Sweet William

Sweet William, a brown thoroughbred gelding, earned worldwide acclaim by winning Best Playing Pony awards in the U.S.A., Great Britain and Spain. Owned and ridden by 10-goal great Tommy Wayman, the pony was “just the greatest animal athlete ever.” Purchased in 1973 for $500 from a ranch in South Dakota, Sweet William was playing polo within a month.

“He was a natural”, Wayman said. “There wasn’t any other horse that could outrun him, there wasn’t any other horse that could out-handle him.”

In Great Britain, Sweet William was the best playing pony in all the Coronation Cups that Wayman played in, and in Spain, he was the best playing pony in three King’s Cups. In 1985, Wayman spoke at length about his horse for Polo magazine:

“Sweet William turned out to be the perfect polo pony. He had excellent conformation and was very fast. But it was his attitude that made him rise to the top. He had the kind of mentality you can’t train into a horse. It’s either there or it isn’t. He never got nervous or overly excited. He could give me speed I needed without the anxious edge you often get with Thoroughbred quickness.

“The horse seemed to thrive on the cheering crowds and excitement of the game. In fact, he was quite a ham. He would actually pose for the camera and he did get a lot of media attention. In Europe, the press would call me before a big match to ask how Sweet William was and what chukker I would play him. People from as far away as Australia would stop by to have their pictures taken with him.

“On the field, he was my secret weapon. If I asked for the impossible play, he gave it to me. When my team was behind going into the final chukker, I’d play him. If I needed four goals to win the game, we’d do it; if five were required, five we’d make. I once scored six goals in one chukker on Sweet William.

“No matter how tough the play, he would remain completely controllable. In a race with another horse, he would rate right on the money. I’d just set his speed, drop the reins and sit back; he’d hold himself at the exact pace I’d put him. Playing the game was physically easy for him, so a fairly loose rein would get a very precise performance. Add to that his apparent enjoyment of the sport and you have the ideal mount, which he was.”

Sweet William with Tommy Wayman

Watercolor portrait of Sweet William (Top Photo) by artist, Melinda Brewer; www.poloart.ca