Birthday Horse Riding!

[Rose333]

Hey! I’m a newcomer here and just wonder anybody knows how to make a birthday party for a babygirl with horse riding? Is it safe? Should I take special equipment? How to organize it at all??

Just wanna thank everyone for joining this conversation! With your help and after reading a few articles like https://www.evababygear.com/first-birthday-gift-ideas/ I’ve come up with the best BDay Party for my princess Btw it’s gonna be her first BDay! So, we’ve decided to have a photo shooting at the Zoo dressed up in the middle ages clothes and then in cowboy (cowgirls) style! Based on these photos we gonna create our own storybook describing this marvelous day as a fairy tale or a comics, we haven’t decided yet Thanks again! Wish me luck!)

[gottagrey]

Your best bet is to find a birthday place that has pony rides or can bring a pony to your house. Depending on how on old the baby is, like under 3 I would wait until they are older.

[2DogsFarm]

What @gottagrey said.
If the baby is under 5 you will be safest with a Petting Zoo type of party with baby animals - lambs, dwarf goats, miniature horses - the children can interact with safely.

[Rose333]

@2DogsFarm

What @gottagrey said.
If the baby is under 5 you will be safest with a Petting Zoo type of party with baby animals - lambs, dwarf goats, miniature horses - the children can interact with safely.

Oh, that’s a pretty good idea! But I don’t know how my baby would react to other animals

[Wanderosa]

@Rose333

Oh, that’s a pretty good idea! But I don’t know how my baby would react to other animals

How do you know how the baby would react to a horse, either?

[furlong47]

In most areas you can find a lesson barn or petting zoo type place or two that offer birthday parties. Some will hold your party at their facility and some will bring ponies to you. I agree that I would wait until a kid is at least 3 or 4 to do a pony ride party. They need to be able to sit up and hold their head up and their heads need to be big enough that they can wear a helmet. Plus if you’re going to spend the money it’s nice if they are old enough to remember it. Check the place out ahead of time. Look for safety - the facility doesn’t need to be fancy, but should be in good repair. They should have helmets for the kids. Ponies should be in good weight with decent fitting tack. For little kids ideally you have someone leading the pony and someone walking alongside (can be a parent). If you aren’t sure how to evaluate these things and you have a friend who rides or has horses, take them along to check it out.

[pony_grandma]

Have old is ‘babygirl?’

Small children have overly large heavy heads and weak necks. I cannot emphasize this enough. I am not a proponent of very early riding, and possible sudden movements, at all. I have grandchildren and I love to make them horse crazy, but I wait!

Horses, ponies - they swing their large heads around and it can really scarce some children. #2 reason, best to wait.

And I have the pony … I still wait until they have strength, their own balance and aren’t scared.

We have a local ‘Zoo’Opolis’ https://www.zoo-opolisexoticpettingworld.com/

Oh sorry even this suggests 5 and older…

[Wanderosa]

@pony grandma

Have old is ‘babygirl?’

Small children have overly large heavy heads and weak necks. I cannot emphasize this enough. I am not a proponent of very early riding, and possible sudden movements, at all. I have grandchildren and I love to make them horse crazy, but I wait!

Horses, ponies - they swing their large heads around and it can really scarce some children. #2 reason, best to wait.

And I have the pony … I still wait until they have strength, their own balance and aren’t scared.

We have a local ‘Zoo’Opolis’ https://www.zoo-opolisexoticpettingworld.com/

Oh sorry even this suggests 5 and older…

Yes! There’s a video people keep sharing on Facebook with a kid who looks to be 3 at most “barrel racing”. The people sharing it think it’s adorable. All I can think is oh, god, that kid is going to have whiplash and TBI from cumulative concussions. My kids pulled some crazy stunts during their giant head phases and lived to tell about it. But this child is bouncing like she’s trying to hold onto a jackhammer. It can’t be good .

[2DogsFarm]

@Wanderosa :no: Yup, I had the same thoughts watching that video.
Little girl in pink on a buckskin mini.
Totes adorbs standing still, but :eek: at the trot.

@Rose333 even if your baby, to all appearances, loves horses, getting up close to one IRL can change that love to fear.
Horseowning friends’ toddler begged for a pony ride at Fair.
But when they put her on a pony - with Dad standing right there, holding her - she screamed to get off NOW!

[gottagrey]

Maybe get the baby a rocking horse for the birthday instead of a pony ride, something she can enjoy for a longer period of time.

[cannoli2425]

A local barn at my house does it. Not sure how old is your child, but they do a variety of birthday party packages. Google one of the local barns, maybe they will do something.

[JustTheTicket]

She said in the op that it’s her baby’s first birthday. Way too young for pony rides, IMO. Stick to a day at the zoo and save the ponies for a few years down the road.

[babecakes]

Maybe look for a photo op with a mini and a little cart ride.

[gottagrey]

at 1 year the baby is going to be more excited over the wrapping paper than ponies and presents. At that age a party can be quite overwhelming. As far as these FB posts we see of young toddlers barrel racing or hunting/jumping - those kids have probably been riding en utero and come from a long line of horse families