Netflix documentary Polo raises questions about Death of Drizzle

In May 2010, Prince Harry’s pony Drizzle died of a heart attack after dismounting from his horse after a polo match. Harry saw that the pony was struggling to run comfortably during the match and decided to take her out of the match. However, the pony, unfortunately, never made it. There were some vile rumors at the time that the pony was pregnant, raising allegations of animal cruelty against Harry.

While PETA issued a statement against the use of horses in such sporting activities after the incident, they never directly accused Harry of animal cruelty. Following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new Netflix documentary Polo shirtfans revisited this controversy.

Rumors of Prince Harry riding a pregnant pony are unfounded

Drizzle was a favorite of Prince William and Prince Harry. Before he rode Drizzle to polo games, it was King Charles who rode him. Conformable Daily MailCharles rode the pony in polo games until he retired from the sport. Harry was playing a charity match at Coworth Park in Berkshire when he noticed something wrong with Drizzle.

He noticed that the brown mare wasn’t running as she should have and Harry moved to the side of the field. The raincoat was removed, but she soon succumbed to a heart attack and died within minutes of the Prince dismounting from her. A guest told the Daily Mail at the time, “It was very lucky that Harry rode her because we were spared the horrible spectacle of watching the pony die.”

However, rumors were rife that the pony was pregnant at the time. Harry was accused of mishandling the pregnant pony and cruelly riding her in a game. This incident occurred shortly after Harry was accused of riding an injured pony after the spurs clipped the side of the pony he was riding (via Yahoo!).

Prince Harry was told not to ride Drizzle, but he asked to do it anyway, even though he knew she was pregnant

In the second half of the game, Drizzle was struggling and only then did Harry finally stop riding Drizzle, only for him to dismount and Drizzle suffer a massive heart attack…. pic.twitter.com/kKqQlFnmuL

— MeghansMole©️ (@MeghansMole) December 11, 2024

As one Redditor mentions, while the incident proves why polo is bad for ponies, the pregnant part was a baseless rumor. Drizzle has been in the family for far too long and none of the initial reports listed the pony as pregnant. It is not clear who started the rumor first. u/PolyesterNation shared:

Comment
ofu/AliceRoosevelt1884 from the discussion
inSaintMeghanMarkle

Another comment shared their doubts about the rumour, noting that a vet would never have allowed Harry to ride the pony in such a condition.

I find it hard to believe, I’m never a Harry fan, I play polo, you can’t ride a pony if you’re pregnant. I doubt a vet would allow Harry to ride, the referee wouldn’t, no matter who Harry is, not especially with William heavily involved. This is false

— Molly Weaver (@ThatsMrsWeaver) December 11, 2024

Despite the death of the pony, Harry and William’s team won the match against the Audi team.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ‘boring’ Netflix documentary could further damage their brand

Prince Harry and Meghan Marklehis latest collaboration with Netflix, Polo shirtreceived less than stellar reviews. Critics have largely called it a boring look at a sport that only the elite know about (via the New York Post). Although it’s a critical flop, fans couldn’t help but notice that Harry and Markle shot themselves in the foot with this documentary.

According to fans, the documentary will further damage the brand as people will likely talk about how Harry abused his horses. The look at Drizzle’s death is just one example of how Harry will be portrayed as this cruel animal abuser.

Polo shirt is now available to stream on Netflix.