Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is enjoying a holiday season full of good cheer. To help make your holiday shopping a little easier, here are some gift ideas and on line stores for the horse lovers on your Christmas list.

If you have someone new to riding on your list (adult or child) that has started taking lessons, the most practical and useful gift you can give is their very own helmet. Nothing is more important to the rider’s safety. Most stables do provide helmets for their students, but they are not fun to wear. Nothing is worse than trying to concentrate on a lesson while an improperly fitting helmet is sliding down over your eyes. Not to mention the cobwebs and dust on them and knowing countless other riders have used it before you. If you make this a surprise gift, be sure you keep the receipt. There is a wide variety and the proper fit is very important. Look for an ASTM and/or SEI safety certification. Bicycle helmets are not a safe substitute for riding helmets because of their design. Helmets are available at most of the sites listed in this article. One great site is Wiese Equine Style & Supply

Cowboys and cowgirls need the protection of a riding helmet too. Now they can get a fashionable cowboy hat with built in helmet for protection. Visit Crazy Horse Tack and Gift Shop and look under hats and helmets. The western helmet has been a long time coming, and I hope it will become required attire in gymkhana classes. Soda Creek Western Outfitters also has a western hat with built in helmet, but this one was designed for on the job use in construction areas. I still think any level of protection is better than none, especially if a barrel or fence post came between you and the dirt you were about to bite! These sites also have a lot of great gift ideas for western riders.

Footwear is another practical, safety conscious gift. All riders should be wearing a hard soled shoe or boot with at least ½" heel. A good fitting pair of boots help keep the foot in the stirrup properly, and helps save your toes if you should get stepped on! Short boots called jodhpur or paddock boots are very popular with english riders now. However, they do not protect the upper calf from being rubbed and pinched by the stirrup leathers while riding. The most popular solution to this problem seems to be the half chap. Made of the same material as regular riding chaps, they fit below the knee and extend down to the heel, taking the place of the upper part of a formal english riding boot. When you are finished riding, they easily zip or velcro off--instead of struggling out of tall riding boots and then needing another pair of shoes or boots for walking in. Half chaps are also about half the cost of comparable schooling chaps. You may enjoy shopping at the Grand Prix Equestrian Store for these items and other practical gifts for the hunter/jumper enthusiast on your list. Use the right hand scroll to find products easily.

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