Gift Guide For Horse Owners: Stuff You Will Actually Use
Every year beautiful Holiday Gift Guides pop up filled with horse themed goodies that tempt and tantalize and many of these items find their way on to my own wish list but this year as I was dealing with an abscess in Shooter’s foot I thought to myself who actually needs another horseshoe necklace, what we all really need as horses owners is a great pair of sharp, medical grade bandage scissors. The scissors that prompted all this were actually a gift from my vet a few years ago and they are amazing. You have not lived until you have actually cut off a bandage consisting of vet wrap, elasticon, duct tape and a diaper with a great pair of sharp bandage scissors. So this prompted me to start brainstorming some practical gift item ideas that you can give to your fellow horse owners and add to your own Christmas wish lists.
Gift Guide For Horse Owners: Stuff You Will Actually Use
Let’s face it, after the year we have had we all feel a little like this!
Gift Card to Feed or Tack Store and Pre-Paid Services for Vet or Farrier: Let’s face it horses are expensive and so much of that money goes to your farrier, vet, feed store and tack store. A gift card to your favorite feed store or tack store will be much appreciated and used way more than a gift card to a random store you never shop at. Pre-paid services from your farrier or vet will come in handy the next time your horse decides to hurt themselves (which is about any minute if your horses are like mine).
Foot Abscess Treatment Bag: This is top of mind for me right now because we have been dealing with a big abscess in Shooter’s hind foot and as I was getting out our bag full of necessities to treat it, I thought that would make a great gift for a horse owner. Grab an LL Bean Boat and Tote Canvas Bag (monogrammed of course) and fill it with jumbo sized diapers, Magna Paste, Animalintex Poultice, Epsom Salts, Betadine, Vet Wrap, Elastikon Bandage Tape, Duct Tape and a Soaking Boot. Also add pair of new sharp scissors or bandage scissors. Super handy next time your horse comes up sore!
Horse Wound Treatment Kit: This is in the same vein as the Foot Abscess Treatment Bag. Grab a fun plastic container from The Container Store or Target and fill it with everything you need to doctor all manners of scrapes and cuts. Some items to include, Vet Wrap, Elastikon Tape, Nolvasan or Betadine Scrub, Telfa Bandages, Gauze Bandages, Banixx Wound Spray, SSD Cream, Triple Antibiotic Cream, Absorbine’s Silver Honey Wound Repair Ointment and some new washcloths.
Horse Show Survival Kit: I have been showing horses long enough that I keep a bag full of last minute necessities that you might need at a horse show and this is a fun one to put together. Just fill it full of rubber bands, lip balm, sunscreen, baseball cap, pain reliever (Advil, Tylenol), Band-Aids, bobby pins, hairnets, Good Wipes Body Wipes, gum, hard candy, Bach’s Rescue Remedy (for calmness and focus) and don’t forget to add a bottle of their favorite alcohol for a little extra liquid courage.
Muck Out Kit: We all clean stalls and cleaning stalls is so much better with new, intact equipment! Raise your hand if you have ever cleaned stalls with fork that has missing tines, sucks doesn’t it! Horse people are often the worst at replacing broken or wonky barn equipment but also relish in using the new stuff. So gift them a new, shiny, muck bucket, cleaning fork, small broom, push broom and or shovel. And if you are feeling extra generous a new manure cart (with wheels that all work). It is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
General Barn Kit: This is a fun one because as I mentioned earlier most horse owners don’t want to spend money on new barn equipment but so many of these items will be well appreciated and put to good use. Gift a kit with a package of scissors (the more the merrier, I keep at least 15 pairs in my barn in different places), wire cutters, new hose and sprayer, hay bags, tank heaters, duct tape in all sizes, super glue, tool kit, box cutters and/or a new feed scoop. Also a nice stack of shiny, clean, crack free, still have the black rubber on the hooks water buckets would be a welcome sight for any horse person.
Grooming Tote: We all love trying out new grooming stuff so fill a groom tote with some of your favorite must-haves that you use every day. Again what horse person wouldn’t love a refill of grooming sprays, detanglers, fly sprays, shampoo and conditioner as well as brushes, curry combs, tail brushes and hoof picks.
Equine First Aid Kit: I have always seen these in various horse catalogs and always think it would be a super handy thing to have but never order one for myself. We probably all end up with most of these things over time but it would be nice to have it all in one place. They would be great to take to horse shows too. They come in a wide variety of sizes and prices and all would be useful. I like this one from Valley Vet, Small Barn Equine First Aid Kit.
