How to Plan the Best Horse Theme Birthday Party Ever

My niece, Julie, has loved horses all of her life, just like me. So when it came time for her daughter's 4th birthday, she knew just what she wanted to do for River. Her daughter loves animals, so Julie combined this love of animals with her own love for horses and the idea of a horse birthday party was born. Here is Julie's story, told in her own words, of how the party turned out:. Julie starts by telling how she contacted a local horse trainer:

"I knew she did horse birthday parties, and I knew that she had super calm, well trained horses. So, I contacted her through Facebook, asked her a ton of questions, and we set the day up for March 5th.

We got there about 45 minutes early for a professional photographer to do some pictures. The horses were already saddled and ready to go. After the kids started arriving they began the rides. There were two horses being used - Dallas (the bay in the pink saddle) and Angel. They were wonderful with the kids - super gentle and of course pretty much bombproof. There was also a bottle fed baby goat wandering around that the kids loved. It actually had to be put up as it started to get into everything.

Vikki and her husband lead each child around for several minutes (and not just in a circle) and everyone got to take several turns. Most of the kids had never ridden a horse, and amazingly enough none of them were scared (I think the calm, kid-loving nature of the horses naturally influenced the kids to not be fearful)! There were also several horses and goats on the property that the kids could pet while waiting for their turn.

One of the main attractions was a mini horse named Cowboy. He was very sweet and seemed to love the kids, and they enjoyed being around a horse that was their size.

Vikki had a picnic table set up in the barn that had centerpieces of apples and carrots. The kids loved taking turns feeding the animal of their choosing (most wanted to give at least one treat to the goats LOL).

We also played two games: pin the tail on the horse and a tossing game. There was a big cut out of a white horse on the side of one of the stalls, and of course each child was blind folded in either a red or blue bandana before placing the tail (The tail was made of silver and white yarn with bows in it) on the horse. For the second game, the kids had to stand behind a tape line and throw an apple into a feeding bucket. This one was a big hit! The first place in each game got a horse related prize, and everyone got a goody bag with lots of candy and horse related toys.
After horse rides and games we did cake and ice cream, then opened presents, and then a few more horse rides for those that wanted. It was nice to be able to allow the kids to wander around freely and explore without fear of cars or mean animals. All the kids were well mannered and no one was hyper or particularly loud, but of course there were still kids running around wanting to pet all the animals, and excited squeals. All that to say through it all, the horses remained calm and just watched the kids run around with interest and curious expressions on their faces.

Besides the western saddles and attire, it was a Black Beauty-esque picture and experience! Several of the moms later told me that even several weeks later their kids were still talking about riding horses at River's birthday party!"

Picture of River with mini horse named "Cowboy."

You can plan a horse themed birthday party for your child that will be exciting and fun for all! Whether you plan to have real live horses at the birthday party or just have horses as your theme, use the following steps to guide you. Here is a quick list of each step.

Step 1 - Choose: Real Horses vs Horse Theme
Step 2 - Choose the Place and Time
Step 3 - The Invitation
Step 4 - Choosing Horse Games and Activities
Step 5 - Planning the Schedule
Step 6 - Choosing the Cake or Cupcakes
Step 7 - Choosing the Decorations
Step 8 - Choosing Party Favors and Prizes
Step 9 - Planning for Pictures
Step 10 - Choosing Your Helpers

Read on to find explanations and ideas for each step. Start at Step 1 if you plan to use real horses or skip on down to Step 2 if not.

Picture courtesy of thefarmyard.org , free clipart on google images

Your child's horse birthday party will be great - whether you have live horses or just using a horse theme. Let's face it, not all locations and circumstances lend themselves to having horses parading around.

If you live in the city in an apartment, without access to a riding stable or friends that live in the country, then of course you will choose the horse theme only. Planning fun games, great horse decorations, and horsey party favors will make your party a great success. We will talk later about where to get great horse items for your party. Skip on down to Step Two.

If you choose to have real horses at the party and you have no horses - this could be a problem! Here are some ideas to help you find those horses:
1. Do you have any family or friends with horses? If they're not willing to use their horses - ask them if THEY know of anyone with horses who may be willing to help you out.

2. Try Facebook- let your friends know you want to have a birthday party with horses for your child and ask them if they have any leads for you.

3. Look up large stables where riding lessons are given in your area and call them. They may be willing to help you out or know someone who can.

4. Check out all horse indoor horse arenas in your area. You may have to go by when they are open (usually in the evening or on weekends) and ask them if they can help or know of anyone with horses who might help.

5. Try your local 4H club - they may have a horse division or have a member with horses who can help you.

6. There may already be someone in your area who does birthday parties with horses. Do a google search for "Kids birthday party horses + ( your city name). "I've seen one outfit that would show up at your door with 3 shetland ponies and a little round about walker that kept the ponies circling with their little riders. If this is the case, be sure and check out what is included in their party package. Some groups only provide the horses, others will do the whole party. Be sure everything is in writing so there will be no last minute surprises. And if they don't offer all of what you want, try to negotiate. If you have some good ideas, maybe they'd be willing to incorporate them.

7. Try finding someone with miniature horses to bring to your party. They are usually too small to ride but the kids just love them. They can pet, brush, and feed treats to a horse their size!

People who love horses are usually friendly people and they remember what it was like to be a child dreaming of that first horseback ride. They will often try hard to help you out! And you may even find some horse lovers who will be willing to loan you their horses without charge. My husband and I have done this in the past, when we had Shadow, a kid- sized pony. He was so cute, someone was always wanting to borrow him.

A word of caution: Make SAFETY a main concern. Don't let any of the children ride the pony or horse by themselves, even if they insist they know how to ride. Make sure and ask the owner if the horses are used to being around children and are calm and gentle. Have one person to lead the horse and another one or two to walk at the side of the child who is riding.

Photo courtesy waynenf via a creative commons license

Cowgirl Birthday Invitation by eventfulcards
Browse other Cowgirl birthday party Invitations

There are so many wonderful horse birthday invitations to choose from on Zazzle. Just click on the one you like best and personalize it with your information. Orders ship out the next day! You can order as many as you need. While you're there, you can also take the same picture that you chose for the invitations and put it on a t-shirt or cap for the party girl or boy and even order some for the guests!

Have a written schedule and post it to help keep things on track. If you only have a limited amount of time, then it will be important to try to get all the activities in order, set up and ready to go. My advice, do the most important activities and games first, then use the end of the party with "filler" activities - such as coloring horse pictures.

Here are a few options. I'll use the times of 9:00 till 11:30 but you change the times to fit those of your party:

Option 1: With live horse or pony

9:00 - 9:30: Welcome guests, allow kids to play dress-up with costumes provided. Spend a few minutes reviewing safety rules: No running around horses, don't walk behind or under a horse, no screaming around the horses.

9:30 - 10:15: Activity #1- Start pony/horse rides and take professional (or amateur) pictures.
Be sure to get an okay from parents to post the pictures on Flickr so they can obtain their own copies of the the party at their convenience.
Depending on how many guests you have, divide the amount of time evenly between each guest. Allow at least 5 minutes per child. Then when everyone has had their turn, if there is time left over, let those who want to take another turn.

10:15 - 10:30: Game or Activity #2 - Pin the Tail on the Horse

10:30 - 11:00: Cake and ice cream. Open gifts.

11:00 - 11:15 Game or Activity #3 Apple Toss or allow kids to pat and brush the horse or feed him treats.

11:15 - 11:30 More horse rides if time permits.
Color horse pictures.
Pass out party favors.
Clean up and say Good bye!
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Option 2: Horse theme, no live animals

9:oo - 9:30: Welcome guests. Allow kids to play dress ups with costumes provided. Take pictures - professional or amateur.

9:30 - 10:00: Game or activity (example- Stick Horse Races or Apple Toss).

10:00 - 10:30: Activity #2 - Craft: Decorate real horseshoe.

10:30 - 11:00: Cake and ice cream. Open gifts.

11:00 - 11:15: Activity #3 - Pin the Tail on the Horse

11:15 - 11:30: Color horse pictures.
Pass out party favors.
Clean up and say Good bye!

These are just 2 simple options to choose from to insure your child's horse party being a success. Vary the games or adapt them to fit the age and abilities of your guests. Make sure during all of the activities that each child is closely supervised if there are live horses or other animals at the party. If any of the guests came without a parent, ask another parent to watch out for them. You want everyone to be safe and no children left to wander off and get kicked or accidentally stepped on by a horse.

Hint: Have everything set up and ready to go in advance. Horse or pony saddled. Game activities set up. Party favors gathered. Table set up with cake and decorations. Kids do so much better at parties and gatherings if they don't have a lot of free time to get into trouble! The more prepared you are, the smoother things will go. Enlist the help of the parents and make sure to gather enough helpers in advance.

Photo courtesy of my niece, Julie. Her daughter, River, playing Pin the Tail on the Horse at her 4th birthday party

You can hire a professional to come and take pictures at your child's birthday party. You'll be sure to get some great pics that way! Or maybe you know someone who takes great pictures and is willing to come to the party and help out. Try downloading your pictures to www.flickr.com so that everyone at the party has access to them and can print their own. Another thing you may try is to use a Polaroid camera for instant pics so that the kids can each take home a picture. Or if you have a picture printer, take those pictures and print them right away to give to your guests.

Hint: Make sure and have someone else in charge of picture taking. It is just too hard to take pictures and oversee the games and activities all at the same time!.

Isn't this the cutest little cowgirl you've ever seen?

If you are having live horses at your party, be sure to have plenty of helpers. Ask in advance, don't count on parents staying to watch their own children. Some will, but some may not. For safety, each child needs someone in charge of them if there are horses around. And make sure some of the helpers are horse "savvy."

You will need enough helpers to have one adult leading a horse and at least one side walker to walk beside the rider. If the horses are being borrowed for the party, the owners will hopefully stay to help you out. If you are hiring professional people to do the horse rides, be sure and ask how many horses there will be and how many people they bring to help them.

If you don't plan to have horses at your party, you will still need some help with games and activities. Ask Grandma or Grandpa, friends and relatives to help. With plenty of help, the party will run smoothly and you won't be too exhausted!

Art courtesy of Millermark Creations Classic Horse Free Cartoon Horse Clipart!