Your Horse challenges you…
to give gymkhana a go
GYMKHANA, OR MOUNTED Games, is an equestrian event in which riders are either timed individually or race one another through a pattern of obstacles (such as a line of weaving poles), or compete in games on horseback, such as egg and spoon races. The name ‘gymkhana’ is a 19th century Anglo-Indian word (believed to be derived from the Hindi-Urdu gend-khana) and has its origins in the Gymkhana Clubs or gentlemen’s clubs of the British Raj. Traditional gymkhana games are designed to display precise, controlled actions and tight teamwork between horse and rider at speed, and demonstrate a variety of skills, such as flying lead changes, sliding stops and more.
Riders are given penalties or disqualifications for touching, knocking over, or dropping objects. It’s easy to set up games to spice up your day-to-day training — common props include barrels, cones, buckets and vertical poles. Taking part in gymkhana games with your horse has many benefits, including working on balance through turns and bending, riding straight lines, mounting and dismounting, stopping on command, separating hands and seat (as you may have to carry objects), maintaining pace, teamwork, desensitisation, and focus and memory — a handy skill for dressage tests and jumping courses alike. Gymkhana games also help to improve your fitness, agility and control but, best of all, they’re tremendous fun for both horse and rider, whatever your age. At many summer and indoor shows you’ll find a variety of classes for all abilities, allowing riders to compete at the level they’re most capable and comfortable with. Some shows also host a range of games with qualifying heats. The Pony Club runs Mounted Games competitions, with every region putting together teams to enter regular qualifiers to compete at major events like Horse of the Year Show. This is the pinnacle of gymkhana competitions; many famous riders started out playing gymkhana games.