Pony games Any ideas?

Question

Im looking for some ideas for some games i can get the kids on my yard to play in our sand school (ON HORSE BACK) must be
suitable for ponies and horses and riders of all abilities. have you any ideas for gymkhana games

Answer 1

On thing I did at a camp is We got on Bareback(for advanced only! Saddle for begginers!) and we put buckets on two ends of the arena then the group was split up into two teams. Each person was given a tooth-brush (can be substituded for other object) and basically they lined up on either side of the arena and would trot, walk or canter to the other side of th arena and try to drop the tooth brush in the bucket which ever team got the most in the bucket and finished first was the winner. To make things fair each group had the same amount of each level rider in each (ex. each group had 2 people who were going to canter across, two people who were going to trt across and two who were going to walk across. The kids had so much fun. If you have any more questions just ask me through email ( [e-mail])
I also have some 'off the horse' ideas that involve horses if wanted!
Have Fun!
-Jessica

Answer 2

I used to do gymkhana games :D

1. Play the game of musical ponies (if theres like 4/5 ponies) you put sacks on the ground and the ponies go around in a circle then when the music stops the rider has to jump off onto the sack, continue til there's one sack left and a winner.

2. Whips game. Get several traffic cones and place one at each end of the riding arena and then the riders has to trot/canter to the far end, get the whip canter back, put whip in the hole of the cone, run back to get another one, carry on til someone wins.

3. Endurance kinda game. you start off with a jump, head towards a gate that is between two posts, open the gate, go through, turn around, close the gate (this is kinda ahrd if the pony's a fidget), weave through the cones then finish off with a jump.

4. Round The World. requires someone to hold the horse/pony whilst the rider turns around in the saddle many times as they can without sliding off in the timed perhaps 2 minutes?

5. Barrel Racing. very simple, 3 barrels in a traingle form well spaced apart then you can make up the route and the person with the fastest times win.

6. Red Light. Green Light. horsey version of Tag. It stands a good distance off from the rest of the kids, with her back turned to them. She calls, "Green Light!" and the children run toward her until she says, "Red Light". It turns around and tries to catch anyone who is moving. If she sees someone moving, they must go back to the Start line. Play continues until someone runs up and tags It.

Answer 3

Barrell bending - place about five barrells with gaps between them and run a race through them - the pony has to weave through them without knocking them over.

Egg and spoon - played the same as normal except on horseback!

Stack the parcels - wrap about 5 parcels of various sizes and place them at teh end of the arena - at the top half have the pony teams - basically run as a relay - the first pony gallops down - picks up the biggest parcel - gallops halfway back up the arena - places it on the ground gallops back up to starting line where the 2nd rider gallops down and repeats the procedure. The first team that stacks the parcels on top of each other securely wins! If a parcel falls the rider has to dismount and place it back on top

Stepping stones - place about 6 buckets in the middle of the arena - spaced apart - the rider gallops up to it - dismounts - runs along the buckets like stepping stones whilst leading the pony in hand - remounts gallops to the finish where the second rider is waiting to repeat the process going in the opposite direction.

Answer 4

Relay races are good for all abilities, including lead rein and adults. You can vary the difficulty be adding small jumps for more competitive riders and 'round the world' for novices.

Try an obstacle course, where they have to negotiate round cones, walk/trot over poles, jump a small fence if they are more experienced, post a letter in a box - the fastest time wins.

Have a quiz, giving points for answering a question and the chance to try a small obstacle for bonus points - limit it to 3 questions each and tot up the points. Offer a tie breaker of a 'round the world' for 1 minute and see who clocks up the most turns.

Answer 5

many many many
egg and spoon [ or rock and spoon] carry an egg in a spoon without touching the egg, last dropped wins

sit a buck- ridden bareback- place a dollar sized paper under the butt or thigh of each rider, again last to lose it wins

catch- may be done between riders or by oneself.

who can stand in the sturrips the longest, at a walk, trot

relay race- pass a baton at each end on the course. teams of 2 or more

there's too many to list but for more check out uspc.org which is the US Pony Club website. they hold nationwide contests for games. also if you want to spend some money for gear consider polocrosse. its a wonderful sport that can be played by all levels.also found ay uspc. contact me if you wish

Answer 6

BROOMBALL!! My best friend and I used to play this when we got bored. The size of the ball and the length of the brooms will vary depending on the size of the horse. Make sure you desensitize the horses to the brooms/balls before letting the kids get on! But basically, you can play it just like hockey, make a goal with jump posts, poles, or just have the ball touch the fence.

Answer 7

I've also seen the sit-a-buck game played at my barn...the kids had so much fun doing it. They started at the walk for the first round, but said it was too easy and they were eager to move up to the trot. There were dollar bills flying all over the place once they began trotting....but they had a blast.

Answer 8

The only thing that crosses my mind that is suitable for everyone is: Who's horse can walk the fastest from point A to point B. No cantoring, trotting, galloping, etc allowed.

Answer 9

You can do 'around the world' and 'half scissors'. Around the world is when you sit on the saddle normally, then swing your legs over the pommel to sit sideways, then over the cantle to sit backwards, to the other side then face the front and see who can do it quickest. Half scissors you sit facing forward, swing your leg over the horses neck (and the pommel) to sit sideways then turn around so your stomach is on the saddle then swing your leg back over the cantle. Me and my sister used to do it all the time when we were younger. It brings in a small element of competition!!

Answer 10

Obstacle courses are fun. Also you can take a roll of toilet paper and have two of them hold a long length of it between them, they have to ride a pattern while keeping the toilet paper tight, but not tearing it.