Mounted equestrian games are played as a competitive horseback riding sport where riders must demonstrate excellent control and agility. The premise of these games can be modified to fit any level of rider but work especially well for intermediate, teenage riders. Many of these horse games are best played as a relay race, requiring you to establish a starting line, define lanes for each team and a turning spot to denote the end of the arena.
Mug Shuffle
Mug Shuffle requires you to have a set of three to five bending poles and one plastic mug per team. Riders must race as fast as they can through the line of bending poles, to the turning spot and back to the starting line. Upon passing a pole, the rider must place the plastic mug upside down over the top of the pole for just a moment, picking it right back up again before moving ahead to the next pole. Riders must pass the mug like a baton to the next teammate upon crossing back over the starting line. The next rider then completes this same sequence until all teammates have raced. This is a difficult game that requires great awareness and control.
Flag Flyers
You will need one flag for each rider who is playing the game and two containers to hold the flags for each team lane. Each team’s flags are placed in one container that is set at the turning point while the other, empty container is set halfway between the starting point and turning spot. Riders must race down to the turning spot where they must bend over to pick up a flag from the full container. Once the rider has a flag in her hand, she must race back toward the finish line, dropping the flag into the second, empty container en route. The next team member can begin her turn when the first rider passes back over the starting line. This sequence continues until all of the flags have been moved from the turning point container to the midway container.
Agility Races
Agility races test the rider’s ability to mount and dismount quickly without losing balance or control. You will need six sturdy buckets for each team. The buckets are placed upside down, in a row and about a foot apart from each other at the midway point between the starting line and the turning spot. As the rider races down to the turning point, she must dismount at the midpoint of her lane, step quickly across the up-turned buckets while leading her horse, mount back up onto her horse and resume the race. The first team to have each of their riders complete this relay wins.
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