A Preserve in Progress

"...The Manipuri Pony is a semi-feral creature.A Preserve in Progress I remember seeing as a child, herds of Manipuri Ponies in Lamphelpat, once a marshy lake much like Heingangpat. What sets the Manipuri Pony apart from other semi-feral ponies such as the Dartmoor Pony is that many of them are highly trained polo ponies. Indeed, the Manipuri Pony is the original polo pony of the modern game as it is Manipur's traditional game of sagol kangjei that Lt. Joseph Sherer of the Sylhet Light Infantry, today known as the 'father of modern polo', introduced to the British Empire - and which became what is known today as modern polo. In the traditional style of rearing the Manipuri Pony, the owners let their animals roam in the commons, marshy areas that, being unfit for proper cultivation, was available as well as favored by the animals themselves. They fetch their animals when needed for war, games of polo or rituals, after which they are returned to the commons. Foals belong to the owner of the mother mare. The Manipuri Pony is never used as a pack animal. It is sacred to the Meiteis...."

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