15 Mounted & Unmounted Activities- For Kids

In the process of planning a horse camp, I had to pick all the day’s activities for on and off the horse. It was honestly a super fun, yet challenging process. And even though the games and crafts I chose were for horse camp, I want to share them with you all, because I think that they were really enjoyable and educational; something I think even adult equestrians could use to improve their riding and test their horse knowledge. So whether you are screeching the web for horse activities for a camp, a riding lesson, or to do in your own backyard, here is a list of mounted and dismounted games to try! 

 GAMES ON HORSEBACK

Beanbag Balance 

• Improve your position and balance by placing a bean bag on your head while you ride. This seemingly easy task is a great reminder to keep your eyes up, shoulders back, and body stable! 

Around the World 

• I learned this “game” at horse camp and love doing it on my horses. It really lets you get a feel for the saddle and is a great way to desensitize your horse to weight sifting & movement in the saddle. Around the World is accomplished by taking your feet out of the stirrups and doing a 360 in the saddle one leg at a time. It is a little complicated to explain so watch this video if you need a visual.  *You can also try standing up in the saddle, placing both feet on the actual saddle, this can be dangerous so make sure you do it on a horse you know will stand still.* 

Obstacle Course 

• Using patterns, cones, barrels, est.., this is a great way to put your skills to the test. You can also use an obstacle course to desensitize your horse. Use flags, pool noodles, ramps; the possibilities and combinations are endless!  Check out these sites for prime obstacle course inspiration! 

– 10 Easy Horse Obstacles Under $20 

– 6 Uses for Pop Up or Real Barrels 

Red Light, Green Light 

• This game requires at least two mounted riders and one person calling out. Have someone call out “walk on” for green light and “whoa” for red light. If someone doesn’t stop soon enough have them back up a step.  

Follow the Leader 

• A simple game, follow the leader is a great group activity. Designate a leader for the other mounted riders to follow around obstacles and patterns. Even have students match the gait and body movements of their leader. 

Relay Games On Horseback  

• Brush relay: Divide riders into teams. Starting at the same spot have riders race to a barrel and pick up a brush from the bucket on top, racing back with the brush and dismounting so the next rider can mount. *You could also play this game by yourself. Have two barrels with buckets on top, move all the objects from one bucket to the next.* 
• Balance relay: Each team gets a plate or frisb and a bouncy ball! Contestants mount and race there and back while trying to keep the ball on the plate. This game is a little challenging, but is also really fun. *It’s also something you can do on your own for fun.* 

Ride-a-buck 

• This is a great game to help learn and improve your posting trot. It also teaches new riders to use their thighs to “hold” onto the horse and not their hands & legs. To play simply place a dollar bill between the saddle and your thigh. The objective is to not lose it as you trot around! 

UNMOUNTED ACTIVITIES 

Homemade Hand Scrub 

•  A super easy recipe from the Savvy Horsewoman Blog, making homemade hand soap is a neat and simple DIY. *Put some in a jar with a ribbon and ya have a nice little gift for someone special.* You can find the recipe here!

Game That Teaches Ques & Soft Hands 

• This game takes teams of two. One person is the “horse,” and is wearing a  blindfold and  a bridle around her neck, holding the bit in her hands. The “rider,” the other person, stays two or three feet behind the “horse” and uses the reins (not human words) to tell the “horse” to stop or go. The “rider” is only allowed to cluck or kiss to the “horse” to ask it to move forward, then let the person holding the bit react by going, stopping, or moving. Ask the blindfolded person what he or she felt, was the “rider” pulling too hard, jurking? Or was the “rider” too soft? *Also practice turing, setting up a course of cones for the “horse” and”rider” to weave around!* 

Blindfolded Tack Games 

• Can you identify the names of all the grooming tools…blindfolded? 
• Can you identify the parts of the saddle & bridle…blindfolded? 
• These types of games can be done in groups, pairs, or on your own! They are a great way to learn and to test what you know! 

Braid Fest 

• Not to be confused with breakfast, have a braid fest just for fun or for competition. Braid away and be sure to experiment with new & interesting braids and styles. 

Tack Races 

• Have group or individual races to see who can tack up the fastest. Remember that doing it right is more important than speed, so have a penalty if the tack isn’t put on correctly. 

Horse Treats 

• With numerous recipe ideas and options, get creative and have some fun. This is not only a great activity for yourself or your campers, but for any little girls that might want to stop by and feed the ponies. It is a great hands on activity for horse loving kids that doesn’t necessarily involve direct contact with the horse. Some horse treat recipes to spark your creativity! 

– No Bake Horse Treats From the Savvy Horsewoman Blog 

– Healthy Treat Recipe for Horses & Dogs 

– No Bake Peppermint Treats from the Phoenix Filly 

Magazine Scavenger Hunt

• There’s your chance to use all those old horse magazines you have stuffed under your bed and in the closet! For this game you can have several groups, give each group a stack of magazines, tell the group to find a certain picture (Example call outs: “Find a chestnut horse!” “Find a horse that is going through water.”) First group to find the picture wins! You can keep points for the teams if you want to. *This game is a great way for kids to learn horse coat colors, markings, and terms. Simply go over them before the “hunt” and incorporate the facts in your call outs. 

Paint the Horses 

• The campers that went to my Horse Camp enjoyed getting a little messy with paint as they decorated the horses! I used non-toxic, washable finger paint that came off the horses with some soap & elbow grease. *Be sure to use animal safe or non-toxic paint on the horses. Also a pointer I learned the hard way: give the kids some boundaries on where they can paint the horse; I recommend not letting them paint the horse’s face or ears.*  

Hope this gave you some exciting ideas for the horse camp or riding lesson you’re planning, or for a way to spread the love of horses to others! *Ever considered having some horse crazy kiddos out for a trip to the barn? Maybe you have little (even teenagers or adults too) nieces, nephews, cousins, or friends that would love just a few hours with the horses! I think that I forgot something really important in my last post, something else that I learned at horse camp is that most everyone likes horses and wants to be around them. They just need a horse to be around! Just a thought!* 

More horsy posts: https://horsesoftheozarkhills.com/horse-camp-2020-spreading-the-love-of-horses-to-others/

Tails & trails, 

Reese 

A super BIG shout out to the photographer in training who helped out at Horse Camp last week: Kenzie!  -She might not have horses of her own, but she has a pretty powerful blog of her own about her testimony of living with food allergies and eczema! Check it out here: Jewel Among The Stones.