Horse-themed gift ideas for an 8 yo girl

[ccgirl]

Must be an age thing! My DD soon to be 8 LOVES horses. I am giving her a gc for horeseback riding lessons for her birthday. I found the Misty of Chincoteague book for her. It is this place in Maryland ( I think), a beach where wild horses roam free and you can camp. That would be her ultimate vacation. One of my friends went there this past summer and said it was indescribable. I found some things on her Scholastic Book order form. Some horse books with stuffed horses and/or necklaces.

Good luck.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

I still have my childhood Breyer horse collection. I passed them down to my daughter (who was not a horse lover, even though we had horses), then passed them to my niece when she went through the horse phase, and now have them back again, waiting for my future grandchildren. I LOVED my Breyer horses! and they are very collectable. I am one "horse kid" who never grew up. I still love horses and have two.

 

[ENSOCK]

for my niece we found the clings of horses and put those on her walls and dresser. They were all different sizes and we had them circle her door. Looked great! Got them at Hobby Lobby!

 

[Janepod]

Breyer, of course! I still have all mine from childhood.

Here's what we do to display them: get some floating shelves. Buy some dollhouse-sized fencing (like the "outdoor fence" at dollhouseminiatures dot com) and glue it on. Hang the shelves and display the horses there -- it looks like they're fenced in and it prevents them from being knocked off the shelf.

And of course riding lessons, a horseshoe to hang for luck, Black Beauty/Misty/National Velvet books & DVDs, or the awesome horse bedding set from Land of Nod.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Hearthsong.com has some cute horse themed gifts, as well as a couple big horsie reading pillows.

CompanyStore kids has had horse themed bedding in the past, haven't looked lately.

If you can't find fabric you like locally, check fabric.com, it searches a whole bunch of online sites for you.

 

[CarlisleMom]

Yea, we do have horse farms around here... had thought about giving her lessons (and some of them also do week-long camps).. but not sure if she'd like to be told she'll be getting the lessons/camp in early December (when he birthday is), and have to wait till April or May to actually get to use them.

My DD8 (soon to be 9) currently takes lessons. She rides all year long. This is her first winter with this trainer, but we have been warned....Lessons will be outside unless there is snow on the ground or really bitter out.


PS: She is also asking for a horse. She asked Santa for one about 2 years ago because Santa can bring things that Mom and Dad can't afford. Santa brought an American Girl horse.

 

[horseshowmom]

I just got a catalog "Back in the Saddle" with tons of neat stuff. I'm sure they have a website if you search on it.

Will a twin size comforter work on a day bed?

Cute stuff in this catalog!

Young Rider magazine is an excellent choice for this age group. Do some searching on the internet for the best price. My daughter took it for several years, and I have bought it as a gift for others.

ETA: I can't vouch for this personally, but I found this link with some discounted prices. http://www.magazinepricesearch.com/detail/youngrider.html?terms=young rider

 

[LadyBeBop]

Mrudman, what part of Ohio are you in?

If you're close enough to Lexington KY (e.g. Cincinnati or Dayton), a trip to the Kentucky Horse Farm would be a good day trip/birthday present.

 

[horseshowmom]

Mrudman, what part of Ohio are you in?

If you're close enough to Lexington KY (e.g. Cincinnati or Dayton), a trip to the Kentucky Horse Farm would be a good day trip/birthday present.

I haven't been there, but my daughter's Horse Bowl team stopped there on their way back from Quarter Horse Congress one year, and she LOVED it!

That makes me think of something. OP, do you know anything about the 4-H programs in your area. Your child can get involved in horse activities without actually having a horse - for example, Horse Bowl, horse judging, hippology, horse art, etc. The opportunities can vary by state but can lead to lots of fun for a horse crazy kid without a horse.

 

[MinnieGi]

I have a 10yo horse loving DD who got bit by the horse "bug" around age 6.

As far as bedroom decor look at "Company Kids" for beautiful horse themed bedding, curtains, rods, shelves, lamps etc... My DD LOVES their stuff and so do I, so cute!!!! They also have horse themed luggage, backpacks, and bags.

My DD has a subscription to "Young Rider" that has posters and great horse pictures that she hangs all over her room.

She also collects and plays with Breyer model horses. She has several lines of them - some are "show" and others are playable.

Lego also has a horse trailer, truck, horse and rider set that I got DD and now she wants the whole barn etc....

DD loves to read horse books, "Black Beauty", "Misty of Chincoteague", "Stormy" etc. etc... When she was younger she read the "Keeker" series of a young girls who rides.

Oh and great game is "Ponyoply"!! She also has the horse stamp set someone else mentioned and she also has horse stencils, folders and notebooks. We have a Dover Saddlery right near us so I always get her a horse themed t-shirt for her b-day or Christmas.

Lessons are also great for a horse riding girl. DD has taken them off and on over the last several years and she would love to right now too however being on dance team takes quite a time committment plus violin lessons so we do horse lessons in the summer time. I would advise you NOT to start lessons in Dec. Although many stables will do winter lessons I do not think its a good experience to start in the winter, its just too darned cold. Sometimes the horse mixes the shivering legs with the signal that he should be moving and the riders have a harder time controlling the horses. Plus those inside rings I think are colder than being outside where the sun at least gives off a little warmth. DD did one set of lessons in Dec. and has since sworn off winter riding despite special lined riding pants, boots and gloves it was just too cold to enjoy for her. But she loves spring, fall and summer riding.

 

[Luv'sTink]

I found this site..

http://www.nextag.com/horse-bedding/compare-html

I like this one...
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garde...ferralID=c9cab8a0-dbf2-11df-af68-001b2166becc

I REALLY like this one for a girl.....
http://www.beyond-bedding.com/cowgi...wn-twin-childrens-bedding-set&channelid=NEXTA

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-95552160618728_2128_140736691

 

[MrsPete]

My girls were never big horse-lovers like some, but they did have a board game that was played and played and played 'til it had to be taped up with clear duct tape. ALL their friends begged to play that game when they came over. In fact, we still have it.

It's called Herd Your Horses, and it's age-appropriate for an 8-year old but not so dull that adults eyes will glaze over at the sound of its name. The idea is that you're a stallion horse who's broken free from a ranch, and you have to collect other horses to join your herd and try to make it to Green River Valley, where you can live free and happy. On your journey, you may suffer from lack of water, you may be attacked by mountain lions, or you may be bothered by ranchers who want to catch you (or your mares). My girls LOVED the pretty cards, which include facts about horse breeds, and they always fussed if they got -- oh, what was that horse's name? -- Ungainly or something horrible like that.

You can play other games with it, but we always played just the basic game.

It's not a mainstream game that you'll find on the shelves of Toys R Us, but it's worth a search. I know I ordered it from a catalog years ago. It might well be on ebay.

 

[mrudman]

Wow, you guys are awesome!! So many wonderful ideas, thanks for all the help!

Now just have to sift through all the sites given, and figure out what I'd like to buy her (or do for her), without going totally overboard, lol.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

personalized stationery with horses on it