Stop! Before you kick that Christmas tree to the curb…

…consider re-purposing it as a brush jump in your ring or cross-country schooling field. Here are a few DIY ideas.

First off, know that the more trees, the merrier. I’ve been known to stalk various neighborhoods around this time of the year in my Santa sleigh red F-250, looking for discarded trees to re-purpose. Many cities also have tree recycling centers where you can score a whole truckload.

Once you get them to your farm, the possibilities are endless. Stuff them under verticals and oxers to make jumps seem less airy, or use the trees to dress up a hunter course. They can also be used to simulate various cross-country questions such as steeplechase fences, Weldon’s walls and brush skinnies. Or, trim branches off the tree and stick them upright in a brush box to teach a green event horse how to “brush through brush.”

Here are a couple examples from our ring:

Jump this…

..to prepare for (someday, maybe) this:

Photo: Eventing Nation

Jump this…

…to prepare for (someday, maybe) this:

Photo: Eventing Nation

And best of all, when your trees have finally fulfilled their purpose, you can retire them in style. Barn bonfire, anyone?

Go Riding.