10 Activities for the Truly Horseless: How to Keep the Love of Horses Alive When There’s No Barn in Sight

You love horses. You love the look, sight, feel, and smell of anything equine. Horses are your passion.

         But you’re lucky if you get to see one once a year. Touching a horse is a rare treat. And riding? It would be your dream come true to sit on a horse’s back, if you could only afford it.

         Dear horse lover, you are not alone. There are many horse-crazy kids in situations where horse interaction isn’t an option. Maybe they can’t afford lessons, or maybe they live too far away from a barn.

         I used to live on the east coast of Florida, where barns are many and the price to ride outrageous. I fell in love with horses when I was eight, and it wouldn’t be until I was eleven that I would actually ride a horse for the first time when we visited friends in Pennsylvania. After that, I was horse deprived until we moved to Missouri when I was thirteen and we were able to afford lessons.

         That’s six years of inconsistent horse interaction. And in that time I still loved horses with a fierce passion. I kept my obsession alive in any way I could.

         Here’s ten activities for those who are truly horseless to keep the love of horses alive. This can also just be another fun activity for those with a horse or who take lessons.

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1.      Discover the joy of horse models.

I got my first horse models when I was ten, a gift box of ten Breyer Stablemates. It was the best birthday gift I had ever been given, and I named every one of those models and gave them a whole backstory. The world of horse models is an amazing resource for the horse-deprived. Breyer is the most popular, but there is also Schleich, Safari, and Stone, although I have never bought Stone models as their prices are insane. I could spend hours making stuff for my Breyers, and you’ll find that once you discover what trash you can turn into props, you’ll have a bunch of stuff squirreled away just for that purpose. Breyer’s website has plenty of resources for model horse lovers. Check out their website at breyerhorses.com.

 

2.      Subscribe to an awesome horse magazine!

I was gifted a subscription for Young Rider in 2019, and I have subscribed every year since. I work odd jobs around the house to earn money for my subscriptions. Young Rider is an excellent place to start. Their sister magazine, Horse Illustrated, is just as good, and there are ten issues a year. Other magazines you could look at are Blaze, Equus, Diagonals, and Pony Magazine.

3.      Read horse books.

I happen to have a collection of antique horse books gifted to me by a friend, including one that dates back to 1943. Check out “25 Awesome Horse Books and Book Series” to get ideas for more books. Personally, my favorites are Cherry Hill (non-fiction) and Terri Farley (fiction). You can also check out Horse Illustrated’s article on more horse books for kids.

4.      Learn how to draw horses.

Horses are one of the hardest things to draw, but if you learn how to do it well it can be very rewarding. If I tried to explain all the aspects of drawing horses here, I would take forever!  I’ll just leave you with some good drawing books: Learn to Draw Horses with Sam Savitt and I Can Draw: Horses and Ponies. You can also check out my articles, How to Draw a Horse Head and How to Draw a Chincoteague Mare and Foal.

5.      Write your own horse stories.

If you can’t ride ‘em, write about ‘em! As you can tell I am an avid writer and several notebooks have been filled with horse stories. It’s always fun to invent a story where you have control of every detail. Or write fan fiction! Don’t like the ending of a horse book you read? Rewrite it. I was sad when Ginger died in Black Beauty so I rewrote the ending so that Joe Green rescued Ginger as well. You could also write a story where you are a character in the book! Write a story where you train ponies with Paul and Maureen Beebe, or go on an adventure with Alec Ramsay and The Black. Your imagination is your only limit. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up writing the next best-selling horse novel. (And if you want some help coming up with realistic horse characters, check out my article “Five Tips for Writing Equine Characters Well“)

6.      Learn to knit or crochet.

This may seem a little off topic, but there’s a good reason I added this. If you like crafting, learn to knit or crochet or even learn both and look up patterns for horsey projects. Crochet a saddle pad for your future horse. Knit boot cuffs for those fashionable riding boots you hope to own. Craft a little stuffed horse to put on your bed! There’s a plethora of patterns on the internet related to horses. And you can even knit while watching TV.

7.      Check out fun horse websites.

Reminder: please be careful on the internet! There are a lot of creeps out there and I wouldn’t want you to get hurt looking up horse sites. If you’re a minor, let your parents know if you’re on the internet and don’t hesitate to ask them for help if something goes wrong.

Young Rider and Horse Illustrated both have great resources on their websites. Another site I would recommend is horsecrazygirls.com. It’s a safe site specifically designed for horse crazy kids. You can read about horse topics, submit fiction, and take fun quizzes. You need to be sixteen before you can submit anything, or you can have a parent submit for you. Or just hang around Equine on the Mind!

8.      Watch horse movies and TV shows.

Some of my favorites are Flicka, Spirit, Stallion of the Cimmaron, Spirit Untamed, Heartland (Warning: there is bad language in the beginning seasons, so if you’re a minor talk to your parents before watching, or watch it on a channel like Pureflix that cuts it out), Black Beauty (the 1994 version; it comes closest to the book), and Moondance Alexander. Some more recent shows are Free Rein, Spirit Riding Free, and Pony Sitter’s Club.

9.      Try hobby horses.

I never heard about this until Young Rider did an article about a young girl who makes hobby horses and organizes competitions with them. It’s basically your old-fashioned horse-head-on-a-stick, where you act as rider and horse. Look it up and see if it’s something available in your area.

10.  Connect with other horse crazy kids.

This may not be available to everyone (it certainly wasn’t for me) but consider yourself blessed if you find a friend as horse crazy as you. Talking about horses always makes me excited (although it wears non-horsey people out) and talking with someone who shares that love is a great privilege.

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So, there you have it! Ten different things you can do to keep that horse love alive. Guys, never give up hope. The day will come when you can ride a horse and maybe eventually own one, and it is worth the wait. Take it from a girl that had to wait six years for horse riding lessons. It just makes the day you get that honor even sweeter, and you’ll certainly appreciate it even more.

For those who already ride or even own a horse, be thankful that you have those privileges! Never take your blessings for granted, and if you happen to have some horse deprived friends, do what you can to give them some horse time.

Keep dreaming and be patient. The day you can afford barn time is worth every minute of waiting.