So I’m pondering this years gifts for boarders and riding students, and figured I’d turn to COTH for fun, thrifty ideas. I like to do homemade but time is always limited. In the past I’ve done bit warmers, horse treats, restaurant.com gift certs (not homemade but thrifty during their sales.) any other thoughts? Was looking into making bridle tags-I have the metal stamps, and the blanks are inexpensive…
So ladies and gents, what are your thoughts? off the wall is welcome! 
thanks in advance!
I love the bridle tags idea- you have the materials, shows thought, useful and easy for you. You could also make multiple tags - bridle, saddle, blanket, etc
Someone bumped a similar thread last week, and it got some thoughtful replies. Maybe you’ll find an idea here?
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?271346-Christmas-Gift-Ideas-Anyone
I’ll be honest - if they own their own horses, gift certificates to a tack shop can be golden. Even $10 is a most wonderful thing. In our barn, boarders draw secret santas with the requirement that the gift MUST be horse related and usable for the person who receives it (ie no giving the dressage rider an elaborate western bit). We put a dollar amount on it as well (typical is do not exceed $20). The local tack shop laughs as we all come in and raid the bargain bin. We even leave our “wish list” from the bargain bin with them to be shared among us. Usually have pretty nice gifts ! Another favorite tends to be equine books. 101 arena exercises tends to be a favorite as well as discipline related books. I have a dressage book I received years ago that I adore. Wonderful resource.
You don’t mention what discipline the riders are - if dressage stock ties or pins are always nice. Can find some very decently priced. If you know how to do them, the bling browbands I understand can be made quite easily.
Good luck and happy holidays !
How very thoughtful of you! Horse themed ornaments are nice, maybe some cute horsie socks, hoof picks and a bag of treats for the horse?
My old trainer used to get us a fun horse themed Christmas tree ornament every year. I still have all of mine and they bring back the fun memories from years ago.
You mention ornaments and I think “oooh i could paint each person’s horse on an ornament!” breathe in, breathe out, take a reality check lol. thanks guys! keep the ideas coming, I’m off to check the other thread:-)
omg jnforjenny, I LOVE your ideas! the vanilla sugar in particular is so cool!
These pecans are dead easy to do in quantity, thrifty, and everyone loves them. Maybe put them in a bag and tape the bridle tag to the outside?
http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2012/12/18/brown-sugar-and-thyme-roasted-pecans/
[QUOTE=thathorse;7319709]
omg jnforjenny, I LOVE your ideas! the vanilla sugar in particular is so cool![/QUOTE]
LOL! I’m a popular friend to have at Christmas. :lol: But yeah, the vanilla sugar goes over like gangbusters. It’s the perfect hostess gift, secretary gift, gift for a group of random adults like your riding students, etc.
Pro tip: Vanilla beans are a ripoff at your local grocery store. They’re fairly cheap from Amazon.com and other online vendors. You could also try a restaurant supply store, or a home brewing store. Sometimes places that sell bulk spices will have a good price, especially if you ask for a quantity discount. I’ve also done vanilla sugar from vanilla powder, which is fun because then it looks like dirty snow and you can make a funny joke on the card. (I hear vanilla powder is hard to find, but I’ve got three sources for it here in Columbus. Weird!)
I’ve heard that you can do vanilla sugar with vanilla extract, but I’ve never tried it.
jn4jenny-I’m now thinking about those molded sugar cubes-do you think this mold would make them too big to stick together? http://www.amazon.com/CK-Products-Horse-Assortment-Chocolate/dp/B003QP39CM/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1387409990&sr=1-3&keywords=horse+mold
[QUOTE=thathorse;7319790]
jn4jenny-I’m now thinking about those molded sugar cubes-do you think this mold would make them too big to stick together? http://www.amazon.com/CK-Products-Horse-Assortment-Chocolate/dp/B003QP39CM/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1387409990&sr=1-3&keywords=horse+mold[/QUOTE]
The size doesn’t worry me, but the shape and detail level does. It’s sugar, so it’s a bit brittle, which means those pencil-thin horsey legs will snap off easily. Also, since it’s sugar and not chocolate, the detail level of such molds might get lost in translation. You could add food coloring or use brown sugar, but even so, it might still look like a lump of coal. :lol:
I’d try something a little more blocky and small, like maybe this:
http://www.amazon.com/CK-Products-8-Inch-Horseshoe-Chocolate/dp/B003QP3918/ref=sr_1_7?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1387412726&sr=1-7
Or you could go with Christmas-themed shapes, which tend to be pretty blocky: Christmas trees, snowflakes, gingerbread men, etc. And I guess candy makers are big on volume because you can get the Christmas shapes in huge trays of 20+ molds:
http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Cavity-Silicone-Tree-Mold/dp/B003CN5SRC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387413100&sr=8-1
Christmas light shapes, in different colors, would be adorable too:
http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-2105-1554-Silicone-24-Cavity-Light/dp/B00DV90LO2/ref=pd_sim_k_1
Speaking of producing in volume…let’s just say that one time, I waited until the last minute to make these, which meant no time to let them set in the candy molds overnight. I asked The Great Google what to do, and it suggested microwaving the cubes for about 25-30 seconds. It did take some trial and error to find the right amount of time and the right popping-out-of-the-mold technique, but you can reuse any crushed or botched batches so it’s not a huge deal.
Again, thanks!
Last year I got my students a subscription to Young Rider Magazine. I offered Dressage Today to some of the adults but some of them wanted YR also----and I renewed it again this yr for them. And started new ones for the ones that started riding this yr
I’ve done this before, but it requires more than just having boarders that you don’t know well; this works more if they are your “barn family”: Buy everyone a book on horse care or horse training; can be the same book for everyone, or maybe a different book for the little kids vs. older riders; what makes it special is the thoughtful inscription you will write in the front of the book, personalized for each one. How you enjoy having them in the barn, how much progress they have made in their training, what your hopes and dreams are for their future; whatever your favorite things are, about them. That would be a keepsake that I would treasure forever, from my trainer.
One year my trainer/mentor commissioned ornaments from a local artist and horsewoman, painted to represent our current show mounts. The markings, coat colors and expressions were dead on. I still cherish mine. Time is tight to get this done, but it’s always a wonderful idea.
Flagged.
I’d vote for decorated horse shoes with a photo of their horse or a favorite lesson horse.
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