# Game Horse? What does that mean?



## Arlowf (Jan 7, 2020)

So I rode English through formal lessons for 3 hours per week X 46 weeks straight, and am now looking to buy a horse. I’ve posted my butt off you could say. I’ve ridden all 3/4 gaits.
I’m not buying from my trainer or an English rider (long story).

I’ve found a place that will allow me to keep my horse through Pastor Board, so I can transition to Western Riding. 

Now I am trying to by a horse, and a friend of a friend has one she is selling. It’s older, but has been described as “he likes to go fast, he’s a game horse, trained, probably not for a beginner”.


What I want to know is, how does a horse like that translate into the Gaits a horse knows? As in there are typically 3/4 gaits, and a trained horse for English riding knew all the gaits well.

I’m trying to understand how Western translates to English and am totally confused. Can someone try to explain what it is I should be asking for from western riders? These are cheap horses, typically in the $700-$3,000 range; I’m in TN and horses like this are fairly cheap.


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## Saigold (Mar 21, 2019)

Game horse, likes to go fast, probably not for beginner in my mind equals crazy and uncontrollable.


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## lexrucker (May 11, 2017)

Here is an article on western gaming:

https://www.versatilehorse.com/western-games/

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## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

Whatever a “game” horse is, if the owner says it’s not for beginners - I’d stay away, it is shorthand for crazy. You do have some experience but nowhere close to being able to ride a problem horse, which this appears to be. I’ve been riding for seven years and I am nowhere close to being able to retrain a problem horse. Get yourself a nice horse and continue learning, you will enjoy it much more. Best of luck.


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## 281187 (Sep 19, 2019)

"Western Gaming" is a catch-all term for contests of various timed events, pattern races and relay races preformed horseback. 

Since you're originally an English rider, you probably know it by the term "Gymkhana". In other places it's called "O-Mok-See" or referred to as "Playdays". 

More info here:- Western Games ? Pierce County 4-H Horses 

And here also:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymkhana_(equestrian) 


Since the point of these "games" is about completing the task or finishing the race as fast as possible, it's little wonder that the horse you're interested in "likes to go fast"!


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

I'm not sure I understand your question, but generally speaking, non-gaited horses have four gaits: walk, trot/jog, canter/lope, and gallop. There is some nuance between western and english riders in terms of the amount of energy you experience in those gaits (e.g., a lope may be "flatter" and slower than a canter, but is still the same footfall pattern to the horse). But as a beginner rider, any appropriate horse you ride should be able to produce the four gaits.

Here's a good description from an older thread here on this forum:


TXhorseman said:


> The biggest problem you will run into when considering terms used by riders and trainers is that they can mean various things.
> 
> Some people use the terms canter and lope to mean the same thing. Others try to make distinctions based on various factors. Most people agree that the foot falls in the canter and lope are the same. For example: the left lead begins with the right rear foot. This is followed by the left rear and the right front hitting at the same time. Finally, the left front takes the weight as the horse pivots over it and the horse glides through the air while regrouping its legs for the next stride.
> 
> ...


If you're riding gaited horses (e.g., Tennessee Walking Horse), then they have additional gaits that I won't pretend to explain as I've never ridden a gaited horse. Fortunately, we have plenty of members here who have and maybe they will add their information.

Bottom line though- as a beginner rider, it really doesn't matter if you start off riding in English or Western tack to learn the basics of how to correctly ride all the gaits. You elude to some sort of negative experience with "an English rider" and say you won't buy a horse from an English rider, but I'd encourage you to not consider an entire group of people off-limits just because of a bad experience with one person. I also agree with the others here who said buying a very forward-moving, fast horse explicitly described as "not for a beginner" would be a very bad choice for someone who is just learning how to ride. Keep looking. Older, beginner safe horses are out there, and they are kind and forgiving for people who are just figuring out how to ride. Maybe you can tell us more about your riding goals (e.g., trail riding? specific type of showing?) and we can share more thoughts on what attributes to look for in a first horse.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

PS- if someone described their horse as "really game," that would make me think of a horse that's brave, strong, up for any kind of challenge and not likely to back down from it. You could find a "game horse" in any kind of discipline or type of riding because it's a description of the horse's temperament or personality, not about the events it's trained to do.

A "gaming" or "games" horse would be one that does the competitive events the other posters have mentioned.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

The horses you are likely used to riding are the equivalent of a single engine airplane. A gaming horse would be the equivalent of a fighter jet. NOT a very good idea for a first horse. 

If you are transitioning over to Western, why not spend a bit of time taking lessons in whatever discipline you want to do. If you find an instructor you like, that person will be a great resource in helping you to pick an appropriate horse.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Yep. Gaming horse = Playday/Gymkhana trained. Does barrels, pole bending and other games unique to western equestrian games. There's some cross over of events from your standard rodeo, but there are some unique events as well.


LOL @phantomhorse13: I'm thinking it's the difference between a golf cart and a Mazarati or a Fomula 1 car.


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## Arlowf (Jan 7, 2020)

THANK YOU EVERYONE.
I was not expecting this much help. I just learned so much.
First of all, I will not buy this horse based on what you all explained. 

The one thing that trips me up is I thought a horse had to be trained to gallop/canter/etc and if you bought just any horse it wouldn’t be trained to do al 3/4 gaits. What I’m hearing makes me think that every horse will do the 3/4 gaits? In English riding I had to do certain things to get the horses into the right gait. Do western horses do the gaits the same way?

I read the links and it’s still not clear to me.


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