Riding Horses Games

Working with your horse can sometimes become a bit routine, and it is easy to get bored with the same old thing. Keeping your horse interested in its job can be a real challenge, as can moving your own riding ability to the next level. Challenging yourself and your horse with various riding games can make your training sessions and riding experiences a lot more fun and rewarding.

  1. Obstacle Course

    • Setting up an obstacle course is an effective way to keep your horse focused and teach it new things. Your course can be as simple as a few logs laid out in the ring or riding area, or as elaborate as a series of bridges, tarps and back-through obstacles. You can create your obstacle course out of items you already have around the barn -- just make sure all the items you choose are safe and sturdy.

    Barrel Race

    • Barrel racing is a highly competitive sport on the rodeo circuit, but you can use it as a game as well. Whether your goal is to compete at local shows or move on to the rodeo circuit, you can learn a lot by playing this game at home. For the barrel race you set up three barrels in a triangular pattern, then circle around each one of them in turn. You can start with the barrel on the left or the right, but you must make a full circle around each one. You can go as fast or as slow as you want while you develop your skills and those of your horse.

    Broom Polo

    • Broom polo is a simple game to play, and it requires nothing more than a couple of old brooms, a large ball and sufficient space to play the game. You can play this game against a friend, or select teams and play with several different horse and rider combos. You can even play the game yourself to develop control of your horse and its movements. The object of the game is simply to move the ball down the field, using the broom to push the ball along while preventing your opponent or the opposing team from moving it in the other direction.

    Ring Spearing

    • Ring spearing is an enjoyable horseback game that is often seen at gymkhanas, play days and open horse shows. Hang a series of small plastic rings from the fence posts along a riding ring or pasture. The object of the game is to ride past those rings and spear as many as you can, using a wooden stick designed to look like a knight's lance. If you are working at home, you can use an inexpensive dowel rod or similar item. If you are competing in ring spearing at a show, management will provide you with your lance. Ring spearing is a good game for learning to control your horse's body, since you need to get close enough to the fence to spear the rings while keeping the horse moving straight ahead.