The Egg and Spoon Game: A Classic with a Deeper Purpose

The Egg and Spoon Game is a classic that many of us played as kids—but have you ever used it as a mounted lesson tool? This simple game is so much more than just a fun challenge. It’s an effective way to reinforce a variety of riding skills across ALL levels of students in both your adaptive or traditional lessons.

Let’s take a closer look at how to use the Egg and Spoon Game to intentionally build riding skills, and a few things to keep in mind to set everyone (horse and human) up for success.

How to Play: Quick Setup

For each rider, you’ll need:

• A spoon (metal, plastic, or wooden)
• Something to balance in the spoon (a hard-boiled egg, a rock, ceramic egg, or a toy from a game set). Tip: if you are using light plastic eggs, you might need to add in some arena sand to help weight the egg down a bit.
• Optional: Tongs or pinchers for an extra challenge

Tip: You could get all the items at a dollar store or order a full set

Instructions: Give the rider the spoon with the item setting on it. Their job is to complete a riding task while keeping that item in the spoon—no dropping it! Be sure to adjust support as needed and remember that a student may need to temporarily have more support while they figure out how to balance the item on the spoon and, if appropriate, get the feel of neck reining.

Want to level it up? Try having students use tongs or pinchers instead of a spoon. This adds challenge by requiring them to keep their grip closed while also steering with the other hand.

Prep Your Horses First!

This is one of those games that seems easy… but you need to prep your equine coworkers first.

• Make sure your horse is used to seeing or hearing things being dropped (especially near or on them).
• School them ahead of time with rein placement and neck reining—don’t assume they already know how.
• Practice dropping things into a bucket or setting things down from the saddle so your horse isn’t surprised when students do it.

What Equestrian Skills Can You Reinforce?

Independent Hand Use

Have you ever encountered a rider that has trouble with one hand doing the same thing as the other? I have! Egg and Spoon game is a great way to work on learning how to have each hand function independently and for the rider to focus on two separate hand tasks at once. Often times you will find that the first few tries the rider will try to steer with not only the hand holding the reins but also the hand holding the spoon or tongs and they will drop the ‘egg’. 

Neck Reining

This game is a fun way to practice neck reining for all levels of riders. I personally like teaching my riders more of a split rein style hold (even when not using split reins) because it is often easier for the young riders or less experienced riders to pick up the idea that they need to point their finger (with the wrist following) the way they need to go. I’ll use the phrase “Slide towards the ears, and push over” to make sure we are getting a more true bearing/neck/indirect rein action and not turning it into an indirect rein of opposition.

Also teaching riders how to neck rein with not just the left but also the right hand is beneficial because it makes them learn how to independently use each hand and to master the fine and gross motor skills of neck reining with each hand.

Releasing the Reins After a Whoa

When playing the Egg and Spoon game, I will often have the rider whoa and drop their ‘egg’ into a bucket or set it on another obstacle in the arena. This forces the rider to not only practice a precision whoa (stopping their horse in an exact spot) but also to be aware of what their reins are doing while they are stopped. Often times after a rider stops they forget to release the rein pressure (and instructors often forget to reinforce this important final step of the whoa). During the egg and spoon game, if the reins are not released at the whoa the horse will often begin to back or turn (if rein pressure is uneven). If this happens we will freeze and problem solve in the moment. I often ask the rider to feel what each hand is doing and figure out why their horse did not stay stopped. 

Body & Legs for Steering

Because a student is limited to using one hand for steering, this is a great way to really reinforce the use of the body and legs first for steering instead of jumping to reins first. Some lesson horses get a bit rusty on listening to body and leg aids for steering so this is something that you will need to school your horse on before you ask your students to attempt in class. Set your student and horse up for success by working in routine training and schooling sessions.

Two-Point Without Hand Support

Two point is another skill to incorporate into the Egg and Spoon race after the rider has steering and stopping down. Because the rider has to hold onto the spoon for the game, this is a great way to challenge them to not use their hands for balance. This is also a great way to practice smooth body position changes in and out of the two point because if a rider shoves their body up into two point or sits down hard they will most likely loose the ‘egg’.

Using all aids independently

Teaching your rider how to have each natural aid (voice, seat, leg, hands) work separately and in unison are skills that should be reinforced every lesson. No matter if your student is a beginner or advanced rider growing or refining the use of the aids is a never ending skill to practice. The Egg and Spoon game is a great way to bring awareness to the rider’s ability to use the hand holding the spoon/tong separately from their seat and legs because if the hand does not function independent from the body and other hand when the rider is riding at a walk, asking for a whoa, posting trot, sitting trot, canter, etc. then they will drop the ‘egg’. 

Hand and body position stability over jumps or poles

Definitely a more advanced skill, but incorporating the egg and spoon game into riding over cavalettis or jumps is a great way to bring awareness to hand stability while jumping, soft change of body position over fences, etc. 

Bring It All Together

This game might look simple, but the amount of motor planning, coordination, balance, and problem-solving happening is huge. It’s not just about not dropping the egg—it’s about riding with intentionality and awareness while doing something novel and fun.

Whether your students are working on their first whoa or refining their equitation over jumps, the Egg and Spoon Game gives you a fun, effective way to build solid riding skills.

So go ahead—dust off those plastic eggs, grab a few spoons, and bring back this classic in your next lesson!

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More in-depth videos with guidance on instruction theory and examples of this in real-life lessons can be found in The Intuitive Instructor Club video library where we dive deeper into saddle fitting, rider positioning, and matching the right tack to your students’ needs.

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Disclaimer: The information provided by Hoof Falls & Footfalls is for educational purposes only and is intended to support instructors in expanding their knowledge and skills. It is not a substitute for professional training, certification, or individual judgment. By choosing to implement any of the ideas, techniques, or practices shared here, you do so at your own risk and accept full responsibility for the outcomes. Hoof Falls & Footfalls and its creator, Saebra, assume no liability for any injuries, damages, or losses resulting from the use of the information provided. Always ensure the safety and well-being of your students, horses, and yourself by following appropriate safety guidelines and industry best practices.