Christmas is the time for giving.. but with camps, lessons, farriers, vets sometimes a little bit of money needs to go a long way!
Here’s some ideas from us on some DIY gifts for your horsey friends that won’t break the bank – and you can always make one extra for yourself! Spread a little Christmas Cheer with our DIY gift countdown.
Equiteam Membership
It might not be DIY, but it’s very thoughtful and let’s be honest, this is the best gift going for anyone who isn’t part of our community! Support, friendship, podcasts, blogs and all the learning they could want for a month and only for £15. It’s the gift that keeps giving.
Treats in a jar
Start keeping your jam jars and lids! The world is your oyster with this one. Shop bought pony treats, or make your own like one of our fabulous members does and fill the jar. Tie the jar with a bit of ribbon or material (remember if you are doing this for Claire it needs to be purple!) and make the lid a work of art.. glitter, paint – whatever you’d like! A small bit of cardboard tied round your jar makes a lovely handmade label.
Stable plaques
Not that you will put your horses in the wrong place (although Gill did this when bringing Frankie and Wild Hunt in last week – she really should know her own pony!) but how nice to give a stable plaque to your friend and their pony. You can use a bit of slate, and google says you can drill a hole in it for bailer twine to tie it to the stable bars if you want.
If you’d rather use a piece of wood, remember and sand it to take the sharp edges off. A metal picture hook screwed into the back gives you a option to hang. Then it’s over to you to paint/varnish.. and then either draw on the horse’s name or you can order adhesive letters from the internet that look really smart. Another option is to paint it with chalkboard paint and give them a crayon pen to write on themselves.
Boot fillers
I am absolutely doing this one for myself! You know those pool noodles that are such fun on holiday? Well one of them cut to size makes a fab alternative for a boot filler. Pair that with a nice pair of socks and you’ve got a gift that Liz would really love (as long as the socks are odd!). If you want to be really creative, you can buy socks online that have your horses face on them!
Horse boot hanger
Don’t think we don’t notice… but there are some of you that spend time searching for your horses boots when at camp! With this gift, it will never be a problem again. Using a bit of wood like we suggested for the plaque, glue on or staple a piece of Velcro. You can then attach your horse’s boots and they have a safe place to hang and dry after you’ve cantered through the water at camp.
As with the plaque, the world is your oyster for decorating the wood.
Saddle rack protectors
We spend a lot of time and money with our saddle fitters who take the time to make sure our saddles fit perfectly. Our responsibility is to then look after them!
A piece of lagging from your local DIY store sliced along one side will fit perfectly over your saddle rack. It does pop off easily, so if this is something you are doing for a friend, why not put it on the rack and then wrap in ribbon! It looks nice, is practical and will stay in place!
Home made biscuits
Lou may be the best cook we know, but this recipe for biscuits is delicious and if you look online you will find there are some lovely biscuit cutters in the shape of horses, horseshoes and love hearts. If you master these and want to bring them to your next camp day please do!
A Horse Rider's Survival Kit
A little hessian bag, a card with the instructions below and makes a fun, affordable gift for your horsey friends. All the items can be found in your local shops or online – have fun making them up! If you want to print the list and use it please feel free.
Horse decorations
Caeleigh would need lots of these, but how sentimental to have a decoration on your tree with your horses name on it. This recipe link is for salt dough, and then use your biscuit cutters to make whatever you would like. Paint it, decorate it – you are only limited by your own creativity
Sheepskin rags
We know how important keeping our ponies shiny is – and we want to do it as well as Alan does! You can make a grooming mitt, or round rub rag with a hand strap on the back. It is very simple. You just buy authentic sheepskin, cut it out into a large circle, and stitch on a hand strap. If you want to get really fancy and you have a sewing machine, you can make a sheepskin mitt. Sheepskin is super soft, and distributes the natural oils when used for grooming. This would be a great gift that they will have for a very long time!
A big thanks to Gill for thinking outside the box and pulling this together for us. If you have any ideas you’d like to share with the group then we would love to hear from you in EquiTeam Connected.
