4 Games to play with horse people

Horse Nation’s blogger-from-down-under Carrot Top devises some strategies for turning our pain and suffering into amusement.

From Carrot Top:

Horse Show Bingo

Simply print a one copy of this bingo card for each player. Players check off the boxes throughout the day, first one with a complete card wins.

This can easily be customised to suit the horse show in question (eg: for a dressage show, use ‘competitor cramming test at float’ or ‘imported WB’; for a 3DE, ‘matchy matchy XC gear’ or ‘horse doing its nut in the dressage ring because it wants to get to jumping already’).

Vet Bill Guessing Game

This is designed to alleviate a negative situation with humour. You start when someone receives a vet bill. Everyone else has to guess how much it was for by asking simple questions.

‘Did it happen on a public holiday?’

‘How many stitches?’

‘Which vet clinic do you use?’

‘Was blood taken?’

I’ve played this many times, both as a receiver of a vet bill and a guesser, and it never fails to amuse.

What’s Your Number?

This is another guessing game; you have to guess how many horses someone owns asking only yes or no questions.

‘Can you ever afford to eat out?’

‘Did you get your first horse as a child?’

‘Have you bought new clothes for yourself in the past six months?’

Note: I’ve never actually tried this game, for lack of a willing participant. If someone could do a road test for me and report back, that would be great.

Horse Show Drinking* Game

For two or more players: sit in the stands and take a drink every time a pre-determined situation arises (eg: whenever a horse swishes its tail in resistance; whenever someone uses a certain bit; whenever someone knocks a pole).

 *When I say drinking, I know we’re all thinking of red cordial, aren’t we. Aren’t we?

Go Riding.

Carrot Top is a photo shy Australian who likes horses, riding of all disciplines, and colourful mis-matched socks. She and her mother each own 1 ½ horses (one cheeky young gelding, one wise older mare and another mare who frequently disproves the “crazy chestnut mare” stereotype). When Carrot Top’s family, friends, colleagues, strangers she meets on buses etc. have all tired of hearing about her horses, she turns to her blog Little Bay Horse. She was a horse-less horse-mad girl all through childhood, got her first horse at age 21 and has been making up for lost time ever since.