Gymkhana Events by Saddle Up! Magazine

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LET’S RACE! – GYMKHANA EVENTS GYMKHANA – a meet featuring sports contests or athletic skills such as competitive games on horseback. Horse and riders compete individually and are timed to see how fast they can run through a set pattern of poles, barrels or other obstacles. The fastest time is the winner. Gymkhana events are fun, exciting and family oriented. Native Americans had races and games on horseback to show off their skills and bravery. They took the challenge of riding close enough to a charging buffalo to slap them on their side among other daring contests. O-MOK-SEE is a term used in some parts of the Western U.S. describing games played on horseback. You might have heard that term connected to “Pattern Horse Racing.” It is thought to have its beginning with the Blackfeet Indians. Unlike most gymkhana events, the O-MOK-SEE races are held with contestants competing at the same time in an arena, in 3 or 4 separate lanes. The racers all run their race in their own lane. The riders are able to see their competitors in real time and know whether they are ahead or behind. This probably makes for a more exciting competition to compete in and also to watch. BARREL RACE This will be found in almost every Gymkhana that you go compete in. This event is also used in all the professional Rodeo competitions. It started out as a way that women could compete and be competitive in their own event and soon became a favorite of the spectators and the riders alike. The horse needs to be able to change his leads as he weaves in and out of the barrels. POLE BENDING The horse again needs to be able to change his leads as he weaves in and out of six poles. The poles are placed in a straight line. The contestant can start on either side of the poles when he crosses the starting line. He runs in a straight line beside the line of poles to the last pole – makes a 180-degree turn around that pole and then begins weaving between each pole back to the first one in OCTOBER 2021 • C & C PUBLISHING, INC. ©2021

line – does another 180-degree turn around that one, and continues to weave between each pole back up to the top pole, at which point he heads his horse towards home in a fast straight line to cross the finish line. Since the contestant can start on either side of the poles, you need to decide which way your horse turns best, a right turn or a left turn, to get the fastest time. You can be disqualified by running the pattern wrong. For instance, if you turn the wrong way on a pole or miss a pole altogether. There will be a penalty for knocking over a pole or if you reach out and touch a pole to keep it from falling over. FLAG RACE The course can be set up as if you were going to run the cloverleaf Barrel Race or there can be other variations (see pattern). There are 3 barrels set up in the arena. On top of the first and second barrel there are 5-gallon buckets filled half way with sand. A small flag on a wooden dowel is placed in the bucket. The rider crosses the starting line on whichever side he chooses to start and picks up a flag from the bucket. He then rides up and around the #3 bucket to the opposite side from which he started and places the flag in that bucket. Then he crosses the finish line as fast as he can. You do not have to have a horse that can do flying lead changes and the pattern is very easy to follow. Even the very youngest equestrians can enjoy competing in this event. (1)

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LET’S RACE! – GYMKHANA EVENTS, CONT. FLAG RACE, cont. The rider must keep the flag in the same way that it was picked up throughout the run. You can be disqualified by not picking up or putting back the flag, dropping the flag, knock-ing over a bucket or a barrel, and of course falling off your horse. KEYHOLE RACE Another fun easy race is the Keyhole Race. It is an easy pattern and if you have a horse who will really listen to you, it will be easy for you to place or even win in this event. There is a “keyhole” drawn in lime, chalk or flour (some kind of material you can draw this circle in the sand). The keyhole is in the form of a broken circle with the opening facing the starting line. The horse and rider crosses the starting line and enters the keyhole. He has to turn a circle in either direction, without stepping on the chalk line and then exiting out the circle at the opening and race across the finish line. Your horse will be very excited when you run him into that little circle, so you will have to keep him calm so that he will not step on the lines. Disqualification would be stepping on the line, or not doing the pattern. KEG RACE A keg race is like musical chairs on horseback. The riders start off of their horse, sitting on a keg. At the start signal each rider has to jump on his horse and run to the end of the arena, circle a barrel and return. While they are on the other end of the arena someone removes one or more of the kegs. This is repeated until only one person has a keg to sit on. This gets pretty exciting when you are down to two or three con-

testants. They get desperate and will do almost anything to end up sitting on the last Keg, even jerking it out from under the other rider. PLEASE NOTE: When competing, riders should always wear a ASTM/SEI certified helmet no matter their age.

Keyhole Race Pa ern

Judge 20 Ft. Diameter

Barrel Racing Pa ern .

40 Ft.

4 Ft.

Minimum 30 .

90 .

20 Ft.

Start & Finish Line (2)

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LET’S RACE! – GYMKHANA EVENTS, CONT.

Turn & Burn Pa ern

HANDY HORSE RACE This is another easy race like the Keyhole race. It’s easy to learn and easy to do. The rider crosses the starting line and circles around both barrels into a limed or chalked square. The rider stops his horse in the square and has to stand there for five seconds. There will be a person with timer in the arena with a stopwatch who will yell “Go” when the five seconds has passed. The rider then races to the finish line. Here again the horse is almost too excited to stand still. You can be a winner in this event by working with your horse to be calm and follow your cues.

Handy Horse Pa ern

105 Ft.

40 Ft. or 20 Ft.

Start & Finish Line 10 Ft.

Le or right hand pa ern may be used. 10 Ft.

5 SEC. STOP

Start & Finish Line

Flag Race Pa ern

Pole Bending Pa ern

For larger copies of these gymkhana pa erns, please visit our Facebook page and look under “albums.”

21 Ft.

21 Ft. 120 Ft.

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21 Ft.

21 Ft. Open End Barrel with Flag

Start & Finish Line

30 Ft.

PLEASE NOTE: When competing/practicing, riders should always wear a ASTM/SEI certified helmet no matter their age.

(3)

Start & Finish Line

21 Ft.