Kids Horse Camp Activites?
I run a kids horse camp so kids can learn how to take care of a horse, and ride. Its a day camp for the weekend and i am out of ideas. They are working on Gymkhana stuff, and right now they are walking the barrels, then i will let them run the barrels, then they can get on the horse and walk, then trot, ect. They have been working so hard for there show and i want them to have some fun any game ideas? Crafts? i would love websites..
THANK YOU
I’m not sure if you can apply any of these activities to the focus of your camp, but at the riding camp I teach at we had a list of several different activities both on and off the horse and then craft ideas, this is how I organized my answer. (sorry its a lot, I know)
On the horse:
For beginners through intermediate riders, we had a little obstacle course/relay race. The campers would be split up into even teams with one or two horses per side, when the counselor said go, each group would help give their first rider a leg up – no mounting block allowed – the rider would walk up and grab a crop that was sitting on the rail, they would proceed to maneuver around the set of cones (weave in and out and circle them as denoted ahead of time) until they approached the bucket on the ground at the end, when they reached it they had to drop the crop into the bucket (don’t let it bounce out – if it does they have to start over) and then either go back through the course or walk, trot, or canter down the rail back to the team (your choice). The team who gets all the crops in the bucket first wins.
You can make this course as easy or as complicated as you like to suit the skill level.
Musical letters was also a favorite at any skill level. If you’ve never heard about it, it is the rider’s version of musical chairs using either the letters around the ring or pieces of paper stapled to the rail. One letter is eliminated after each round. Easy but it gets really they get really into it sometimes.
Elimination is the best. It is basically Simon Says. Everyone is going on the rail at a walk and the instructor and/or judge (to help pick out who moves on to the next round) calls out a command and a number of seconds that the rider has to get do it. Anyone who was unable to do it is out and line up in the middle of the ring. The commands keep getting harder and until there is only one rider left standing. Here are examples of some commands.
-Walk ahead by 3
-Reverse and walk by 4
-Pick up a trot by 4
-Pick up a trot on the incorrect diagonal by 3
-Switch to the incorrect diagonal by 2
-Pick up a trot on the correct diagonal by 2
-Switch to the correct diagonal by 2
-Reverse and pick up a trot by 4
-Reverse and pick up a trot on the correct diagonal by 4
-Reverse and pick up a trot on the incorrect diagonal by 4
-Canter by 4
-Canter on the correct lead by 4
-Reverse and pick up a canter by 5
-Reverse and pick up a canter on the correct lead by 5
-Halt by 2
When it is down to 2-3 (these are really fun):
-The first person to pick up the wrong lead wins
-Dismount, remount, and pick up a trot (on the correct/incorrect diagonal) by 10
-Dismount on the incorrect side, remount on the correct side, and pick up a canter (on the correct/incorrect lead) by 10
-Dismount, remount on the incorrect side, and pick up a canter (correct/incorrect lead) by 10
-Dismount, remount, reverse, and pick up a canter by 10
Ride-a-Buck. This can be done with saddles or bareback. Every rider has a piece of paper (or dollar bill that is always more fun) placed between the rider’s knee or thigh and the horse or saddle. The riders are eliminated once they lose their buck, and the last person who still has their dollar wins the pot. This game is again great for developing proper position and effectively using your legs and not just relying on your stirrups.
Other easy games are Red Light, Green Light (great for working on transitions and control) and Egg and Spoon Race (everyone just goes along like a regular ride but with the egg and spoon- this is great for kids that need to learn how to steady their upper body and hands)
Non-mounted games that we always play include: Cost of a Horse, Tack ID Game, Wheel Barrow Races, and Scavenger Hunt
Cost of a Horse (good game if it is raining outside) is easy, and all you need are a few horse equipment catalogs and paper and a calculator (optional). Kids can do this in pairs or individually depending on how many catalogs you have. Basically they pick out everything that a starting horse owner will need: a saddle, bridle, grooming equip, blanket, sheet, first aid kit, lead rope, halter, shin boots, wraps, bits, etc. Then they tally up everything that they would have purchased and after sharing the totals average them all together. This helps kids better understand the commitment cost-wise of buying a horse, not even including upkeep.
Tack ID Game is played like Steal the Bacon, if you’ve ever played that. Collect a bunch of different items ranging from familiar equipment like a saddle, pads, various brushes, martingales, and then more obscure things like weird bits, cribbing collars, bell boots, a twitch, stuff like that and put them in a big pile. Campers are split into two groups and each camper gets an assigned number (try to keep each side equal in still level, and be careful with the numbering you really don’t want an advanced rider up against a novice- its not really fa
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