It’s that time of year—the time where the bulletin boards blow up with, “What do I get my trainer/barn staff/vet/farrier for Christmas/Kwanza/Hanukah/Winter Solstice?”
It should go without saying—as I’ve said in previous years’ blogs on the same subject—that your business is a gift all its own! But if you’re looking to show your holiday appreciation to the folks who care for you and your horse, here’s an updated-for-2015 list of suggestions.
Power Them Up
Everyone knows what a barn runs on: trust? Friendship? A deep love for horses? Don’t be silly—it’s coffee.
And if your barn, like ours, has a Keurig machine in it, consider some K-cups in whatever flavor your barn staff drink. Since I am secretly a 12-year-old girl and would like my coffee to taste like ice cream, I drink sissy-flavored coffee, and that means I love a little company called Crazy Cups, which not only makes very fun and silly flavors (Peanut Butter & Jelly! Pina colada! Bananas Foster!), but also makes a k-cup that you can take apart, compost the grinds and recycle the container. They have a website of their own, or you can get sampler packs on Amazon.com.
Shout It All Out
If you’ve never had the pleasure of a node on your vocal chords, allow me to tell you the obvious: it sucks. A few years ago I coached myself into complete hoarseness at a horse show with ten gagillion clients, and not only did it take me two weeks of COMPLETE SILENCE to heal (and everyone who knows me personally knows that silence for me is only one notch above waterboarding as far as personal pain), but truthfully my voice hasn’t been the same since.
Enter the Equuscom Wiwi, a lightweight, easy-to-use, easy-to-charge communication system that lets me coach my students right into their ears. They save my voice, they work under a variety of conditions (including plugging into a tiny little portable amp so I can be heard teaching clinics—supercool), and they let me tell off-color jokes at horse shows without offending anyone else in the warm-up arena.
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If your coach doesn’t have a wireless system, or if the one you’ve got stinks (and most of the others do, certainly all the ones that cost less than these guys), consider getting these for your coach. You’ll be a MAJOR hit!
Hot Or Cold
We have four seasons here in Virginia, but the hot times are mighty hot, and the cold times are mighty cold. If your barn staff live in parts of the country where it gets toasty, frigid, or any combination thereof, FITS has two shirts you need to see.
For hot weather, I LIVE in the Breeze Shirt. I’m preposterously caucasian and am basically a melanoma in waiting, so long sleeves are crucial for me, but I also don’t want to roast. The Breeze has awesome mesh side panels and underarms, so I can sweat to my little heart’s content while still enjoying it’s UV-protection.
For cold weather, particularly timely as the temps here plummet overnight, I can’t say enough nice things about the Erin Base Layer. It’s fleece lined for fuzzy warmth, but also incredibly breathable, for when I work up a sweat corralling a certain young Wynton gelding’s frosty-morning-induced exuberance. (Hi Danny! Can you stop that now? It’s getting exhausting.)
Both shirts are WONDERFULLY long-armed, for the Neanderthal amongst us, as well as flattering for a lady’s figure.
Services They’ll Love
Your trainer, barn staff and veterinary team are great at taking care of horses (or you wouldn’t be using them, right?). They’re probably less good at taking care of themselves.
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Chances are good that your farrier, veterinarian and barn staff already have a massage therapist, chiropractor or other bodywork professional they frequent; consider a gift certificate or a package as a gift. Ditto a yoga class, gym membership or sessions with their personal trainer.
In the horsey department, consider a gift of services like U.S. Rider, which is AAA for horse trailers. I can tell you that they’re a great service, one that we’ve had an annoyingly long number of experiences with, and they’ve been terrific every time.
You can also help out your trainer or barn staff with the gift of a membership with USEF, USDF, USHJA, USEA, and the like. I think this is a particularly lovely gift to working students, who would otherwise struggle to afford the memberships they’ll need to show.
The Big World Outside
But believe it or not, we horsey professionals do actually have a life outside of horses. (Or if we don’t, we should try it; I hear it’s great.) Consider gifting your horsey professional with some movie tickets, or a night in the city, maybe with a night in a hotel and dinner at a classy restaurant. Bowling. Laser tag. Whatever it takes to get them the heck off the farm, right?
Ultimately, I feel comfortable speaking for all horsey professionals by saying, once more, that the greatest gift we can receive is your ongoing support in helping us do what we love—help you and your horse.
