Kids' Pony Party Games and Crafts

Barrel Racing
Before the party
Set two courses, side by side, slalom style marking a starting line in the grass.

At the party
Divide the children into two teams ("Wranglers and Rustlers," or "Mustangs and Palominos").

Line the children up at the starting line. When you say, “Go,” the first child on each team runs through the slalom course, turns and runs back through and tags the second teammate. The second person runs the course, and so on, until everyone on a team has finished. The fastest team wins.

Rope Tricks
At the party
Make an eyelet (or "honda") by folding the end of the rope back on itself to form a 2" loop. Fasten base of loop by winding string around rope. Thread other end of rope through eyelet to form a lasso.

Have children take turns trying to throw the rope around a target.

Note: Children under seven years old may find it too difficult to throw a real rope. Instead you can tie the rope around the outside of a hula hoop and secure it by wrapping the two with string.

Select one child to be the "cowboy." The other children act as horses and circle the "cowboy" while (s)he tries to rope one of them.
Whomever (s)he lassos becomes the next cowboy.

Rainbow Tail Races
Object - To be the first team to attach all of the colored streamers to form the horse's rainbow tail.

Before the party
Cut a 1- 2 foot length of streamer for each child and attach a piece of looped tape to the end of each.

At the party
Hang the horse pictures on a tree or on a wall running distance from the children. Divide the children into two teams. Have each team form a line, one behind the other on the starting line. Hand each child a streamer.

To start the race, the first child from each team runs with the streamer and attaches the tail to the horse's rump. The players run back, and tag the next teammate in each line who runs to the picture, attaches the second streamer and so on. This continues until one team has all of their streamers in place, forming the horse's rainbow tail.

Painting Lucky Horseshoes
Before the party
Visit a local horse farm or riding stable to get used horseshoes. Spray paint the horseshoes with brightly colored metallic spray paint (such as Rustoleum brand)

At the party
Have children put on smocks or old shirts. Give children metallic paint pens or permanent markers (gold and silver work well) and let children decorate the horseshoes and write their names. Let the horseshoes dry during the party.

Play Horseshoes
Before the party
Set up a real or plastic horseshoe game. Children 7 and older may like to play with real horseshoes. For younger children, you might want to use the plastic children's sets.

Here is the basic way to play the game (there are many variations):

• Divide the children into two teams.
• Position the teams behind the throwing line.
• The game is played to 21 points.
• One point is given for each horseshoe that is closer than the opponent's.
• Three points are given for each "ringer" (a horseshoe that circles the stake).
• One person from each team comes to the line.
• The two players alternate throwing their three horseshoes.
• Points are recorded, and the next pair comes forward.

Hay Hunt
Before the party
Visit your local farm or nursery to purchase a bail or hay. Buy several small, plastic toys, such as little plastic horses or other farm animals, as well as stickers, wrapped candy, etc. Scatter the toys across a 10’ by 10’ play area in the backyard or on a patio. Use the hay to cover the toys.

At the party
Give each child a bag to hold their toys. Send one child at a time into the hay for 30 seconds to try and find as many items as he or she can. Continue letting children search through the hay until all guests have had a turn.

Note: You may need to add extra prizes toward the end if all items appear to be found.
Alternative: You could blindfold each child with abandana before letting them crawl through the hay to make finding items more difficult.

"Trail Ride" Mad Lib Word Game
Before the party
Find 9 small, paper bags. Label each bag with one of the following categories:

• Your Name
• Any Name
• A Friend's Name
• An Emotion
• A Body Part
• A Food
• A Game
• A Thing
• A Place
• An Emotion
• A Color

Place bags on a table with small pieces of paper and pencils in front of each bag. As guests arrive, have each person write an answer for each category and place them in the bags.

Later in the party, have guests take turns reading the story below, drawing an answer from the appropriate bags for each blank in the story.

Yesterday, I went riding on my favorite horse, ______ (name). (S)he's ____________ (color), and loves to eat ____________ (food). After (s)he was saddled up, we decided to hit the trail for _____________ (place). As we were going through the woods, I noticed it was beginning to get dark. I was looking up when _______________ (name) suddenly jumped over a _____________ (thing). I was so ________ (emotion) that I slid out of the saddle and hit my __________ (body part.)
Fortunately _________ ("your name" category) came along, and we decided to head back to play ___________ (game) instead.

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