Manipur presently has just 1218 ponies
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Sobhapati Samom

Imphal, October 21 2011: The game of polo in its birth place Manipur is likely to vanish in the near future unless urgent steps are taken to conserve Manipuri polo ponies, the magnificent breed of horses.

According to Manipur veterinary and animal husbandry sources,the population of the Manipur pony breed has declined to 1218(Livestock Census,2007) against the 1893 ponies as per the Livestock Census, 2003 .

Food and Agriculture Organisation's publication on the World Watch List on Domestic Animal Diversity criteria, listed the horse breed as "an endangered animal" .

Besides 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)'' .

The first polo game is believed to be played at Mapal Kangjeibung or Polo ground in the heart of Imphal town. Says veteran journalist N Tombiraj in a write up on Polo said,"The oldest known polo club was the Cachar Club founded in Assam in 1859.The oldest surviving polo club, of course, is the Calcutta Polo Club formed in 1862" .

Manipuri ponies figure prominently in the north eastern state's mythology and have an undeniable presence in the social life of Manipur.

Besides the traditional festivals such Lai-haraoba(festival of god) and polo game, they were also used as mounts for the Manipur cavalry, which was respected and feared throughout upper Burma during the 17th century.

The breed was used in the army throughout World War II, as transport animals to take the British army into Burma in 1945 .

The game was introduced in England from Indiain 1869 by the 10th Hussars at Aldershot, Hants and the earliest match was the one between the 9th Lancers and the 10th Hussars at Hounslow Health, Greater London in July, 1871 .

"But today, the disappearance of grazing grounds and lack of investment are leading to an alarming decline in the population of ponies", Th Randhir of Department of Animal Science, Central Agricultural University, Imphal.

Many pony owners, who earn their livelihood from agriculture and allied activities find the returns from rearing ponies, unlike those from dairy farming, poultry and piggery, less attractive.

Another reason is smuggling.

Myanmar and neighbouring states have a huge demand for the Manipuri pony to be used as 'horse tongas', says Naorem Ranjan (31) of Thangmeiband who plays for the Imphal riding club.

Besides routine check-ups, a pony needs a bag of grass every day.

Many pony owners are forced to shell out Rs 500 as fine to municipality officials when ponies come out on the street of Imphal in search of food and are detained.

"Rearing a polo pony is not easy in the state-mainly because of the lack of grazing fields," Ranjan, also a caretaker of a pony farm in Imphal said.

"The time has come to stop the animal's smuggling, establishing grazing fields and increasing the prize money of polo tournaments" .

At the same time Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association (MHRPA), one of the pioneer horse riding body, is also focusing more on conservation of the rare species other than exploring utility avenues of these animals.

More than a dozen polo clubs affiliated to MHRPA.

"Manipur pony being a recognized breed besides its historical connections, We're focusing more on its conservation perspectives", Ningthoukhongjam Bedajit Singh, Chairman Technical committee of MHRPA said.

"The government should conserve it seriously the way they've protected Sangai".

Sangai (cervus eldi eldi) is an endangered deer available only in Manipur.

MHRPA is also working on a pony heritage park project.

But many things to be done for its functioning, Bedajit added.

The dream heritage park will have a grazing ground, international-standard polo ground, a race-course and a park for visitors.

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