http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4a9CKgLprQ&feature=relmfu
:D:D:D
Some of these are amazing. I can’t remember a horrible Christmas present I’ve gotten - all my fam is so good at gifts! And everyone has it doubly hard - my birthday is December 23!
For my 13th birthday/Christmas, my mom took me to New York the following June to go to the Belmont Stakes. I knew nothing about racing other than from the Thoroughbred books and cutting out newspaper clips that I didn’t understand! Mom is not into horses at ALL, but did a wonderful job balancing 3 days in NYC shopping, sightseeing, and seeing shows before heading out to a few days in Garden City. She hasn’t been super supportive of riding over the years, but this trip was an awesome way to make it something we could do together.
We ended up at the same hotel as Bob & Beverly Lewis (owners of Charismatic, who had won both KD and P that year) and rode down the elevator with them the morning of the Belmont. Mom had no clue who they were, but I told them good luck and then pretty much peed in my pants…I really hope my well wishes are not what did Charismatic in that day. Even though it was hard to see the end of that race with Charismatic breaking down (I was sitting in the stands in tears), it was still a wonderful trip.
Mom was more concerned with the $20 from Grandma that I had convinced her to bet on Charismatic rather than Lemon Drop Kid, since Grandma LOVED lemon drops and she thought that would have been funny. We would have made almost $600!
Almost forgot to mention that Mom pulled some strings through friends of friends, and I got to go to the backside and meet some allowance horses that day, and get a bunch of jockey’s autographs at the walking ring. She did good.
My mom is my biggest fan and will go to a horseshow any day of the year. But one Christmas in my early twenties, she got me a Native costume. I’m a huge peeker, even now so I had already found it hiding under the quilts in her room. it was horrendous, baby blue, from the late 70’s and covered in gawd awful chain mail pieces and plastic jewels. Blue and silver shiny fabric, and I owned a red red red chestnut mare. bleh, color clash!
The worst part was having to act surprised, drag it out to the barn, drape it on the horse for her approval and then, having to USE IT the whole next season. mortified…
The best part, she borrowed it. That’s right, it was a friends and she wanted it back. I couldn’t bear to tell my mom I hated it and I was happy to be rid of it by year’s end.
LOL, Pink gloves? I bet they don’t walk off! 
Sunglasses…it will work on sunglasses, your computer monitor and the screen on your smart phone.
That is a yummy gift! Like your grandma.
[quote=TheHorseProblem;6022544]My sister bought me one of these
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/horse-hook/?pkey=chardware-hooks
thinking that since it was horsey, I would love it.
[/quote]
Could have hung it in the barn for lead ropes.
My aunt who is somewhat horsey (takes some low level dressage lessons every once in awhile) got an sewing machine that does embroidery. So - every year since then, I get some sort of hand towel with a wild horse running on it. Not really my style but I smile and say thank you.
[QUOTE=carolprudm;6022210]
Me too.
FWIW I have seen this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FRANKLIN-MINT-HORSE-RIDER-FIRST-PRIZE-BHS-PORCELAIN-/260916133308?pt=UK_Collectables_AnimalCollectables_SM&hash=item3cbfd03dbc
and its companion Best Friends available quite reasonably…a lot less than I paid for them. I’ve gotten some nice Franklin Mint horses on eBay.[/QUOTE]
Good golly! I have that one! It’s actually one of the BEST Christmas presents I got when I was a young teen - my QH at the time looked remarkably like that horse. Wowzers.
Not HR but my MIL and I have diametric taste. I am a real minimalist. When we got married, DH and I lived in my condo, which was essenctially done in balck, cream, granite and steel. No patterns, no frills, no crap laying around - i especially liked my bare kitchen counters. We lived there for several years, and my MIL visited a few times.
You can imagine my surprise when on our second or third Christmas i was given an enormous and heavy box, in which I found a full suite of Raggedy Anne & Andy porcelain ware. Cookie jar, big containers for flour, coffee and sugar, cream & sugar set, salt & pepper. All enormous and brightly painted.
WTF.
I am guilty of similar acts though I don’t give embroidered stuff to SIL who OBVIOUSLY sneers at my offerings.
Can you gently suggest saddle pads?
https://picasaweb.google.com/carolp3231/March2010#5449705905802762866
My MIL for the most part gave the crappiest gifts you can imagine…but had the nerve to be uber picky about what she received and didn’t mind letting YOU know if she didn’t like it. :lol:
One year when I was in my middle 30’s she gave me a pair of the old lady gold slippers with the turned up tips on the toes. :eek: OMG I had never seen anyone under 80 wear those. I bet someone had given them to her! I gave them to our German Shepherd to play with.
She gave my petite 4 year old daughter a pink plaid flannel shirt in a size 10. :lol: unbelievable. She would buy the kids toys from the Dollar Store that BROKE before we left her house. One year she gave one of the kids a little tiny wagon with the little blocks in it. It came apart before we left her house with nails going everywhere. :mad:
Always gave shirts in the wrong size (they were on sale you know!!!) and no way to exchange them.
One year she didn’t get me anything then ran into her closet and whipped out her black cape and gave to me. It had been dry cleaned she explained!!! (I had said it looked nice on her one time)
If it was a cheap knock off gift that is what you got. BUT she would have a cow if her gifts weren’t what she wanted. Hubby made me nuts for years buying her gifts…no…not that she won’t like that…no…that won’t do either…:mad:
I finally stopped worrying about it and put as much thought into her gifts as she did ours. I sent it with hubby and stayed home.
Hubby could be just as clueless or thoughtless. :rolleyes: Worst of all…no matter WHAT I bought that man he took it BACK. Even stuff he said he wanted :mad: I finally stopped buying him anything and just give him $. The year I bought him a $1600 flat screen 48" tv for his man cave that he said he wanted and told me to take it back was it. I did buy him a horse later but wouldn’t care if he decided he didn’t want horse - that I can keep for me!
Now, he hates to shop and so do I. He asked me what I wanted this year and I said “Biothane Tack for Biscuit.” He said “you just got new tack but whatever…order it for yourself!” So I did…and he is getting cash. Works for me this year.
Carol, that pad is gorgeous!!!
My DH learned after a few disasterous years. First Tires for my Jeep! Wow thanks I guess… 
Next year Fancy bumpers for same Jeep! WTH!:no:
Next birthday a 9mm handgun!
NOW my BFF takes him shopping and picks out all my gifts personally and he buys her lunch!
I sweated bullets over that one because the pad itself was very expensive but saddle pads in general are easy, particularly soft saddle pads, not the ones that stand up on their own.
All you need is sticky backing, or regular backing and spray adhesive. Hoop the backing, stick on the pad and go.
Auntie with the embroidery machine just needs a little “guidance” Polos, chokers, grooming aprons and totes are easy too…avoid lined jackets.
My machine is a Happy Voyager…my kids call it mom’s happy machine
not received, but given
A baby goat. Anonymously.
We (Mom, Mom’s Friend, sister &I) trouped around NE Ind & NW Ohio for 2 days looking for the perfect baby goat. In brand new Mercedes. In lots of mud. Goat comes with milk and a bottle, and slept under our Christmas tree for 2 days. On Christmas Eve, Baby Goat goes to Mom’s Friends house. We had a Christmas party, and the Lucky Family was on the guest list. Mom calls Friend to let her know Lucky Family is out of the nest. Friend takes Baby Goat to Lucky Family’s barn, complete with posters/signs written by her out of town guest (unidentifiable handwriting 
) and leave it. 30 minutes after Lucky Family leaves our house they call “Goat?!??!” Mom “Who us? How, you were with us all night?”
Baby Goat gets sick - they call stupid vet, who says it’s a rare breed of pygmy goat (it still had the umbilical stump ) & feed it regular goat food. End up with $500 in vet bills. Goat grows up & eats all their shrubs. More $$$ They could not figure out who gave them the goat. They compared the signs to writing on Christmas cards; asked everyone. For Months. No one knew.
About 10 months later, Mom’s Friend’s neighbor kid, let slip “Wonder what you’ll get from them this Christmas?” to MRS. Lucky while pumping her gas. Darn teenagers.
My sister & I were about 6 & 7, saw these people 2-4 times a month & never said a word.
Dear Mom was always great at purchasing Christmas presents for me without thought. Never mind size…apparently I was supposed to diet or pig out to fit the tacky gift items she referred to as clothing. Never mind taste…if I thought it ugly and distasteful you can just about bet that is what I found under the tree. Never mind usefuless…when young and just starting out I had nothing (so how could she get it wrong) but that would of course be the years she tossed common sense and need out the window. Get something really stupid and unless for the daughter then.
Oh and never have to gall the ask her for a receipt to exchange anything even if it did not fit. Cuz… gasp… exchanging a present is a deadly sin.
But the worst of the worst was the year she hired a local artist to paint an oil of my 1st mare. The artist of course could not be bothered to made it look anything like my mare. She just painted an arabian horse of her choosing and managed to get her star and snip correct at least. But now let’s add insult to it. They together decided that the mare’s 1st foal should also be included in the portrait. Only lets not bother to look for a picture of said foal. Lets just throw any old foal in the pic. And lets just make him look like a PB and not a HA…cuz that is easier to paint.
Why would anyone spent that kind of $ on such an personal gift and not have it anywhere near correct was really beyond me. And why a local artist would be willing to paint a portrait without likeness to the creatures the painting was meant to represent …well that is easy…she was just in it for the money.
There is no thought behind a thoughtless gift and it does not matter how much it costs.
[QUOTE=carolprudm;6023077]
I am guilty of similar acts though I don’t give embroidered stuff to SIL who OBVIOUSLY sneers at my offerings.
Can you gently suggest saddle pads?
https://picasaweb.google.com/carolp3231/March2010#5449705905802762866[/QUOTE]
I would if we talked more often. I only see them at Christmas. So sometimes it nice and sometimes its tacky…
Two years ago, my young riding student gave me a leather horse statue. :eek: The are not words enough to tell you how ugly, hideous and creepy that thing was. The eyes followed you in a room and I think it was possessed.
Of course, I smiled very sweetly and gave the precious wee one a hug of thanks.
Mr. ChocoMare took care of its disposal. Whew.
Last year my MIL got me a rabbit hair foal, laying in spanish moss on top of a ginormous pine cone. It’s weird.
Every year she buys me Vera Bradley paisley stuff.
I hate Vera Bradley. No, DESPISE. I hate paisley a little more than Vera Bradley. Looks like ameobas.
She buys my husband kids toys (a giant coloring book, a lunch box, toys). He’s 34.
[QUOTE=ChocoMare;6023433]
Two years ago, my young riding student gave me a leather horse statue. :eek: The are not words enough to tell you how ugly, hideous and creepy that thing was. The eyes followed you in a room and I think it was possessed.
Of course, I smiled very sweetly and gave the precious wee one a hug of thanks.
Mr. ChocoMare took care of its disposal. Whew.[/QUOTE]
Awww you got an ESS (Evil Spirit Stallion) too! That was my contribution to this thread back in '09 lol
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4563824&postcount=544
Perhaps it is making the rounds? Do we know how the original was disposed of?
