Christmas present for horse mad 12 year old

[NotBodenAgain]

DD is in Year 7 and has been riding for about 2 years. She helps out at the stables and loves everything horse-related. She’s built up a good Schleich collection and still plays with them now and then. She has a few LeMieux bits already and is fine for clothing at the moment.

She is due a new helmet and boots soon so that's an option but what other horsey gifts would your tweens/young teens enjoy?

Oh she does need riding gloves but I have no idea which ones are good? She generally hates gloves and tries to avoid wearing them but will when she is riding in this weather. She doesn't have her own horse btw.

There are lots of modern horsey authors. Off the top of my head, Cressida Burton and Jessica Burkhart do middle school ones.

Last year we got my DD a ‘confidence for kids’ course at the Centre For Horseback Combat near Leighton Buzzard.
it was fantastic for her and my DH (we aren’t horsey parents) they both learned so much about horse psychology, how to behave around and on horses, why they behave in different ways. Also lots of practice learning to fall off (and how to stay on) culminating in doing a rear on the horse Harry Styles rode in one of his music videos. Her riding has come on loads since then and she uses what she learned all the time at the stables.

DD who is 11 and absolutely pony mad is getting quite a few Le Mieux clothes and accessories including a new hat cover, pencil case and mini toy pony, pony club manual of horsemanship, a board to display all her rosettes and Pony Club badges in her bedroom, new brush (DD has a pony but it can be handy to have some grooming stuff for helping out and pony days even if you don’t).

A horse. Obviously! 🙄🙄

failing that horse mad child LOVED having her own grooming kit despite not 'needing' it.

treats for the ponies.

helmet covers in different styles

various base layers jodpurs etc

and her own (can't think of the right term now) under saddle mat, but this was only really used when she went on the week long camps, so might not be appropriate for your DD

Same with bands, ribbons, etc etc for the grooming & competition part of the camp.

if there's one near you that's affordable a booking for a week/long weekend summer camp?

This is very cool. We have a pony and dc do all sorts of crazy crap, riding him backwards, backflipping off, dismounting by swinging off top bar of stables etc but would still adore this

@liveforsummerthey do other courses as well - trick riding, horseback archery(!) that my DD isn’t brave enough for!

But I can’t recommend them enough, it was a fantastic afternoon. When my dd is old enough we will send her on the adults course which covers the horse psychology side in a lot more detail.

@tinofbeans we are in Scotland so rather too far away. Dc did a trick riding and vaulting experience a couple of years ago which was great fun but no where near as exciting or impressive as your pic