Any great ideas?
My former old-man farrier I’d bake things for. My current younger one appreciates cash.
I don’t see the vets much anymore, thank goodness, but something like a Starbucks gift card I think is appreciated. They spend enough time on the road and they’re bound to pass by some regularly. Also, they are easy to regift, if the person doesn’t use it for some reason. My dilemma is that I’m not very tech savvy, so I tend to give actual cards, and I think people prefer electronic because they can mobile order. But I think you can download a card on a mobile app, so maybe it wouldn’t matter?
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(Trainer here).
My preference is baked goods or homemade jam!
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I do Wawa gift cards (northeast people, so Wawa is a way of life)…plus you can always get gas/fuel if you don’t want food. So, I figure it will never be wasted. Plus baked goodies (I am a very good baker) and homemade jam (also well loved by many). Sometimes vet will also get a bottle of wine (she likes reds - Merlot or Malbac, so I know what’s safe to buy her!).
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Call me Scrooge, but gift giving to professionals makes me uncomfortable. I cannot imagine after my dentist sees my teeth, handing him/her a box of homemade cookies. (I am sure some do). Vet, Farrier, Trainer, to me are all professionals. As a retired teacher of 40 years, I received gifts from students. I would have preferred not to. I did not give my students’ gifts. Again, it seemed to cross a line. And, me being of another generation, wrote each student a Thank You note and mailed it before New Years. I did make my TA look up addresses, however.
My ma said to always give the help what would total one week of pay as a cash Christmas gift. I am sure the barn workers I’ve had over the years (currently do not have one) have appreciated the $ far more than a box of cookies.
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As a retired Trimmer: I rarely got anything but that was fine. When I did, tho, I loved the Tractor Supply gift cards or Gas gift cards.
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I give a Wegmans gift card, figuring it is a good place to stop and grab lunch or whatever while they are out doing their job.
It is less a Christmas gift and more of a thank you for being a wonderful part of the care team. (The card says thank you.)
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When I gift something it is a calendar with my horse cartoons. For the vet I usually just send a couple to the clinic with a general thank you/Christmas card - I figure if the vets don’t want a calendar, one of the techs probably will.
I make up bags of goodies, basically snacks for on the road that they can share with their tech or assistant. Individual bags of nuts, jerky, candies, Fig Newtons etc. And always some dog treats.
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I’ll be baking for my farriers as they are coming on the 20th and I love to bake, but as I’m not seeing the vet (scheduled anyway) until spring she won’t be getting anything.
Cash to the farrier. He really cares about my ponies and has gone above and beyond for my old man pony. I’m small potatoes compared to the rest of his h/j clients and I really appreciate the fact he still fits me in to his schedule.
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This year it’s Hard Candy Christmas 
But in the past I’ve done gas cards for the shoer - who comes to my barn just to trim my 3 & lately has accomodated the mini’s need to see him every 5 weeks, while horse & pony go 7.
Vet gets a fun gift, as we’re sorta friends.
T-shirt with funny saying & this year was going to be one of these journals:
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For my vet, I have given a voucher for a catered lunch for them to order from a local eatery to be delivered to their clinic on a day they can choose. That way it covers all the other vets, vet techs, and other staff too.
And in the past I have built personalized jumps for my trainers’ farms.
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I did USB rechargable (so you can do in the car) hand warmers and they were a hit. Not expensive on amazon 
Almost forgot 
My vet of 20+yrs retired his equine practice around 5yrs ago.
I used to.put together fruit/candy, etc baskets for the clinic, or gift cert for nearby pizzeria or Subway do they could have lunch on me.
Current vet is solo + a tech.
Never in my entire life would I have ever thought to give my dentist a Christmas gift.
I have been an underpaid, overworked barn employee( in the past). I know they did.
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Ick- please don’t call people “the help”
Anyway, I send the my small animal vet and horse vet something to their office as they both have fairly large staff. I don’t have a trainer. I do give my farrier a very expensive bottle of bourbon every year but he’s my brother so it’s not quite the same lol. He also gives me a free round of shoeing/ trims for all my guys at Christmas
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One of our former trainees used to send our office one of those large decorated metal 5 gallon tubs filled with three varieties of popcorn every Christmas. The staff would always compete about who would get to take the container home when it was empty.
One Christmas a patient baked and brought us a very nice looking red velvet cake. But the patient was HIV positive and no one would eat the cake. It just sat there untouched in the break room next to the popcorn barrel. That was back in the 1980’s
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@tabula_rashah -call me politically incorrect, but do help me out by telling me what one does call the people who work for me at the barn, in the house, or in the yard --staff? Is that better? Seems a bit “Dawnton Abby,” and implies that there is more than one --is The Workers better than The Help? I guess I could call them The Amish, since most of them are, but not all. Employees? Is that better?
My dad is a dentist and let me tell you, the amount of candy and chocolates he would get every year was something we ALWAYS laughed about.
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