Buying a Christmas present for someone who rides is its own kind of hard. They already own the equipment. They have opinions about brands you have never heard of. And the thing they love most is an animal you cannot wrap.
Here is what tends to get kept, what it costs, and the one date that matters if you want it under the tree.
What ends up in the tack room
Equipment is the obvious trap. Bits, boots, rugs and bridles are chosen for one specific horse by someone who knows that horse's back, mouth and temper. A well-meant guess is almost always the wrong size or the wrong type.
Horse-themed décor is the other one. There is an endless supply, most of it generic, and anyone who actually rides has usually been given plenty already. We have written the longer version in gifts for horse lovers.
Three Christmas gifts that are about their horse
The presents that get kept have one thing in common: they are about their horse, not horses in general.
- A photo, printed. Most riders have hundreds on their phone and none on the wall. Printed, framed, done.
- Time. A lesson with a trainer they admire, or simply an afternoon where someone else mucks out.
- Something made from the horse itself. A few strands from the mane or tail, cast into a bead and set in gold-plated or 925 sterling silver. It is the one gift nobody else can give them.
The Christmas gift you can give without having the hair
This is the part most people miss. You order first and the hair is sent afterwards. That means you do not need to sneak into the stable with a pair of scissors in November.
You choose the piece and place the order. On Christmas Day they open a card that says what is coming, and in January they cut a few strands themselves and post them to us. The jewelry is made from hair they chose, from the exact spot they wanted. Most people prefer it that way.
If you would rather they choose the piece too, a gift card does the same job. It never expires, and it covers anything in the shop.
When do I need to order to make it in time?
If you want the finished piece under the tree, the clock starts when the hair reaches us. Count on two to three weeks from then, up to a month in December when everyone has the same idea, plus postage.
- Hair with us by mid-November: the finished jewelry makes Christmas within Denmark and most of Europe. Overseas, allow another week or two for the post.
- Later than that: give the order, not the box. A card with the piece they are getting, and the hair goes in the post in January. Nothing is lost, and honestly, it is the better version of the gift.
Tell us it is a Christmas present when you order. It makes a difference to how we plan.
What does it cost?
A loose bead for a chain they already own is the least expensive way in. Emma-Rosa, the necklace with the small hidden heart, is the piece most often chosen as a gift. The Lærke bracelet and most of the earrings sit in the same range. Prices are on each product page, and gift cards come in any amount from 100 kr.
Everything is handmade in Denmark, and no two beads come out the same.
If the horse is no longer here
Then it is a different gift, and a more careful one. If a lock of hair was saved, it can still be made — it does not matter how long ago. We have written separately about a gift for someone who has lost a horse, including how to give it without making the day about the loss.
For the one who has everything
They do have everything. What they do not have is something made from the animal they spend every spare hour with, small enough to wear on an ordinary Tuesday. That is the gap, and it is the whole idea.
See all jewelry made with horse hair, or write to us if you are unsure which piece to choose.
Not Christmas? See the birthday gift for a horse lover. Buying for a dog or cat owner instead? Start with the Christmas gift for a pet owner.
