By MARC-ANTHONY HARLEY
The first time I met Sconce, just an ordinary plain bay with no markings, at Thoroughbred aftercare farm Pastured Place, I connected with her right away. I felt safe on her. Watching her go and noticing her laid-back demeanor and kind eye felt reassuring, and I recognized these qualities as what I’d like to see in a polo pony.
Although she may not have looked like the next Best Playing Pony of the U.S. Open, I saw potential in her. I know personally how first impressions can be misleading; I didn’t look like much when I first walked into the Work to Ride program as a short, scrawny little 7-year-old. Lezlie Hiner took a chance by teaching me to ride back then, and now I could take a chance on Sconce learning to become a polo pony. Discovering Work to Ride was a turning point for me, and being able to offer a turning point to Sconce created a kind of connection and what makes this journey so special to me.
By racehorse standards, Sconce was a failure. A Thoroughbred, she had been bred to run but had no speed. The trainers, owners, and breeders who had invested thousands of dollars into her racing career recognized this wasn’t the direction for her, so they pulled the plug. When she arrived at our barn in February, she was a blank slate, ready for a new purpose.
This marked the beginning of a significant journey for me. In eight months, we would be participating in the Retired Racehorse Project held in Lexington, KY, at the Kentucky Horse Park. In collaboration with Work to Ride’s temporary home at Northwestern Stables and a girl named Bella, I would be responsible for polo training, while Bella specialized in jumper training. This experience not only allowed us to work together towards a common goal but also broke barriers and stereotypes in the process. Training a former racehorse to become a polo
pony and show jumper would become a transformative experience that has taught me valuable lessons about teamwork, perseverance, and overcoming failure.
The Retired Racehorse Project is an organization whose mission is to facilitate the placement of Thoroughbred racehorses into second careers, giving these horses a second chance. With the increasing demand for Thoroughbred horses in other disciplines, the RRP meets not only the needs of the demand for Thoroughbreds but also the needs of the horses themselves. Without a second chance, these horses would be sent to the kill pens or sit in a field for the rest of their lives. When Lezlie asked me if I would like to compete in the Retired Racehorse Project representing Work to Ride, I was hesitant, as I didn’t have much faith in my skills and ability to retrain an off the track Thoroughbred. I still jumped at the opportunity to compete.
I’ve been involved with the Work to Ride program based in West Philadelphia for the past 10 years, and I have been helping care for the horses and handling their needs. This program allowed me to learn the ins and outs of horses, taught me how to ride, and taught me the importance of horsemanship.
This year, the RRP updated their competition rules to allow team entries where two people can enter and compete in two separate disciplines on the same horse. Our collaboration with Northwestern and Bella was instrumental to our success. It allowed us to exchange ideas and strategies, and it also allowed me to receive and offer help with things I had less experience with, like teaching the lead change and how to work around the horse’s quirks. Being a team entry in the RRP relieved a lot of pressure, letting us split up training duties during the week.
Being part of a team especially helped after arriving in Kentucky, where I felt out of place. Being a young African American male in a predominantly White and female-dominated sport, I didn’t exactly fit in. In fact, I stood out. My differences made me want to prove myself and show off my skills, as young Black men aren’t usually seen in this industry at all. Surrounded by other competitors who had spared no expense on getting their horses to the RRP, I was very aware of the wealth divide, as I don’t live in a gated community or come from money. While the differences are apparent, I know I just have to work harder to pursue my achievements and show more perseverance and determination.
From the beginning of Sconce’s reschooling, we knew that teaching a failed racehorse new skills would not be an easy task. Sometimes she would show me the racehorse part of her, and if I was lucky, she’d take up being a rodeo bronc for the day. She was full of surprises, but how could I expect anything less from a 5-year-old OTTB? Racehorses are accustomed to running at full speed, not performing precise maneuvers like stopping and turning or jumping obstacles in a designed order.
However, Bella and I were determined to transform our Sconce into a versatile competitor. The key to achieving this was constant communication and collaboration. Bella and I shared our observations and adjusted our training techniques accordingly. While I worked on Sconce’s agility and handling for polo, Bella focused on her confidence and suppleness. Our success depended on our ability to support each other and, through a little trial and error, learn from our experiences.
In terms of becoming a polo pony, Sconce faced her first major obstacle: she struggled with the idea of traffic. She would run me around the arena as if she were still on track, darting away from oncoming horses. She wasn’t too fond of the mallet either, shying away from it altogether. I spent weeks on the ground running the mallet across her body to let her know that this long scary stick was not going to eat her alive. We eventually got to the point where I could swing it on top of her without her even batting an eye.
Onto tackling traffic. While horses are indeed herd-oriented animals, polo traffic to a green horse is a bit different than what they’d deal with regularly—a couple horses seemingly chasing you and others coming at your sides takes some getting used to. Sconce tended to get riled up in traffic, but hours in the arena with lessons going on around her helped settle her down.
The warm summer months were jam-packed with new experiences for Sconce, completely different from life on the racetrack. She went to the Cheshire Hunt foxhunting camp with Bella for a week, and polo camp with me for a week at Northwestern, as well as a few grass games at Lancaster Polo Club. As we introduced Sconce to more excursions, she began to get more unbothered, more comfortable, and less overwhelmed by new environments. While the time was ticking down for competition in Kentucky, I was putting the finishing touches on Sconce, preparing to leave it all out there and show what we’d spent the last nine months doing.
After flying to Kentucky, I quickly realized the sheer amount of horse farms and racetracks they have—the view from the plane didn’t do it justice. The farms seemed endless; when one ended and another began. I had never seen so many large properties packed into one little town before. The rolling hills and endless farmland of Kentucky were beautiful. This was true horse country. I was now even more excited (after a little urging from my Saddle Up Scholars tutor, Win) to visit and tour the University of Kentucky while I was in Lexington for the RRP and consider studying at college for four years in this horse mecca.
Even the famous Kentucky Horse Park was a sight to behold. The amount of different people and disciplines colliding in one place was amazing to see. Watching the other RRP polo ponies and seeing other riders’ methods of training was especially insightful. Seeing what the professional players had accomplished with their own horses was very special because it shows how amazing these animals are. Competing against professionals and being treated as an equal felt incredibly rewarding, helping me see in myself how far I’ve come as a horseman. Feeling respected, regardless of age, race, or gender, shows how inclusive and level the playing field can be in polo.
This camaraderie took me back to just a few weeks before when I was playing at our own fundraiser, the Philadelphia Polo Classic. On the field were people of all ages, backgrounds, and races—from 8th grade African American girls to one of the top-ranking players in the US, everyone was out on the field on bays, chestnuts, and paints, chasing down the same little ball. It was an unforgettable experience, highlighting the unity and respect that all people carry for each other within the sport. I had seen it at home and had now experienced it in Kentucky too.
Being an African American male competing in a predominantly white female sport, I’m no stranger to facing skeptical looks and doubts about my abilities. However, instead of being discouraged, I used these experiences as motivation to prove that passion and dedication have no color. Bella and I formed a solid team in preparing for the RRP, challenging expectations and showing that diversity is a strength.
In the end, Sconce not only competed successfully in both disciplines, earning herself a 1st in team polo and 2nd in team show jumping, but also became a symbol of what can be achieved when working as a team and facing failure with determination. The teamwork and collaboration were crucial, from the exchange of ideas to the relief of pressure and the support of my diversity, we succeeded because we worked together.
In addition to the value of hard work and community support, I learned the value of patience, persistence, and empathy. I’ve realized that failure is not permanent, and that with the right support and a willingness to pivot, we can find our areas of excellence. True success is not only measured by victories but by the ability to overcome obstacles and work together towards a common goal. Training a failed racehorse to become a polo pony and a show jumper was a journey full of challenges, but also immense rewards. Bella and I demonstrated that, with collaboration, perseverance, and open minds, it is possible to transform failure into success and break barriers in the process.
Above all, I learned that everyone, just as a defeated racehorse like Sconce, deserves a second chance.