Ideas for mounted games/riding exercises?

Question

I'm currently getting to know my new pony - I've had her for a month now. Anyway, she gets a bit nappy and spooky when she's bored, because she's done just about everything in her time.
So I'm trying to think of exercises we can do. I've been doing trotting poles, weaving around upright poles, serpentines, figures of eight etc.
I've got access to barrels, poles, jumps, cones etc etc.

Has anyone got any ideas of fun things we can do?

Answer 1

If you notice that she perks up when you start doing something (jumping, barrel patterns, etc.) try and throw that into your routine every once in a while to get her to wake up. My thoroughbred mare loves to jump so after 10 minutes of good work I will take her over a jump. The next 10 minutes she is perked up thinking "where's the next jump? I know we'll be there in a minute!"

The best advice I can give you is to stay off the rail and always DO something. Most importantly ask her to DO something (shoulder-in, shoulder-out, lengthen stride, shorten stride, go slow, go fast,etc). If you keep her mind involved and always guessing "what's next?" then she won't fall asleep so much.

Answer 2

Try and do things to get her mind working and to make her use her logic skills.

Ride with groups so you can play bombo-- push a beach ball around with a broom, kind of like polo.

On the weekends get all of your friends together and have a little rodeo. Dollar races, to see who can walk trot and canter with a dollar under their thigh for the longest-- whoever loses it first loses etc... Egg-spoon races, put an egg on a spoon and hold the end in your mouth, walk trot and canter etc... last one with their egg wins!

Also, try doing a little racing with her, get a buddy and run around a safe field-- spark her competitive side!

Also another fun game is musical stalls-- set up "stalls" in the middle of the arena with the wooden trotting polls and play some music and basically play musical chairs. This really gets the horse listening to the riders aids because they have to be ready to go fast when you tell them to (when you hear the music stop.) Also, try some trails with her-- get her alert and looking around, and possibly take her swimming to get her to experience new things. Do excersizes such as "key holes", where you put 3 barrels somewhere in the arena in a triangle formation-- you then have to take your horse STAYING IN THE PROXIMITY OF THE CONES and make a key hole shape! Other wise serpentines and figure eights are really good too, just keep practicing those.

GOOD LUCK and if you have any other questions you can contact my equine help hotline by adding Equine Help 101 to your buddy list for prompt answers and advice. Recently, we have been having a few errors so if I am not signed on please e-mail me at [e-mail] and i will respond a.s.a.p! Thanks!

Answer 3

Ride with others so that you can play group games which are extremely fun.There quite a few mounted games you can play in teams like apple bobbing etc. Another fun game is musical poles. Put up a whole lot of poles in the arena (one for all the riders except 1) and then play music while riding your horse. Then like with musical chairs whoever is last to touch a pole gets disqualified. Potato and spoon race (like egg and spoon race) done on horse back is also fun. Another idea is to have a relay race with a cup filled with water. Each rider on the team rides to the next holding a cup with water in one hand and passes it on. If you spill out all the water you ust dismount and reill it before continueing. the team with the most water in the end wins. Have FUN

Answer 4

you can do games,such as water gun targets on horseback etc., ive heard ppl say its really fun. take her on trails she hasnt gone on etc.,
good luck!