Christmas Guide for the Clueless: Shopping For Equestrians

Bookmark this and leave it out for family to see.

Well, the season is upon is! Christmas decorations swarmed chain stores in the beginning of October preparing everyone for the festive spirit that is soon to bombard us at every corner. I love this time of year: the lights, the smells, the FOOD!

As a competitive person, I also love giving the absolute best gifts. I spend almost all year prepping and planning for what gift will absolutely shock its recipient. I live off of the joy on people’s faces and knowing that I was able to give them something special or valuable to them.

My husband, on the other hand, dreads this time of year. Not because of the decorations or the get-togethers, but because he claims as an equestrian I am difficult to shop for. I pretty much have picked out all of my potential presents by circling ads in catalogues and marking my size in Sharpie next to it. Dog-eared magazines continue to grow in a pile on his desk, but his main complaint is wanting to get me something special that I haven’t pre-selected. To help out the clueless, yet supportive ones in our life, I have compiled a list of goodies any horse lover would be tickled to receive!

Here’s a pro tip: you can’t go wrong with anything embroidered with the name of your equestrian’s beloved four-legged friend. From stall name plates, to fancy stitched halters, to blankets with a monogram — almost anything in the horse world can be personalized. I have listed a few items below that you can snag up without having to have too much knowledge about the horse world.

I stumbled across these adorable ornaments made by madeknownloved (Etsy) through a friend of mine on Instagram. At an affordable $13.50, these handcrafted ornaments made with love are created to model any horse! All you have to have is a photograph for the shop to mirror off of. Perfect stocking stuffer or small gift to show the special equestrian in your life that you know where their heart lies! Better order quick though — personalized gifts can take some time and special crafts like these may not be as easy to get your hands on as Christmas draws near!

Photo via Etsy. Click here to shop site

If the horse lover in your life loves to display their affection for their equine, a Padded Leather Bracelet by SmartPak is never a bad option! With an array of color options to choose from, you can tailor these stylish bracelets to fit the colors your equestrian dons his or her horse in. At $29.95 this bracelet is a steal for how much it will make that special person smile!

Photo via SmartPak. Click here to shop site

If you’re wanting to spend just a teeny bit more to really steal the show, you can NEVER go wrong with a nice leather halter with nameplate. I love SmartPak’s Triple Stitch Halter because it is affordable and of nice quality, and with three leather colors to choose from it is easy to match the leather up with your equestrian’s tack! This halter starts out at $69.95 without personalization and the base price for customization starts out at $12.95. Sizing is easy, with horse and oversized options. If you need help, ask someone at the barn to suggest what the horse in question might need.

Photo via SmartPak. Click here to shop site

Another fun Etsy shop I found was HommeSurLaLune. Gerard makes BEAUTIFUL digital portraits of any kind of pet; I personally had one done of my little doggy after his passing and it was a beautiful memorial to Yoshi. It’s hard ordering off of Etsy sometimes if you don’t know someone who has purchased from the shop before, but I give my highest regards to Gerard! He was so compassionate and answered all of my questions and I had the digital portrait at my door in no time. The prices vary from $50-$225 depending on the size portrait you would like and how many pets you want to include. I took mine to a frame shop and had it matted and framed and it looks wonderful! A great tribute to the special animal in anyone’s life!

Photo via Etsy. Click here to shop site

And for someone who is wanting to make a larger investment for Christmas, I highly recommend a Rambo Cooler! Luckily, SmartPak has the lowest price guaranteed straight from the manufacturer so you can get it for the best price on the market. A cooler is essential for any horseperson — no matter what discipline! After a heavy ride or a quick rinse-off in the colder months, a cooler will help the horse balance their internal temperature and allows them to cool off gradually while wicking moisture away so they don’t get chilled.

We’re not picky; we’d take the warmblood too. Photo via SmartPak. Click here to shop site

I love Rambo and think their products hold up extremely well; plus, they look so sharp on any horse. For this iteam, you will have to be a little more sneaky and find out what size blanket the horse currently wears, or you can measure them yourself (here’s a helpful video on how to measure a horse for a blanket from Horseware). The Rambo Deluxe Cooler starts out at $120.95-$134.95 with tons of size and color options. If you are wanting to add a monogram or some extra customization onto the cooler, expect about an additional $50.

Shopping for an equestrian can feel a bit overwhelming at times, but with this list to base your ideas off of the options are endless! Didn’t see something on this list that you loved? Thankfully, lots of horse retail sites have gift guides or suggestions; SmartPak, for example, has a ‘Gifts’ section on their website that gives you all sorts of sub-categories to look into while shopping.

Horse people are not hard to shop for: anything with our horse’s name on it will melt our hearts instantly. Just knowing you went out of your way to find us something that reflected our passion will mean the world to us! So happy shopping and remember, it’s the thought that counts.

Go riding!