• Relax and unwind with an assortment of horse games.horse image by Penny Williams from Fotolia.com
  
  Playing games with your horse is an excellent way to prevent the boredom that can sometimes set in when you are doing the same training and exercises every day. While building the fundamentals of good horsemanship through proper riding exercises and drills is important, it is just as important to introduce some variation into your routine from time to time.
  
  

Impromptu Trail Course

• Whether your horse's primary job is as a show horse, trail horse or just a companion, it is important that he not be startled and spooked at new things. Setting up an impromptu and ever-changing trail course in your paddock, pasture, riding arena or backyard is an excellent way to introduce new objects and new experiences to your horse in a fun, safe and controlled environment. You can use a variety of objects to set up your trail course, from logs and landscape timbers to tarps, cones and barrels. Changing the course slightly each day will give you and your equine companion a new challenge each day and keep your riding routine from becoming boring.
  
  

Pole Bending

• Pole bending is a popular timed event at local and national shows, and it is also a fun game you can set up right at home. The beauty of the pole-bending game is that you can build your own set of poles for only a few dollars, using six large coffee cans, a bag of cement and some inexpensive PVC tubing. Simply fill each can with cement mix, set the plastic in place and allow it to dry. Once the poles are ready, simply set them 21 feet apart and practice weaving through them, first at a walk, then a trot, and finally at a run.
  
  

Barrel Racing

• Barrel racing is another popular timed event that is just as much fun to play at home. All you need to set up this game are three 55-gallon drums. You can use cones or poles if you do not have access to industrial barrels, or you can use plastic barrels like the kind used to store water. Simply set the barrels up in a triangular pattern at any distance you want, then practice running around each barrel in turn, making a compete circle around each one before moving on to the next.