Horse Adventure Games to Play

Playing games with your horse is a great way to have fun, and a great way to stay engaged with your equine companion. Horses are much like people in that they get bored doing the same things over and over again. Games are an entertaining way to break out of your everyday routine and enjoy some adventure with your four-legged friend.

  1. Broom Polo

    • Polo may be the ultimate equine game, but chances are you do not have a set of polo mallets hanging in your barn. You can do the next best thing by grabbing a couple of brooms and a soccer ball for a challenging game of broom polo. If you have a riding companion, you can enjoy some friendly competition. If you are riding solo, you can practice hitting the ball through a homemade goal, the corral gate or a gap in the fence line.

    Hay-Bale Roping

    • If you have always dreamed of being a cowboy and enjoying the annual cattle roundup, you may want to practice your roping skills by attaching an artificial steer head to a bale of hay and doing your best Roy Rogers impression. Plastic steer heads are sold in tack shops and by Internet horse-supply retailers, or you can make your own reasonable facsimile with a milk jug and a stick.

    Do-It-Yourself Jousting

    • If your dream is to become a knight in shining armor, you can enlist your equine companion in a jousting competition. You can practice your swordsmanship by using your favorite riding crop or whip as a lance and spearing rings made of baler twine or plastic. Just attach those rings to a couple of pieces of wood, attach those pieces of wood to your fence line, and bring your inner knight out to play.

    Barrel Racing

    • Barrel racing is an exciting sport at the rodeo, and it can be just as exciting in your own arena. If you have access to some old 55-gallon drums, you can easily set up your own barrel-racing pattern in your riding ring or even in the pasture. If no barrels are available, you can substitute cones or anything else that will be easy to see. You may even want to have a friend time you with a stopwatch so you can constantly challenge your personal best.

    Cavalettis

    • Jumping is always a popular way for horse lovers to advance their riding skills, and going over cavalettis can keep your horse challenged and engaged. Negotiating a series of these little jumps is a training exercise as well as an adventure game you can play with your horse. You can move those cavalettis around as need be to create new patterns and make every ride a new adventure.