Requirements - horse and rider

In comparison to other areas of horse riding, mounted games can be relatively cheaper. In order to participate not much is really needed other than a pony and tack, however there are a few rules regarding uniform and before each competition tack inspection takes place to make sure there is no problems or dangers regarding the tack.

 In the Irish Pony Club it is mandatory to wear a riding hat, as it is in majority of other areas of horse riding. The hat must be of certain standard (skull cap) and have a black hat cover on top. As well as a hat, when in competition riders must wear cream jodhpurs, jodhpur boots, a white shirt, a hairnet, the pony club tie and a club jersey or bib to represent your club. Wearing your club's colours is also very important when it comes to scoring as this is how the line judges differentiates between the teams. Some people also wear "joddy clips" to hold down their jodhpurs over their boots.

Apart from personal appearance there are a few other things needed to participate. In order to play you must be on a team with at least 3 others. In the IPC there are 3 age groups: U10, Junior (10-13) and senior (13-16). The cut off date is the first of January and you are not allowed to play in a category that you are too old for, however you may play under age. Games is for all ability's so you don't have to be great to start either.

Along with the rider there is of course the pony. Most ponies used for games are rather small in height to make it easier for the rider to vault. U10 ponies tend to be around 10 - 12 hands (4 inches to every hand) however U10's are not expected to vault. Junior and Senior ponies tend to be a bit bigger, around 12 - 14 hands, with senior ponies normally bigger than Junior ponies too as the extra height can mean a faster pony.

Each pony that is ridden in games has to be trained in order to do each game. This is done slowly at first, then increasing speed steadily. Some ponies can be scared of different equipment at first as they may have never seen it before, but when they are
shown it will begin to get used to it and realise that it won't hurt them at all. Communication is very important and builds trust in the sport too. The rider can train the pony to slow down "woah" and to pick up pace by saying "go" or clicking with your tongue at the pony. Ponies can feel tension and nerves is a rider and can become more relaxed when talked to.
 Games ponies tend to be very fast and have the ability to turn sharply when needed. There is no specific breed of horse for the games and the ponies don't have to be pedigree either. This is why games is very popular among younger kids as they can use their own pony and practice at home with similar equipment.

Ireland is known for it's horses and agriculture. Over recent years games have become increasingly popular in some countries. Each year in the RDS people from outside Ireland (such as Italians) come across to Ireland to watch and look out for new ponies. Some people are willing to pay large sums of money and will make offers on ponies that they feel have potential. There are many people in Ireland such as Alan Keoghan who buy ponies for small amounts of money, then train and sell them on for profit.