Clagett HorseSports

WHAT I DO:  Performance Development-- I work with players and their horses to evaluate, deconstruct issues hindering performance and rebuild on a biomechanically solid foundation to give them a highly effective platform for improved playing performance and longevity through my broad background and decades of problem-solving experience.  Simply put, I teach and train all levels of amateurs and professionals and their horses; help them avoid and fix problems through correct work.

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LESSONS: There is always room for improvement; always something new to learn.  10-goalers never stop training and have a support team to help them maintain a high level of performance.  If as the saying goes the horse is 90% of a player's game, improving riding ability is crucial for advancement in Polo.  Intentionally or not, every time you ride, you are training your horse to play a certain way.  Everything about the way you ride affects your pony, your swing and your effectiveness as a team member.  Some people learn to ride faster playing polo; however, most people also start officially playing before their riding skills are up to the necessary level and short-circuit their development as a player.  You cannot fix your game by picking up tips from others on the field at games; and if you have been at the same level for a while-- any level-- there are issues that need formal trouble-shooting.  If your form is not ideal, you further ingrain the problems that are keeping you from it.  The better your riding, the more you can focus on higher elements like team strategy and field sense.  Specific to each individual client and their ponies' developmental state, training can address among other things:

• Each swing, trouble-shooting problems with swings & improving accuracy;

• Playing more confidently, safer & reducing chance of injuries;

• Ball control & how to achieve it;

• Remaining stable in the saddle while swinging & riding-off;

• Improving riding control & handiness;

• Improving scoring & decreasing misses;

• Developing field sense to participate in strategy & avoid fouls relative to your current abilities & how to advance to higher forms of play;

• Understanding the rules & rule strategy;

• Developing the ability to create plays & team strategy during playing;

• Creating better positioning with riding strategies;

• Developing skills that maintain your pony's energy & speed;

• Horse management & development for better performance & playing longevity;

• The right tack & gear for you & each pony & their effects on playing;

• Increasing your handicap for greater enjoyment and/or income.

All of these things hinge on riding ability and your pony's current biomechanical state. Even if you have grooms who work your ponies between games, you must gain personal knowledge and experience in creating and maintaining correct functionality to advance in effectiveness, play safer and preserve the soundness of your ponies, and to know if you have the right people handling your horses.  I work with all levels of amateurs and professionals and their own or horses they have leased at their locations (I currently do not have boarding space available at my own farm) which must have a suitable training area with good footing and equipment (ground poles, jumps, goal posts or cones, etc.) as necessary.  Lessons are taught in either private, semi-private or group form.  Riders must be capable of caring for, tacking/untacking and controlling their horses themselves, and remain focused and follow instructions for the duration of the lesson.  Their horses must be sound and fit enough for the type and level of work taught.  If your horse is not currently fit, a fitness program can be designed around your goals (see, the Conditioning Timetable and excerpt from my article Having a Fit in the boxes at right).  All students are required to wear an officially-approved polo helmet, boots and gloves, and any other gear as may be necessary.  If you are interested in discussing training for yourself or your horses, please contact me.

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TRAINING:  As stated above, your performance depends upon your pony's performance.  In fact, many professional players never go above a certain goal level partly because they sell their better ponies as soon as they are trained enough to make a living.  Training takes time because the horse's body has to physically adapt to its increasing demands-- right down to cellular level and tasks like growing new capillaries (see, Conditioning Timetable and excerpt from my article Having a Fit in the boxes at right).  This requires a layering process where certain elements must be developed first before others are built upon them in a particular order.  Pre-existing issues take time to deconstruct and any damage caused by them requires a mitigation and support strategy to advance toward better health and performance.  Here are some points on how redevelopment can translate to better playing results:

• Correcting bad biomechanics reduces the probability of accidents & injuries;

• Increased focus on play & strategy due to decreased need to correct your pony's movement;

• Better maintenance of speed on straights & turns;

• Better endurance;

• Faster & tighter changes of direction, increasing your probability of reaching the line & the ball first;

• A more stable platform for better hitting & accuracy;

• Faster & more fluid acceleration & deceleration;

• Increased responsiveness;

• Increased range of motion & reduced limitations;

• Better ride-offs & throw-ins;

• Better attitude from less discomfort & being better prepared to handle playing demands;

• Reduced probability of needing to invest in new horses earlier thereby saving money and the playing disturbance of getting used to a different horse.

For professionals, all of the above, and more, translate into a higher handicap and higher pay.  Also, a well-functioning pony is worth more if that is a consideration. Training and redevelopment is a process, but well worth it for your ponies and yourself.  Whether the season is on or off does not matter; as illustrated in the Conditioning Timetable box at right, it is better for the horses' long-term health and overall performance, and yours, to keep going through the off-season with lower intensity, corrective maintenance.  Depending upon the degree and type of issue, sometimes it can require a team approach in coordination with osteopaths, vets and farriers, but most of all, always the owner. Often feed and management changes are necessary and owners must be willing to participate in the process by ensuring that any such changes are understood and adhered to for the best outcome.  Likewise, if you do not know how to maintain correct biomechanics, I recommend fully participating through training for yourself, as well.  If you would like to discuss your ponies' evaluation & redevelopment, tuning up or finishing, please contact me. Please Note: I do not work with un-started, dangerous or debilitated horses.

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CAMPAIGNING:  Owners can have various reasons for campaigning ponies, whether they want to do it themselves or have a professional do so.  Some of them are:

• Giving their horses more experience/finishing their training;

• Improving performance between the owner's playing seasons;

• Promoting their horses for sale;

• Improving or creating a playing reputation for sale or future breeding purposes;

• For the joy of seeing their horses play at their full potential;

• Transitioning an older pony who needs to step down from intense work & find a new career while they are still capable of doing something else.

Campaigning is another level of training which requires a bigger commitment.  If you want to do well-- which does not necessarily mean winning, but rather being your best under given circumstances-- there are the added elements of training and game schedules, shipping logistics, rules, pre- and post-game care, weather, to name a few.  It is a greater commitment for a trainer, as well, who is either there to support a client or campaigning a client's horse.  If you would like to discuss campaigning your ponies, please contact me.