Hold a Pony-Theme Birthday Party
Tips for Invitations, Snacks and Activities for Horse-Loving Kids
Kids love ponies. Why not throw a pony birthday party that will really get them excited? Here are some great ideas to help with your planning.
Kids love horses, and both boys and girls will have a great time when you plan a pony birthday party. Girls may appreciate a “princess” pony party, while boys will want to stick to a western theme. Either way, you can have a great and memorable time with some of these tips.
Invitations
There are many cute pony invitations that you can purchase and send out—everything from a Western pony theme to "My Little Pony" theme. You can also purchase blank invitations to run through your printer.
If you like to make your own have your child draw his or her very own picture of a horse on a sheet of paper and color it. Then, you can scan the picture into the computer and print it out along with all of the essential party information.
Decorations
For a girl’s pony party, decorate the party area with pretty pink, white and purple streamers and balloons. For a boy, go with a Western look and use red and blue. For either party, set out some rocking horses for photo ops and bales of hay (if you are having the party outside). If you don’t have a rocking horse, then try making a horse out of a saw table covered with a blanket and a saddle. Many party supply stores carry horse shaped piñatas—these look great and are fun activities, too. Look for the kind with the pull string instead of the kind the kids have to hit. They are safer.
Activities
- Hire a Pony: For about $100 for an hour, you can hire someone in your area to bring out a pony for the kids to ride. This is a perfect activity and both boys and girls will love taking rides around the yard. Check for prices in your area and call ahead to reserve well in advanced.
- Stick Horse Races: Buy two stick horses and divide the children into two teams. Race the stick horses to the finish line and back and let the next two in line go. This can be changed to make it harder, too. Have them race backyards, hop over small obstacles or gallop.
- Mini Makeovers: For a girl’s party, consider have mini “pony” makeovers as they arrive. Give each girl a ponytail style hairdo and add feathers or beads. You can even braid their hair in a French braid. This will go nicely with the pony theme.
Cake and Snacks
Wilton makes a "My Little Pony" cake pan that you can purchase and decorate. It is fairly easy to use one of these pans and you can use any colors of frosting you choose. When you buy the pans new, they will come with detailed instructions and a list of items you need.
You can also make your own pony cake by baking a cake in a regular pan and decorating it with small plastic ponies. Look for a set that comes with a plastic fence. You can tint coconut with green food coloring and put it on the top of the cake to look like grass.
If you are planning a girl’s party, then go with a pony tea party theme. For snacks, try to find a horse shaped cookie cutter and make pony finger sandwiches. Add in mini carrot sticks, apple slices and crackers. For a boy’s Western pony party, serve hot dogs, carrot sticks and potato chips.
Goodie Bags
Get a straw hat for each child and fill it with candy, horse stickers, a picture of the child on the horse and a sheriff badge. You can also fill a small wicker basket with a mini stuffed horse, and other pony related gifts such as a notepad and matching pencil.
