| Are you a riding instructor, looking for fun horse riding | | | | have created one less parking lot than riders, one rider |
| games to play with your students after lesson time? | | | | is left out and must exit. Then, you take away a pole |
| Well here are some great ideas to help teach them | | | | and start the music again, and again until there is a |
| riding skills while having a fun time together! | | | | winner. The kids love it! |
| 1. Boot Game: With 6 riders, place 12 boots on the rail | | | | 3. Red Light Green Light: The kids ride in a straight line |
| at one end of the ring. Riders can be on teams or | | | | from one end of the ring to the other and listen for |
| individual - If they divide into teams, riders line up at the | | | | commands. "Red Light" means to walk your horse. |
| far end of the ring and trot or canter (depending on | | | | "Green Light" means to trot your horse. If rider makes |
| their ability) to the end where the boots are placed. | | | | a mistake they have to back 5 steps. The first rider to |
| They pick the boot up and travel to the center of the | | | | cross the finish line is the winner. This develops the |
| arena where a muck bucket is placed. They must | | | | skills of eye contact and body language while |
| drop the boot in the bucket and continue to the end of | | | | encouraging control and calmness with the horse. |
| the ring where they started, tag the next person who | | | | 4. Mounting and Dismounting Game - I play this horse |
| then does the same thing. The first team to complete | | | | riding game with 4 older riders who can mount from |
| moving the boots is the winner. If the rider misses the | | | | the ground and 4 little riders with mounting blocks. One |
| bucket, they dismount, pick up the boot, remount, and | | | | older rider is paired up with a younger rider. The |
| drop in again. (If they are small or too young, you can | | | | younger riders are in center ring tagged up to the |
| skip that part! | | | | mounting block and keep an eye on their team mate. |
| The rider learns not to head the horse directly to the | | | | Commands are asked of the riders on the rail. When |
| boot they want. Rather they learn to ride up along the | | | | the instructor says "halt" the older rider stops on the rail |
| rail and scoop it up. If the horse is facing the boot, the | | | | and dismounts while the young rider runs from the |
| rider cannot lean over to pick it up. They also learn not | | | | center to her horse and partner. The older rider has to |
| to race to bucket quickly and throw in the boot. Rather, | | | | get to get the little rider on safely and then race back |
| they learn to approach the bucket at the walk and | | | | to the mounting block. The last person in that team is |
| drop it in carefully. It really teaches a lot of patience, | | | | out. Now the little riders start their riding commands. |
| planning and steering! | | | | The halt is called for and older rider runs to the little |
| 2. Musical Horses: This is a horse riding game that | | | | rider who is dismounting. The older rider mounts and |
| works just like Musical Chairs! Place ground poles | | | | little rider runs back to mounting block. By now, it is |
| parallel to each other, about 8 feet apart, in the center | | | | pretty funny as older riders are riding with no stirrups |
| of the arena creating horse parking lots, for lack of a | | | | or in jockey style in little kids stirrups - teams are |
| better description! The kids ride on the rail to music and | | | | screaming for one another and it is quite CRAZY!! This |
| must do whatever is asked for - walk - trot - canter - | | | | continues until one team is left! |
| halt - half circle - reverse - circle. When the music | | | | For more information about games on horseback, visit |
| stops the riders must continue in the same direction but | | | | Horse Riding Videos. |
| get to a ground pole parking lot quickly. Because you | | | | |