Pony games: the complete guide

Pony games are competitions reserved for riders used to working with ponies. They involve obstacle races, attractive figures and artistic movements performed with very talented animals in an area measuring 100 by 60 metres. The riders have fun while putting on a fine show for the crowd. If you want to know more, this article will point you in the right direction.

The values developed

Pony games are built around the development of certain values, without which no team of five could ever hope to take the title. These values involve either the rider and their mount, or the rider, their mount and the whole team.

To begin with, the first value developed is cohesion, the harmony of the group. As soon as a group stops getting on, the whole crowd can feel it. So a certain understanding is needed, built up over years of experience, working together and friendship. Everyone has to accept their place and adapt to the limits the group sets for them.

The will to win is undeniably necessary to take a competition. Here, though, it goes hand in hand with the spirit of winning as a team. You have to give everything so that your team-mates are smiling at the end of the competition. To do that, each rider and their mount do the impossible to finish their own part of the game brilliantly.

The other value to develop is adaptability, or the instinct for resourcefulness. Each participant finds themselves in the middle of a race where the rules apply to them alone. They have to adapt in order to win their team as much time and as many points as possible. It is these accumulated gains that help win the competition. While adapting to the situation, the rider must stay alert to the slightest signal from their horse. Above all, they must maintain the foundation of trust between them. That way, if they have no solution, the horse may instinctively provide one.

The categories

Pony games are organised category by category. Each event is refined to give every participant a unique experience with fairness and equality. Every participant gives their best against riders of their own calibre, most of whom buy their riding equipment from La Sellerie Française.

The first category is for the youngest riders. Children aged 8 to 12 compete in this category to show what they can do on a pony they have already worked with. The level of difficulty is set in proportion to their age.

For the under-16s, the demands are a little higher, because they are seen as teenagers in their prime with energy to spare. If they manage to channel it, they achieve great things as a team. The hardest part in this category is finding your place.

If you are over 26, there is a category reserved for you. You can have fun with the whole family or with friends. Try to make as few mistakes as possible. Just be quick to react.

The elite have the open elite. This is the class reserved for all competitors who consider themselves professionals, riders who know it all. All the teams come together to show their expertise and their talent in front of a panel of seasoned professional judges.