Rodeo Time

Every year our town pauses to pay respects to a wonderful tradition; the Rodeo! Schools close and parade routes are erected. It is a great honor to participate in the rodeo parade, which is the only non-motorized parade in the country. It's all horse-drawn carriages, horseback riders, and of course lots of marching bands.

My children are both in preschool now and both got to participate in their own school parades. For this they each needed a horse, and we received homework to make one at home. Hmm, to be the child of a crafter...

I took a trip to Hancocks and found the brown felt on sale, as well as the stuffing and thread on sale. Finally, I found some yarn that would match the felt well and headed home to begin work.

I drew up a rough sketch of what I wanted it to look like, but was really just winging it. Typical for me. They turned out way bigger than I'd wanted so I actually had to shrink it down by a couple inches. They still look a little big to me, but it's all good. The kids enjoy them.

For the ears, I added a little pink for my daughters horse and red for my sons so they could tell them apart. I used a basic zigzag to attach them.

My DH got some outdoor tool handles from the hardware store and cut them to size. I stapled the horse to the handle, but needed something to cover the staples. He suggested making a bandana...Perfect! I wrapped it, then used a glue gun to secure it. Now it was the kids turn.

They chose where to put the eyes and bridle; I helped with the glue gun. My son suggested we add a nose with pompoms, which was a fun addition. They immediately took them outside to start playing and had a blast. They are a little heavy for my daughter, but she solved the problem by putting the reigns around her neck. Whatever works.

This was a fun little project. I would never have though to try this. Of course, there are things I would totally do differently if I could, but the kids are happy and so am I. Should be a fun weekend; YeeHaw!