World mounted games 2012

Last year, Brian helped to organise a top-class European Championships in Northern Ireland where competition went on late into the night under spotlights. The ponies looked like dragons as they waited on the line at the start of each race. Brian did an absolutely fabulous job. It was a moving win for Mackenzie Taylor in the Under 17s.

Mackenzie from Damascus, Maryland in the USA is the first American ever to become a World Individual finalist and what makes her story even more special is that her stunning leopard Appaloosa pony, Inkspot, was a rescue case. Taylor had been saving hard for two years to fund her travel expenses to the World Individuals and her hard work and dedication certainly paid off. All the ponies were rescued and Inkspot turned out to be a bit of a superstar.

The pinnacle of her games career was the win at the European Championships in Belgium last month. Along with her brother Craig and cousin Jake she hopes to repeat the success. Jake is 22 and is from Naas, Co. He first competed in Mounted Games while he was a member of Kildare Pony Club where he rode at junior and senior level and enjoyed taking part in all disciplines.

In he was a member of the team that won the U15 section of the Welsh Championships. Jake first represented Ireland in in Southampton where they were fourth and again in when they won the World Championships in Geneva. The following year they were runners-up in Denmark and third in Wales in Jamie is 17 and is from Newbliss, Co. He has just completed his Leaving Cert.

In his first year Jamie trained up a novice pony over the winter for the international pony club team trials in January and got picked for the Royal Windsor Horse Show the top team. In only his first year at Open Level he has qualified for the Irish Team. Jamie also plays Gaelic Football for his local club Killeevan at minor level. Peter is a keen horseman and enjoys bringing on ponies. He competes on his pony Buddy and together they have enjoyed huge success in all pony club disciplines.

Peter was on the Irish Pony Club Team that won the international pony club games competition in Windsor in They are British Inter County Champions for and Peter, along with his teammates, won the European Championships in Phillip is a 16 year old student at Belvedere College and lives in Tara, Co.

This popular game only requires a hefty supply of eggs and a few spoons. Advanced riders could try this game at a trot or canter. They must hold it there while they complete a lesson, pattern, jumping course, or similar riding test.

The rider who holds on to their dollar bill the longest gets to keep them all! There are plenty of variations of different racing games that you can play, depending on the skill levels of your students. Set up a row of stepping stones using buckets, mats, towels, or anything else handy that can be safely stepped on. Riders begin at a starting line, race towards the stones and dismount once they reach them.

You can play this game as a relay, time your riders individually, or set up several stations of stepping stones and race simultaneously. The object of this game is simple — drop the item in the bucket.

Riders begin at the starting line and race towards a bucket while holding an item. This could be a flag, bottle, ball, etc. They drop the item into the bucket and race back towards the starting line.

Set up two small tables a decent distance apart you can also use tall mounting blocks, an oxer, or other taller flat surface. Place a sturdy reusable bottle on top of one of the tables. Riders reach down and grab it from one table and set it down on the other. If it falls, riders must dismount and try again.

A variation of this game can be played using a tennis ball on top of a cone, a large cup of water, or a small pumpkin. This game is traditionally played with bending poles, but you can just use cones.

Set up a row of cones, and riders should weave their horses between them at different speeds, depending on ability. You can set it up as a race, or part of an obstacle course. Riders should execute a cloverleaf pattern around 3 barrels.