Have a pony come to your house!
Nov 28 '04
The Bottom Line pony parties are a perennial favorite with kids and their parents; comparable in price to many other favorite party reservations; lots of memories
I used to do 'pony parties' as a teenager growing up in Oklahoma. It was one of my side jobs working at a stable in exchange for riding lessons. I loved doing pony parties, because you never knew what you were going to find at the party. We did parties where we were the main attraction (usually), and parties where we were just one of many attractions, off in a corner behind the tethered hot air balloon, circus clowns, or other performers (you wouldn't believe what some people do for kids' parties!).
Our job was to bring a saddled pony and lead it around the yard, park, or wherever the party was, and help the party kids on and off for however long they wanted us (usually an hour, maybe two). Usually they rented one pony, sometimes two, rarely several. It was around $60/hour/pony, including transport, helpers to lead the pony, etc. If you consider what it costs to reserve a restaurant or skating rink or arcade visit, it's a deal.
It's also the most fun I've ever seen kids have. Kids from 3 years and up LOVE it when ponies come to their OWN house! When the horse trailer pulls up and a REAL pony gets off, they just about can't contain themselves. The parents get excited too. We had one couple who had JUST freshly sodded their lawn, and it had just rained, and they wanted us to do the party on their lawn anyway. I felt really bad leading a pony over all of that sod, and we made a big mess, but they were so happy they didn't care.
Some people had the kids make cowboy vests out of brown paper sacks, and bought cowboy hats from Oriental Trading Company for about $1.50/each. Some even took old refrigerator boxes and made old-time storefronts with jails, saloons, hitching posts, etc. The smart ones had bought straw bales for the eager kids to sit on (or stand behind) to wait their turn for the ride. Otherwise the line for the ride will creep forward and you keep having to move the eager kids back out of the way all the time.
With a haltered pony and someone leading the well-broke pony, it's very safe. If you really wanted to be even safer, a riding helmet would be perfect. For a very young sibling or scared child, a walker on one or both sides ready to keep the child from sliding (or baling) off works well for a sense of security. The best environment for this is one that is calm--no swings moving or water sprinklers going, no loud music or running children to spook the pony. Our ponies didn't care, as they were used to it all, and we did parties near swings and through fields of kids swinging inflatable baseball bats, jumping on trampolines, and throwing balls. But never assume ponies are used to that, just to be safe.
Another thrill for the kids, besides riding the pony, was feeding the pony carrots or apples. The ponies always loved that, and as long as the kids are shown the correct way to do it (with their hands held flat), it is perfectly safe and no one is going to lose a finger. Just make sure whoever owns the pony gives the okay first. Carrots and apples are cheap, and by the time you chop them up into lots of little pieces, each kid can feed the pony several small bites, and the pony won't get too full too fast.
The kids love asking tons of questions--everything from what the pony eats, what the pony weighs, where the pony lives, etc. to the unexpected funny ones, "Is it (the pony) real?", "Why doesn't the (saddle) horn beep?", etc. And of course, the minute the pony needs to 'do its business', you know you're going to get a chorus of squeals and laughter, or a bunch of questions, and some free fertilizer if you want to keep it.
Safety concerns: make sure the pony is walked over grass, not down the concrete driveway or street (if a kid falls off--ouch); make sure the kids stay to the front of the pony, not within striking range of the feet (any of them; even the nicest ponies strike at fly bites); tails hurt too, when they swat your face if you're standing behind or near the back end of a pony as it swats at a fly; request a Western saddle if possible, since it has a horn that the unsteady riders can grasp for added balance as well as security; request a riding helmet, if possible, just to be safe (you can buy a child's size Western or English one for $20-$30); make sure the environment the pony will be walking in is free of holes, rocks, loud noises, unfamiliar dogs, moving objects (such as plastic bags, swingsets, trampolines, etc.)
Make sure you have your camera on hand! So many people have told me that the pony party was the one their child loved the most. You really can't beat having a real pony come to your house. Most cities have at least one place that will do this. Check 'riding stables' in the phone book. If they won't come to your place, see if you can take the kids there for a similar plan. It is really fun. You could put little sheriff badges in the treat bags. And you could also do what I did for my wedding favors, and make 'sweet feed' feed sacks--take burlap and make little feed sacks (just circles gathered and tied with twine for simplicity), then fill them with tan, yellow, orange, and white Jelly Bellys or jelly beans so it looks like horse 'sweet feed'.
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Epinions.com ID:
sshelle
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 in Pets |
 - Top 1000 |
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Location: Stillwater, OK
Reviews written: 353
Trusted by: 56 members
About Me:
Working on my Piled Higher and Deeper degree. . .
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