Woodie D (aka Stormy)

Woodie D was a gem of a polo pony with many facets. The stallion was trained for polo by Carl Crawford in Texas; he was then owned by Bob Skene and later by John T. Oxley. In 1954, he added “actor” to his accomplishments, playing the part of “Stormy” in the Disney film Stormy the Thoroughbred, a movie about a race horse who finds his true calling as a polo pony.

Woodie D was unique in that he was a registered Quarter Horse and a registered Thoroughbred. This came about before his polo career, as he had sired three offspring that qualified (by type) for permanent registry as Quarter Horses. The Quarter Horse Stud Book had not yet closed and he was awarded papers.

John T. Oxley obtained Woodie D after seeing him in the U.S. Open Championship in Chicago. “I bought him when he was 16 and played on him until he was 20. Then we stood him at the ranch until he was 27,” Oxley recalls.

Bob Skene said, “His agility and quickness, and his tremendous speed for short distances from a standing start or on a long run, were brilliant.” In 1970, Skene wrote, “If there were a polo pony hall of fame, the name of Woodie D or Stormy would be there.”

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