Starting a saddle club, need some help...

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

Hey guys, I am starting a saddle club soon with my horsey friends, and I need some ideas of games we could play all of them can w/t/c, so I need some more advanced games for them, I would like to start out walk trot for the first meeting to get them used to the horses, any ideas?

Thank you!!

 

[QH Girl]

I would put together some obstacle courses. Look at the guidelines other organizations have for their obstacle courses to give you some ideas - aqha, actha. If you have a group that consistently shows up you could learn a drill together. I love riding with drill teams but I'm pattern challenged

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[BobwhiteQuailLover]

That i HAVE to do!! Any more creative byc'ers?

 

[welsummerchicks]

Do you have enough room to do a treasure hunt?

There's a couple different ways you can do it - dismounted, just running around - Another one is on horseback - with 'clues' leading people to more clues, they have to dismount, mount, pick up clues or items, and find their way to the next clue - at the end of the hunt, the reward can be whatever you want - a ribbon or more if possible.

I like treasure hunts because anyone can win regardless of age. Well depending on how difficult the clues are.

You can play simon says - and simon says canter, or trot or halt, just mix it up.

Any game where you have to ride and pick up something and pass it to someone else on your team is fun - we did one once with passing apples, and the way too smart ponies kept grabbing the apples and eating them...

 

[15lparker]

I also think that a obstacle class is great!! I show horses and there is NOTHING more exciting when you finally get your horse to do something that you ask them to do!!

Grooming the horses is a awesome way to bond too!! A good idea might be a races to see who has the CLEANEST horse the FASTEST.

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

There is like 40 acres there haha. Enough room for anything. lol. What could I use in a treasure hunt?

 

[welsummerchicks]

In some treasure hunts, you only are given ONE clue, that leads you to the FIRST item - you have to find that to get the next clue. THAT item also has your next clue with it. That leads you to item 2, and so on. You have to find each clue, to get to the next item.

I've seen people use cookies, candy, apples, or horse treats for each clue.

And something nicer for the last thing you find.

So say, you have 4 people. And you decide to have 6 clues, and a final prize. Each person chips in a dollar for the prizes, or brings a prize or however you want to do that.

You would get 2 dozen little prizes - a cookie, an apple, something like that, enough for each person and each spot (4X6). Your final prize would be something nicer - say, a water bottle or a pair of grippy gloves or a lead shank.

SO. You decide on SIX spots to leave your clues. In a hole in a tree, on top of a barrel, on top of a fence, something riders can get to. You leave ONE clue, one LITTLE prize at each spot.

The first person who reaches the spot, gets the prize. He reads the clue and leaves it right there, and goes on to the next spot. And so on.

The clues are however hard your kids can handle. They could be pretty tricky for older kids. But you don't want to overdo as the youngest in the group needs a chance too.

So for example, everyone gets one clue - say, 'I am in the place where horses find shade' - and everyone rides toward a big tree. No clue there, humph! They ride to the lean to, and the first kid gets the carrot or cookie there - reads the clue and goes on to the next spot as fast as he can.

The others can read the clue he left, follow him and catch and pass him, if they think they understood the last clue, they might be going to the right place.

The idea is to get people to ride around a lot, mount and dismount, and have a lot of fun.

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

Wow, that will be fun!! We are all the same age and at the same riding levels. We also are going to do mounted games...

 

[Sierra pachie bars]

We used to do play days. Like egg in a spoon and having to go from walk to trot.
Trying to member what else we did. I just remember my training being mean and taking my sinch and irons and making me jump fences

mean so mean...

 

[geebs]

Get some hockey sticks... horseback hockey... great fun!!! good will garage sales CL