The sport of horse soccer has found its footing across the United States. The official association is America’s Equine Soccer League, which describes “hoof-ball” as “soccer played with an “equine sized” ball on horseback (or mule back or donkey back ‒ you use your equine of choice).” All level of riders and all ages are allowed to play, as well as horses from any discipline.
Horse who enjoy playing with balls in their paddocks will likely take to this sport quickly!
So, what are the rules of horse soccer? According to the Great Western PFHA Arizona Horse Soccer League there are several dos and don’ts, as well as recommendations such as keeping teams to three horse-and-rider combinations – one goalie and two field riders – to make the sport more watchable for audiences, and keeping each “period” to 15 minutes with a 15-minute rest for horses between periods. This particular league mandates that goal posts are made from either tall safety cones or barrel racing barrels, placed approximately 20 feet apart and are not fixed in place for safety reasons. The size of the arena is recommended to be 225 feet by 100 feet or “cutting horse size.” Whips or slit reins or “motivating” devices are also banned.