Welcome to our shop! We are a mother, daughter run business in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Referred to by many as Virginia horse country, it is a glorious place for horse lovers of all disciplines. We regularly set-up our mobile shop at the Virginia Horse Center where thousands of riders and their horses come from across the country to compete in local, national, and international … [Read more...]
Who We Are
Gift Horse Baskets The idea for GIFT HORSE BASKETS was born of a couple of loves . . . that of riding and caring for our horses and the desire to create a family-centered lifestyle here in the heart of Virginia’s horse country. Our goal for Gift Horse Baskets has always been to produce a selection of unique specialty gift collections tailored to the equestrian enthusiast, containing the best … [Read more...]
Fall in Hunt Country
The nights are getting cooler, the crops are being harvested, and foxhunters throughout Virginia are donning their tattersall and tweeds as cubbing begins. For those of you unfamiliar with Foxhunting, cubbing takes place before the formal (official) season begins. During these first few weekends, the young foxhounds, or entry, are taken out with veteran foxhounds to start … [Read more...]
Bitten by the horse bug
Someone close to you has been bitten by the horse bug and their every wish includes riding lessons or a pony. It started small with books and toys and it just grew. Where did this obsession come from? There's no good explanation for the source of this unbridled passion. Some people just seem hard wired to be riders and horse folks. For those who have never been bitten by the horse bug, they can … [Read more...]
Better places to spend a Friday evening
Many of us use ivermectin wormers on our horses, but did you know that a horse concentration of ivermectin is poisonous even to a large 78 pound dog? I didn't, but I now know that some dog wormers use ivermectectin, yet in much lower concentrations. We recently spent the evening at the emergency vet after our sweet dog probably licked the tip of a used tube of moxetectin wormer (another … [Read more...]
Winter Horse Showing
Horse showing on a soft spring day is one thing but at the end of winter when it's still more winter than spring is an entirely different event. The sunshine riders are nowhere to be seen nor is being fashionably stylish. It comes down to a form follows function mentality or pretty is as pretty does. Our onsite shop was recently set-up at such a late winter show. The clipped horses come … [Read more...]
The other winter grooming
Spending the winter working in Ocala has transformed how I manage and care for horses. Unlike cold winter weather care, Florida horse care involves constant and precise grooming. Sand is my worst enemy-closely followed by magic cushion and saran wrap… Sand gets in turn-out boots, towels, and worst of all the horses skin. Imagine that itchy feeling you have after a fun day at the shore. Now imagine … [Read more...]
Horse care in the cold and dark
For those of us not headed south to paddocks with palm trees, those who cannot avoid the chapped skin and frozen toes that winter barn work and riding bring, we sympathize, and offer practical solutions. Number one: Day light savings time. Okay, so we gain an hour up front, but after that, we still have to cope with sunsets that encroach on saddle time, and that somehow doesn’t seem fair. While … [Read more...]
Brave new world
I’m a long time rider and horse owner. My family had a riding guest farm in PA and I’ve lived with horses on our farms from OH to IL to VA for over thirty five years. My daughter rode even before she was born. About the time my daughter needed someplace to ride safe horses for little ones I began to meet parents who didn’t grow up around horses and who didn’t know where to start when their … [Read more...]
