POLO TRAINING SQUAD SURREY
Junior & Adult Polo Development Programme
“The Minninnooka Training Squad is designed for riders who want to progress beyond weekly lessons and develop their polo skills through structured coaching, teamwork and match experience.”
Why squads
More than individual lessons. A programme built for growth.
The Minninnooka Junior Polo Development Squad is designed for young riders who are passionate about horses, polo and personal development. More than just horse riding lessons or polo coaching, the squad provides a structured pathway for riders to develop their riding skills, horsemanship, game understanding and confidence within a supportive team environment. Through regular training, clear goals and consistent coaching, riders learn what it takes to progress while building friendships, sportsmanship and a genuine commitment to their development both on and off the horse.
Individual lessons teach skills. Development Squads build riders and players. The difference is structure, repetition and consistency — regular polo coaching, horse riding training and opportunities to ride with purpose week after week. At Minninnooka, our junior squads are built around the Minninnooka Method: finding the right starting point, developing skills in the right order, using repetition to build instinct, and never adding speed or pressure before the foundation is solid. Applied within a squad environment, that approach becomes even more powerful. Riders learn alongside peers with similar ambitions, push each other to improve, develop strong team values and gain the confidence that comes from belonging to something they are genuinely committed to.
"The players who develop fastest are the ones who turn up consistently, with a plan, over time. That is what our squads are built to support."
Three squads
Find your group
Each squad is structured to match the physical ability, attention span and development priorities of its age group — with coaching that meets young players where they are.
Who Can Apply?
The Junior Polo Squad is designed for ambitious riders who are keen to develop their riding, horsemanship and polo skills in a structured team environment.
Riders do not need to be the most experienced or talented players to be considered. We are looking for young people who demonstrate a positive attitude, a willingness to learn, consistency in their training and strong team values.
Places are offered on a rider-by-rider basis, with selection based on commitment, sportsmanship, coachability and the ability to contribute positively to the squad environment.
What We Look For
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Positive attitude
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Consistent attendance
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Willingness to learn
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Good sportsmanship
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Respect for horses and teammates
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Commitment to personal improvement
14 & over — monthly packages
Choose your commitment
Our 14+ squad runs on a monthly subscription, giving players consistent access to coaching, horses and the yard. Two options to suit different levels of availability and ambition.
Entry into our Development Squads is assessed on an individual basis to ensure the programme is the right fit for each rider's goals, experience and commitment.
Part Time Squad Member
£400
PER MONTH
Regular, structured development
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One coached sessions per week
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Access to larger selection of horses
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Full weekend yard access (when coach is present)
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Riding, stick work and horsemanship development
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Individual progression plan
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Guided horse time beyond formal sessions
(excludes off site competitions)
Full Squad Member
£550
PER MONTH
Maximum development and immersion
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Two coached sessions per week
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Access to larger selection of horses
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Full yard access (when coach is present)
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Full range of learning areas (see below)
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Individual progression plan reviewed monthly
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Involvement in young horse and retraining work
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Guided horse time and yard responsibility
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Includes all at home lessons and chukkas
(excludes off site competitions)
Areas of learning — 14 & over
A full programme, not just lessons
The 14+ squad goes beyond riding and hitting a ball. Players develop across five areas that together build a genuinely complete horsewoman or horseman.
Young Horses
Working alongside young horses in early training — handling, leading, basic work on the ground and introduction to being ridden. Invaluable experience that develops patience, feel and horsemanship in equal measure.
Stick Work
Dedicated stick and ball sessions focusing on the full range of shots — off side, near side, tail shots, cut shots — built through slow work and progressive drills until each becomes instinctive under match conditions.
Horsemanship
Horse care, management, schooling and welfare — developed through daily yard involvement. Players learn to read a horse, prepare it correctly and understand what it needs at each stage of training and competition.
Training & Improvement
Understanding how to bring a horse back, reshape its responses and rebuild its confidence. Working with horses in retraining develops a player's ability to read behaviour and communicate clearly with difficult or sensitive animals.
Fitness
Polo is a physically demanding sport. We help players understand the specific fitness demands of the game — core strength, balance, stamina, hand-eye coordination — and how to develop them as part of their overall programme.
Game Theory
Tactical understanding, positioning, decision-making under pressure and how to read a polo match as it develops. Covered in chukkas, match play and dedicated review sessions.
Consistency builds players. Squads build consistency.
Why this works
The young players who develop fastest are not the ones with the most natural talent. They are the ones who show up regularly, with a plan, and spend genuine time with horses and coaches who know them well.
Our squads are built to provide exactly that — a regular schedule, the same coaches, access to a range of horses and a programme that builds deliberately on itself each week. Polo at this level asks a lot from young people. Our job is to make sure that what they put in genuinely translates into growth.
"Confidence comes from preparation. Preparation comes from repetition. Repetition needs time and structure — and that is what a squad gives you."