Holiday Shopping with Equine Charity Gift Shops

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Need to do some holiday shopping that feels more like contribution rather than consumption? Equine charities often have gift shops on their websites.

FWIW, the links here will be to the charity’s homepage itself, instead of to the item or gift shop. Sometimes, direct links get changed or don’t work later on, especially for dated items like calendars.

But, first, if I miss a good place with a neat item that you know of, please feel free to add it to the comment section below. Even if you and/or the place you’re thinking of is in Europe or Asia, and you realize that this is a US-based blog. This site has attracted readers from all over the world — which makes me feel both humble and grateful.

Anyway, what’s here covers a wide range of budgets from mugs and tees to vacation trips. And I’m not just sticking with US-based charities, either.

Now, let’s go holiday shopping!

Several charities offer calendars. One of my local horse shelters H.O.R.S.E. of CT is selling a calendar this year. So is Horse Play at their Cafepress store, along with tees, mugs, journals and other gifty things. 

Old Friends, the retirement center for thoroughbreds in Georgetown, KY, also offers a 2009 calendar and has some 2008 issues, for those interested in the photos of the horses, in its eBay store. (More about Old Friends later.)

But probably the best known US horse shelter calendar is Tranquilty Farm‘s annual “In the Presence of Champions” calendar.

Also benefiting thoroughbred rescue efforts is the new children’s book Skipingo Home (think “Skip’nGo”) , based on a true story of a racehorse who retires and returns home.

Over across the pond, Britain’s Equine Market Watch has a gift shop at Cafepress .

And in on the other side of the globe, Horse Rescue Australia offers tees, caps and mugs.

While you’re clicking around on the Old Friends website to look for calendars, don’t miss all of the other possible gifts. OF has gifts for those with all ranges of budgets. There’s the Old Friends eBay store with the expected tees and mugs, along with — as of this writing — holiday gift boxes, gourmet gift items and  books.

But you can also plan gift vacations through Old Friends. Click back to the main page of their website and you’ll see that they have a bed&breakfast on the grounds of the farm in Kentucky’s Bluegrass.

A view at Old Friends/Photo by Rhonda Lane

Although I have yet to stay in the B&B, I know that the farm is close enough to freeways and shopping that it would be a good central location for a visit to the Bluegrass. Plus, it’s absolutely lovely there. See the photo to the right? Who wouldn’t want to wake up to that?

And yet there’s more.

If you scroll down on the Old Friends website, you’ll see where you can rent a villa in Tuscany and a portion of your rental fee will be donated to Old Friends.

Talk about luxury one can feel good about!

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Tags: holiday shopping, Old Friends, Tranquilty Farm