Fun & Games

Hi all! Today is all about a very fun horsey event that Mackenzie and I attended recently… A games day. Games is a discipline involving several short activities, some as a team, some individual, that is usually judged on time. Ours was split into two teams (Red Team and Blue Team – Mackenzie and I were on the latter!), and then at the end all points from each team are added up, and whoever has the most wins! Enjoy reading! 😊

To kick off, there was a simple Egg-and-Spoon race… as no one wanted to clean up raw egg, there were plastic ones filled with sand. We rode down, dismounted, picked up a spoon, and raced back. If you dropped the egg, you took it back to the spot where you got it and started again. There was chaos when an unfortunate girl fell off, and her pony got loose, but she was okay and got back on. Another member of the Blue Team finished very well with first, Mackenzie and I close second, and a third Blue Team member soon after. To her credit, the girl who fell off ended up finishing, and not last!

Second, we had Pole Bending. Pole Bending is where there are 6 poles specifically spaced out in a row, and while there are several variations, this one involved simply weaving up, bending around the last, and weaving home at a walk, trot, or canter. On our turn, Mackenzie set a nice time, trotting agilely up and back down, and even cantering the last pole! She is quite green (inexperienced) and especially with Games, so I was very pleased.

The next game was a relay, and we had to bend up and down the poles with a partner, holding a thin rope between us. Our pair’s horse was very unsure about the rope, but we eventually made it! We weren’t the only ones having difficulties though, as coordination is key and the rope can be quite scary for some horses, and understandably so. The Red team triumphed this time!

The fourth challenge was also a relay – and this time a race against the opposing team. There were two barrels set out per team, and the starter was given a metre long wooden pole. They would go at their preferred pace to the first barrel, drop in the pole, proceed to the next barrel and get a new pole, then come back and give it to their waiting teammate. The Blue Team started well, but some difficulties retrieving the pole saw the Red Team slowly take the lead. The next competitors were speedy, but some also chose to walk. With five each team, it went quickly, and when it was Mackenzie and my turn (we were last!) the last for the Red Team were halfway up. We trotted smoothly and dropped the pole in, then trotted to grab the last pole before my speedy mare sprinted home! She seemed to sense the occasion… can horses be competitive? She seemed to think so…

Fifthly, after morning tea for both riders and horses, there was something named…King’s plate something, unfortunately I cannot quite remember… also known as Bounce, it had eight cavaletti jumps lined up in a row, and designed to canter with no strides in between. You must go up through, turn, and come straight back. Beginning with poles on the ground, everyone breezed through, then it was raised to about 25 cm. Most people went again, most at a trot but some older girls cantered. Mackenzie trotted up, and I carefully turned her not too tight, then tried a canter. She took big strides, covering the ground easy. Once everyone had been through, we tried again, with some younger riders getting braver and trotting (rather than walking), which was lovely to watch!

Last, there was Barrel Racing. Simply put, you weave around the barrels in the pattern below, either right, left, left or left, right, right. After a couple of practice runs, Mackenzie and I opted for the first one. There were some speedy times for both sides, with two runs each. We trotted the first time, Mackenzie got a bit annoyed at an error from me at the last barrel, and the second time we trotted until we were around the last barrel, when I politely asked for some extra speed. As I knew she would, Mackenzie gave it. She immediately stretched out, near galloping to the finish and needing a gentle reminder that it was not the Melbourne Cup, and then came to an abrupt walk. As we trotted some loose circles to warm down, I smiled, because I knew she had tried her heart out for me.

After lunch, it was announced that for the third year in a row, the Blue Team had triumphed. We cheered at that! It was our first time, and we had lots of fun. The Red Team put up a good fight though, and went very well, especially in the second, third and fourth games! To finish, we got out some big barrels, our saddles, saddlecloths, and helmets and ‘tacked up’ our barrels. No girth. Stirrups off the ground. Get on, balanced, and don’t let the stirrups touch the ground, by yourself. It was purely for fun, and fun we had. It is harder than it sounds! There were falls, squeals, and mayhem, but it was lots of fun. For those of us on the taller side it was quite tricky, and for those on the shorter side.. it was also hard. We all soon gained balance though, and were ‘rising to our trot’ and getting on and off, and even ‘rising trot’ without stirrups! Everyone supported everyone, and there was a great atmosphere the whole way through! ☺️

Until next week! I hope you enjoyed. Love, Amarylli 🩵🐴

P.S. Easter dinner was exhausting, but delicious! We all enjoyed, but were so full we had dessert the day after.😂There was quite a few leftovers though. Photos attached tomorrow.