Gift idea for a horse-loving girl?

[KrisM]

DD is 4.5 and loves horses. She has plenty of MLP, so I don't want more of those. She also has some horses and stables from FP Loving Family collection. These caught her eye in a catalog:

Horse Trailer (http://www.amazon.com/F-350-Fifth-Wheel-Trailer-Horses/dp/B002RITB1M/ref=sr_1_3?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1289357142&sr=1-3) and Horses (http://www.toystogrowon.com/sku1587). I don't know if those are the right thing or if there is something nicer/better that she'd like. I'm lost as I never played with horses.

[Reina]

Does she have any Schleich horses? They are gorgeous.
http://www.schleich-s.com/en/action_figures/collectables/product_range/world_of_nature/farm_life/horses/index.html

[LMPC]

Is 4.5 too young for a couple of riding lessons? Just a thought (that I will acknowledge might be a bad one ;))

[KrisM]

Does she have any Schleich horses? They are gorgeous.
http://www.schleich-s.com/en/action_figures/collectables/product_range/world_of_nature/farm_life/horses/index.html

She does not. Oddly, she walks right past them at TRU. But, I do think she'd like them if they stood out more at the store. Any accessories?


Is 4.5 too young for a couple of riding lessons? Just a thought (that I will acknowledge might be a bad one ;))

I don't think we have the time to get into that much. She has ridden a few times and loves it. We have the luck to have a mom in our MOMS Club who has a horse farm and she does lessons for us a couple times a year.

[infomama]

We are horse crazy so I can offer some resources....

We have this Bruder Jeep/trailer set..excellent. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3568383

Delve into the world of Breyer horses (of you dare). They have some cute books (based on specific breeds).

Bella Sara http://www.bellasara.com/index_bs.aspx trading cards are pretty popular with horse girls (they have an online game where you can take care of your horse..pretty cute)

Love this bookhttp://www.amazon.com/My-Pony-Susan-Jeffers/dp/0786819952

This barn is fantastic http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=*&cid=1687127444553063885#

If you have a local tack shop they probably have a gift section or you can check out StateLine Tack http://www.statelinetack.com/gifts-and-jewelry/childrens/1805/ or Back in the Saddle http://www.backinthesaddle.com/.

[Clarity]

I second the rec for Breyer horses. I was a horse crazy girl and I still have the collection of Breyer horses that I played with as a child. I'm hoping one of my girls will be interested in them but no hits so far. :)
http://www.breyerhorses.com/products/

[KrisM]

Maybe I'll get the barn and some horses. Is the barn hard to play with through the top? Will it live through a 2.5 year old helping to play, too?

What about the M&D Folding Stable (http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Folding-Horse-Stable/dp/B000067BIE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1289360321&sr=1-6)? Or the Playmobil Pony Ranch (http://www.amazon.com/Playmobil-Pony-Ranch-Horse-Farm/dp/B000N1XQD4/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1289360565&sr=1-2)? Just browsing Amazon now...

That book sounds great.

[infomama]

Maybe I'll get the barn and some horses. Is the barn hard to play with through the top? Will it live through a 2.5 year old helping to play, too?

What about the M&D Folding Stable (http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Folding-Horse-Stable/dp/B000067BIE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1289360321&sr=1-6)? Or the Playmobil Pony Ranch (http://www.amazon.com/Playmobil-Pony-Ranch-Horse-Farm/dp/B000N1XQD4/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1289360565&sr=1-2)? Just browsing Amazon now...

That book sounds great.
The top of the barn lifts completely off and is very easy to play with. It's tough. Not sure about the other two. We also have this barn
http://www.justforponies.com/largewoodentoyhorsebarn.aspx and it's had daily play for years. Dd's love the corral/fence aspect of this barn.

[KrisM]

What do you do with the roof? Store it somewhere or keep taking it off and putting it on daily? Just curious :).

Do you think the Schleich or Breyer are the better horses to get? I want them to be fun and durable.

[infomama]

What do you do with the roof? Store it somewhere or keep taking it off and putting it on daily? Just curious :).

Do you think the Schleich or Breyer are the better horses to get? I want them to be fun and durable.
The roof is in three smaller pieces (2 sides and the peak) so we just set it aside while they play...no biggie. Scheich is more durable but Breyer has more accessories. The biggest problem with the Breyers (more so when Dd1 was younger) is the legs/hoofs would sometimes break. The Schelich barn is perfect for their horses. Breyer has a wide line and some are a little more durable than others. These are nice ones to start with...http://shop.breyerhorses.com/products/productdetail/2010+Games+Stablemates+Assortment+with+Free+WEG+Bl anket/part_number=9147/1257.0.1.1.72171.0.0.0.0?pp=8&

[infomama]

The difference in size between the two barns I linked to is worth mentioning. The all wood barn is very large.

[KrisM]

The difference in size between the two barns I linked to is worth mentioning. The all wood barn is very large.

Thanks for pointing that out. I think the big one is too big for now. She'd need to give up something else to get that.

Working this out though. The help has been great!

[mom2binsd]

Maybe I'll get the barn and some horses. Is the barn hard to play with through the top? Will it live through a 2.5 year old helping to play, too?

What about the M&D Folding Stable (http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Folding-Horse-Stable/dp/B000067BIE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1289360321&sr=1-6)? Or the Playmobil Pony Ranch (http://www.amazon.com/Playmobil-Pony-Ranch-Horse-Farm/dp/B000N1XQD4/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1289360565&sr=1-2)? Just browsing Amazon now...

That book sounds great.

YES, the Melissa and Doug folding stable is awesome, it's quite big and my DD plays with it all the time. I can measure it if you'd like.

Honestly she mixes up the horses we buy at Dollar General (they are kind of flocked) and her Schliech ones. She plays with it for hours. It was a gift two years ago when she was 5. The cheap ones are nice and light and usually come with a mother horse and a few foals.

We also got an accessory pack of Breyer grooming tools etc too.

I've found the Breyer horses pretty pricey.

[KrisM]

YES, the Melissa and Doug folding stable is awesome, it's quite big and my DD plays with it all the time. I can measure it if you'd like.

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That'd be great! There are measurements given, but I don't know if they're open or closed.

[Cuckoomamma]

Our girls love the Only Hearts Club dolls and horses. We have some Breyer, but the Only Hearts Club are favored. Our girls are 5.5 and 9.

[KrisM]

I saw the M&D stable and the barn at a store today. The stable is pretty small and I think she'd like something bigger. I showed her a bunch of pictures online and she picked the Schleich barn. I think TRU has it and will check it out in person there.

[KrisM]

Is this Breyer collection (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4295707)good? It's 50% off on BF.

[brittone2]

DD is getting some of my old Breyer horses for Christmas or Birthday most likely. I think my parents bought her a (plastic) stable. I thought about a bigger one but we already have so many variations of "barns" (wooden folding M&D barn, the plastic PM barn, etc.) that I didn't really want a $100 barn for her.

She also likes last year's PM horse farm set, and the very first PM I ever bought just for her was the horsetrailer set.

I've considered getting her a set of horse stamps too.

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Horse-Stable-Stamp/dp/B000GKXXV2

I grew up with Breyer horses and they are fantastic, but yes, spendy. I saved my own money for a good part of my collection :)