I used to do a lot of games with my beginners/intermediates and even the more advanced riders enjoyed a break from serious schooling from time to time.
Australian Road Race: this can be done at any gait (walk or trot for beginners, only canter with the more experienced riders). set up cones, standards or poles in the corners, just off the rail. Set the riders (3, 4, whatever) at equidistant points along the rail. At âon your mark, get set, goâ they start off at whatever gait youâve decided to use. The goal is to catch up with the rider in front of them. They must not cut the corners (go around the cone/standard or eliminated) and they canât break gait faster (also elimination). If they catch up to the rider in front of them, the slower rider is eliminated and stands in the middle. This goes on till only one rider has caught up to all others and wins. This is a great exercise for intermediate riders on lazy school ponies. They might not be able to keep Sparky trotting when working on equitation, but they get caught up in the excitement of the game, and really get going. You can make it harder (for advanced riders) by taking away stirrups.
A variation is to make it âslowest winsâ. and if you catch up to the horse in front of you, youâre out. This is a good one for riders working on collecting the canter. Again, if you break gait, youâre eliminated.
Bareback. This can be as simple as just walking, trotting, cantering (depending on skill level of rider) bareback, or you can add âsit a buckâ to it, and give all the students strips of papers under knee, thighs, butts (whatever your goal is) and whoever keeps theirs longest wins.
Command class: riders have to do whatever gait you announce within 5 seconds. They can drop stirrups for an added level of difficulty.
Simon says: more for little beginner riders. Simon might say âdrop reinsâ or âtouch your ponyâs earsâ, or âtwo pointâ.
Follow the leader: again, for the wee ones. Helps them work on steering, and you can lead them over poles on the ground, or weave around jump standards. You can even jog and have the pony trot after you.
Gamblers Choice: for the advanced jumping riders. Set up a mix of singles around the ring. Assign a point value to each and allow a set time. Use a stop watch and have the riders do as many jumps as they can in the time allowed. If they knock it down they donât get points and canât use that fence again. Helps them think about their track between fences and also strategize the best course to maximize jumps in minimum time. If the riders are more novice, but old enough/smart enough to be in control, you can modify it and use cross rails and have them trot the whole thing.
Build a course: again, for more intermediate/advanced riders. Start the lesson off horses. Students work together to build a course (hunter, eq, whatever). This lets you talk about âwalking linesâ, different jump types, etc. Then they get on their horses, do a brief warm up, and then take turns riding the course they set.
so, not really a âgameâ, but a fun variation. Have the riders take turns âteachingâ. They stand in the middle and direct the class (at whatever gaits/exercises you stipulate) and are encouraged to notice and correct other students (heels down, shorten reins, still hands, shoulders back, etc). It fosters âactive watchingâ, and also makes them appreciate you, the real teacher, more.
Those are some of the ones I remember using⊠Have fun
