• Horse-themed games can turn any party into a blast for horse loversTarifa 29 image by Rainer Tagwercher from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
  
  Horse-themed parties are ideal for anyone who loves horses. A horse-themed party wouldn't be complete without a few easy-to-arrange horse games to make the event more authentic. Lively horse-related activities allow you to throw a party that will entertain guests of any age, the kind of party they will long remember.
  
  

Capture the Mustang

• This game is best played outdoors where there is a lot of room to run. Break the guests into two teams. One team will be wild Mustangs and the other will be wranglers. The Mustangs run around the range, and the wranglers try to lasso them with spray string (the spray string has to encircle the Mustang, not just touch it). Time how long it takes the wranglers to round up the Mustangs, then have teams switch roles. The Mustang team that takes longest for all its members to be captured wins the event. As an alternative to spray string, have wranglers tag the Mustangs to "lasso" them.
  
  

Barrel Racing

• Set up an obstacle course of barrels and cross beams such as you'd see at a horse show. Set the cross beams no more than a foot off the ground to avoid tripping guests. For children, set the beams even lower. Guests take turns running the course and "jumping" the beams. Use a kitchen timer to clock the competitors. The guest with the shortest time wins the competition.
  
  

Sugar in a Hay Stack

• Sugar in a Hay Stack involves hiding sugar cubes in a pile of clean hay or straw. Keep the hay stack no taller than two or three feet to avoid making the game too time consuming. To play, each guest tries to find as many sugar cubes as possible in 30 seconds. At the end of play, the winner is the guest with the most sugar cubes. (Hide replacement sugar cubes as the game progresses to give everyone a fair chance.)
  
  

Old Games with a Horse Twist

• Pin the Tail on the Donkey and bobbing for apples are two age-old games you can alter with a horse twist. Pin the Tail on the Pony is the same as Pin the Tail on the Donkey, for example. For bobbing for apples, end the games by inviting all good horses get their apple treats. To earn their apples, guests should get on all fours (in true horse fashion) one at a time and bob for their apples in a tub full of water. To make the game more challenging for older horses, blindfold each guest before bobbing begins.