Horse Illustrated Magazine

Have you ever seen greeting cards featuring an image of a horse relishing his holiday gift, an evergreen wreath chock full of carrots? We here at Horse Illustrated have. And since we’re just like you, struggling each year to figure out what to give our barn buddies and their favorite equines, we decided to replicate the fabled carrot wreath. It took some experimenting but our test horse, Lexi, seemed to love it.

You’ll need just a few ingredients if you’d like to play Santa. First, buy an imitation evergreen wreath from your local craft store. Fresh evergreens, although they smell great, are very risky. Yew is often used in seasonal wreaths and floral arrangements because it looks nearly identical to pine. It is highly toxic to horses. Mistletoe, cedar and some pines can also cause potentially toxic reactions. To be safe, stick with an artificial wreath with bendable branches. Make sure that it’s constructed with a secure wire frame – so a carrot-crazed horse can’t destroy it, and the giftee can reuse the wreath once the carrot crumbs are brushed away!

Next, buy four bunches of fresh carrots with the curly green tops attached. You’ll also need some green yarn and a roll of wide, colorful holiday ribbon.

Read more ideas for an equestrian Christmas >>

See recipes for homemade horse treats >>