Simple Pumpkin Halloween Horse Bonnet Crochet Pattern

to dress up your horse

Looking for a fun and functional crochet project for your horse this Halloween? This Pumpkin Horse Ear Bonnet Crochet Pattern is perfect for keeping your horse stylish, comfortable, and make him the STAR this festive season.

This pattern is easy to follow and works up quickly. If you're completely new to crochet, please watch the Crochet Basic Stitch Tutorials on my YouTube Channel to learn how to work the stitches required for this project.

In this tutorial, I’ll guide you step-by-step to create a beautiful horse ear bonnet that can be customized with your favorite colors and embellishments. It’s a practical accessory for any horse owner and a great way to show off your crochet skills. Ready to get started? Let’s dive in!

And if you'd prefer an Ad-Free PDF version of this pattern, you can purchase it for a small fee from my shop.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the Start Crochet links. Please see my disclosure for more details.

Materials Needed

Bonnet Body

• DK acrylic or cotton yarn in orange & black (Color 1 & 2).
• Crochet hook: 4.5 mm for bonnet, 4 mm for appliqué
• A tapestry needle
• A pair of scissors
• Measuring tape 
• Horse Bonnet Sizing Chart (available for Free Download below)

Bonnet Ear Pockets (optional)

• Cotton fabric in a matching or contrasting color Size 25 x 25 cm (10 ")
• Sewing machine or just a sewing needle for hand stitching.
• Sewing thread in same color.
• Sewing pins.
• Ear Pocket Template (4 Sizes) - Free download available below

Abbreviations Used in Pattern

• Ch = chain
• sc = single crochet
• dc = double crochet
• dec = decrease = double crochet 2 together (dc2tog)
• st = stitch
• sts = stitches
• sl st = slip stitch
• fo = fasten off

Skill Level

Beginner

Measurements/Size

Please refer to the Horse Bonnet Sizing Chart below for desired sizing. This Horse Bonnet is for a medium-sized Cob.  A = 24 cm B = 10 cm C =16 cm D = 30 cm.

You may print out the Horse Ears Template available as a FREE PDF Download.

Yardage

I used about 124 m for this project (135 yards)

Gauge

14 sts and 9 rows in dc = 10 cm (4") with a 4.5 mm hook.

Notes

• Chain 2 stitches (ch 2) at the beginning of Rows count as a dc st.
• Slip stitches (sl st) do NOT count as stitches.
• You can make the pattern larger or smaller by either: changing the yarn weight and/or hook size, adding or reducing the number of chains. Please refer to the Horse Bonnet Chart to adjust sizing.
• Numbers at the end of each row (in brackets) indicate the number of final stitches in that row.
• Don't worry if your bonnet sides don't look neat as you're working your decreases. You'll work a round of sc all around the bonnet in the end, so that will smooth out those sides before you create your trim with the contrasting color.
• Please note that I use US crochet terms.

Halloween Horse Bonnet Crochet Pattern Instructions

Poll Panel

Note: We are starting this bonnet at the back of the horse's ears (poll). Make sure your beginning chain is a couple of inches longer than you actually need. Once you start with the dc rows, the chain will shrink a little.

With Color 1, tie a slip knot on your hook and ch 39+2 (41) or however many chains to get the length you need. Adjust subsequent stitch counts accordingly.

Note: The last 2 chains will be the turning chains and count as a stitch.

R 1: Dc into the third ch from your hook. Continue to dc along the chain to the end, turn (40).

R 2-5: Ch 2, dc into each stitch along, turn (40).

Note: Measure the distance between the ears of your horse. Then check the number of sts you need to get this measurement. For this pattern, I'm making 11 cm (4.3") between the ears, which corresponds to 16 dc sts. Divide the remaining sts by 2 to get the number of sl sts you need to work in R 6. (40 - 16 = 24 / 2 = 12 sts)

Center Panel

R 6: 12 sl sts, ch 2, 15 dc, turn (16).

R 7-10: Ch 2, 15 dc, turn (16). You are now at corner "E".

Crown Panel

R 11: Ch 15, join to corner "D" with a dc, 7 dc into the side "D to A", turn (23).

Ch 2, 38 dc, 2 sl sts down the side of your last dc (You are now at corner "F")

ch 15, join to corner "C" with a dc,

dc down side "C to B" (7 more sts), turn (62).

Ch 2, dc along (23), sl st to join. Leaving a 4" tail, cut your yarn and fasten off.

R 12: Attach color 2 at corner "A", ch 2, turn, dc 59, turn (60). Try to crochet over your yarn tails so you don't have to weave them in later.

R 13 - 17: Ch 2, dc along the whole row, turn (60).

Forehead Panel

R 18: 12 sl sts, ch 2, 35 dc, turn (36).

We will be working decreases from here. If you're not familiar with dc2tog, watch this video tutorial.

Forehead Panel Decreases

R 19: Ch 2, dec, 31 dc, dec, turn (34).

R 20: Ch 2, dec, 29 dc, dec, turn (32).

R 21: Ch 2, dec, 27 dc, dec, turn (30).

R 22: Ch 2, dec, 25 dc, dec, turn (28).

R 23: Ch 2, dec, 23 dc, dec, turn (26).

R 24: Ch 2, dec, 21 dc, dec, turn (24).

R 25: Ch 2, dec, 19 dc, dec, turn (22).

R 26: Ch 2, dec, 17 dc, dec, turn (20).

R 27: Ch 2, dec, 15 dc, dec, turn (18).

R 28: Ch 2, dec, 13 dc, dec, turn (16).

R 29: Ch 2, dec, 11 dc, dec, turn (14).

You may stop here, but if you'd like to make Forehead Panel longer, continue with the following rows.

R 30: Ch 2, dec, 9 dc, dec, turn (12).

R 31: Ch 2, dec, 7 dc, dec, turn (10).

Continue to sc along the whole bonnet loosely, 2 sc into the corners.

Sl st into the very last stitch from where you started this row to join. Leaving a 4" tail, cut your yarn and fasten off.

Decorative Trim

Join Color 1 to the front of your forehead panel (where you fastened off Color 2) and sc along the whole bonnet again, working 2 sc into the corners as well.

Leaving a 4" tail, cut your yarn and fasten off.

Weave in your ends neatly in the back of your bonnet to secure your work from unraveling.

Pumpkin Appliqué

Body

R1 Start with a Magic Circle, ch 2, work 10 dc into the Magic Circle, pull your MC closed, sl st to join (10).

Note: If you don’t know how to work a Magic Circle, start with a ch 2, and work 10 dc into the second ch from your hook.

R 2 Ch 2, 2 dc into each st around, sl st to join. (20)

R 3 Work 2 sl sts, (2 dc into the next 6 sts), 3 sl sts, (2 dc into the next 6 sts), dc, sl st. (30)

Leave a tail to use later to attach to your horse bonnet, cut orange yarn and fasten off.

Stem

Join green to top of pumpkin (might be a bit tight because you’re joining into the first sl st of R 3), ch 4, sl st into the second ch from your hook, 2 more sl sts down the chain, sl st to join in next st on pumpkin. 

Optional: You could place your sl sts into the back loop of the chain for a more 3-D dimension.

Leave a tail to weave in, cut green yarn and fasten off.

Use you tail ends to attach to your horse bonnet.

Eyes

Add googly eyes or stick-on eyes as desired.

Now center the pumpkin appliqué towards the front of the bonnet. Use your yarn tails to sew around the pumpkin and attach it to the bonnet. If you don't feel like sewing, you could also glue it onto the bonnet.

Weave in your remaining ends.

And that's it! You've just made a cute Halloween bonnet for your horse!

If you'd like to sew on the ear pockets, you may download the free template above.

Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below.

Happy hooking!

May

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