Birthday Present for Daughter Turning 6 Who Is All Things Horses

Riding lessons, I have seen Groupon offer discounts sometimes for this. Horse camp, going out for a trail ride, books, drawing books, Breyers brand makes horses, stables, and truck and trailer to play with. Build-a-bear has several horses to stuff and accessorize. My 4 year old loves horses too!
Good luck!

A book or books about horses, they acknowledge her interest and develop her reading skills, a win-win :)

A little girl after my own heart :)

I loved any clothing you could find with horses printed on it. I also had a collection of Breyer model horses that Barbie rode regularly. Breyer used to have a collection of smaller horses if space is an issue. They were about 2-3" tall, maybe Polly Pocket size. If your daughter likes American Girl dolls, Target sells a horse sized for them too.

Another gift idea would be to buy her a 5 lb bag of carrots and take her to a local stable (with the owner's permission) and let her feed and visit with the horses there.

I wouldn't recommend the miniature horse unless you want a pet. I'm guessing she wants to be able to ride. It's a running free with the wind in your hair kind of thing.

What about horseback riding lessons? Do you have any horse stables within a reasonable distance from your house? We have some near our house and they have a "pony club" that is mostly girls. I called a pony club mom and she directed me to another mom with a teenage girl who loves to give lessons. She did a horse back riding birthday party for my daughter and 5 of her friends. Her friend and the mom were there too...so we had 2 teenagers with their horses (well, one was a pony) and one mom supervising. They went over horse safety, horse care, and then gave the kids rides. Each teenager charged $15...so it was $30 total. They charge $5 for a 30 minute lesson. So...find some teenagers with horses! You might be able to get some riding lessons for cheap! :)

If she likes books, there are some really great ones out there for kids. Anything by Marguerite Henry (King of the Wind, Misty of Chincoteague, Born to Trot, etc.) or the Horse Diaries series (history + horses, easy readers with good illustrations throughout), The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley).

Some great horse movies: Pharlap (it's sad, though, the horse dies, but it's still an amazing story), National Velvet, The Man From Snowy River, Hildalgo (but realize that despite the fact they say its a real story, it is all based on the disproved writings of the main character), The Black Stallion and The Black Stallion Returns.

Dover publishing has lots of horse stuff - books of mazes and activities, coloring books, stencils, etc. We buy the activity books & such for our little one (who loves dinos).

A set of the little Breyer horses would be great for some imaginative play.

If you have the money, I would strongly suggest getting her riding lessons before you buy her her own horse. Or, enroll her in a 4H horse program.

Try www.wildhorsefeathers.com for some great horsey accessories and clothes -- very cute things there! Also, a number of "real" tack suppliers have horse-related gift and game sections on their websites. Doversaddlery.com comes to mind though, since these are accessories to their primary business they can take a minute to find.

BTW, as a horse owner, a rider and a mom of "horsey" girls, think long and hard before you consider owning a mini. We had one as a companion pony and I loved her dearly -- but she was much more of a worry health-wise than our Morgan! Plus, even though she was small, she was very, very bossy and could be a handful to handle.

Have a blast with your daughter's birthday! THe Wild Horsefeathers' site also includes some fun horse-themed party stuff (like pin the tail on the pony, etc). Enjoy!

My friend's daughter, went through a stage of LOVING anything horses, too.
By the next year, she was over it.
She was your daughter's age. Too. At the time.

I grew up with horses. Real ones.
It is a lot of work.

Do you live anywhere you could take her trail riding for her birthday? We did that with a friend of mine who can't afford to give her kid lessons, but could afford a trail ride and she LOVED it.

If she's a reader, get her a few of the books in the "Horse Diaries" series.

The Breyer horses are really nice. I used to love playing with those when I was girl. Get her a couple of those and maybe a stable to go with it. Or, if you already own lots of blocks or legos, encourage her to build her own stable.

Have you looked into riding lessons? Maybe you could find a class that she could take for a couple of months and spend time with real horses.

Riding lessons would be perfect.

If you go to a tack shop, the gifts are endless.

at toys r us they used to have models of horses. they were about 8 or 10 inches tall and could be displayed on a shelf or played with (i played with mine lol barbie rode them, they were wild horses to be rounded up my cousins were horrified theirs sat on a shelf to be beautiful) there are loads of books with horses as the main theme go to a book store and get a couple books and one of those horses. or if she likes barbie get her a horse for barbie

My girls both liked the Melissa and Doug Pasture Pals (12 mini horses in a case). Target also has horses to go with their version of the American Girl Doll that aren't too expensive. I don't know who makes it, but there is a plush barn that fits 5 small horses (think Beanie Baby size) in it. Both my girls have that as well.

M:

Is there a stable near your home? If so - inquire about riding lessons.

Also - if you have a big back yard? You might be able to purchase a miniature horse. My sister in law did this for her daughter - who was and is a huge horse enthusiast. She bought one (in central Massachusetts) for about $150. The feed is expensive. If you think it's a LONG TERM "love" or "passion" check into it.

Other than that? Riding lessons.

Happy birthday to your daughter!!

riding lessons would be the absolute best. if not, then a guided pony trail ride.
a series of saddle club books. better yet, classics like black beauty and my friend flicka. or the marvelous thelwell pony books!
breyers model horses.
there are lots of great horse shows in florida. maybe a trip to watch jumpers or high level dressage (that one might be better for an older kid) or reining horses.
a trip to a training or breeding barn.
one of those rideable toys that she can sit on and jounce to make it go.
she's a kid after my own heart.
:) khairete
S.

Miniature horses aren't as expensive as you would think. Check on Craigslist or at local shelters/rescues and I bet you could get one for less than $200. Taking care of them, however, IS expensive. Lol

Riding lessons is a great idea. Even if she already knows to ride, it's a way for her to be on the back of a horse and as a fellow horse lover I can tell you... That's all that matters :)

The Heartland Series by Lauren Brooke is a WONDERFUL horse series, but she might be too young for it still. That's something to keep in mind for the next couple of years.

Horse movies that she would like - Black Beauty, Spirit, etc.

Otherwise look around for horse books her age. Some regular horse toy figurines that she can play with. Simple things like that :)

My little pony
Unicorns resemble horses...there are lots of unicorn books out there