Ponies sail in for event

POLO ponies have started arriving in Tasmania for Saturday’s Barnbougle tournament, with the death of 16 horses in transit last year failing to deter owners from bringing their animals across Bass Strait.

More Tasmanian ponies will compete in the Barnbougle Polo event than any other time in the past century with a Northern Midlands breeder providing 25.

Another 40 horses will come from the mainland to take part.

The discovery that 16 ponies — which had returned to Victoria on board the Spirit of Tasmania ferry after competing in last year’s event — had died somewhere in transit put a cloud over what was otherwise a great tournament.

Event organiser Penny Sattler said some polo ponies had already arrived in Tasmania on board the Bass Strait ferry last night.

“We will have more than 60 ponies at the tournament with about 40 coming from the mainland,” she said.

“The terrible circumstances of last year do not seem to have deterred people from making the journey or using the ferry service to transport animals.”

The event will be held at Barnbougle polo fields, in Tasmania’s North-East on Saturday.

Spirit of Tasmania ferry owner TT-Line yesterday said there had been no changes to its animal transport procedures.

TT-Line chairman Mike Grainger told a recent Govern- ment Business Enterprise hearing it was still not clear whether the 16 ponies died before, during or after their journey on the ship in January last year.

Pony owner Andrew Williams with Twynam Agricultural Group and Willo Polo have taken legal action against TT-Line over the deaths of 13 of the ponies. They are suing for the value of the horses — $639,000 — and $100,000 in lost profits and wages.

“We know there has been damage to our brand and we’re not too happy about that,” Mr Grainger told the hearing.

“We are confident that the company is not at fault because of the testing we have done internally.

“Nothing has indicated that there is a problem but it’s such a delicate matter that is before the court we’d be mad to make a comment on it.”