Cool Horse Games for Kids

Horses are a favorite animal for kids of all ages. There are cool horse games for kids to play using their own real horses or pretend horses in the games. Kids love to play horse games, with or without real horses. There are several ways to include horses in everyday play and games with your kids.

  1. Riding Games

    • Riding games are best played inside an enclosed area, like a riding arena, round pen or small pasture. Place a tire without a rim on the ground at least 20 yards from the starting position. Give each rider a different color golf ball. Each child starts behind a designated starting line, rides to the tire on the ground, goes around the tire without stopping and tries to toss the golf ball into the center of the tire. Once the ball is tossed, the rider continues and crosses back over the starting/finish line. This is a timed event so the rider who makes the toss and finishes the fastest wins.

      Another game can be played using a barrel, bucket filled with sand and two long sticks. The bucket with sand is placed on top of the barrel with one stick inside of it, long enough to stick out of the top. The barrel is placed at least 20 yards from the starting line. The rider starts behind the starting/finish line, holding the other stick. The rider crosses the line, runs around the barrel without stopping and switches sticks with the one in the bucket. The rider then runs back across the finish line. This is also a timed event. Time can be added to riders who fail to switch sticks or if a stick is dropped.

    Kid Games

    • Several horse games can be played without the use of a real horse. There are horse board games, such as Horseopoly, that are similar to traditional board games but use horse themes and pieces.

      Virtual horse games are popular for kids because many are free and can be played on the computer. Horse games like racing, barrel racing and jumping are available and challenging. More traditional games using horses, like the memory game, hangman, tic tac toe, scrabble and ping pong can be found for free.

    Combination Games

    • Some games can be played using horses and regular games. Play musical chairs using calm horses in a circle with friends. Play checkers or tic tac toe, but use yourself and your horses as the pieces of the game. Truth or dare can be played using horse questions for truths and horse challenges for dares.