The holidays are a glorious time around Eventing Nation. The EN corporate headquarters looks like Hogwarts at Christmas time, except cooler. Our offices are decked out in Christmas lights, Annie has a basket of hard candies sitting on her desk for all to enjoy, and Christmas music from the local light-mix radio station rings through our halls and elevators. Best of all, I am already getting photos together for our annual EN ‘legends of eventing’ elf dancing video.
Today will officially be the first and last day of my Christmas shopping. I conquer all of my proverbial Christmas shopping birds with one giant e-powered stone. After writing this post, I’ll hop online and get presents for my family, friends, and of course the EN Team. With just 6 days until Christmas, it’s now or never. You wouldn’t believe the great shipping rates SmartPak has on 20lb. boxes of coal for Coren. Here is a quick review of a few items from the EN sponsors that I’m sure will be in Santa’s sleigh this holiday season. Remember that clicking through the banners here on EN and shopping with our sponsors helps buy battery-powered paw warmers for the EN Chinchillas.
SmartPak: 
The trouble with picking one item from SmartPak is that they have so many. Literally, there’s nothing in a barn other than the barn, the horses, and the riders that you can’t buy for a great price at SmartPak. I decided to go with the Dubarrys because, although I don’t really think Dubarrys look great on guys, they are an absolute 100% can’t miss for all the girls on your Christmas list. As always, click the banner in our sidebar to shop with SmartPak, and click here to check out the Dubarrys.
Point Two: 
This one is obvious, and we have already written about what great Christmas presents Point Two Airjackets make, but it’s worth mentioning again. Send us your Christmas morning videos of first time airjacket tests and Eventing Nation will send the best video replacement air canisters. Click here for a list of the Point Two sites depending on your country.
Omega Alpha:
I know that anything named “chill” is a bit ironic this time of the year, but this product has gotten great reviews from our readers. I’m a big advocate of trying new supplements in the off-season when there isn’t a show breathing down your neck. Go to the list of nearby OA dealers for you procrastinators that wait until two days before Christmas to shop.
Tack of the Day: 
The next great deal is a medium weight turnout blanket from TOTD. Admittedly, this item was a bit easier to choose because Tack of the Day sells two items per day, but a medium weight turnout blanket for $70 is hard to resist. Be sure to check out TOTD throughout the holidays for lots of great items on sale.
Ecogold:
Call me biased, but I love the Team USA Ecogold XC no-slip pad. Ecogold also makes a Canadian version, although EventingSafety John is out of luck because they don’t currently make an Aussie version. Visit www.ecogold.ca for all of your saddle pad and boot needs.
Cavalor:
Santa’s sleigh will have a lot of gifts to carry on Christmas Eve, but his Reindeer won’t have any trouble pulling the load if Santa feeds them Cavalor. I have said it before–take the ‘Cavalor challenge.’ Just pick up some Cavalor grain and smell it. The look and smell will let you know Cavalor only uses the highest quality ingredients and processing techniques. Click here for a list of dealer directories.
FLAIR Nasal Strips:
Last but not least, we have perhaps the best stocking stuffer of all. FLAIR Strips are a great drug-free way to improve the horse’s respiratory health by making sure their air passages do not collapse under exertion. They are a great thing to have sitting in the tack trunk waiting for the first spring competitions. Check out the FLAIR website for research information on the product and a dealer directory.
That’s all for our Eventing Nation list of Christmas shopping ideas. Now I’m off to do some Christmas shopping and let’s all hope that my fantasy football team stops being terrible before I get knocked out of the playoffs. Go eventing.
