Horse Paper Games

Pin the Tail on the the Pony

• Pin the tail on the pony is a simple adaptation of the popular pin the tail on the donkey party game. This game can be used at any horse lover's party but is especially useful for younger children. Draw a large picture of a pony and place it on the wall. The pony should be about half or three quarters the real life size of a pony. Leave the tail off of the pony and create several paper tails. Place a small pin or piece of tape on the end of the tail. Players take turns being blindfolded and spun. They must attempt to place the tail on the donkey. The player who gets the closest wins. Give the winner a prize that is appropriate for their age. Younger kids can get a small horse action figure, for example.

Horse Puzzle

• Making and putting together a horse puzzle can be fun, especially if it is done in competition. Print several pictures of the same horse and glue the picture to a piece of construction paper or cardboard. Give each player one of these horses and a pair of scissors. Each player has two minutes to cut the horse into several puzzle pieces. They should try to make the pieces fairly small but not minuscule, as this will make the puzzle too hard. Limit them to about 20 to 50 pieces. Once they are finished, they place the puzzle pieces in a plastic bag. Each player exchanges their puzzle with other players. Players then get two minutes to put their puzzle together. The player who has put the puzzle together the most wins. Have a small reward ready for the winner.

Horse Race

• Play this simple horse race simulation game with dice and pieces of paper. Draw several squares on a piece of paper. There should be at least one row of ten squares for each player. These squares should be lined up in a row either horizontally or vertically on the paper. Give each player a small marker, such as a coin, poker chip or even small paper horses. Each marker represents a horse. Players take turns rolling a die. Players get one roll a turn. The player with the highest roll moves his horse marker one spot on his board. The game ends when somebody gets to the last square. Players can play multiple rounds against each other and even bet money if they are a bit older. More complex rules include one player controlling the board while other plays bet on the results. In this game, there are six rows, one corresponding to each side of the die. Players bet on which horse will win and the leader of the game rolls the die to see which horse advances. The first horse to cross the finish line wins and players can exchange money based on the results.