So 2020…Enough said, right?

This has been a YEAR like none other for all of us.

I went from working a part time job, with a toddler in half day preschool and a school ager in full time kindergarten to a full on Homeschooling Mom. I’m talking with my kids TWENTY FOUR/SEVEN with little to no breaks. It’s a blessing and a burden both at once.

We are very fortunate in that we were able to make the switch, but man do I mourn the loss of life as I once knew it, and sometimes even more so for my kids.

Our frequent field trips and playdates came to a screeching halt. Running into stores at a whim, or eating out at our favorite restaurants, are things that almost never happen and only when strategically planned. Softball, gymnastics, girl scouts, all those things canceled or suddenly switched to virtual. They miss their friends.

Corona has taken so much from us; I couldn’t let their birthday be another thing they lost.

So instead of letting this virus steal one more thing, I put on my party planning hat to start planning a party for my two little horse lovers. The result is the cutest horse themed birthday party any quarantine has ever seen.

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For years my oldest has begged for a party at a stables, but I’d struggled with how to make it work logistically. Most stables limit the number of kids that are able to attend, so inevitably someone’s feelings ends up hurt.

But in Corona-times, large parties are frowned upon, if not against state and local mandates. We’ve been encouraged to keep our “bubbles” small and my family has done a pretty good job of that. This also created the perfect opportunity to have a party at a local stables.

Horse Themed Birthday Party Venue

Their party was extremely small. It literally consisted of their cousins and their 2 closest friends happen to be sisters. Adults included, there were 11 people at the party, the smallest party we’ve ever had celebrating both our girls birthdays.

Even with a small group, we wanted to avoid having an indoor party, so a horse stables was the perfect venue. We found a stables with a covered arena. Despite being enclosed, the barn doors were left open keep fresh cool air circulating in the arena. This and the fact that we were the only people there, really helped to limit any concerns about being exposed to the virus.

The party package included an hour and a half of horseback riding and games. We had three sweet older horses available so 1/2 our guest could be riding while the others took part in the activities they had set up.

Cute Cowgirl Birthday Outfits

Par for the course, my party plans included creating a sweet simple outfit for the day. I quickly found some SVGs and whipped up a cute design that I cut and applied with my Silhouette. I found this amazing patterned vinyl on Etsy that I used for the numbers.

They both got new pink cowgirl boots for their birthday. I added some cute pigtails and voila!

Final result: Two of the cutest little cowgirls you ever did see!

Horse Themed Birthday Party Decorations

Since my oldest is already obsessed with horses, we owned a ton of horse stuff we used to decorate. I scattered her little Schleich and Breyer’s horses all around.

What we didn’t own came from Orential trading. They had a cute selection of cowgirl decorations and I grabbed a banner and some paper lanterns for a deal!

I grabbed these little hay bales on Oriental Trading for less than $5 each! They added the perfect rustic touch to the decor.

Before the party, I grabbed a couple of bouquets of flowers to brighten things up. I put them in Mason glasses, or tucked a slim vase inside boots for a cute effect.

I created a cute wooden sign for last year’s Spirit Riding Free Party that we reused. I also included a canvas I made after our trip to the Outer Banks. It was a photograph I took of the wild mustangs that I’d added a quote to.

I couldn’t find any plates I really liked so I just slapped a decal on some pink plates. They turned out really cute.

I also decorated some to go cups to hold their drinks while they wandered around the stables. I added some fun straws and everyone liked them so much the took them home for a few more uses!

Food for Horse Lovers

Since our party was smaller than usual, we kept the food pretty minimal.

To keep with the horse theme, we served apples and carrots, or Horse Treats.

I threw some Potato Sticks in a clear baking dish and added some toy horses to make it look like they were standing in hay. We served this as Hay Sticks.

Everyone knows that Cowgirls love cookies right? A local baker whipped up these adorable cookies that were a huge hit!

I also added made some Cheesy Trail Mix by combining a bag of Cheesy Chex Mix, and Chez-it mix.

For drinks we made pink lemonade. We also offered waters in our Watering Hole tin.

We also had cupcakes made by another local baker. She kept them very simple and also added a cute cowgirl hat on top of each cupcake. They were made of white chocolate and were delicious!

Games & Activities for a Horse Themed Birthday Party

As if riding a horse wasn’t enough, the kids got to have tons of fun on top of that! Our venue did a fabulous job of planning games and activities.

There were animals all around to pet including other horses, tons of cats and a huge pet pot belly pig!

They had a coloring station well stocked with crayons and cute coloring sheets.  It also doubled as a kitty petting station!

A painting station was set up where they could paint cute plastic Cowboy boots, also from Oriental Trading.

There was a really fun tattoo station.

They had some adorable hobby horses sticking out of hay bales. We had some fun races with these.

There were ties for two-legged races and even a plastic barrel bull the kids could climb on and ride!

At the end of the party the stable owner brought out the cutest mini horse named Glitter. All the girls got to love on her and feed her carrots. She was a big hit!

Horse Themed Birthday Party Favors

While I was on Oreintal Traiding, I also noticed these adorable pink cowgirl hats!  I knew they’d make the perfect party favors so I grabbed a pack.  I also ordered some cute bandanas off of Amazon.

I ordered extras of the cookies too to go home with our guest.  I loved the cowgirl hats, but I’m pretty sure everyone else loved the cookies more.

While it wasn’t our usual style party with tons of kids running around, it was perfect for the times.  It made two little girls very happy and will surely be a memory they’ll cherish.  I’m not sure how we’ll top it next year, short of buying their own horse.

Like these cute decorations and ideas?  Be sure to check out all of my parties here.  I’m also always looking for cute ideas and decorations on Pinterest so be sure to follow me there.  And don’t forget to pin this one for later!