Fun Riding & Horse Training Games

A Classic Horseback Training Game

This game is a lot of fun for intermediate or advanced riders and can teach the student to anticipate change and adapt their movements quickly. Ultimately it's up to the instructor, however you may find that adventurous beginner riders are capable of keeping up as well.

How to Play The Musical Stalls On Horseback Game.

To set up the game; in the center of the ring lay Cavelletti or jump cross poles parallel to each other leaving a comfortable distance between them so that horse and rider can walk between the sets of poles without bumping or crowding each other.

Essentially you are going to lay poles on the ground in order to form make believe stalls. Then similar to the musical chairs game the students will walk around the ring (on the rail) while the music is playingg. Each time the music stops (when you turn it off) the riders come off the rail and try to be one of the first to get their horse into one of the make believe stalls. Since there is one less stall than there are riders, whichever rider got left out is of the game (until next time).

After each round of eliminating a rider, remove a pole and continue until there are only two riders and one stall left. The first rider into the last stall is the "Winner"

For safety sake make sure you have established the rules with all of the riders ahead of time. When first starting out it's best to limit the riders to a walking gait only. Very advance riders may have more fun with a trot or cantor around the rail and then when the music stops slow to a walk or trot while heading to the stalls. * It's up to the instructor to know the capabilities of their students .

Equestrian Rider Training With Fun Horse Training Games - We all know we have to train if we are going to stay sharp, but let's face it many of the exercises we perform every week can become tedious to you and your horses. The purpose of this Lens is to find and show some fun horse training games to use as alternatives to the typical drill, rehearse repeat.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced rider many of the basic exercises are designed to help you build strength, coordination, and confidence and need to be practiced regularly, no matter how advanced your skills are. Incorporating fun horse training games into your workout can help advance your skills rapidly and bring renewed motivation. Did I also mention, "and it's a lot of 'Fun" .

"Disclaimer: As with all sports and physical activity there is a possibility of injury. Please Understand this lens is for informational purposes only. If you are to practice or implement any of the training or games described below. "For your safety... Do so only under the direct supevision of a professional trainer"

Image Credit: Author Winlin

By: Betty Bennett-Talbot and Steven Bennett

Without a doubt this is the most comprehensive text available on horse riding games. Written in a style that puts safety first. Betty and Steven Bennett have written a classic on horse training games.

What Others are Saying:

"I bought this book for my daughter for Christmas and its been great to have at the equestrian center where we keep our horse."

"I loved this book - it has great ideas for games to do with just you and your horse or with a group of others as well."

"Games on Horseback is becoming a well-deserved classic. Games range from the simplest that even a fairly inexperienced rider can handle, to more challenging games that require greater skill."

For more information including current pricing and availability follow the link or double click the photo. Image Credit: Amazon

Non Profit Available to Middle and Secondary School Students

The International Equestrian Association (IEA) was formed and organized to promote and improve the quality of equestrian competition and instruction available to middle and secondary school students. The IEA promotes Hunt Seat, Western and Saddle Seat riding competition throughout the United States.

The IEA strongly promotes the fact that "You do not need to own a horse to compete in the IEA.". Many of the IEA participants have goals of riding in collegiate competition and are hopeful that their participation in the IEA events can gain them experience and notoriety that will eventually lead to college scholarship opportunities.

A non-profit organization, the IEA , now has over 5,000 student-riders on hundreds of teams across North America... North America, Alaska and Hawaii. For information regarding an iEA riding opportunity near you visit the IEA website

Equestrian Riding Helmet

A safe, reliable and ** certified riding helmet is a must for all horse riding and horse training games. Troxel riding helmets are as well known and respected as they get in the sport of equestrian riding. The Troxel Brand makes a statement about the rider.

Check the Amazon pages for genuine Troxel helmets. You will nto only get the most trusted name, but you will find many deals and if your eligible you might even get free shipping right to your front door. Troxel Spirit - Horseback Riding Helmet

This lens is about real horses and real people doing real riding, if you came here looking for virtual or online horse games please take a minute to look around before you leave. - You might get hooked.

Here is a list of 3 top horse games gaming sites online. Each has multiple horse riding games to choose from. W

Egg and Spoon Game

This game is ideal for teaching the rider how to relax in the seat and focus on a task. In this case the task is placing an egg on a spoon and riding it across the arena or paddock without droping it. A similar but less messy version uses a golf ball instead of an egg.

As the students become more adept at this game you can even set up cones or fences to give them obstacles to ride around. Try it at a walk or trot.

There are many ways to play the game, here are two of them:

1.One method of play begins by timing each rider to see how quickly they can complete a course then simply compare the times and the best time wins. If you drop the egg you must go back and start over but the timer keeps going. The timed method seems to work better with a smaller group.

2. Another way to play the game is to separate the riders into two groups (teams) and give them identical courses to follow and the first team with everyone over the finish line wins. Remember if a team member drops the egg they have to go back to the beginning and start over.

You might be amazed at how quickly you or your students improve their skills.

http://www.squidoo.com/jolly-ball-horse-toy

"Horses gotta have fun too! You will be absolutely amazed at the hours of enjoyment our equestrian friends can get from playing with their very own Toy for Horses, "The Jolly Ball".

This Lens is all about Jolly balls and toys for horses. Helping you choose which one you want for your horse… nothing says it like video so please enjoy the collection of "You Tube" clips toys for horses.http://www.squidoo.com/jolly-ball-horse-toy"

The buck game will help you keep your seat secure by training you to use the correct muscles. Pretty simple place a "buck" one dollar between each of your knees and the horse. "Oh", by the way you will get the best results from this horse training game while you are riding bareback.

Set up courses or runs and the first person across the finish or the last person holding onto their bucks is the winner. If you don't care to you dollars for this game. Scraps of paper or color cloth works well too.

A Classic Horse Training Games Idea

You can play red light green light on horseback also... This a great game for your less experienced riders, you may consider changing the trot to a canter for more experienced riders if you have a large enough training area.

You will need a finish line and a startitng line. One of the easier methods for this is to stretch out a length of rope at either end or the arena and place orange cones on the ends of the rope to designate the start and finish gates.

The instructor the announces "Red Light", "Green Light" or "Yellow Light"

Red Light: Halt

Yellow Light: Walk

Green Light: Trot

The first contestant that followed the instructions correctly and makes it over the finish line is the winner.

This is a very simple game that develops reaction time and ability to take instruction... Two very basic ingredients of a future award winning rider.