Halloween has been a long-time favorite of mine not only for the spooky decor and sweet treats, but also because it’s a fun time of year to reconnect with my horses!
The weather is cooler during the day and there’s just something about Fall that brings out the
renewed energy to head outdoors and explore the season. So because of that, I’ve listed my
favorite Halloween-related activities that I enjoy doing with my horses:
Barn decorating. It’s an incredibly common practice to decorate our houses for the holidays but
why can’t we bring that creative energy into our barns, tack rooms, feed rooms, or stalls? I
understand the majority of us may spend a decent amount of time indoors whether that’s for
work-related reasons, children, or mobility but when we step outside with our horses after we’ve
decorated we can still feel the Halloween energy! Nothing screams Halloween like a skeleton
standing next to the barn or decorative paper eco-friendly pumpkins hanging above the stalls.
Apple bobbing. It’s just like regular apple bobbing but this one includes your horse! This has
been a common Halloween party trick for probably a really long time but if you don’t know the
game let me explain. You fill two buckets with water and then toss some apples in them. One
bucket is for you and the other is for your opponent. In this version, your horse is the opposer!
Then you try to grab all of the apples out of the bucket, using your mouth only, and whoever’s
bucket empties first, wins! Your horse may actually try to eat the apples as they pull them out so
there’s a chance you could win first, but it really is an honest game. Bonus points if you have
your kids compete against their horse and you video it. It’s really fun to watch it on replay!
Costume contest. This one requires a few friends and their horses to play along too but once
you get a few people on board it really is a blast! You could have your friends haul their horses
to your house if you have an arena and then dedicate one person to be the judge. (Even if you
don’t have an arena, any cleared parcel of land will work). I like to have that person not be too
knowledgeable about the friend group and have little knowledge about horses because that’s
where honesty shines. Once every horse and rider is in the arena (or designated area),
everyone can take a few laps around at a walk so the judge can see every participant from
every angle. Then the judge (or judges) can make a decision. It’s also really fun to have a few
different awards available for different categories like fanciest costume, funniest costume, and
most creative costume. This allows for multiple people to win and less hurt feelings. You can
find really cute ribbons to present on both Amazon and Etsy for a really reasonable price which
adds an extra layer of fun!
Haunted trail ride. This one is epic. If you have the guts AND location you can actually find an
area near you that has a ‘haunted history’ or at least a spooky wives tale that many of the locals
talk about behind shut doors in the dark hours of the night. Once you find that location you can
take your horse there for a ride. To make it even spookier you can choose to ride it before dawn
rises, at dusk, or in the middle of the night on a full moon. This year the full moon in October
lands on October 28th making it the best time for a full moon ride right before Halloween. Okay,
so what if you can’t find a spooky location not too far from home? Well then, a fun alternative to
that can be to get you and your horsey best friend together, saddle up, hit the tail, and take turns
telling spooky stories. Again you can choose to do this during a dark time of the day or at night.
These fun Halloween activities will definitely get you in the mood and plus, you get to do them
with your best friend, your horse of course! If you have enjoyed this article or have tried one of
my suggestions please let me know by reaching out to me on my personal Instagram
@unbridledmama. I enjoy hearing from each and every one of you!
