The emperor has no clothes on!
At the high goal level the game has become a spectacle that is hard to respect. As each layer of clothing is removed from this dubious “Emperor High Goal” we get to see yet another show of how the game should NOT be represented. We stand mute, kidding ourselves that everything is ok when the fact is that the last garment has been shed and we are now looking at a fat, ugly, buffoon that thinks it is a good thing.
Unless polo players can police themselves knowing that the governing body will back them up then every team will use any means to win. As a player, if I had noticed another using a large illegal stud, for example, I would declare it to the umpire. If the umpire was not man enough to send the player off and to check each of his horses I would pull my team if I were the captain. Next I would look for my money back and so on. Why? It is dangerous to my horses to have others with illegal studs on the field. As for the illegal advantage to the other team; I could care less. The potential for an injured horse should be of the highest consideration to both umpires and players alike.
I think it would be irresponsible for the governing body of this sport to continue to ignore what is in their face. They need to come out of the privileged shady section of the grandstands into the light and take a good look at the sport and what it has become. Cheating whether it be a drug or a stud, an over long whip, or playing a good horse to exhaustion, should not be overlooked just because the cheater is an emperor of some kind. When this kind of instance is uncovered the person at fault is not the vet, although he is not blameless, but the man who allowed this to go on. If he had no idea then he is guilty by default. The sponsor, the captain and players should be talking more then strategy, and in their talks about horses they should consider each horse individually. At least then they might recognize that one or another horse does NOT need dope!
Lastly to believe that there was no doping going on is just naive. Where there is smoke there is fire. The only thing that is true on this is that there was no malice aforethought. With that in mind it is my feeling that there need be no blame game just some good regulation supported by a knowledgeable and thorough group who will go to the lengths required to enforce the rules and not make exceptions based on handicap or status as has gone on in the past. Most of all, the rules such as they are, to a large degree are for the protection of the horses. We should follow this example and consider that polo will cease to be if we do not treat our horses with the care and respect they deserve. Horses may enjoy playing polo, but if this fails to show then all is lost to the animal rights folk who will have (if they don’t already.) ample ammunition to lay polo to rest with the likes of fox hunting. The emperor needs new clothes and he needs to realize that he is riding a horse!