know some good old-fashioned Gymkhana games?

ferna

Fernando speedy pants
Jul 8, 2006
89
0
0
a nice part of Leicestershire
Hi I just wondered if anyone knows some old gymkhana games?:rolleyes: We are all fed up with going to our local NOVICE show racing against semi professionals :mad: , (we havent a chance at being placed) so weve decided to buy some rosettes and have our very own yard gymkhana!

Anything simple and straight forward please, most of us are hitting thirty had kids so vaulting is out of the question :D haha hope you can help xx;)
 
walk trot canter run
sack race (you gallop to other end of school and jump back in a sack)
bending race
cup race (you have cups on the bending poles and you have to pick on up and place it on next pole)
potato/ball race (go to one end of arena pick up ball/potato and then gallop to other end and drop it in a bucket)
flag race (similar to ball race but with flags)
umm cant think of any more right now!!
 
Musical sacks - like musical chairs except with sacks
Egg and spoon - great if you're the one on the not-bouncy horse
Black rider - not a very PC name, but this one is something like follow the leader. The person in front is the "black rider", and everyone else follows them line abreast and does what the black rider is doing (walk/trot/canter). The black rider can stop and turn round whenever they feel like it - and the last person the black rider sees still moving is the loser and the new black rider. Quite fun if you're cantering and suddenly have to stop and be motionless!
 
Gretna Green (for Pairs - 1st Rider canters down to the other end, where another riding is waiting for them. The jump up behind them and the 2 ride back.
Apple bobbing - gallop to other end, jump off retreive apple that is floating in a bucket and gallop back
Obstacle race. You can use tyres, stepping stones, have to stop and eat a biscuit/ drink a glass of water, answer a question.
Dressing up race. have to get off and put on coats, hats gloves etc then get back on
Stepping stones go to the end , jump off go across the stepping stones jump back on.

Anything that involves a certain amount of rider skill (e.g. apple bobbing, dressing up) is good because you are not so dependent on having a fast pony.
 
Chase me charlie
potatoe race
walk/trot/canter
obsticale race.
umm its been a while, best turned out,
consolation prize, competitors not one a rosette at the show.
 
We played a simple but good game at our RS adult gymkhana. It's called 'Crossing the River' or something like that. I'd never come across it before...

Basically on each long side of the arena you have 2 poles out across the track several metres apart (these are the bridges I guess!). You all ride around the track while the music plays and when the music stops anyone that is caught between the poles (so on the bridge) is out. Therefore you try and ride as slowly as you can around the rest of the track but as fast as you can between the poles.

Hope that makes sense!
 
-If you get stuck do a slow race, last back without halting wins
-Ride and run (ride up get off run and lead back)
-any object and bucket race. We use stones and brushes. Put them on a barrels or large cones at the far end. Ride up, pick up object, ride back and drop object in bucket. Can do this with more than one object.
-water race. We put buckets on barrels at the far end and empty buckets at the finish line. Every rider gets a cup. Aim is to get as much water in the empty bucket in a fixed time limit, eg 2 minutes. Good fun, but more of a summer game.
-potato/small apples/egg and spoon race. Obviously on horseback. If you drop the potato you have to get off retrieve it and get back on.
-team up and have a relay race
-relay race as above but with one pony per team, makes teamwork and helping eachother on very important. No one at the RS can vault on, but this is still very do-able without vaulting.
-musical games such as musical statues and musical mats/barrels

there are so many things you can do with a minimum of equipment. Have a think and you might even come up with some good original ones
 
Stepping Stones. Get some upturned buckets and lead your pony. You have to jump from bucket to bucket while you run and your pony trots. If you miss one of the buckets, you're out. It's good fun.​
 
Thanks everyone, weve got a few to go on there then:D , cant wait to get practicing, I like the idea of the ones with music, we will prob have "charge of the light brigade" and "black beauty" as the sound tracks, although im sure the people in the houses nearby will think weve all completely lost the plot:p
 
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