Labels

Horse Coloring Books for Relaxation — A Rider’s Guide (from Someone Who’s Spent Too Many Evenings at the Barn)

 I’ll never forget the night I sat on the hayloft floor with a mug of tea and a stack of coloring pages—horse heads, grazing mares, a foal gnawing a blanket—and realized my hands were steadier than they’d been all week. The horses had been fed (finally), the tack was hung, the barn smelled of warm leather and sweet hay, and the world outside the paddock had melted into a soft hum. Coloring wasn’t just a hobby that night. It was a reset button.

If you ride, care for horses, or just love them from afar, you already know how loud horse life can be. Feed schedules, vet calls, blistered thumbs from grooming, the satisfying clink of a hoof pick—there’s always something. For me, coloring books about horses became a simple, low-cost way to decompress. This piece is about why they work, what to buy, how to use them, and the small mistakes I learned from—because yes, I’ve splattered ink on a saddle and colored with sticky, feed-covered fingers more than once.



Why Horse Coloring Books Work (When You’re Run Ragged)

Coloring slows the brain down. It gives your hands something repetitive and gentle to do while your mind untangles itself. After a long day of lesson mounts or after worrying about a picky eater in the stall—coloring lets you breathe.

A practical example: last winter, after a cold, wet day of dragging frozen water buckets and encouraging a reluctant old mare to eat, I sat in the tack room and colored a page of a dapple-gray mare grazing. The page required concentration but not problem-solving. My shoulders unclenched. I slept better that night. Simple, and real.

Sensory note: The smell of waxy pencils, the slight grit of textured paper under your thumb, the hush of the barn at dusk—these things matter. They turn coloring into a ritual.

What to Buy: Books, Pencils, Pens (Practical, Tried-and-True Picks)

You don’t need fancy gear to start. But a couple of upgrades make the experience richer.

Coloring books I like:

Pencil & marker picks:

Paper & extras:

  • Use heavyweight paper (90–120 lb) or place a backing sheet to avoid bleed-through. A cheap clipboard helps if you color in the barn.

  • A small blending stump or even a cotton swab works for manes and soft shadowing.

  • A pouch for your supplies keeps them from getting feed-dusty—trust me on this.

How I Color — A Barn-Friendly Routine

I learned the hard way that barn life and art don’t mix—unless you plan for it.

  1. Clean hands first. I once smudged a perfect chestnut coat with grease from my grooming mitt. Not pretty. A quick wipe or hand-sanitizer does wonders.

  2. Choose a page based on how tired you are. Long day? Pick a simpler silhouette. Restless energy? Try a detailed portrait with braided mane patterns.

  3. Set a tiny ritual. Tea, a minute of deep breaths, then color for 20–40 minutes. No screens. The barn hum becomes part of it instead of a distraction.

Feeding, Paperwork, and Coloring: How They Fit Together

You asked for feed and supplements—so here’s the honest part: feeding routines and horse care shape your downtime. If your day ends with a messy barn chore—soaked beet pulp, deworming, or a farrier visit—you’ll want to relax differently than after a fun trail ride.

  • Feeds I trust for lesson barns: Purina Strategy, Triple Crown—brands that keep weight consistent and moods steady. If a horse is picky, a soaked mash of beet pulp can calm the stomach and the rider.

  • Supplements: Omegas for coat shine (flax or rice bran), a glucosamine-based joint supplement for older lesson mounts (I often use Cosequin on older schoolmasters)—just my practical picks. Always check with your vet.

  • How this relates to coloring: When feeding is done and meds sorted, your mind relaxes more easily. Don’t try to color while sorting grain—trust me, you’ll mix up your blues with alfalfa dust.

Seasonal feeding note: In spring, lush grass can make some breeds (ponies especially) metabolic-sensitive. In winter, drafts and extra hay are common. These shifts change your evening—more monitoring in spring, extra barn chores in winter—so your coloring time will vary by season.

Real Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t Repeat Them)

  • Coloring with greasy hands. I ruined a lovely mane shading because I’d been handling liniments. Tip: keep a small pack of baby wipes in your coloring pouch.

  • Using cheap paper with markers. The ink bled right through and stained my notebook—and nearly a saddle pad when I carried it. Use proper paper or an under-sheet.

  • Over-committing to “finished” pages. I once pushed through a detailed background when exhausted—result: sloppy. Now I stop when it stops being fun.

Regional & Seasonal Flavors — How Where You Live Changes the Experience

Where you live shapes both horse care and when you can relax.

  • Cold climates (northern US, UK, northern Europe): Long nights mean more barn chores—blanketing, water-heater checks. Coloring in the heated tack room with a wool blanket? Bliss.

  • Hot/dry climates (Australia, parts of the US): Evening dust and fly-spray smells might cling to paper. Shade and a fan help; a small clipboard with a cover is a game-changer.

  • Wet regions (Pacific Northwest, UK): Mud everywhere. Bring colored pencils, not markers—humidity affects markers more.

  • Breed differences: Ponies vs. warmbloods—ponies often require more metabolic monitoring in spring, making your evenings busier. Warmbloods might need extra turnout care if they’re bored. Again—timing of relaxation shifts.

It Would Be Even Better If…

…it were easier to find equine coloring books that double as educational tools—pages showing saddle fit, parts of the horse, or step-by-step grooming sequences. I’d love publishers to include a small “care note” on each page: feed tips, safety reminders, or seasonal care notes. That would make coloring not just restful, but quietly instructive for young riders.

Also — eco-friendly, barn-proof art kits would be brilliant: a sealed pencil case, smudge-resistant pencils, and a washable pad sized for tack rooms. Someone make this, please.

How to Use Coloring as a Teaching Tool with Kids

I use coloring to teach patience and observation.

  • Give kids a page of a horse with tack drawn in. Ask them to color the saddle and then tell you if it sits level. You’ll be surprised how many notice crooked placement when they have to color it.

  • Use a “coat study” page—encourage them to layer colors to make dapples or bay shading. It translates to better eyes for conformation later.

  • Turn it into a quiet hour after lunch—kids calm down, groom a pony, then color while the horse naps. It teaches rhythm.

FAQs — Practical, Casual Answers

Q: Are coloring books for adults better than kids’?
A: Adult coloring books usually have more intricate line-work—great if you want a meditative session. Kid books are simpler and perfect for quick, joyful resets.

Q: What if my supplies get horse-smelly?
A: Washable bags, a quick wipe, and airing them out does the trick. Replace sponges and blending stumps when they’re too feed-dusted.

Q: Can coloring actually reduce anxiety?
A: For me, yes. Repetitive, creative tasks calm the nervous system. It’s not therapy—but it’s a tool in the toolbox.

Q: Any safety concerns?
A: Keep pens away from tack oil. Don’t color around open feed bags. Mostly: wash hands first.

Final Takeaway — A Small Habit That Keeps on Giving

Horse life can be loud, sticky, and gloriously chaotic. Coloring books are a small, steady ritual that lets you switch gears without leaving the barn. They combine the quiet joy of focusing with the comfort of something tactile—like the way a horse leans into a scratch.

So grab a page, a pencil, and a warm drink. Sit in the tack room or on the hayloft steps. Let the horses breathe around you. Watch your hands make gentle, confident strokes. That’s the kind of care—quiet, simple, human—that we give to horses and, sometimes, to ourselves.

Labels:
Location: United States

Comments

Post a Comment