horse-mad 6 yr old

[sansouci]

help. my dd will be 6 in June & wants a horse for her birthday. As if!

I've never seen a less-likely horsewoman in my life dd looks as if she'd blow away on a windy day but she's crazy about the beasts. what can I give her for her birthday?

How about a couple of riding lessons ? my dd is very petite and loves riding, or , she has spent the last 6 years (now 11) playing with model horses and stables, she started with a couple of horses and a cardboard box for a stable,she has made rugs and rosettes from scraps of material, and now has a whole stable yard, people, and accessories ( from julip, elc and a couple of others).
Books are another big hit, sophie in the saddle was in favour at about your dd age.
By the way dd has not given up asking for a horse

I gave mine riding lessons and our local stables do an Own a pony day in the summer holidays for all ages. We also bought a play set of stables which she loved.

She also had a PC game which was fab Crayola Paint and Play pony - not quite the real thing but she liked it - she has got over it now and wants a new kitten called Leonardon de caprio!!

I had thought of giving her some lessons but once she's hooked, I'm finished! It is soooo expensive (I know because her best friend rides, which I'm sure is 90% of the attraction anyway) & then I'll also have to hang around the stables for hours while she has her lessons. Yawn!

Why does my little poney not fit the bill?

That's another good one except they are not like "real"horses!!!

She may have a lesson and not enjoy it - it has been know or perhaps you could just go once a month and see how she gets on??????

My daughter now dances instead much cheaper. in doors and she gets to do a show every year which puts her in the limelight - digressing from the pony thread but sometimes I find distraction works wonders........

You could take her to visit a pony sanctuary and let her 'adopt' one. Most of them have schemes where you get photos and newsletters throughout the year. That way she could impress her horsey friend without getting hooked on the actual riding!

horsey bedlinen?
spent ages searching for this for someone on MN a while ago and now it seems to be everywhere I look....

A couple of riding lessons on a particularly cold day, on a viscious looking pony with an uncombable mane, that bolts and terrifies her?

That might get rid of her wish for a RL pony!

I desperately wanted a pony when small and had lessons....Mum didn't need to hang around and really had no part although the stables were very local. I accepted that I couldn't have my own pony.

have a look here \link{http://www.bizrate.co.uk/roleplayingtoys/products__keyword--toy%20horses.html\horsetoys} and \link{http://www.bizrate.co.uk/dolls/products__keyword--toy%20horses.html\here} and \link{http://www.myfirstyears.co.uk/subcat.asp?cat=Breyer&subcat=Paddock+Pals\here} [grin} hth

Or you could get a horse pendant?

re cost of riding - can get second hand clothes for it quite cheap.

Pony novels!!! I was an avid reader of pony books. Horse mad at 4,5 and 6 and I even had a real pony a year later aged 7, after my mother said....
"I've never seen a girl less likely to become a horsewoman, stand her sideways and mark her absent, not made of stern enough stuff..."
Hee hee I went onto represent my country at under 17's

Pixel, are those sponsorship schemes really good? I'm v. tempted for dd, especially if the sanctuary was close enough to London for us to visit. Nice ethos behind giving something like that. I wouldn't mind being given one myself, actually.

I've not actually tried one of the adoption schemes myself (not ponies anyway) and I suppose different places vary but \link{http://www.ilph.org/adopt/\this one} looks quite good.

Oh and for people looking for cheap horsey gear, Tesco has got a good range at the moment. I've had a look and it's nice stuff. Unlike Lidl the hats are to British safety standards.

Oooh, £60 a year, though! I spose you get what you pay for. Thanks for the link, Pixel! Maybe we should buy the leg of a shared horse, instead [dreams on].

It does sound a lot when you say it like that but I suppose you wouldn't miss £5 per month. I wonder how many adopters they need per horse to pay for its keep?

Back to horsey pressies, I usually manage to find something at \link{http://www.robinsons-uk.com/products/ProductCategory.asp?topGroupCode=002&parentGroupCode=0203\Robinsons country leisure}

Oh, wow, some lovely things on there. Hope you find something, sansouci.

If you are needing horsey kit Tescos is doing hats, boots, gloves and tack at my superstore and lidl often gets stuff in.

Sorry I see somebody already mentioned tesco, I suppose you have discussed the Jackie books too .

Wow, all these helpful replies! Since we're going to England next week, I'll have a look round Tesco & places. I know she'd like a book & I did find a playmobil stable over here. She's since mentioned a horse necklace (or a dolphin one, Mummy!).