So what is Equi-soccer ?
In a nutshell it is about playing soccer with your horse. Horse soccer plain and simple.
Equi-soccer can be played while mounted on your horse or by applying your ground-skill communication
(unmounted) and encouraging your horse to navigate the ball and score by moving the ball through the
designated scoring goal. We emphasize that the ball is moved only by the horse. Any body part of the
horse counts but best results come from the horse pushing it with their nose, neck, shoulder, or
front legs. Horses can move the ball with their hind legs but kicking the ball with a hind leg is off
limits and can be dangerous for both horse and rider. The other rules are flexible though, and can be
changed to best suit the riders, horses, and conditions. Once horse and rider are trained and comfortable with
the ball, the rider can kick the ball with their foot as well.
If you have never played the game, it is critical to introduce you and your horse to the ball properly
and safely. To do this, we start out on the ground with a new horse and first get them moving the ball
by themselves without a mounted rider. This is the safest way and provides the best introduction to the
horse. Once the horse "knows" the ball, we begin progressing through the game and teaching new
skills to both horse and rider through this vehicle of horse soccer. We have found horse soccer to be a
fun, challenging, and entertaining way to use your horsemanship skills and improve the connection between
rider and horse.
Equi-soccer is a fast growing sport for several reasons:
- It can be played by nearly all ages of both horse and rider
- Any size horse can play
- Low cost of entry. All you really need is a ball.
You will find that the more participants there are playing the game at one time there will need to be more paramaters/rules added. Most importantly keep it SAFE and fun. We like to be creative and divide up our groups based on skill level. Participants are divided by either/or beginner horse or beginner handler. It is absolutely imperative that you have introduced your horse to the large ball before you think about playing. (We will have more instruction on that soon) Playing Equisoccer on the ground is much harder than most people might think. We do not allow pulling on the horse. To ensure that your horse is truly working with you as a partner we will attach a bread twist tie between the halter and the lead rope. If you pull/drag your horse the tie will release quickly and you are out of the game. Which means that you need to improve your ground skills :) For an even bigger challenge we play the ground game at liberty. That means you need to direct your horse WITHOUT ANY EQUIPMENT! No halters, ropes, sticks, whips or anything that is an artificial extension of you. This is for those who really know what they are doing! Both ways are tremendous fun and entertaining. It is amazing how much fun the horses have with the ball. The game of Equi-soccer develops a confident, braver, and calmer horse.
By the way, we still like to call it equi soccer because donkeys, mules, and other hoofed animals can play it too!
TYPE OF BALL USED:
At Harmony Horsemanship we have been playing horse soccer for about five years now. It took us awhile to find the right ball for the game. But once we did, we became a distributor for that brand of ball. The ball we use (and sell) now has endured horse bites, kicks, and leans as well as rider kicks.
The ball is
36 inches in diameter and has THREE layers to it:- The inner bladder is 900 grams and has a valve for easy inflation
- The middle layer is brightly colored cloth
- The outermost layer has a "grippy" surface for durability and textile enhancement
For those of you spending $75 on the green ones....while you probably know this...they pop very easily. We have held numerous clinics and that is a story we hear over and over. The ball used in the video seen at the top of this page, is one we have used for hundreds of hours and have not popped it. It retails for $120. It is the ball we use at clinics, horse fairs, and demos.
To order one call us at 608-695-0990 or email us at harmonyhorsemanship@gmail.com!