DIY Equestrian Holiday Gift Ideas
December 15, 2022| | in category Uncategorized No comments yet

The holiday season can be an expensive time of year, especially when shopping for equestrians. Instead of buying lots of pricey, store-bought items, consider making personalized gifts for your horsey friends. Read on for some DIY equestrian holiday gift ideas from BarnManager.

Homemade Horse Treats

If baking is your specialty, then gifting your friends, trainers, managers, or grooms with homemade horse treats is a wonderful option. For an extra-special touch, put the horse treats in a decorative box or mason jar and add a bow. This is a great gift to pair with a card and maybe a few chocolate treats for your human friends to enjoy.

Ornament

Deciding to make horse-themed ornaments gives you the flexibility to try lots of creative approaches. One option is to cut a horse figure or head out of felt and decorate it. If you are good at sewing, you could add stuffing between two pieces of horse-shaped felt to create a stitched ornament. Constructing a horse figure out of corks and decorating it with materials such as yarn and craft pipe cleaners is also another way to make this present. If you would like to make it more personal, buy a tiny picture frame, insert your friend’s favorite photo of their horse, and glue it on a string to make it an ornament.

Horseshoe Wall Hanger

Try out your woodworking skills by making a homemade horseshoe wall hanger. Start by collecting a few old horseshoes and nail them to painted wooden boards. This gift can be as simple or creative as you choose depending on how crafty you feel and how decorative you want it to be.

Wooden Grooming Box

This DIY present is also best for those who enjoy woodworking. If you have some time and enjoy making things, this is a great gift for your favorite groom. If you are not skilled enough to make your own, consider buying a premade one and painting or decorating it for a personal touch.

Decorative Picture Frame

If you are not the best at arts and crafts, consider buying a plain picture frame to decorate. You could paint the frame and even add your friend’s horse’s name at the top or bottom. Paint little horseshoes or ribbons on the frame, or glue on a few tiny equestrian-themed items from the craft store. If you purchase a larger frame to hang on a wall, consider adding a string to the bottom where ribbons can be hung.

Photography Session

If photography is your art of choice, a personal photography session can be a very special gift for your friends, trainers, managers, or grooms. After the session, choose a few special photos to print out and frame for them. If you photograph several people at the barn, you could even make a scrapbook for everyone.

Instead of buying run-of-the-mill presents this year, go the extra mile and gift your friends, trainers, managers, and grooms with homemade and personalized goodies.

Have questions about utilizing BarnManager or want to give it a try for yourself? Request a live demo here!

BarnManager is designed to be a part of your team, with the compatibility and credentials necessary to improve communication, simplify the management of horses, and get you out of the office, off the phone calls, and into the barn with the horses you care about! Click here to get a free demo and find out more!

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DIY Recipes for Fall-Themed Horse Treats
November 3, 2022| | in category Uncategorized No comments yet

One of the best parts about fall is all of the pumpkin spice-flavored beverages and goodies. Since you may not want to give your horse flavored coffee or donuts, BarnManager created a list of recipes for DIY fall-themed treats you can easily whip up for your favorite equine partner.

Oatmeal Horse Treats

From: LittleHouseLiving.com

Ingredients: 

  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 large apple
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Shred the carrot and the apple into a large bowl.
  3. Add in the oil, oats, and molasses. Stir to combine well so that all the oats are covered in molasses.
  4. Pour the mixture into a greased 9-by-13 baking dish. Pat the mixture down with a spoon or with your fingers so it is flattened into the pan.
  5. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the mixture begins to get crispy.
  6. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool and harden slightly.
  7. Cut into individual treats and remove from the pan.

Click here to open a printable recipe card!

Crunchy Pumpkin Horse Treats

From: Lighthoof

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
  • 1 cup alfalfa pellets
  • 1/4 cup flax meal

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Soak the alfalfa pellets in just enough warm water until they are completely soft. Drain any excess water.
  3. Mix in the pumpkin and flax meal.
  4. Spoon into quarter-sized lumps about 1” apart on a baking sheet.
  5. Bake for about 45 minutes or until they are crunchy but not burned. The idea is to dehydrate them more than to bake them. If they are starting to burn just turn the heat down.

Click here to open a printable recipe card!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Horse Cookies

From: HorseGirl Blog

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups whole oats
  • 1 can pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoons nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoons honey or molasses (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Thoroughly mix the pumpkin puree and water together.
  3. Add the flour, oats, and spices.
  4. If desired, mix in the honey or molasses.
  5. Put spoonfuls of the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Click here to open a printable recipe card!

Let your horse enjoy the pumpkin spice season with you by testing out one of these DIY treat recipes.

Have questions about utilizing BarnManager or want to give it a try for yourself? Request a live demo here!

BarnManager is designed to be a part of your team, with the compatibility and credentials necessary to improve communication, simplify the management of horses, and get you out of the office, off the phone calls, and into the barn with the horses you care about! Click here to get a free demo and find out more!

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DIY Holiday Horse Treats
December 9, 2021| | in category Uncategorized 1 comment

One of the best parts about the holiday season is making Christmas cookies, so why not make them for your horse as well? Check out some of BarnManager’s favorite equine holiday treat recipes that your horse is guaranteed to love. Hang a stocking on your horse’s stall and fill it with these easy-to-make homemade cookies.

Peppermint Horse Kisses

From Corro

Ingredients:

  • 1 ¼ cups steel-cut oats
  • ¾ cups molasses
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup flax seed
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup apple pieces
  • 12 hard peppermint candies

Peppermint Horse Kisses. Photo from Corro.

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° (F).
  2. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
  3. Combine molasses and oats in a mixing bowl.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the peppermint candies.
  5. Fill muffin tins half full.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes.
  7. Take out of the oven and press the peppermint candies into the tops of the cookies.
  8. Let cool before feeding to your favorite horses.

Click here to open a printable recipe card!

Mistletoe Muffins

From Mid-Rivers Equine Centre

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups oats
  • 2 tablespoons of honey
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 shredded apple
  • 3 tablespoons of flour
  • 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
  • ½ cup crushed peppermint
  • 1 small box of raisins
  • Green and red icing
  • Sprinkles
  • 48 miniature cupcake liners

Mistletoe Muffins. Photo from Mid-Rivers Equine Centre.

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375° (F).
  2. Mix oats, water, and honey in a bowl.
  3. Microwave for two minutes.
  4. Add shredded apple, brown sugar, crushed peppermints, flour, and raisins.
  5. Place back in the microwave for two more minutes.
  6. Put mixture into cupcake liners on cookie sheet. Use two liners per muffin for support.
  7. Put in the oven for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Note: The muffins do not rise.
  8. Let the muffins cool and then decorate them with icing and sprinkles.

 Click here to open a printable recipe card!

Peanut Butter Apple DIY Horse Treats

From Corro

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 apple
  • ¾ cup peanut butter
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons of milk (optional)
  • Sprinkles (optional)

Peanut Butter Apple DIY Horse Treats. Photo from Corro.

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325° (F).
  2. Grate the apple and squeeze out excess moisture.
  3. Mix dry ingredients.
  4. Add the apple and peanut butter.
  5. Slowly add enough of the water to form a manageable dough.
  6. If the dough becomes too sticky, then add additional flour.
  7. Form into desired shapes and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. You may glaze or frost with icing made by mixing 1 cup powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of milk.
  9. Top with sprinkles for added decoration.

Click here to open a printable recipe card!

Test out these recipes and give your horse something special for the holidays. Not only are these treats great gifts for your horse, but you can also give them to your barn friends, trainers, managers, and grooms.

If you’re not in the mood to make your own horse treats, you can always shop for them at Corro. They have all your favorite horse treats ready to go. Use code BARNMANAGER10 for 10% off your first order!

 

Have questions about utilizing BarnManager or want to give it a try for yourself? Request a live demo here!

BarnManager is designed to be a part of your team, with the compatibility and credentials necessary to improve communication, simplify the management of horses, and get you out of the office, off the phone calls, and into the barn with the horses you care about! Click here to get a free demo and find out more!

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The Best Horse Treats You Haven’t Thought Of
October 9, 2020| | in category Uncategorized 2 comments

There’s something so rewarding about the way a horse looks at us post-ride, eagerly awaiting their treats after putting forth their best efforts. We hate to disappoint them, so here is a list of ideas to give your horse as a treat if you’re looking to mix things up from the standard mints, carrots, and store-bought horse treats.

 1. Granola Bars

Granola bars are full of ideal ingredients for horse treats, and you don’t have to spend any time baking. Specifically, Nature Valley granola bars, which we all love to hate because of their crumbly consistency, are an ideal post-show or post-ride snack for your horse. An added bonus is, if you like them too, there is one bar for each of you to enjoy inside each packet. Horses don’t care if they leave crumbs in their stalls, and you can always let them lick the crumbs off your hand as an extra reward. If your horse really takes a liking to these granola bars, stock up on them in bulk at Costco!

2. Fruit

 

Everyone knows horses love apples, but have you tried offering your horse other fruit varieties? Many hors

es love bananas, and some will even eat the banana peel! Others

like oranges and some will even eat watermelon (including the rind on occasion). Be sure to check whether it’s safe before feeding your horse an unusual fruit, but in limited quantities most fruit makes for a great equine treat.

3. Pop-Tarts

Another snack you can occasionally share with your horse, Pop-Tarts are the perfect amount of sweetness without being overwhelming for your horse. They’ll provide a boost of sugar and the contrasting textures will give your horse something to think about, too. An interesting trick would be to determine if your horse has a favorite flavor of Pop-Tart. Try a few flavors and see how your horse responds to each one.

4. Potato Chips

Potato chips aren’t something commonly thought of as a delicacy for horses, but they pack in all the elements horses are looking for. They’re salty, flavorful, and have that nice crunch horses seem to love. Just beware if you give your horse one potato chip out of your bag, they may expect many more as you finish your snack. You may want to bring two bags of chips to the barn.

5. Popsicles

Save these for those hot summer days to cool your horse down with an extra pop of flavor. You can buy popsicles in any flavor or even make frozen fruit bars at home for an extra serving of fruit for your horse. Just be careful they don’t also take the popsicle stick if they try to eat it in one bite!

6. Doughnuts

Not every horse will go for a doughnut, but some can down a whole doughnut in one bite. Maybe start small by purchasing a bag of doughnut holes to see if your horse likes them and to avoid too much sugar at once. Doughnuts can be a fabulous end-of-show dessert to thank your horse for a job well done.

Of course, not all horses are going to like every treat you offer them. Remember to always keep your horse’s health as the top priority by staying on top of ingredient lists and monitoring for anything that may be harmful or that may upset your horse’s stomach.

Have questions about utilizing BarnManager or want to give it a try for yourself? Request a live demo here!

BarnManager is designed to be a part of your team, with the compatibility and credentials necessary to improve communication, simplify the management of horses, and get you out of the office, off the phone calls, and into the barn with the horses you care about! Click here to get a free demo and find out more!

Get Demo
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Holiday Horse Treat Recipes
December 20, 2019| | in category Tips and Tricks 3 comments

‘Tis the season for indulging in tasty treats and cookies – so why not treat your horse to something special too?

We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite holiday horse treat recipes, all of which make easy, inexpensive, and tasty gifts for the four-legged family members on your list!

Christmas Carrot Muffins 

What You’ll Need:

– 3/4 cup of old-fashioned oats
– 1/3 cup of molasses
– 1/2 cup of water
– 3/4 cup of flour
– 3/4 cup of bran
– 1/2 cup of brown sugar
– 1 apple
– 2 carrots

How To Make:

Step one: Preheat the oven to 400 °(F) and grease muffin tins.

Step two: Shred the apple and carrots into fine pieces.

Step three: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

Step four: Scoop the mixed ingredients into the muffin tins and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Click here to open printable recipe card! 

Peppermint Present Cookies 

We couldn’t help but whip up a batch of these as we prepared our recipe list! They take less than 20 minutes to make and are sure to please.

What You’ll Need:

– 1 cup of old-fashioned oats
– 1 cup of whole wheat flour
– 1/2 cup of shredded carrots
– 1/3 cup of molasses
– 1 small, ripe banana (or 1/2 a large, ripe banana)
– peppermints

How To Make:

Step one: Preheat the oven to 375°(F).

Step two: Combine all ingredients except the peppermints in a large bowl, and mix well.

Step three: This step is a choose your own adventure! To make the peppermint cookies, spoon the mixed cookie ingredients into balls and place evenly on an un-greased baking sheet. For a fun alternative, roll out the mixed ingredients and use cookie cutters to cut the treats into holiday shapes!

Step four: Bake for 10 minutes.

Step five: While the cookies are still warm, place a peppermint into the center.

Step six: Allow to cool. Then feed to your horses and watch as they enjoy!

Click here to open printable recipe card! 

Christmas Cake (This recipe comes from “The Ultimate Guide to Pampering Your Horse” by June V. Evers.)

What You’ll Need:

– 4 cups of sweet feed
– 1 apple, chopped
– 1 cup of raisins
– 1/2 cup of molasses
– 2 eggs
– Purple grapes
– 2 carrots, diced
– Sugar cubes

How To Make:

Step one: Preheat the oven to 350°(F).

Step two:  Generously grease a cake pan and set aside.

Step three: Mix sweet feed, apple, raisins, molasses, and eggs together well.

Step four: Press into cake pan, and bake for one hour.

Step five: Remove and let cool completely. Top with grapes, carrots, and sugar cubes.

BarnManager is designed to be a part of your team, with the compatibility and credentials necessary to improve communication, simplify the management of horses, and get you out of the office, off the phone calls, and into the barn with the horses you care about! Click here to get a free demo and find out more!

Get Demo
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