Well Eventing Nation, ’tis the season! One of my favorite parts about the holidays is hearing all of the different gifts people want to give, to receive, or to just talk about! And in true horse world fashion, some of them make for a really great laugh or a tear (maybe 10) of happiness and at worse, tears of misery!
As I was out in Charlottesville, freezing my tail off and fighting the crowds in the shopping centers looking for all the perfect gifts for my family I started to think about what it was I would love to receive for Christmas. Now don’t get me wrong, I am doing lots of giving this season. But, there are just a few things that pop into mind that would make me really happy if Santa just made them appear. You know you’re guilty of these thoughts too!
Dear Santa- There are only four things I really, really want (or must have) for Christmas. I hope the elves are getting creative and crafty because they are going to need it!
1. A three beat canter. While I love that rickety rackety feeling (that makes me want to evacuate my lunch) when I canter down the side of a hill or down to a massive coffin, I would really appreciate if you could make those four beats become three clear beats. Ask Rudolph to show you how it’s done.
2. Coal. I still have a few people I want to give gifts to when I see them after the holidays. Personally, I love the idea of re-gifting and coal will make the perfect present for these select individuals.
3. A left to right flying change. While I have a beautiful right to left change, the other direction is just plain scary. It is a personal goal to never get eliminated in the dressage. But if this left to right change doesn’t appear, it might just happen. Yes, I will be the one who just bolted through the pretty white board, scaring the kid on the cute paint pony and eventually falling off backwards ruining my pretty new shadbelly and Charles Owen helmet.
4. For every horse I ride to stop bucking. Come on, I am being nice to you when I ride. Hacking should be fun! You do NOT need to spin and run away at 300 mph every time you see the reindeer prancing through the woods looking for the north pole, resulting in me grabbing helplessly to the “oh crap” strap and using words that my mother can hear a thousand miles away. I really hate having liquid soap cleaning my mouth out.
So naturally after thinking about these few items, I asked my friends, and loyal EN readers (and eventers), what it was they wanted this year or had received as a gift in previous years. Here were their responses:
- “One year my best friend, who is not a horse person, got me a cowboy hat. He still thinks I rope cattle. Best present ever.”
- “One year for Christmas, my parents bought my brother and I a cart and harness for our supposedly cart broke pony. As you are probably already imagining, the pony was, in fact, not at all cart broke and ran through a barn the one and only time we used it.“
- “I am pretty sure Gracie wants a pet goat this year. Or a magic wand that will make all the stalls clean themselves.” -I can only hope this person wanted the goat to be the one to wave the wand.
- “For my horses joints to self lubricate.”
- “This year I asked my grandparents for a case of needles and syringes. 18 gauge please…I think my parents will be putting a stop to this one.”
- “My best Christmas was when I was three and my parents took me outside to find my pony, Winnie the Pooh, standing in the driveway with a brand new hot pink halter and a massive bow on her back.” – This one is from Lainey Ashker. I must say I am jealous to have never had a pony let alone a hot pink halter and bow. She has inspired me to purchase the hot pink halter for my horse.
So Eventing Nation, what are you giving or hoping to get this holiday season? Thank you to my awesome friends that shared their stories. Sorry for the ones I left off. Some stories just were not OK for the public!
Happy Holidays and go eventing!
