Horsey craft for kids: Bottle-cork horse ornaments

Looking for a simple, but clever, horse craft for your summer pony camp, fall open house, riding student get-together, or another special equestrian event? Start saving those wine corks!

Here’s a fun art project for kids of all ages – or even adults.

Bottle-cork horse ornament craft

First, gather the essential supplies. You will need these for each ornament project:

• 6 bottle corks
• Two craft buttons
• Felt or fabric scraps
• Yarn
• Garland tinsel
• Kid-safe scissors
• Ruler
• Hot melt glue gun and refill glue sticks

(Note: Wine corks may also be purchased in bulk, if desired.)

Here’s how to make these adorable ornaments for the holiday tree or everyday decorating.

Plug in the hot-melt glue gun. Distribute the other supplies to all of the participating crafters. Instruct them to assemble the corks, gluing them together (with adult supervision and assistance, if needed).

Use the tinsel to add the mane and tail. (Or make these from additional yarn.)

Cut long, straight sided ovals to form the saddles. Snip small triangles to make the ears. Measure and cut the yarn to the desired lengths to create the bridle and reins. Glue all of these to the cork-formed horse body.

Make a hanging loop from another piece of yarn, and tuck it through the reins.

Bottle-cork horse ornaments are ideal for holiday adornment of the riding stables or the home. They're also great items to offer at a fall tack swap/fundraiser. Plus, they make pretty neat gifts for horse-loving parents too.

Image/s:

Photo copyrighted by LAN/The Mane Point

All rights reserved

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.

Happy Halloween horse costuming how-tos are handy

Who’s heading off for a Halloween barn party or fun show costume class? Check out these helpful horse costume ideas before dropping a bundle of cash on masquerades for you and your favorite equine friend.

7 fun and easy horse and rider costume ideas for Halloween or fun shows

Creativity runs rampant for costume classes at equestrian fun shows, as well as barn Halloween parties. Frequently, the most memorable get-ups actually pair horse and human in complementary or matching outfits for these autumn holiday events.Ideally, the Halloween...

4 extra-easy ways to costume a horse for Halloween or fun shows

Costume classes are holiday highlights at equestrian fun shows and horse barn Halloween parties, among horse lovers of all ages. Riders or in-hand walkers and their horses may win ribbons or prizes, parading around merrily in their masqueraded splendor...

Halloween and horses: Safety comes first with horse costuming

Each fall, as October approaches, horse show barns often host equestrian Halloween fun shows, Halloween horse parades, Halloween fall festivals, Halloween barn parties or other autumn horsey events. Many horse lovers enjoy dressing up in Halloween and themed costumes for...

Image/s 

Adapted by this user

 from public domain artwork

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter.

Happy horse masks: Fun with free printables

Horsey masks are adorable to Halloween parties or imaginative play. What horse-happy kid doesn't love pretending to be a pony and galloping all over, while making neighing noises? And, if someone happens to set up a few jumps, well, all the better.

Ready-made horse masks are available online and in costume stores and toy shops. But free printables make fun craft projects for kids. 

Why not enlarge and print these simple horse masks for a pony-themed birthday party or a 4-H meeting? Creative kids can color them to create horses, ponies, donkeys, and even zebras.

Follow these simple instructions to make easy horse masks.

1. Download or copy these horse mask photos into a document file.
   
2. Resize each mask to fit a child-sized face.
3. Print the images on heavy card-stock paper.
4. Color the horse masks with crayons or markers.
5. Cut out each mask. Be sure to cut out the eye holes too.
6. Punch holes in the sides, and add string – or staple a wooden popsicle stick to the bottom of each mask for the child to hold.

That’s it! Giddy-up – with easy free printable horse masks!

Image/s

Photo by LAN/The Mane Point

All rights reserved.

Horse masks 

Free printables - 

public domain

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter.

Knowing Knots

Horsemen have knotted ropes into halters for centuries. Know how? Try these how-to books for making rope tied halters:

• How to Make a Rope Halter for Cattle, Horses, Sheep, and Other Forms of Livestock, by Oregon State University Extension Services
• Halter Tying Made Simple, by Columbia Basin
• Step By Step: How to Tie a Basic Rope Horse Training Halter (Step-By-Step Natural Horsemanship), by Kari Newman
• How to make an adjustable rope halter and tie useful knots, by Virginia Cooperative Extension
• Halter-tying success: A step-by-step guide to making hand-tied, rope halters for horses, by Diane Longanecker

Of course, plenty of equine pros remind horse lovers to remove rope halters for turnout or stabling.

The Mane Point: A Haven for Horse Lovers is participating in the April A to Z Blogging Challenge again this year. 

Stop on back, so you don’t miss a single post!

Image/s:

Kensington Rope Halter

Product photo – fair use

Blog series graphics created by this user

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. 

You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.