Lesson/game ideas for children please kind people!

Rowreach

Rowreach

Adjusting my sails
Joined
13 May 2007
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The last time I asked for ideas for things to do in a lesson for lead-rein and just off the lead rein children, you all came up with some fantastic things (especially TGM and SouthWestWhippet
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) so please may I ask you to come up with some more?

The books I have found on teaching children to ride are all very focussed on rather stuffy, riding school training, whereas what I like to do is teach them the proper way to do things in the form of games, exercises and generally having a good time. I'm half thinking about writing my own book *runs off to chat to MizElz about stringing words together* ...

Many thanks!
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We get them to do bending around slalom courses when I teach gradually building it up from a leader walking with them to trot and we also use it in the older kids lessons at a canter and get them to do flying changes when they change bend. They all do their exercises at the end of each lesson eg scissors,thread the needle etc and they have 5 questions each to answer as well and the person that gets 5/5 can choose who they ride in the next lesson.Trotting poles always seem to be a popular lesson and again we go from having them just dotted around the school so the younger ones can just walk over and then trot over to a small line of them building up to a very diddy jump at the end most of them then run out at the end of the lesson and make out that they have been clearing three foot but they all seem to enjoy it
 
Okay, let's see...

Lead rein
Balance
Give them say a book or a riding crop or a balloon to hold up over the top of their head with both hands whilst they are led (slalom or straight) to the top of the poles and back, pass it on to next team mate. (Better ones might try a trot?)

Also, as they are being led at a slow walk to the top of the poles, get them to reach down and touch one toe, or at least reach as close to it as they can. When you shout CHANGE! they have to reach for the other toe as quick as they can (shout change a couple of times). The better ones might try touching right toe with left hand and vice versa etc, but this will depend heavily on pony and child size and how secure their seat is.

First ridden
Walk halt transitions
What Time Is It Mr. Wolf!! The best game ever!!! Just like you'd play it in a playground, and you can get them to really think about trying to take just one stride, or two strides, or whatever, and feel for what the pony is doing. Erm, might be better to omit 'dinnertime' though?
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General riding stuff
Simon Says! The next best game ever. Simon Says "Jessie, show me how you should dismount properly" Simon Says "Tina, what kind of pony is Snaffles" and Simon Says "Mary, take three big walking strides forwards and stop" or Simon Says "Katy should ride a 10m circle at walk and come back to the center" etc. etc. etc.

I could probably think stuff up all day but anywho, I hope this helps a bit? I'm not very familiar with what wee little kids can do so you'll have to judge for yourself if they're too much or too hard.
 
Hi There, I've read your post and i would wondered it you could pass some of the exercises to me. I have a 5yrs daughter who's riding is coming on brillantly, but I sometimes have problems keeping her attention.
She rides off the lead rein at walk and trot but she will not canter. Her balance is great and she can even jump over a small cross pole but she just won't canter. Our loan pony is brillant, he is a mother's dream and I know he would not buck or rush off in canter. Any ideas??!
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I know that if I can just get him to do a couple of strides so dd can feel it she'll be fine, but she just won't let me!
 
^^ Just run accidently on purpose a bit faster so pony breaks into canter.

I loved teaching kids ... especially great when you could manage to get them to fall off
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Gymkhana races really got my daughter hooked on a bit more speed when she realsied it might help her win things!! Think it got her adrenalin up as before that she was quite content at walk and trot!
 
I had the same problem with one of my boys. I got him to help me lunge the pony (she is very tiny and amenable!) so that he could watch her canter and sort of understand it a bit more. Then we set up a mini-minimus course of "jumps" in the school, using interesting things like window boxes, a plank, a tiny log, a roll of bright blue plastic bags unrolled and weighted to make a "ditch", all with stands like proper jumps, and then Intrepid Mummy ran round with the pony riderless, to make sure she didn't dump him when she saw the plastic bags, then put him on board, and he was so excited about jumping the things he had helped to build, he didn't notice the odd few strides of canter. Within 2 days he was cantering round the jumps by himself. My dearly beloved dressage trainer was here at the weekend, and he gave him a 10 minute "dressage lesson" to help him with his canter!!
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[ QUOTE ]
Gymkhana races really got my daughter hooked on a bit more speed when she realsied it might help her win things!! Think it got her adrenalin up as before that she was quite content at walk and trot!

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That's when Competitive Mummy Syndrome comes into play as well! I get very upset when other mummies cheat!
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That's a good idea - I did say to my daugther today to set all the poles in the menage before she got on. I told her to put them where ever she liked. She enjoyed making her 'pole' course!
I might try that tomorrow and also the games.
It's so frustrating because I know she will love it once she trys it!

Thank you for your suggestions and sorry if I butted in on your post!
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Hi There, I've read your post and i would wondered it you could pass some of the exercises to me.


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The US Pony Club website has loads of ideas for games on it, and tells you all the equipment you need and rules. Lots of them can be adapted or bits of them used for just teaching one child. I found the UK PC site totally unhelpful!

I also find that having dressage markers in the school helps, even if you are just using say half the arena. You could maybe work out a little walk/trot test for her, so she gets to learn the markers and has something to aim the pony at. Mine spend a lot of time trying to find the exact location of D, X and G!! I plant cones to help them with the shape of circles, half circles and serpentines. We only do about 5 mins of "dressage", lots of games, little bit of jumping - the boys take it in turns to be the judge
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