so I’ve been invited to participate in our local Christmas parade. Its about 6 blocks long, takes 5 minutes to finish and its at night. We went last year & had a blast, but our battery operated x-mas lights (pinned on quarter sheets) just didn’t look all that great. I’m taking the hay wagon, which will be lit by generator, but how to light up the horses? Cute, inexpensive costume ideas for riders & horses welcomed as well - last year everyone just wore boots, breeches & farm jackets.
Would the battery powered lights work? I know I used them on a couple of wreaths outside when I didn’t have an outlet. I think they come in 10 light or 20 light lenghts.
I would be EXTREAMLY careful putting anything on a horse to which it was not accustomed. A friend recently was riding her horse with a ballon tied to the saddle, as it was her birthday. Everything was fine until she dismounted and the balloon went in front of the horses face. The horse spooked, took off, and ran into a fence, broke the post and impailed himself. Luckily the horse survived and is recovering, but we start to forget that these are very sensitive animals and new things may set them off. If you are to do this, make sure you get your horse well used to it before the parade, as just being in a parade is spooky enough.
Maybe those light up Rudolph antler attacked to your bridle? Light up nose? We had a group of gaited horses do a performance where they attached glowsticks to the horses legs (via polos or splint boots) and turned out the lights! It was pretty cool! 
wreath of christmas garland around the horse’s neck!
santa hats on the horses and people! Unless you are wearing helmets–if helmets, clip something festive like a small silk poinsettia to the brim!
Red and green polo wraps on the horses.
Braid horse’s tail, and stick fake poinsettas into the braid.
You can actually buy horsey santa hats. But I just got a couple of santa hats from a craft store and cut a hole for one ear. And I used safety pins to clip it to the bridle. (only do this on a horse that doesn’t mind stuff by his ears!)
How about red and green or silver glitter on their feet?
I have glittered my horse’s feet for parades before and all the little kids LOVE it. “Mommy, that horsie has sparkly feet!”
I use clear hoof polish (thick gloppy cheap stuff actually works best here) and a jar of craft glitter. Do a coat of polish, and while the polish is still wet sprinkle massive amounts of glitter on. (put newspaper or something under horse’s foot to catch excess glitter.) The glitter will stick in the polish. Do all 4 feet, let dry, then add another coat if necessary. I usually finish with a final coat of clear polish on top.
FOr the people, I think boots+breeches on the bottom, then on top wear something festive --nice wool jacket with red and green scarf, for example.
I am I only one who thinks that putting anything electrical on a horse is begging for a bad outcome?
One small short that your horse can’t get away from is not going to be pretty.
Call me jaded, but it seems every year the idiots on my little town have an accident with one of the horses in the parade. Horses get hurt, people get hurt and still, year after year people want to ride their horses in the parade. :rolleyes:
Maybe I have it wrong and your horses are professional parade horses. But even a pro horse would freak if it could not get away from an electrical short on its body.
Please be careful - for everyone’s sake.
SCFarm
How about instead of lights you put a strip of bells on
each of the horses. A jingle bell horse drawn vehicle
is very Christmas.
I don’t think 4 AA batteries are going to give anybody a jolt… :lol:
Erm…
[quote=Pennyhill;5163000]so I’ve been invited to participate in our local Christmas parade. Its about 6 blocks long, takes 5 minutes to finish and its at night. We went last year & had a blast, but our battery operated x-mas lights (pinned on quarter sheets) just didn’t look all that great. I’m taking the hay wagon, which will be lit by generator, but how to light up the horses? Cute, inexpensive costume ideas for riders & horses welcomed as well - last year everyone just wore boots, breeches & farm jackets.
[/quote]
On the other hand, if you hook up 4 AA batteries together in a circuit and then put your tongue on it, I’ll give you a dollar! :winkgrin: I’ll give you two if you post it on Youtube!
SCFarm
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Combining a couple of ideas here: Rhythm bells on a Christmas type string around their neck - with lights. Good idea to try at home first though LOL. If they are totally willing you could even add bells around their front ankles.
oh, on a hay wagon… pft…
I am almost tempted to try your challenge, but alas, I don’t think you’d get the jolt you seek out of my ziplock kept bargain brand batteries… :lol:
(my dad used to test batteries by sticking a pair to his tongue, long before Energizer added the test strip…I never was able to get the fizzle, even with new ones…)
solar-powered Christmas lights:
http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Powered-White-Christmas-Lights/dp/B000S0RYEW
cool!, but I am not sure I would find a place to put the photocell on a horse…
Ah, my bad, we are talking wagon… :lol:
oy vey - for those of you who are concerned for my safety - we are taking a hay wagon. and some horses. The hay wagon will be pulled by a truck, and any lights on the wagon will be powered by generator. I have done parades before, including the Detroit Thanksgiving Day (Christmas) and they don’t get any bigger than that! We are only taking sane, sensible horses who have done parades before & every horse, regardless of experience, is accompanied by an adult walker (sometimes 2), just in case. This is a very small town parade, no bands or firetrucks, the scariest thing we saw last year was a group with shopping carts. I am extemely safety concious, and probably even paranoid when it comes to keeping my horses & riders safe!
The problem I have is this is a NIGHT TIME parade. Its dark. Therefore its a LIGHTED parade, meaning the things in the parade need to have lights on them to be seen.
Last year we did try the battery operated lights. They looked really dull, but I did buy them at the dollar store. I sewed them onto the outside of our quarter sheets & they were powered by 2 batteries, can’t remember if they were "AA"s or what, but they certainly weren’t at any risk of shock. Obviously it would be unsafe to put strings of lights directly on the horses, or on our tack. I’m thinking maybe making “sleeves” out of sparkley fabric to pin over polo wraps, to reflect light? Maybe strings of sequins in the mane & tail? I think trying to reflect light off the horses would be better than actually putting lots of lights on the horses. I was thinking a wreath around the neck with lights on that if the horses aren’t bothered by it, maybe the quarter sheets too, but with white, not from the dollar store lights.
Or I could go with my hubbies idea - wrap 'em up in strings of lights & get a bunch of extention cords running from horse to horse, then plug them into the generator :D:lol::winkgrin::eek:
DISCLAIMER
thats a joke, k? I’m being funny
Penny - Good to know! I was picturing, from your initial description, something along the lines of what your husband said! Mine would say something like that too, he likes to torture me! Even though I know he’s kidding.
I DO get paranoid about parades. Around here it seems to bring out the stupid in normally sane people, And YES there are TONS of firetrucks!!! You can’t imagine.
Since you seem sane, I would look at those led lights from the youtube videos. Those look seriously awesome!
Have fun!
SCFarm
Those dollar store battery strings are generally incandescent and not nearly as bright as the LED variety.
And generators can kill just as quickly as the power lines.
Well, LED lights work with sheep. Here’s the youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxedtAM2j7g&feature=fvsr
I think intorducing them to the horses and practicing several times with the horses ahead of he parade will be the key here. Good luck!
lights on horse
I usually find battery powered strings of lights at The Dollar General Market
