Ideas for Horseback Riding Fun

Posted On January 27, 2022

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Before you know it the school term is out, the weather is warming, and the days are getting longer. It’s time to think about summertime fun with horses and kids. Horse children spend the majority of their summers outdoors. Summer is full of horse-related activities. This includes riding on trails, playing games with horses, and caring for your horse at the barn.

 There are obvious options like horse shows, trail rides and horse camps. But what about other ideas that look outside the box? You can have fun with your children by organizing activities that are low-cost and affordable.

These activities can be held at your barn, or at a friend’s barn. You can teach your older children organizational skills by organizing and planning the events.

Here are some ideas for summer horseback riding fun.

Relax with a spa day. Give your Horse a relaxing bath. Let your kid/s pamper their ponies and take it one step further and video or take photos throughout. Be fun to throw into your scrapbook or photo album. All the horses in your barn should have a special day. You can ride together, dress up, or do some play-day activities. Brightly colored grooming tools for children are a great idea. You can also add an arts-and-crafts component by providing extras such as safe, water-soluble paints, mane and hoof glitter.

Practice Patterns. To prepare for your next show, practice patterns by checking in with your Club or Association and set a makeshift course to practice. This is an excellent opportunity to practice groundwork exercises that will make your Horse more relaxed, supple, and trustful.

Create A Cowboy Racing Course. Building an obstacle course together can be so much fun; you can use as many resources that you have at your fingertips. Bridges, old tires, pool noodles, the list is endless. It’s a great team-building exercise, and then the kids can have fun putting their horses through the paces when the course is complete.

Have a party with your Horse at the swimming hole. If you don’t already know of a swimming hole, organize a party with your horsey friends or your Equestrian Centre or Pony Club clients and have a great time. These are important things to keep in mind:

• Is it possible to camp there?
• Can you light a fire?
• Are you required to have a permit?
• Is it possible to keep your horses safe overnight at a secure location?

Have a blast, and be safe.

Mock Show. Classes can be anything from fun gymkhana to Horse-show-proper, i.e. horsemanship, pleasure and trail. You can use the objective to entertain or mentally prepare for a real show. Parents can assist with the judging and announcements. Old ribbons or inexpensive prizes can be used as awards.

Barn Scavenger Hunt. You can challenge your friends or siblings to a barn scavenger hunt. See who can find and collect the most goodies. This can be made even more fun by offering prizes or awards.

Costume Contest. For a chance to win inexpensive prizes, challenge kids to dress up their mounts and themselves to compete in categories such as Scariest. Funniest. Most Confusing. Least Money Spent. You can make a parade with costumed couples and ask someone to film the procession.

Pony Night. Nights can also be done with horses. Invite one of your children’s riding buddies and their equine companion to a sleepover. This could be combined with the grooming aspects of a Spa Day.

There are many options available, your imagination is the only limit! Don’t waste your summer sitting at a computer. Instead, make memories with your Horse.