Make a Horse Puppet

How about making this cute hobby-horse puppet to celebrate the Year of the Horse? Just download our template which will give you the shape you need and follow our step-by-step illustrated instructions.

You will need:

• A3 light brown card
• brown felt
• dark brown fabric textured paper
• PVA glue
• scissors
• sellotape
• brown felt-tip pen
• 30cm thin dowel

What you do:

1. Download our horse template and cut out the shapes for your horse's head, nostril, eyes and ears. On the head only cut along the dotted lines.
2. Fold your light brown card in half to give you a double layer of card. Cut around the horse's head template to give two horse head shapes. Don't throw your scraps of card away as you will need those for the ears.
3. Cut out two ears from the light brown card that you have left and stick one pointing forwards on one head shape. Try the ear in place before you glue it on so you can see where to put the glue.
4. Place the dowel stick into the middle of the horse's head and tape it down well.
5. Cut out 12 to 15 rectangles of brown felt for the horse's mane. Use the rectangle template as a guide.
6. Spread glue onto the inside edge of the horse's head from its forehead all the way down the neck, and stick on the felt rectangles.
7. Put glue all the way round the horse's head shape spreading it on top of the felt. Take the second horse's head shape and place it on top. It should stick down well and the two halves should fit together exactly.
8. Test the position of the where the other ear will go before putting glue on the bottom edge and gluing into position. It should be further back than the first one.
9. Following the horse's head template as a guide, stick the cut out eyes onto each side of the horse's head. Cut two felt nostril shapes and stick one on each side of the nose. Draw in the mouth and neck markings on both sides with a brown felt-tip pen.
10. To a make a bridle, cut strips of fabric paper, wrap around both sides of the horse's head and glue in place.