australia and Argentina. Today, many polo players from across the world compete in Argentina, which has become world-famous for the polo ponies created by crossing sturdy, docile Argentine Criollo horses -- a breed with the moniker “the World’s Most Dependable Horse” - with swift, leggy thoroughbreds. In 1984, the Argentine Association of Polo Horse Breeders (AACCP) was created to formalize the breed.