Christmas Gift Guide for the Clueless: Last Minute Gift Ideas

…that any horse person will love!

It’s the craziest week of the year! Shops are overflowing with shoppers scurrying around to snag that last minute gift for their loved ones. Fear not — if you still are needing suggestions for the horse lover in your life we are here to help. Here are a few last minute gift ideas of the non-horsey kind that every equestrian is bound to appreciate.

An At-Home Retreat

Give the gift of self care with a fun goodie basket. As equestrians, we tend to put ourselves on the back burner. Find a premade gift set or make your own filled with things such as chapstick, hand cream, muscle ache rubs, bath bombs, and all of the essentials for a relaxing night away. There is nothing more that I love after a long day at the barn than a nice, hot bath to soothe my aching muscles.

Bottoms Up!

For the equestrians who are 21+ a great bottle of wine is always a good idea! Sometimes it’s nice to unwind from a stressful horse show while crashing on the couch with a glass of wine (or beer if that is more their taste!). Bonus points if you get them an adorable horsey themed wine bottle stopper.

DIY

If you are a fan of thoughtful, DIY-type gifts this is a great idea for you! Create a coupon book full of redeemable coupons filled with chores that your equestrian might need to take a step back from one day. Suggestions such as “One Free Day of Stall Cleaning” or “Groom For a Day” would be great additions. You can also include things such as “A Car Detail” and “Your Own Personal Shoe Shine” to help keep that horse lover in your life nice and tidy (many of us sacrifice our personal tidiness for tack cleaning time). This can be as fun and creative as you want and is totally easy to make. A great stocking stuffer with a personal touch, I know I would be thrilled to get a book full of coupons to help take the stress off of certain days.

Shopping Spree

As equestrians, a large portion of our extra funds go to our horse. Many horse lovers rarely spend money on themselves, so gift certificates to their favorite clothing store are a definite plus! There is no way we can wiggle that money around to use on our horses and we have to spend a day splurging on ourselves. I know I am very guilty of not spending on myself, but just the other day I took a little extra money and bought myself some nice new things and I felt like a new person afterwards. Whether they are finally upgrading their every-day western boots or going all out with a new wardrobe, any equestrian can put a gift certificate to good use. Leave a little note with the gift card and a few horse treats that tells the horse lover in your life that you are thinking about them and their horse!

A Meaningful Collage

Want a gift with a personal touch on a last minute time crunch? Simply sneak online to the social media profiles of the person you are shopping for and snag a few of their favorite photos to print. You can grab a super cute collage frame for a great price at craft stores like Hobby Lobby or discount retail stores like T.J. Maxx! Fill that frame up with some of their favorite memories, horsey or not. My coworkers all pitched in last year and did this for me and I had tears in my eyes as I unwrapped the packaging. It was such a sentimental gift and looks wonderful hanging in my office.

Every time I glance up from my computer and see this collage put together by my team, I can’t help but smile! Photo by Meagan DeLisle

The Chance to Step Away

For the most of us, horses are our lives. Our schedule is consumed by farrier visits, ride time, barn chores, truck/trailer repair, and so much more. The gift of a date night or get-away is always a great opportunity for us to lift a little of that weight off our shoulders and just enjoy being a normal person for a while. You can make this as simple as you like or go all out crazy with a week away! I love the idea of a night out or even a weekend get-away. My husband and I live about five hours from Branson, Missouri and whenever he sees me getting a bit overwhelmed with work, life, and horses he always seems to surprise me with a weekend away to just enjoy life with one another. The trick here is to have all the details planned out ahead of time so the escape is 100% stress and decision free for the person you are planning it for. Taking all those steps will show the horse crazy person in your life just how crazy you are for them.

The list of gifts could go on and on — just remember to get a gift from the heart and there is no doubt that it will be greatly appreciated. Horse people are grateful people, we know how much support it takes to make our dreams a reality. Just knowing that you thought of them this holiday season will mean more than the gift itself. Happiest of holidays from our team to yours!