WOW. I thought I was disappointed the year I was Champion and thought I was finally winning a cooler, only to get…a framed dry erase board. Gift certificate for memorial ash/hair jewelry is definitely way, way more disappointing for a lot of reasons.
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Our dressage society did nice engraved brush sets one year. They were very popular.
One of our local show series gives away glasses for first place prizes, and has done for far too long now. They are awful. Cheap and awkwardly sized. I politely decline them now. My husband says the ones we do have are the most expensive glassware we own…
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Reminds me of when I desperately wanted to win a year end award so I’d get an embroidered jacket. My husband said what the heck, he’d just buy me a jacket. Pretty much any jacket.
I had to explain that he was missing the point.
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I swear to god some of these have to be gag gifts. That’s hilarious, and terrible.
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Another one that has to be a gag gift. It just has to be.
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I wondered if someone thought it’d be a practical award that could be used at the barn to jot down farrier appts. and feed notes.
Plus, added convenience: It saves the winner a trip to Wal-Mart! /s
To be clear, I agree it’s a terrible award. The only thing I can compare it to is one of the cute walk-trot kids in the barn won the all-around title in her division at a major breed show that touted its fabulous awards. She got a bag of plastic zip ties.
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I had a local schooling show series contact me and ask me to come up with something original for a year end award.
I did mini portraits of the winning horse ( I think the were like 3" x 3" ) and put them in customizable snow globes. They turned out really cool
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One of our young adults has loved collecting show glassware over the years. I’m not sure if she has them in her college dorm or what but the rest of us have them on random shelves. They did come in handy when someone brought wine to a party and I … own no wine glasses. Weird horse show glasses it is! I do appreciate that one local show that does have commemorative glasses has a whole prize table including tumblers, polos, horse treats, and some grooming supplies. I got this fabulous show sheen-like silicone gel I would have never bought myself, but it’s great for pre-clipping since it rubs on instead of sprays everywhere.
Another thought in regard to “year end” type prizes. Please don’t give lesser or cheaper prizes to the ‘non-rated’ or ‘local’ award winners if your association does local/regional/open type sections to the association. All prizes should be the same.
But, other than the rather odd choices others have pointed out, any year end award that recognizes the hard work put in by each pair is greatly appreciated. While I didn’t need 3 backpacks last year, I was thrilled to receive them and grateful my horse is incredible and makes me look (and ride) like a winner!
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This, exactly!
This is truly awful 
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I figured it was a re-gift from someone on the awards committee.
I don’t know if that makes it better or worse. As an on and off vegetarian this might just pi$$ me off.
Hey you can still flip that portobello mushroom with that grilling spatula.
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I really appreciated the custom wooden frame that I could put my choice of picture in. I can’t recall (and it’s not in front of me at the moment) if the award info is laser-engraved into the wood itself or on a brass plate mounted on the frame. Anyway, it’s hanging on my wall at home and is the perfect fit for every horse and rider. 
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OK, look what you made me do. For your viewing pleasure, I present the last remaining member of my honorary BBQ grill set. Doesn’t it just scream “Champion Amateur Adult Hunt Seat Equitation”? So very apropos. 
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This reminds me of reading about people showing at 54 shows in one year to win the Hunter Pleasure … of the year. Really? For an embroidered deck chair? Whatever the award was, it was clearly doing it’s job as an incentive!
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My former student does this. “Look, I won all the year end stuff!” Yeah, that’s because you showed every single weekend from April until Spetember, without a care in the world about how your horse felt about it.
There’s a reason she’s a former student. Never looked back.
Lousy year-end awards, but could be nice for a silent auction like we have at our year-end banquet.
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