Last Minute Gift Guide for the Horse Dad

Father’s Day is nearly upon us — it’s two days from now, in fact. Have you done your shopping? If not, here are some last-minute gift ideas for the horse dad in your life.

Original image from Canva/Dan Rentea/CC

2020 has been a strange year, man. On one hand, every week has lasted a month, every month has lasted a year and we’re all just sitting here wondering how it is that February seems like forever ago. On the other hand, we’re awestruck wondering how we’re already halfway through June. We’re in some weird space-time continuum in which time simultaneously is crawling at a snail’s pace and speeding by.

If you’re anything like me, what this means is that you’re sitting here on a Friday afternoon having just realized that Sunday is Father’s Day and you still haven’t done any shopping. So, here are five last-minute gift ideas to help you show your horse dad how appreciated he is.

1. A quality folding chair. Never underestimate the value of a good folding chair. It’ll keep the horse dad in your life comfortable and much less likely to complain during those long hours spent at horse shows. We highly recommend the ALPS Mountaineering King Kong Chair.  It’s likely a bit much for your average camper, but it’ll be perfect for the horse dad who has to spend long hours watching and waiting for the competitors in the arena.  And with Amazon Prime, you can probably have it delivered to your dad ON Father’s Day (imagine that).

2. An entertaining T-shirt. Who can resist an entertaining shirt? Not us, that’s for sure. And Etsy is full of them. A couple of our favorites include sayings like “Horse Dad: They neigh, I pay” and “Horse Show Dad: I just hold the horse and hand over the money.”

This shirt is available from Etsy seller FunnyFarmTees for $17.60.

This is available from Etsy seller SavvyHorsewomanShop for $22.

Sure, the T-shirt may not actually be here in time for Father’s Day, but you’re dad will get plenty of miles and smiles (okay, maybe smirks) out of this when he wears it at a horse show. So maybe it’s worth the wait?

3. A great photo of you and your horse. After all, what more could a horse dad want than a picture of his favorite kiddo astride the beast that costs him so much time, money and regret? And the good news about this is that you can definitely manage to get this printed, framed and wrapped by Sunday.

Photo by Rebecca Francis

4. An insulated BottleKeeper. We recommended this last year, and we stand by our choice this year. What’s better than an insulated 12 oz. bottle thermos? Nothing that’s what. This BottleKeeper keeps beverages colder for longer. When the long show day is done, your horse dad needs something to keep his drinks cold while he helps pick up the debris from the day. Bonus: the lid is a bottle opener. I think I’m ordering one now (no, really).

5. These rad Goodr sunglasses. These sunglasses are actually pretty amazing.  They’re no bounce, no slip and they’re priced at only $25 each — great if you are good at losing sunglasses. The horse dad in your life will love these because they come in Dad-approved color combinations. Also, they’re mirrored, so he can take a nap and rest at the show while still looking attentive and awake to outsiders. Even more impressive is their name — these are the “The Empire Did Nothing Wrong” version. The Star Wars fan in me is swooning.

What ideas do you have? Feel free to let us know in the comments. Go shopping and go riding!