Pony on verge of extinction in the land of Polo

Imphal, Apr 27 (UNI) Pony faces near-extinction in Manipur, so also does Polo in the land which gave the world a tough and a majestic game, which is a symbol of peaceful coexistence between man and animal.

Polo's associated with myth and religion and is played since ancient times and Pony is the vital ingredient to it.

But now the sturdy sport of polo is on a decline following dwindling number of four-footed animal in Manipur.

As per census, the number of ponies were 1492 in 1992 which came down to 800 a decade later in 2003 and now it stands at 500 only.

Ex-president of Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association (MHRPA) N Tombi Raj said that if a safe sanctuary of about 100 acres of land was not immediately created by the government then ''we can not save the pony.'' He added ''We need a proper farm so that the ponies can freely grow.'' Absence of grazing land forced the animals to roam in the Imphal streets only to be knocked down by speeding vehicles. They are also susceptible to eat plastic bags and die while rummaging through dustbins.

Manipuri pony is a special animal for its unique breeding and the animal is associated with the Royal sport that popularized by the British regime and later became a popular festival among the commoners in this erstwhile country.

The animal is slightly smaller, extremely muscular and has strong hoofs, hence shoeing is not required. Unlike other horses, ponies here can live in swampy and moist areas. International polo tournaments are being organized in Manipur every year due to some special characteristics of ponies here polo lovers from all over the world love to play polo in Manipur as sort of pilgrimage to Mapal Kangjeibung, (Polo ground), Imphal, where the first game of polo is believed to be played.

The Guinness Book of World Records-1991 states, ''Polo can be traced to origins in Manipur state in 3100 BC, when it was played as Sagol Kangjei (Horse Stick).'' There is special ritual associated with polo and ancient texts on polo are found in Manipur like Ougri, Thangmeirol, Cheitharol Kumbaba etc. A treatise on the game, ''Kangjeirol'' is also found in Manipur.

''Born in obscurity, spotted by civilization, polo became a World sports by proxy,.'' N Tombi Raj opined.

The credit of introducing the game to world goes to the Britishers who saw the game in Manipur and Cachar in 1851.

The Britishers formed the first ever Polo club- Cachar Club in 1859 and then Calcutta Polo Club (1862).

To save the game and pony, which symbolized the relationship between humans and animals, the MHRPA with the assistance from the Union government has started to scientifically breed Manipuri pony in collaboration with the National Research Centre on Equines, Hissar. Research work on xenotype mapping is also going on. The results are encouraging, experts reported.

UNI