Preteen Horse Lover's Birthday Party
Dec 10 '04
The Bottom Line preteen horse party ideas for 2+ kids
Okay, so they're too big for a pony party, but they love horses and want to have a 'theme' with horses on their big day. What I did on my 13th birthday, instead of having a typical 10+ kids, cake and ice cream party, was to have two friends over. We went to a nearby riding stable that rented horses by the hour and rented three horses (at about $10/hour back then). After our trail ride, we went to a local ice cream place for ice cream cones. It was definitely a memorable birthday, and we had a lot of fun.
These days, horse rental, depending on the locality, might be about $15-$20/hour or more. But with parties for groups costing $50+, taking your child and a friend or two on a trail ride would be a good alternative. They would have a blast, and you wouldn't have anything to clean up afterwards!
If this isn't an option, and you opt for a more 'traditional' party, some ideas:
Decorations:
horseshoes - about $1 each at feed stores; put some around the table, give as party favors; hang them with the ends up (so the luck won't run out, as the superstition goes)
hay or straw bales - about $2 each at feed or garden stores; can be used as animal bedding or mulch afterwards
horse show ribbons - a few dollars a set (1st through 5th or 6th) at printing, engraving, trophy places (or can order through them) or on ebay, give as prizes for games or as party favors
spurs - cheap slip-on spurs are available for about $7/pair at www.statelinetack.com
cowboy hats - 12.95 a dozen at www.orientaltrading.com (child's cowboy hat with star); give as party favor upon leaving
Food:
Carrot cake - of course!!!! horses love carrots!!
Jelly Bellys of the following colors - orange, yellow, tan/brown, white - it will look like 'sweet feed' that horses eat, only yours will be a lot sweeter!!!
Oatmeal cookies - naturally!
Sugar cookies - horses love sugar cubes!
Peppermints - These are given to horses as treats, but more commonly in Europe than in the US.
Carrots, apples - less sugary treats to munch on.
Activities:
pin the tail on the donkey - DUH!!!
horse pinata - stuffed with candy, trinkets, etc.
horse-themed movie - The Black Stallion, Black Beauty, Spirit, My Friend Flicka, National Velvet, International Velvet, Phar Lap, Brighty of the Grand Canyon, The Littlest Horse Thieves, Miracle of the White Stallions, Misty, Seabiscuit, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, etc.
horseshoes - DUH!!!
horse-themed board games (Breyer's Horse Play, Breyer's Horse Sense, Horse Show card game, Herd Your Horses)
horse-themed puzzles, word searches, crossword puzzles, quizzes (The Giant Book of Horsefun) - available at www.amazon.com; downloadable from many places on the internet like www.ponyclub.org
leather stamping - keyrings, bookmarks. . .
t-shirt decorating - have everyone bring a white t-shirt in their size, and then have horse-themed stamps from Hobby Lobby and appropriate paints, and make horsey t-shirts! Or make oversized ones and then have a sleep-over!
paint-by-number horse scenes - commonly found at Hobby Lobby in boxes with paints and brushes, sometimes several in a box
That should be enough ideas to keep the kids occupied for however many hours you have them, including a sleepover!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
sshelle
|
 in Pets |
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: Stillwater, OK
Reviews written: 351
Trusted by: 55 members
About Me:
Working on my Piled Higher and Deeper degree. . .
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.