Urban Legend or Myth? - The Doc Masterton Story

By Shane Chin   Photos compliments of the Masterton family

The Oxford English Dictionary defines Urban Legend as an apocryphal, secondhand story told as true and just plausible enough to be believed, about some horrific, embarrassing, ironic, or exasperating series of events that supposedly happened to a real person.  John Masterton, fondly referred to as “Doc” for sure is as real as they get, however  at 80+ years of age, bearing in mind the colourful and interesting life he has led. His story could probably only be described as a combination of Urban Legend, Myth and of course the best one being polo lore. This is a narrative that could fill the annals of an entire book, so what you are about to read is just the tip of the iceberg, but enough to give you a flavor, for one of Jamaica’s most favourite  and certainly famous equestrians.

Though “Doc” has lived most of his life in Jamaica, he was born in 1928 to English parents.  His mother, a nurse, came to help the Bishop Nuttall to build the Nuttall Hospital and his father was an engineer who started his own business. “Doc” attended De Carteret College and Jamaica College, and then towards the end of the war he decided to go to England to finish his schooling. As the war raged, his trip to England  became an adventure in itself as he had signed up as the 3rd Assistant Sparks. It took him nearly a year to sail back to England while trying to dodge U boats. 

As an 18 year old he returned to Jamaica in 1946 and began working as a trail guide for Good Hope Ranch which was owned by family friends The Thompson’s. After working at the ranch for a short time he decided to go to Canada to study to be a vet. After his veterinary degree, he returned to Jamaica and started up his practice. His favorite sport while in Canada was Rugby, but there was no Rugby in Jamaica so with a few friends he started a Rugby Club and subsequently went on to represent Jamaica internationally playing well into his 50s! His love for horses though brought him back to the only equestrian sport that appealed to his dare devil nature and intellect, the sport of kings… Polo. He joined the Kingston Polo Club and used his mother’s horse “Blaze” to play at Knutsford Park along with his friends Clive Webster, Stafford and Victor Nunes, Warner Bolton, Nigel Nunes and Cecil Langford and a few British soldiers from the army camp.

“Doc’s”  love of horses started when he was very young, so some might say this was an inevitable progression. His dedication to the sport is legendary, and there are many epic “Doc” Masterton polo stories, one though that illustrates his passion for the game, would be training his first set of polo ponies that he got off the track under a street lamp at night as that was the only spare time he had. His knowledge of horses and his understanding of the sport are uncanny, however his greatest gift is his undeniable ability and enthusiasm to share his knowledge of Polo and horsemanship with everyone, young, old or indifferent.

Even though horses, and polo were “Doc’s” priority in these years, he still found time to court and marry the beautiful Paddy Masterton, and have two children William and Lesley.  William excelled at Rugby although his career was cut short when he broke his neck, Lesley loved the horses and inevitably with “Doc’s” encouragement, polo also became her passion, as female players go, she is an accomplished rider and at one point was one of the highest handicapped female players in the world. “Doc” has played polo all around the world and with some of polo’s most colourful characters,  However, he says that one of his most memorable games was early in his polo career, when Jamaica competed in the Gold Cup at Cowdray Park in England. They played a  team led by H.R.H. Prince Phillip in the quarter finals - which they won surprising the Brits.  Prem Singh replaced an injured Willie Delisser for the semi finals and they made it to the finals. But the team was beaten at this point by the Argentine team which included the legendary Eduardo Moore.

In 1957 a Jamaican team led by Willie Delisser took a team to the UK made up of “Doc”, Ellis Edwards, Robin Stewart and Sir Hugh Foot (who was Governor of Jamaica at the time).  Sir Hugh Foot’s term was coming to an end and he shipped his two ponies back to England (which he duly sold and used to help finance the Jamaican team).  In 1959 he traveled to Santa Domingo then called the Cuidad Trujillo with Robin Stewart, Nigel Nunes, Basil Burke and Cecil Langford and played with the famous Rubirossa where a stamp was issued of the team to commerate the visit. In 1978, when Jamaica was at its weakest due to political instability his good friend Jack Williams asked him to go to Brunei to help coach the Sultan and the Princes to play polo and to act as the vet for the over 100 horses they had just imported from Argentina. The Sultan, a polo enthusiast, who had created an extensive complex of polo grounds, air-conditioned stables for 100+ of his own ponies and a stud farm at Jerudong Park in Bandar Seri Begawan. “Doc” ended up working there for some 3 years, building the polo field at Jerudong Park and vetting the several hundred horses that ended up coming in.

During his tenure in Brunei he traveled around the region and took teams to Singapore, Malaysia and as a keen horseman, even got involved with the racing scene in Hong Kong. At this time he also started studying the art of acupuncture on animals. This has proven most effective and he was probably one of the first western pioneers to bring this knowledge back and to use to treat all sorts of ailments in horses from Colic to bow tendons (and the odd polo player and rugby player!!!!! Bearing in mind that injury is an occupational hazard in both of these games). 

After his stint in Brunei, he returned home in 1980 to polo at the Kingston Polo Club now re-located at the Caymanas Estate, but Polo was at a low ebb and they lacked players so he threw his daughter into the game to make up numbers (that is whole other story) and needless to say she took to the sport like a duck takes to water and has excelled carving the way for many budding female players. “Doc” enjoyed playing his Polo and has won every cup that exists in the Jamaica Polo Association, from the Keeling Cup (several times with his son William, Paul Chin and Harry Miller) to the prestigious Senior Cup, Hurlingham and Marescaux Cups with his daughter on several occasions.

His enduring love for horses has proven to be his greatest pleasure in building several world class strings of local horses, and he has always maintained that there is no imported horse that has entered Jamaican polo that is better than any local bred and schooled horses. “Doc” has served Jamaican polo well, he has served as President of the Kingston Polo Club, Jamaica Polo Club and was Captain of Jamaica Polo for many, many years. He also represented Jamaican internationally and over the years has acted as an Ambassador for Jamaican Polo globally. He has traveled to England, USA, Canada, Mexico, Columbia, Peru, Guatemala, Cost Rica, Barbados, Germany, Santa Domingo, Argentina, India and all over the Far East.

He has always instilled that we lend our visitors our best horses or at least horses comparable to what the locals were riding and also to give a goal for riding strange horses. He also insisted that any traveling Jamaican teams must have accomplished riders that would not damage their host horses. This was so that we would be invited back and he hoped that the example set would be reciprocated in both cases – and for the most part it has been! His generous personality and enthusiasm to share his knowledge of horsemanship, polo and veterinary skills is alive and kicking as I observed him teaching my oldest daughter how to hold the stick and hit the ball just last week.

In writing this article and doing the research, it has been interesting to connect all the dots and to see how many legendary polo players have influenced his polo career, but greater still is his generous nature in the sharing of his knowledge which means we are not the only protégés of “Doc” but also many legendary and notable players in the history of polo.  Kingston Polo Club has honored him by creating a “Doc” Masterton Tournament held in January which is ample proof that you need not blow your own trumpet to be heard.
“Doc” resides now in St. Ann where he currently manages his farm. At 80+ years of age, he is still active in Polo as a member of the St. Ann Polo Club where he still plays and can be seen schooling young horses and young players alike.

Stories about “Doc”
My introduction to “Doc” started when I was abut 15 years old. When I first met him at the Blue Hole Polo Club (now Chukka Blue Polo Ranch) my friend John G referred to him and his horse Princess with reverence - I did not even know that they played polo in Kingston.  I think he first took notice of me when I gave him a hard ride off, he looked at me and I nearly wilted with fright. After the game he came to my father and said “Junior you have to send that boy to me in Kingston”.  I had heard so many stories about him that I got my friend John G to go first, where he promptly forgot him under a Guango tree until after 9 pm, when his wife Paddy asked him what he had done with John G.  Needless to say when it was my turn to spend my summer there, I would not let him out of my sight.  But, it was an experience that has lasted me a life time. He taught me how to shoe a horse, how to school horses, polo strategy and style of play. I had the privilege of being asked to play on his Marescaux team the “Cow Punchers “,  at that time one of the more prestigious high goal games in Jamaica, it was a honor to be chosen to play with him. It was not an easy game, and I got a lot of “Cussing” as ““Doc”” was famous for dishing out - ask Lesley.  I have played a lot of tournaments with him and enjoyed each and every one.  I have had the pleasure of going on many polo trips with “Doc”, and meeting some of the most influential people in polo.  Traveling with him is an experience all together as it is always filled with hilarious and memorable events.                                                                                             Shane Chin

BURNEY
For those of you not in the know, there once was a very famous horse named Burney. His accomplishments are almost as legendary as those of “Doc”.   I guess it could be said he was the 4 legged version of “Doc”.   I have personally witnessed him putting together this  horse’s rear fetlock , that was shattered during a game, he splinted the leg and inserted wires into the cast at specific points , so that the leg could be batteried  to stimulate blood flow and help healing.  With the help of our most dedicated Groom “Pappy’  who applied the battery to the leg for a year .  The horse not only recovered but went on to play in many High Goal games after.

AFTER PARTY
One night after leaving a party where he had a  few too many beers he drove his wife Paddy out of the party, then parked just past the bridge on the way out of the property.  She hopped out for a quick cigarette while he got out to take a leak and when she got back she could not find “Doc”.  She thought he had rejoined the party as he had left under major protest so went back in to fetch him.  He was nowhere to be found and everyone started looking for him but could not find him.  All eventually returned to the pick up where they heard him shouting “Bloody woman I am down here”……. among many other colourful expletives! “Doc” had fallen down a ravine around 30 feet and couldn’t find his glasses so couldn’t see a thing in the pitch black. They had to tie three draw reins together to pull him back up to safety, with hardly a scratch.

INJURIES
Once he was playing and a mallet caught him in the face and broke his jaw, everyone was horrified but “Doc” kept on playing.  He won the game (a very quiet game compared to most I might add) and then went to the hospital to wire it up. Two days later the horses coming from Barbados for the JPA’s centenary celebrations arrived at the Normal Manley airport at 3:00 a.m. and his daughter Lesley along with the Government Vet were dispatched to meet them.  The flight was considerably late and they were summoned to the tower where they were told that the pilot had radioed in that one of the horses had gone berserk.  It had tried to jump out of its crate and impaled itself on the pipe frame ripping its side so badly bone and guts could be seen.  It had been hogtied upside down in the crate but would need serious medical attention when it arrived.  The Government Vet blanched and, clearly out of his comfort zone, said that he did not have his medical bag.  Despite his own injuries  “Doc” was sent for and spent several hours crouched over the horse under very primitive conditions in the dark at the quarantine station stitching back the damaged muscles and tissue together.  It spent several months being rehabbed with him using acupuncture and honey and was sent back to Barbados nearly as good as new with a neat scar along its side.   

VINTAGE “DOC”
Polo Lore has it that he went to England to play and as he was hitting out from the back line, the lineswoman would put the ball on the line that was in a slight hole.  Finally he had enough and he told the F___ woman to stop placing the ball in the F___ hole” Needless to say when he got back to the club house he found out the F___ Woman is the one that had lent him horses for the match!

OVERTAKING WHILE BEING TOWED!
No article about “Doc” would be worth reading if his endeavors with the road were not brought up, his daughter Lesley reminded me of this incident with “Doc” and her husband Stevie.
“One Sunday afternoon  after polo and after the required après polo beers, my dad’s Dodge Ram pick up would not start so he asked Stevie (now my Husband - but after this story one would wonder why he didn’t run for the hills) to give him a tow home. Stevie, driving his Toyota Starlet agreed (probably because he had also had the requisite number of beers) and, accompanied by his groom Shekleton, proceeded to tow dad back to his house in Kingston. Dad is not known for his patience, especially driving, and Stevie is a careful driver who looks after his cars . . . all went fairly smoothly, or as smoothly as a Starlet towing a big Dodge Ram can go, until they got to the intersection at Half Way Tree by St. Andrew’s Parish Church. At which point Shekleton starts frantically tapping Stevie on the shoulder saying: “Boss, boss, don’t you see “Doc” trying to overtake you - pull over”. To which Stevie replied: “Don’t be ridiculous Shekleton, I’m towing him. He can’t pass me”. Seconds later Stevie sees dad beside him, indeed overtaking him, and the next thing he knows the Starlet was whipped around and was being dragged down the street backwards by the Dodge Ram.  All ended well with Dad dragging Stevie home and no major damage was done and everyone got home safely”. (“Doc’s” story was that the steering locked)
Other driving stories include: driving Bob Moore’s brand new Cadillac off the plateau in Oklahoma and turning over COW’s brand new Range Rover in the cane fields  in Barbados - both write offs . . .

“DOC” & POLO
“Doc’s” travels around the polo world have served Jamaica well as many influential people and famous polo players have graced our small island, the likes of Eduardo Moore, Hector Barantes, Maharaja Prem Singh, Bob Skeene, HRH Prince Phillip and HRH Prince Charles, Hanut Singh and John Tinsley to name but a few. The amount of knowledge and experience that he has had and has passed on to future generations of polo players in Jamaica is amazing. We must also acknowledge his contribution to equestrian sports and his tireless contribution to the  Jamaica Horse Association (as President for many years) to popularize show jumping and to improve the overall level of horsemanship on the island.  He has also contributed greatly to  Jamaica’s thoroughbred horseracing industry both as a veterinarian and racing meeting steward, serving on the board of directors of the Jamaica Live Stock Association as Chairman for several years; he was also Chairman of the Jamaica Veterinary Association.
His ever brilliant mind is always questioning and looking for new and natural ways to treat animals, developing great products at Carlo, his biggest invention to date is “Honey” the cure all, for cuts.  I asked the Honorable Dennis Lalor to comment on his long time . “On the local scene, no one has been more successful in the sport.  But perhaps more important, is the role John Masterton has played in placing Jamaican Polo on the international footing it now enjoys.  Throughout his extensive travels, he has acted without pretentions as Jamaica’s Polo Ambassador and it is as a direct result of this that we have benefited from many lasting relationships with polo clubs around the world”.
Polo to “Doc” is an all consuming hobby.  He takes a keen interest in all aspects of the local game and especially in the development of young players to whom he continues to be invaluable source of information.