There are numerous times you might want to dress up your horse in a costume. There are horse shows that feature costume components. There are competitions to enter. There are also festive holidays that you might want to partake in with your favorite pony. Whatever the reason, it can be hard to come up with great ideas and find instructions on how exactly to dress your horse up. That is why we have sourced 10 great plans ideas for DIY costumes for horses, with instructions linked for each idea that will help guide you. This way, you will know exactly what you need, how to start, and get an idea of what it will look like when it’s done.
The 10 DIY Halloween Horse Costumes
1. DIY Grim Reaper Horse Costume by Horsey Hooves
| Materials: | Fly mask, black or dark colored horse, enough black fabric to cover your horse to the ground, gray fabric scraps |
| Tools: | Scissors |
| Complexity: | Basic |
These instructions help turn your adorable horse into a terrifying rider of the night. This costume works best if you have a dark-colored horse that will add to the mystique, but you can cover any horse in dark fabric. A black fly mask can also add to the effect. For the best effect, the plans call for you to also dress in black, head to toe, and wear a hood or drape. With you on the back of your horse, you will look like the Grim Reaper and its steed. The effect can be absolutely spooky, especially at night. All it takes is some fabric and a pair of scissors, and the ability to drape your horse correctly.
2. Simple Zombie/Skeleton Horse (Paint Only) by Equine Spot
| Materials: | White paint (for a dark horse), Dark paint (for a white horse) |
| Tools: | Paintbrush to use on your horse |
| Complexity: | Intermediate |
This simple zombie horse costume is straightforward. All it requires is some paint and a paintbrush. The tricky part is getting your horse to stand and tracing out your vision. The idea here is to simply paint a skeleton onto the exterior of your horse. Using white paint on a dark horse probably yields the best results, but you can also paint a dark skeleton over a white horse. In the right lighting, your horse should look like a skeleton horse which is perfect for a zombie theme. You will need to have some artistic talent, a vision, and the ability to get your horse to stand in one spot for a long period of time to pull this off. You also want to make sure to get paint that is safe for your horse and washes out easily.
3. Dragon Costume by Equine Helper
| Materials: | 2–5 yards of fabric with a scaly pattern, 2 yards of green fabric, green spray paint, rubber bands, cardboard, Velcro |
| Tools: | Needle and thread, scissors |
| Complexity: | Intermediate |
With simply some cardboard, spray paint, and fabric, you can make a cool dragon costume for your horse, or in the case of the video, a pony. You’ll start by cutting some dragon wing shapes out of cardboard and spray painting them with green paint. For the fabric, you’ll need to measure your horse to find out exactly how much you’ll need. When you cut the fabric, make sure to leave a little extra to be able to fasten the fabric around your horse. The video shows you how to cut the fabric to make it fit on your horse, but you will need some sewing skills to make the actual costume itself. Use the green fabric to make the dragon’s spikes, then attach the spikes to your horse’s mane with the rubber band, attach the wings with the Velcro, and you’re done.
4. Cute Giraffe and Zookeeper Get Up by PetDIYs
| Materials: | Horse-safe paint, a picture of a giraffe for guidance |
| Tools: | Paintbrush |
| Complexity: | Basic–Intermediate |
This costume is very easy on the part of the horse. All you need to do is paint your horse to look like a giraffe. This can be tricky depending on how large your horse is, how much they move, and your ability to paint shapes. But this is a paint-only costume that is perfect for a variety of horses. For the best results, it is a good idea to work off a picture of a giraffe to nail that specific pattern. To complete the look, you can dress up as a zookeeper for an adorable pairing. You can also just put your giraffe painted horse into a stall to make it look like it is in a menagerie or in a zoo.
5. DIY Carousel Costume by Horsey Hooves
| Materials: | Flowers, hair chalk, hoof glitter, safe paint for your horse, rope, lightweight hollow tube, spray paint, spray adhesive, or glue |
| Tools: | None |
| Complexity: | Basic–Intermediate |
Everyone loves a classic carousel. With these simple instructions, you can turn your horse into a carousel horse. The key here is the iconic carousel pole. You will paint alternating colors of rope and wrap your tube using glue to attach the ropes. This will give you that classic spiraled look for your pole. The tube should be attached to the horn of your saddle. Simple cardboard tubes should be plenty. The longer the tube, the better the look. Add some glitter to the hooves, attach some flowers to the mane, and you will have yourself the perfect carousel costume that can be completed on a budget.
6. Classic Unicorn Costume by Free Spirit Equestrian
| Materials: | Flowers, ribbons, mane and tail glitter, glitter hoof polish, unicorn horn (make one from cardboard or paper-mâché or buy one online) |
| Tools: | Grooming tools |
| Complexity: | Basic |
A unicorn costume is another classic look, like the carousel horse. People of all ages love seeing a horse dressed up as a unicorn. This costume works best with white or light-colored horses. After grooming your horse, use the glitter hoof polish to paint your horse’s hooves, add the mane and tail glitter, and add flowers and ribbons to the mane and tail. Add the unicorn horn (that you can either make or buy). In no time at all, you will have a gorgeous unicorn that is ready to turn heads.
7. War Horse Costume by Equine Spot
| Materials: | Fly mask, duct tape, silver spray paint, cardboard, permanent marker |
| Tools: | Scissors |
| Complexity: | Basic |
You can make your horse look like an armored war horse using some basic cardboard and a simple fly mask. If you have an old fly mask that you can use for this costume, the easiest thing to do is spray paint it in metallic silver. If not, you can attach some cardboard to your horse’s fly mask to create an armored look. Create a shield shape and paint a symbol on the front and put it over your horse’s head so it hangs around the neck. Add some cardboard for side armor on the saddle or stirrups for extra material. This simple cardboard armor will transform your horse from a regular pony to a heavy charger.
8. Flower/Bumblebee Costume by DreamWorks Spirit
| Materials: | Black or yellow t-shirt (for your costume), black or yellow tape (also for your costume), pom poms and pipe cleaners for antennas, green and yellow felt, cardboard or foam board, black rope |
| Tools: | Hot glue gun and glue, scissors |
| Complexity: | Basic |
Flowers and bees go hand in hand. This DIY costume helps transform your horse into a flower and you as a bumblebee. This costume is very basic, using t-shirts, tape, pom poms, and pipe cleaners for your bumblebee costume, and felt and rope for your horse’s flower collar. To create the flower collar for your horse, cut petal shapes out of the yellow felt and leaf shapes out of the green felt. Cut the foam board or cardboard into strips and glue it to the back of the petal shapes for support, then glue the leaves on and glue the rope to the petals and leaves. Add the flower collar to your horse, dress up in your bumblebee costume, and you’re all done!
9. DIY Motorcycle Costume by HorseCrazyGirls
| Materials: | Headlight, red reflectors, bandanas, flame patterned fabric, handlebars (optional), PVC pipe, spray paint, spray adhesive, twine, duct tape |
| Tools: | Sawzall, scissors |
| Complexity: | Advanced |
This costume is for motorcycle enthusiasts who also love horses. This costume has a lot of intricate parts, but if you follow the instructions and stick it out, the results can be breathtaking. Attach a small round headlight to your horse’s halter, attach the PVC pipe to each side of the saddle, and paint them in chrome for exhaust pipes. Tie some red reflectors into the tail. If you can make or find some handlebars, attach those to the horn of your saddle. The result is a very detailed motorcycle costume that is realistic and fun.
10. Renaissance Costume by Learning Horses
| Materials: | Nylon webbing, O rings, 2-inch-wide trim, tri-glide slides, dressage saddle pad, luxurious fabric, scrap fabric, fake flowers |
| Tools: | Sewing machine |
| Complexity: | Intermediate–Complex |
If you have sewing aptitude or if you can wield a needle with some amount of skill, this Renaissance costume could be perfect for you. This costume requires a bit of stitching and cutting. You’ll first need to create a pattern for the barding part of the costume on your horse, which the instructions walk you through how to do. Then use the luxurious fabric (the creator used velvet brocade, you make your own saddle pad. Add the saddle and bridle to your horse, and you can decorate the reins with fake flowers or other embellishments. This is a great costume for Halloween or Renaissance fairs.
Conclusion
There are some great options here for you to choose from. From simple paint costumes to complex props, there are costumes here that can dazzle and stun. Whether you are trying to take home gold from a show or delight your kids, these ideas will allow you to easily craft your very own DIY horse costumes with basic supplies. Now, all you have to do is pick your favorite and get to work.
Featured Image Credit: Madhourse, Shutterstock
