Remember loving your pony in the 90s? Much has changed now if you are a Generation Z horse enthusiast, so let us trot you through all the new trends…
1. Games
You knew you were a pony lover in the 90s when you immediately darted for the horse counter in Monopoly (who wants the strange iron anyway?) or if you played Top Trumps (pony version, obviously) during break time at school. Remember brushing the mane of your My Little Pony with a tiny purple plastic brush and it changed colour when adding water? It was magical. Now, apps for Generation Z horse-lovers are all the rage: think somewhere along the lines of the Hayday app, where you create your farm and ponies neighbouring your friends.
2. Buying kit
Instead of those eagerly awaited weekends where mum and dad drove us to the local tack shop or flicking through door-stop-sized catalogues, lots of Generation Z—ers now turn their beady eyes to the letterbox, awaiting their online order with horse blinker focus.
3. Stickers
Begging mum at Woolworths for yet another set of horse stickers to swap or decorate your secret diary (with padlock and key, obviously) was how it was done. Now stickers for the Generation Z population come in a new form: GIFs and e-stickers. Sending a galloping horse GIF from your iPhone to show you are on your way to see your friend is the new exchange.
4. Letting people know you love horses
Slapping poorly torn-away pony posters on the headboard of a bed with Blu Tac was a sure bet to express oneself as ‘horse-expert-extraordinaire’. Don’t forget also the accoutrements of horse-related stationery and a duvet cover featuring poorly pixelated horses in canter. Yet those who are Generation Z in the digital age have a new list of criteria: your pony’s own personal Instagram account, a black and white Facebook profile picture featuring you plus pony, and the cherry on the cake, a Snapchat video of you galloping in slow motion. Nice.
5. Convincing your parents to buy you a horse
Writing a list of reasons in your sparkly gel pen, in the very best handwriting you could possibly manage, was one of many tactics to try and convince parents in the 90s for a pony. Now, the strategy has arguably taken on greater techy proportions. Think now of showing a YouTube video of ponies jumping in fields to parents or creating a full-length feature film on iMovie to show your dedication.
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