12/04/2024
Reposting from the CVES Facebook group since the holidays are fast approaching and you better get shopping!
CVES GIFT GUIDE
With the holidays coming up it’s time to get busy shopping for all of your loved ones, including your barn buddies, your coach, your mom that drives you to all your riding lessons, your non-horsey partner that never knows what’s going on at a horse show but comes with you anyways, the show organizer who fit in your ride time request, your horse, your horse’s best friend, and phew, after all that shopping you really should get something for yourself too.
To make things easier for you this holiday season we’ve compiled a gift guide of some of CVES’s favourite places to shop and our favourite items. All of these local companies have supported CVES shows this past year! When your non-horsey family members asks what you want for Christmas, just send them this list. For the horse-husbands; just tell them to skip to the last section. And when someone asks you why you’re buying SO many horse gifts, you can tell them that you’re indirectly supporting a non-profit whilst stimulating the economy and getting your hands on that new dressage bridle your horse would look really, really good in. It’s impossible to argue with that logic!
For the tack obsessed:
The Saddle Doctor - What’s a better way to tell your horse you love them than by having SMS Qualified Saddle Fitter Lesley assess and reflock your current saddle to make sure it as comfortable as possible. Whether you are a pleasure rider or a high performance competitor, saddle fit is incredibly important for your horses health and happiness.
Our favourite item and gift recommendation, even though it has nothing to do with saddle doctoring: The Ultimate Mane Comb. No more actual mane pulling with this handy rake that thins and shortens the mane from the underside, so no one will know you didn’t spend hours begging your horse to stand patiently while you yanked on their mane. It’s seriously worth the price. https://www.thesaddledoctor.ca/product/nsc-ultimate-mane-comb/
Equine Essentials Tack and Laundry Services - I don’t know much about how non-horse people shop, but I think Saks 5th Avenue is to regular people what Equine Essentials is to me.
They have everything from your everyday barn staples to high end brands, and all the clothes and tack and grooming supplies you could imagine. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to peruse through because you won't want to miss a thing. The clearance section is particularly fun to dig around in, great for riders on a budget that still want to score some high quality clothes or tack!
Might I recommend picking out some gifts from their selection of super unique equestrian-themed giftware, like candles in the scents of “Barn Family”, “Bran Mash” and “Involuntary Dismount”.
Vitesse Equestrian - saddle pads, sun shirts, haynets, fly masks, pitchforks. Literally all the things that no one has ever said “actually I think I have enough of those”.
The Dog and Pony Shop - aka Dressage Queen heaven. Dog and Pony has all of the high end brands and top products to make you look and feel like the queen of the show ring. They carry an extensive selection of clothing: breeches, shirts, jackets galore! When I asked Karyn for her top pick in the store all she could say was “I like everything”... I think we can all relate to that on a very deep level.
Steadfast Equestrian Supply- This classy online and mobile tack shop carries a ton of essentials, and from a lot of great local brands (like Vitesse, remember them from above!). The owner, Carissa, is also working towards full certification as a bit fitter, and will be the only one in the lower mainland. Maybe one of your barn buddies has been struggling with signs of bit discomfort with their horse. Gift them a bit fitting appointment to assess mouth anatomy and measurements and try out some new bits.
All About Tack - let’s do a simple math problem. You need a new bridle and were planning to spend $200 on it. But then you went to All About Tack and found the perfect bridle, gently used and in great condition, for only $100. You use your leftover $100 to buy more things for your horse BUT now they’re actually free since you were planning to spend $200 from the beginning. That’s basic horse girl math 🤷♀️
Dixon Saddlery- sometimes life gets busy and it’s hard to find time to go to the tack store, so why not do some shopping online? This Aldergrove based tack store has free local delivery on all orders over $50, and we all know how easy it is to spend $50 at the tack store (especially when they carry this many great products).
Voltaire Design USA & Canada - known for their chic French leather saddles and accessories. Now’s a good time to check the stitching on your girth and stirrup leathers, and reach out to our local brand reps Karena and Jasmin if you need a new pair. They also have revolutionary technology to connect sensors in your Voltaire saddle to your phone so you can assess your horses symmetry and regularity and analyze your rides (like how much time is spent at each gate and each direction). How cool is that!
Stampede Tack - Western fashion is in, y’all, and this is the place to get it. And there is guaranteed to be a pair (or two) of boots for everyone at Stampede. From beautiful boots to wear out dancing, to rugged work boots to get you through barn chores, and everything in between (including something for your significant other, or super cute boots for babies and kids!). They also have gorgeous oilskin jackets to keep you dry through BC’s signature five months straight of rain. Not that anyone is asking but I’d take the Outback Trading Low Rider Duster in brown, please. And while you’re there, you can pop across the street to Newmac Animal Feeds (more on them below)!
For the chilly horses:
ChampionHorseBlankets.com - if you’re cold, they’re cold; keep them cozy in a brand new winter blanket! And maybe stock up on an extra rain sheet while you’re there? Ooh, maybe a fly sheet too? Don’t kid yourself, the bugs will probably be bad next summer. And it will definitely be wet all spring. Actually, may as well take your horses current wardrobe in for a wash and a repair too while you’re at it, hey?
For the safety conscience:
HIT AIR Equestrian Canada - Are you the parent of a new event rider, feeling a little nervous about your child’s latest hobby of galloping towards solid objects at high speeds? Get them a Hit-Air vest, it implodes in milliseconds upon separation from the horse and cushions the riders fall. It will give you peace of mind and your kid less bumps and bruises! It’s a present for your kid that’s also secretly a present for yourself.
For the non-horsey:
Dawson Brill Lumber TimberMart - Finally somewhere you can shop for the non riders in the family (while still picking up a few essentials for around the barn, duh). Anyone need a new barbecue or power tools? What about lumber and screws for that home DIY project that you keep putting off to go to the barn instead? Maybe some boards to replace the fence your horse broke? I think any barn owner would cry tears of joy at the sight of 2x6’s under the Christmas tree, just saying.
For horse lovers of all ages:
Crafty Ponies Canada - this one hardly evens need a description. As soon as you go to their website and see how incredible these stuffed ponies and lifelike accessories are, your inner horse girl will overcome you and you won’t be able to resist adding everything to cart. There are fly sheets and foal halters and teeny tiny little realistic saddle pads for crying out loud. Now is not the time to practice self restraint!
However, if you must maintain your adult-like appearances, you can always get one for a friend’s kid and then immediately offer to babysit them (so you can spend all night playing with the Crafty Ponies without anyone to judge).
For the healthy eaters (your horse, not you, silly):
Mad Barn - Here’s a fun holiday activity for the whole family: did you know the Mad Barn website has a super handy diet calculator? You can input the amounts and types of forage, grains, and supplements your horse is eating and it will tell you exactly what your horses diet might be missing. Take it a step further to talk to one of their nutrition consultants! Then you can get your horse the present of a perfectly rounded diet by picking up the MB supplement to complement their current meal plan.
Newmac Animal Feed - This family feed store has all the pet and livestock feeds to keep your furry family members feeling their best. Keep an eye on their page, they often have some really good sales on dog and cat food. Newmac has been family owned and operated for 40 years!
Otter Co-op Feed and Pet - Otter Co-op produces and carries a range of feed brands and supplies for horses and for any other furry, feathery, (scaly?), animals on the farm. While you’re there you can also pop into the Otter Co-op grocery store and treat your own body to some fruits and vegetables rather than grabbing yet another fast food meal on the way home from the barn.
Boehringer Ingelheim - Coal is getting expensive, so this year if you’ve been naughty Santa is putting worms in your stocking instead. We’d recommend you grab a tube of Eqvalan Gold to tell those strongyles, bots, and tapeworms that they aren’t welcome under the barn Christmas tree.
For the all around farmers:
Dares Country Feeds - Instead of Country Feeds they should name it Country Feeds, Tack, Grooming, First Aid, Riding Clothes, Barn Supplies, Helpful Staff, and Cute In Store Pets. But that’s too long to fit on the sign so you’ll have to go in yourself to see all the great things the store has to offer. They are also well known for a screaming good Boxing Day sale!
Ones you hope you won’t have to call unexpectedly (but are guaranteed to be there when you need them):
Horizon Equine Veterinary Clinic - This talented team of veterinarians is ready to respond to an emergency at any hour, any day of the year. They are also there to keep your equine family members at their healthiest day to day, with preventative medicine, diagnostics, sports medicine, and so much more. Do yourself a favour and write this number down: (604) 826-5089. You never know when you might need to call for a vet, but you can rest assured that there is always someone ready to help your horse on the other end of the line at Horizon.
Precision DKI - if disaster strikes your home or property, you can rely on Precision Restorations to restore and rebuild and get you back into your home ASAP. So if you wake up to a burst pipe and flooded house on Christmas Day, just pick up the phone, call (604) 952-0003, and then you can go relax with your horse at the barn and let Precision handle things.
A few things that are a bit harder to gift wrap:
Lafarge Home Deliveries - Are your paddocks getting a bit sloppy? Driveway have a few too many potholes? Arena footing looking a little sparse? Lafarge has all the aggregate materials you could need for around the farm, and they will deliver them right to you!
Henry Equestrian, Powered by NFP, - we all know how much horses like to get themselves into trouble, so why not be on the safe side and have them covered with insurance from Henry Equestrian. They offer custom packages including liability, theft protection, medical and surgical expenses, and tack and equipment coverage. Now you can get your loved one a new saddle from The Saddle Doctor AND have it insured!
Titus Biological Services Inc. - You’re just about ready to get started on building a new horse shelter with all that beautiful lumber from Dawson Brill and sand from Lafarge, but wait! What about the environmental impacts? And all those dang city permits? That’s where Titus comes in, ready to help with environmental assessments and monitoring at all stages of any construction project (and help you get all the required environmental permits!).
For the dreamers:
Quinis Design Works- If it’s finally time to bring your own equestrian facility to life, you need Quinis Equestrian to be the one designing your dream barn. This team of architects are real life horse people so they know how to design a barn that isn’t just a stunning magazine cover - but also completely functional for day to day horse ownership.
If you’re still at the dreaming stage this year, feel free to treat yourself by oohing and aahing from the comfort of your couch at the photos of their impressive projects on their Instagram.
Thanks for reading this far, now for your shopping convenience links to all of these businesses can be found here by clicking on their logos: http://www.cves.ca/sponsors/
If you have the chance, tell them you heard about them through CVES and thank them for their support. It can go a long way for a company to hear that their sponsorship reached a wide audience, and CVES relies on all of these businesses to support the park and our competitions. Since you’re going to be shopping anyways, choose to spend your hard earned money at these businesses so that money can cycle back through the community, to the park, and to all your fellow horse people.
Happy shopping!
