Fun Challenge Ideas For Horses And Riders

Once in a while, in between your daily training and practice, it is recommended AND an amazing idea to spend a special, fun moment with your horse and your friends. Of course schooling, training or taking a riding lesson is fun too. But why not take some time to play and enjoy horseback riding in a more relaxed and playful way sometimes with these bonding equestrian challenges?

There are plenty of games that you can play to relax. And thanks to tools like Pivo, you can even film yourself and share the video with your friends. You can post it on your social media and also start an online challenge!

Below, you will find some cool ideas in our guide to do something different and enjoy!

Egg and Spoon Race

This game is not only fun, but excellent for riders of all levels. To practice and improve their balance and independence of movement between the hands, arms, torso, legs, and hips.

The goal of the game is to carry an egg from point A to point B. As fast as possible without breaking or dropping the egg. The catch is that players cannot grab the egg with their hands. They have to carry it using a spoon as a cradle.

There are many variations and levels for the game, from the number of players, the distance between the starting and finish line. Which you can set using cones, trotting poles, etc, and the selected gait. The easiest level is, of course, at the walk, but even at that gate. You can increase difficulty by adding turns, trotting poles, and even small jumps!

You can race with friends, or record yourself and dare a friend to match or increase the difficulty with this and even other equestrian challenges. The only limit is your imagination! Just easily set up your Pivo Pod, choose the Horse Tracking Basic setting and have fun! You can also always go back to watch your footage and relive the fun moments!

Musical Chairs on Horseback

Did you ever play musical chairs as a kid, maybe at a birthday party or celebration? In this guide to equestrian challenges, the horseback version of musical chairs is also a lot of fun, but it must be played carefully.

The basics of the game remain the same, but instead of chairs, it’s safer and more practical to use hay bales. When the music plays, the riders and their horses must trot or canter around the circle of hay bales. When the music stops, each rider must dismount, lead their horses to an empty bale, and take a seat.

Important: The hay bales must be spaced widely enough to allow a safe distance between horses within the circle. It’s also vital to space the “hay chairs” properly to prevent horses from kicking each other.

Store your Pivo footage on the Pivo+ Cloud storage along with your ride session and lesson videos. To have a record of all your best moments in one place. The practice of filming your rides and memories, storing them all in one place just like a diary. And watching them back to review and analyze at a later time, creates a great way to maintain consistency, improves motivation and habit. As well as helps have a routine, that riders often face challenges with. Pivo is a great tool that helps you film yourself, hands-free along with all the necessary tools to improve your performance!

Relay Quiz Race

This is a fun game that can be played outside the arena. Ideal for hacking enthusiasts or riders who enjoy a good challenge through the woods or an appealing landscape.

As the name suggests, the game consists of a relay race. The number of stages, distance, and other game conditions can vary depending on the desired match duration. Each stage can be raced by one or a group of riders. Ensuring each team has the same number of players/riders.

At the end of the stage, a helper who can be mounted or on foot will act as a steward. Upon the arrival of each relay, the steward will ask the rider or group of riders a question that must be answered correctly before they proceed to the next stage. The type of questions can vary from topics about horsemanship to general knowledge, depending on the player’s interests, age, etc. The players will have a set amount of time to answer the question and, failing to answer will result in a time penalty.

This is repeated through all stages until the finish line, where no questions will be asked. When playing in teams, all team members must be present at the stage before the steward asks the question. To win, all team members must cross the finish line. Now that’s one of the fun challenges for equestrians!

To make it even more interesting, and depending on the venue’s characteristics, shortcuts can be included, stating beforehand that the questions to be passed through them will be more difficult than those on the longer paths.

This game is ideal for riders of all levels and for riding schools looking to incorporate recreational activities for their students.

Cooperative Show Jumping

This one of the equestrian challenges is ideal for show jumping enthusiasts as a recreational way to enjoy a jumping course. Before starting, the players must choose a partner, since the game is played in pairs. The winning team is the one that clears the most obstacles in a given time.

One rider must start the course, aiming to jump as many obstacles as possible. After clearing the last fence, the second rider must begin jumping the course, starting with the first obstacle. The riders will continue to alternate until time runs out, which will be indicated by a bell or buzzer. If a rail is knocked down, the other rider must continue by jumping the next obstacle. For this reason, the non-jumping rider needs to stay close and alert, ready to resume the course as quickly as possible when needed.

Important: To ensure the game is safe, fun, and healthy for the horses, it is recommended to use a simple course with low fences and set a reasonable time, ensuring that no horse suffers from fatigue or jumps more than 20-25 times.

Try these games, or if you’re alone with your rider friends living away, try the Lessons Mode to connect with your friends and play fun games over the dynamic video call option or just have a good time riding online with your friends.

Final Words

We hope you enjoy our suggestions and have lots of fun doing these equestrian challenges with your horse and mates. Don’t forget to shoot your riding adventures and share them with your dear ones. Always have your Pivo ready; the ride of your life is always around the corner! Stay tuned for cool grid ideas, riding tips, and much more here at Pivo!

Read more – Pivo Meets: Laine Ashker — Grand Prix Dressage and Five Star Event Rider.