The history of polo will always have a special place reserved for Ernesto Trotz, for having been one of the members of the mythical La Espadaña team.
However, every day that goes by is witness to his self-improvement which goes far beyond that stage of his life as a polo player in which he was showered with awards in Tortugas, Hurlingham and Palermo. Because of the quality of his playing, his temperament and his experience, Ernesto has always been a teacher to a large sector of young valuable players who sought his advice, and who nowadays display their talent in Palermo.
To learn about Ernesto Trotz' life experiences and opinions regarding polo was a must, and José María Azumendi, member of the Argentine Association of Polo Pony Breeders, chatted to him thus:

José María Azumendi: What is your opinion of the horses that are being played at this time?
As in all sports, there is an evolution in polo which is accompanied by an evolution as regards the horses. Take the last 20 years, for instance: you will note that the game itself has become more demanding, but the care, training and follow-up of that training, which is carried out by those who play maximum level polo in Palermo, have also increased. Performance profiles are made out every 15 days; the ponies are weighed; they are permanently subjected to echographies.
There is a whole servicing process that leads to the horses' being better trained now to meet the exigencies of a more demanding polo.

What has changed as regards training?
Nowadays, Palermo players know about each and every pony regardless of whether they are in good health or not.
For example, before and after each game, the ponies are weighed in order to discover their change in weight, and immediately after the match, a profile is made of each one so as to have a clear picture as to what must be done during the week in order to have them in perfect condition for the next match. In this way, the players make use of their groom's sensibleness and sensitivity, whilst using a much more scientific process at the same time.
Further proof of this are the echographies, which are now of common use and are practiced in order to discover just how traumatic an injury has been or even to prevent serious lesion.
Other things that would seem perhaps minor issues but that relate to the overall picture, have also improved, such as cleanliness, more specialized farriers, stricter food and working timetables.

Up until a few years ago one pony was played during almost the whole chukker, and its use in another was reduced to a minimum. However, this has changed and almost everyone prefers to play them for half a chukker in order to play them again for a similar period later. Has this anything to do with a new form of training? In which case, does it mean that it is done in order to help preserve the good ponies so that they arrive at the end of the season in good shape?
If we look back, we will see that before there was a lot of racing around. Nowadays, the demands on the polo pony are greater. It is required to stop, turn, spring forward; and all this is more demanding than simply running.
The good ponies are only beginning to appear in the Hurlingham semi-finals, making a huge effort to reach the Palermo finals in the best possible shape.
But 2003, precisely, was a good year in which to ask oneself this question, because I'm not that sure that this method is all that good: the Novillo Astrada brothers started off at Tortugas, and they won the Triple Crown.

As a professional player you spend the greater part of your time abroad, and see many good ponies. What percentage of these animals returns to Argentina?
Shortly, the important organizations are going to get all the top level brood mares they can to return. The thing is that because the cost of air fares makes this too expensive, I am personally seeing to this, and trying to develop a service by which this return to Argentina, especially from Europe, should be made by boat at a greatly lesser cost from that of a plane fare.
If this has not yet occurred it is because we are sharpening our pencils so that the transfer of these animals be carried out in the best possible conditions.

Are the training practices in Argentina very different from those carried out in other countries?
Completely different.
Due to climatic reasons, the soil of the polo fields and many other factors–if you are at Palm Beach, for example–you expect your pony to perform at quite a different pace than you would in England, and that, again, is different if you are in Argentina.
For anyone who knows about grooming and horse care, the differences are huge from one place to another, and where you first notice it is in the game itself.
If you watch a game at Palermo, quite apart from the fact that the horse stops, starts, and turns around all the time, they run much more, and the horses need more air.
In England, on the other hand, they play a 22 handicap level polo, where the professional player needs to have the ball permanently under control, because that's what suits him best. There one stops and starts constantly, and plays at a speed that is far slower than in Argentina. That is why horses are kept fatter, with greater muscle, shorter working-out sessions and with not so much need of air, because runs from one end of the field to another are sporadic.

Argentina is a country that specializes in the breaking-in of horses, and has experimented with different systems. Is there any one in particular that you prefer?
Currently, Argentina is the best place at breaking-in horses. The combination applied by several tamers, adding new techniques and eliminating blows and bucking from the process, combined with the natural sensitiveness of the Argentine horse-breaker, show results that at present are unbeatable. We can then go on to some more fine tuning such as asking ourselves if it is good to use a gag or not; whether it's convenient to pull at the mouth; if we should use a snaffle, a small light bit or ported bits: there are different opinions as to this last. Personally, I like to use a snaffle.

Do you purchase ponies abroad?
Eventually, yes, I do.
What happened to me in England was that, as usual, I was hired as a player with my own ponies, and although I have mostly Argentine horses, I also have two English mares, one from New Zealand and a French horse that I came by by chance. But that was because I needed them to play on, and when considering the cost of shipping one from Argentina, plus the food for one year, I preferred to buy there.
The needs of a player in the Argentine Open are quite different: they need, and are looking for ponies that will respond to the demands of Palermo. Some very high level ones can be found...

What kind of stallion do you put to your brood mares, Thoroughbred Race-horses or Polo Argentino?
Through embryo transplant I've used Optimum, lent to me by Gonzalo Pieres and Polito Ulloa; Serapio, that belongs to the Zubiaurre's, both of which are Southern Halo. I've also used a pair of Lu Hook Signo's progenie, belonging to Lucas Monteverde; Bartolomé Castagnola's The All, son of Teocrática, mother of Tim.
I also purchased a stallion by the name of Intermale, by Sothern Halo, and another from Adolfito Cambiaso called Ritmo, son by the same father as Sospechosa and Lambada, to have on the farm for brood mares to be put to a stallion for natural covering.

What do you look for in a horse you are about to purchase, a sensitive mouth, speed or spin-around capability?
Your question reminds me of my first steps in this.
My father was a military man, and his hobby was polo. The time came when, after helping me as much as he could, he continued seeing to his work, and I had to start paying strict attention to all those who at the time were making a success of things: players, breeders, tamers, grooms, etc. From each I accrued different concepts, and I remember one gleaned from Daniel Gonzales when I was very young: "buy temperament, a sensitive mouth and quick turning capacity and you'll always be able to sell it. If later it turns out to be faster or shows more class, then you'll get a better price for it".

What is your opinion of the task carried out by the Argentine Association of Polo Pony Breeders?
The AACCP had a great future and that it is doing a very important job which is the future of the Argentine polo pony.

What advice would you give young players?
The players who want to succeed, become outstanding, must know that the horse is vital to them in that growing process, and they must devote full time to it. Saving a few exceptions, if you take the thirty or forty best polo players in the world, you will notice that they are insane about horses: the breeding, putting them through their first steps, training, health, all that and even their love and pleasure in watching them. Years go by, and they still remember the names and characteristics of the horses that performed in Palermo over the last twenty years.
Personally, I have been fortunate in that I have been able to observe and study the different criteria applied by the Gordo Moore, the Pieres', the Gracida's or Barrantes', and to chat with their grooms.
After that, one has to apply common sense and use what one considers most appropriate, because if someone wished to write a book on all these subjects, even if they were to make a summary, it would end up by turning into a complete library.
One never ceases to learn.