Aghhh, pony camp stable management!!

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popeyesno1fan

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Any ideas what I can do with a mixed group of kids, from 4 to about 13, in stable management, that wont bore them to tears, and maybe a little bit different. Or even a new way of teaching the usual suspects, like parts of pony, bridle saddle etc... any help will be gratefully appreciated!!!
 
instead of 'pin the tail on the donkey' what about 'pin the parts on the horse' (not a real horse obviously).

Practicing bandaging is usually quite entertaining

Practice different types of plaiting - running, lattice etc!

Urrm that's all I can think of for now!
 
If you have a really quiet pony give them low tack masking tape with points of the horse written on and ask them to stick their tape to the relevant part of the pony,aybe divide in to two teams and see who gets the most correct

You could also show them how to make a wisp or how to use a stable rubber in a lesson about how things used to be done

If they aren't too young a lesson in how an electric fence works and safe use of one could be good

The right way to tack up explaining how fit affects the pony (bits wrong way round, twisted throatlashes, curb chains, stirrups not run up etc) and a demo of how one pony's saddle doesn't fit another when placed on it's back perhaps
 
Do post-it notes stick to horses? Just an idea :D

How about showing them the feed and how to measure it out - explaining why different ones have different dinners - then let them feed some of the ponies. I remember liking the smells in the feed room when I was little but probably had no idea what any of it was.

Letting them have a hands-on go at grooming.

Leading a pony out correctly to turn them out - and then maybe standing in the field getting them to name all the colours and markings of horses that are out.
 
Kiddies chalk works well if you wet it before drawing on the pony, you could get them to draw the skeleton on the pony. Or post it notes with points of the pony for them to stick on. Some plaiting stuff, most of them love plaiting their pony up but dont get the chance to do it often.
 
A favourite of mine used to be split them into teams, an older child with a couple of younger ones, give them a clip board and pen and let them loose in a stable that you have doctored...spot 10 things that are wrong and why.

Haynets low, bed thin, rubber rucked up, tools left in bed (careful with this one, H&S and all that) so make it a plastic rake rather than a pitchfork, string in bed, buckets unfastened, loose handles etc, etc, etc. You can do the same with tack, bandages and rugs...anything that you can do wrongly do it.

I like the idea of sticking the points of the horse on the horse :) Wish I had thought of that years ago :(

Simple feed identification, lots of children have no idea what straights look like as they feed prepared mixes or nuts. How many can tell the difference between oats and barley nowadays? Or rolled oats, whole oats and crushed oats?

Teach them how to roll a lead rope :)

Give them a heap of rugs and bandages/boots and get them to identify rugs for certain weathers or purposes, or dress a long suffering pony for travelling etc.

Oh, and another one, we used to put rugs in one pile, bits in another, boots/bandages in another, grooming kit in another etc, etc, and have mini races, send a (same age) child from each team to collect a sweat sheet, or double jointed snaffle, over reach boot, dandy brush etc.

Send them out in the paddocks on a kind of treasure hunt. Those take some research and preparation first. Great fun, kids love that, gives them a chance to run around too :D

Keep sessions short and sweet, I love this sort of thing

Have fun.
 
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identify good and bad plants in a field and hedges?

teach them how to measure heart rate? or find a pulse? (in a quiet pony, obviously!)

good and bad points of shoeing, different types of shoe, and why some wear shoes and some dont?

different types of boots, why/when to use them, and how to fit them?
 
Split into teams and get them to write down or draw something to feed ponies with/type of bit/type of brush/native pony/pointsof the horse etc etc etc beginning with the letter...

Borrow a friendly farrier (ply with tea and cakes) to bring in his tool kit and demo shoeing a pony (if you have one to be shod) and explain what all his tools are for and how to tell them apart, also types of shoes and what they're used for.

Make up a few 'feelie' bags eg pony nuts, rolled oats, grass, hay, straw, snaffle bit, pelham, heart bar horse shoe, hoof pick, face brush, noseband (always catches them out), stirrup rubber (so does this, strangely) and get them to guess what they're feeling.
 
we used to do the points of a horse with post it notes :o

Also used to play a grooming kit game where u have teams and a grooming kit at one end and u shout parts of the grooming kit and they have to run and get that item, withpoints awarded to each correct item and a prize at the end for most points. If there is little one then the big ones can help.

We used to have a saint of a pony who we used to tell them to give him the wackiest hair style lol.

Hope they help xx
 
Get them to lunge each other - try have to use their acquired pony knowledge to tell you what age / height / breed / colour/ markings their pony is / has (although I don't object when we end up with pink unicorns with wings...)

Get them to put boots on their 'ponies' legs and practice vice commands etc.

Chaos can ensue, but it's fun!!
 
This was always a hit on pony days, singing "head, shoulders, knees and toes" with parts of the horse, I used to do a simple one (head, withers, fetlock, hoof) but you could get them to make up their own. Maybe give a list of lots of parts of horse, simple and difficult. They can choose whichever but have to be able to point at it. If you can, do a prize for the most difficult.
Bandaging each other as practice for bandaging horses is always hilarious fun, normally leads to horse impressions! (not just by the little kids! :p)
Used to do lots of silly things like that! :D
 
cut out pictures of riding clothes, yellow jods, hi-viz, body protector etc. and get them to make a picture of a person going cross country, hacking, showing or whatever discipline and give points for correct attire :) lots of cutting out required though.
 
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