About MGA NI

The Mounted Games Association of Northern Ireland exists to run the sport of mounted games here in Northern Ireland: to put on training and competition, to welcome newcomers and to keep a friendly, close-knit community of riders and ponies going from one season to the next.

The sport we run

Mounted games is a team sport. Teams of riders and ponies race against each other through a series of relay races that mix galloping, tight turns, pick-ups, handovers and the odd vault on and off at speed. It is fast, it is great fun and it suits riders of all ages. If you are new to it, our beginner's guide explains the whole thing from scratch, and our races explained piece walks through what you will see in the arena.

Where we sit in the wider sport

Northern Ireland is one of the regions within the wider mounted games structure that grew out of the association founded in 1984. We compete at home and travel to events alongside friends from Ireland and Scotland, including the Celtic League. The sport now reaches right around the world through the International Mounted Games Association, and we are proud to be a small but active part of it. There is more on all of this in our history of mounted games.

Where and when we meet

Most of our training and competition happens at Silverwood Arena near Lurgan, through the spring and summer months. Training days are friendly and built around helping people improve at their own pace, whether that is a child on their first pony or an adult coming back to riding.

Our approach

Two things matter to us above all. The first is welcome: nobody should feel out of place at a training day, and our experienced members put a lot of effort into helping newcomers find their feet. The second is welfare, for both riders and ponies, which we take seriously and write about in our guide to safety and welfare in mounted games.

Come and join us

If any of this appeals, the next step is simple. Read how to join MGA NI, or come and find us through the contact page. We would love to see you at a training day.