Mounted Games were an immediate success when introduced in 1957 during the Horse of the Year Show at

Mounted Games were an immediate success when introduced in 1957 during the Horse of the Year Show at Harringay Arena in North London, England.

Prince Phillip came up with the competition for children who could not afford an expensive, well-bred pony.

The sport, as it is played today, was founded by a man named Norman Patrick. He established the Mounted Games Association of Great Britain in 1984. His support of the sport over the years ensured that it spread across Great Britain and beyond. Patrick died in 2002 but was able to see the sport spread to four continents. Today, the International Mounted Games Association has members in 19 countries.

The games require a good deal of hand-eye coordination, athletic ability, determination, agility, good riding skills and a competitive spirit.

Originally, the games were performed by teams, but now are played by pairs and individuals as well.

Examples of mounted games include Flag Flyers, in which the rider puts flags in and retrieves them from very small containers at high speed. Speed Weavers, also known as the Bending Race, has players weaving and bending, tracing a slalom path between five poles.

For more information, try these two web sites: www.usmga.us (United States Mounted Games Association)

www.ponyclub.org (which has links to the Web page for the Tri-State Region serving Ohio, western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia.)

Source: World Wide Web