Christmas time is here,
and that means holiday cheer and lots and lots of shopping. (Which all horsemen and horsewomen have plenty of spare time for, of course.) The Black Friday jingles were catchy, I suppose, but let’s face it, there was very little on sale this past weekend that would positively warm the cockles of your trainer’s heart, or let your groom know how much you care.
Horse people want horse things!
Luckily, the Internet is here to help. We’ve found several comprehensive lists of the best equestrian gifts of 2013, with everything from the practical (training gear and fun new innovations in bucket technology) to the whimsical (perhaps a riding helmet lamp is just what your living room was missing?). Here are our favorite equestrian gift guides.
Dappled Grey/Horse & Style Magazine’s Holiday Guide to Equestrian Style
http://issuu.com/horseandstylemag/docs/holidayguideequestrianstyle
Where style and the equestrian life meet, that’s where you’ll find Dappled Grey and Horse & Style, two unique publications that celebrate the cultural side of our physically demanding lifestyle. This is their second collaboration on a holiday gift guide, and once again it is presented as an online magazine with dazzling images and built-in links for easy shopping right from the page. You’ll find recommendations for everything from homegoods to show clothes to books that will please the pickiest equestrian in the barn. Look for designers from outside the arena, as well, with selections from Michael Kors, Jonathan Adler, and Ralph Lauren alongside equestrian favorites like Oughton Limited.
Equitrekking Holiday Gift Guide: Travel and Horse Themed Gifts
http://www.equitrekking.com/equitrekking-holiday-gift-guide
Equitrekking is all about unique experiences, and so their holiday gift guide follows suit, sharing unique and innovative products that could come in handy whether you’re riding in the Rocky Mountains or your indoor arena. Great shopping finds for trail riding gear, cold-weather riding, even a padded riding backpack that’s been safari-tested and approved. The illuminated hoof pick caught my eye as an especially useful gift for any horseman.
Untacked Holiday Gift Guide (Inside Issue 1 of Untacked)
http://read.uberflip.com/i/218358
The newest publication from the venerable industry magazine The Chronicle of the Horse is hot off the presses: Untacked is a lifestyle magazine that perfectly complements the equestrians already reading the Chronicle for scores, news, and updates. The digital edition is ready to go to, and the first issue includes a holiday gift guide with everything from riding boots to nursery prints. You’ll find some excellent suggestions for the horseman and horsewoman and the little horsebaby in this guide. The corgi mobile for swaying above the crib of a future fox-hunter might be the cutest thing I’ve seen this Christmas.
Turn to these three sites for different ideas and you should be in a pretty good position come Christmas. And don’t forget stocking stuffers! May we suggest double-ended snaps? If there’s one thing you always need more of in a barn, it’s double-ended snaps!