What’s in Your Ring? Presented by Attwood: Christmas Tree ‘Repurposing’ Edition

What’s in Your Ring? is an EN series sponsored by Attwood Equestrian Surfaces in which riders share their favorite jumping exercises. It’s easy to get stuck in a training rut, and we hope this will inspire you with fresh ideas that you can take home and incorporate into your own programs.

Briggs Surratt’s repurposing of a Christmas tree for the Team Wallace jump field! Photo courtesy of Rick Wallace.

Stop! Before you kick that Christmas tree to the curb, consider repurposing it as a brush jump in your ring or cross-country schooling field. A few tips:

First off, know that the more trees, the merrier. I’ve been known to stalk various neighborhoods around this time of the year in my Santa sleigh red F-250, looking for discarded trees to repurpose. Many cities also have tree recycling centers where you can score a whole truckload.

Once you get them to your farm, the possibilities are endless. Stuff them under verticals and oxers to make jumps seem less airy, or use the trees to dress up a hunter course. They can also be used to simulate various cross-country questions such as steeplechase fences, Weldon’s walls and brush skinnies. Or, trim branches off the tree and stick them upright in a brush box to teach a green event horse how to “brush through brush.”

Last year we asked you to show us your repurposed Christmas trees, and you responded! Here are some reader-submitted photos for inspiration:

Post your Christmas tree repurposing photos and videos in the comments for inclusion in a future post. For inspiration, here’s EN favorite Patrick the Miniature Horse — we did a feature on him in advance of his Rolex demonstration in 2016.

And best of all, when your trees have finally fulfilled their purpose, you can retire them in style. Barn bonfire, anyone?

Thank you to all those who shared! Happy New Year from Attwood Equestrian Surfaces!

Good Footing – Attwood Equestrian Surfaces from Bold Horse Media on Vimeo.