[mswillie]

Hopefully a farrier thread that won't end in a train wreck.

My farrier is the greatest. He's reliable, good, takes courses to keep his skills current, will come out within a reasonable time for an emergency and communicates with my vet about the best way to shoe my horse.

He talks to me about my horse if I'm there. He can and does frequently shoe him without a "holder" so I don't have to leave work or pay for someone to do it if I'm not available. he often calls or texts a few days after he makes any sort of change to see how the horse is going.

I'd like to get him a little gift for Christmas. Nothing fancy but something to show that he is appreciated. Any suggestions? For the farriers out there, what would you find useful as a gift?

I really don't know him at all beyond a business relationship so I don't want to buy anything too personal. I'll just go with a gift card if I can't think of anything else but I was hoping to come up with something a little more useful.

Ideas?

[c'est moi]

Not very personal, but I think a gas gift card certainly wouldn't go amiss.

[MandyVA]

I give mine cash. I thought everybody did. Maybe I'm clueless.

[trubandloki]

I buy mine a gift card for a store I know he uses (Wegmans).
I also buy treats and toys for his dogs.

[CDE Driver]

I give mine cash as well.

[vtdobes]

I got mine a gift certificate to a nice restaurant that I know she only goes to like once a year. Her and her husband also helped me bury my horse on their land (they live next door) a few weeks ago so I wanted to get her something other than a gas card or cash!

[WildandWickedWarmbloods]

We warmbloods always give cash. It's the best thing to give anyone besides the bananas we had this morning. This year, the decision was split: Our owner voted to give our farrier a lump of coal in his stocking. One of us warmbloods voted to give him money. So the 2nd warmblood decided to vote for cash.

We gave our farrier $100 cash. Maybe he won't be grumpy when he comes back to shoe us after Christmas. Heck, we warmbloods just lean on him, it's not like we bite or kick.

[Eleanor]

I give baked goods and a gift card. The baked goods always go over well. I do 2 or 3 different type of cookies and some type of tart and home made bread.

I don't do cash gifts, I only give the farrier a tip of cash if one of my horses has been a problem.

It will be the second time the farrier that I am using now will have worked on my horse on Monday, so a few baked goods is all he is getting as a gift.

[Nezzy]

fruit basket with Pistachios.

[Frank B]

Liter of Jack Daniels. Black Label, of course.

Each year he gave his long-time clients a Christmas ornament with a horse silhouette representing a different discipline. He said that while a lot of people said they would like to hang their farrier's balls from a tree, his could actually do it.

[enjoytheride]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221157259577...84.m1423.l2649

I think these would be cute gifts for a farrier.

[sophie]

Last year I gave mine a box of really, really good Belgian chocolates, and a pair of nice and thick Thorlo wool socks
She was happy! But I think her family raided the chocolates before she could have too many.
She mentioned that people kinda go overboard with baked goods...