What to know about buying a friend a novelty horse sign.
It might not seem like that big a deal, but buy a Quarter Horse girl a sign that says Arabian Owners Only Parking might be a good way to have her” fit to be tied” for a month of Sundays. At the very least, your gift will end up in the trash and not in your friend’s barn so here are some things to keep in mind when picking out one of these gifts for someone you care about.
Breeds
Know them, period. Only buy a breed your friend has now, not anything that they might have had in the past (so if your friend has an Appaloosa, don’t buy a breed sign for a horse they had when you guys where younger.) I don’t care how much she loved that old Morgan Horse, if she doesn’t have one now she doesn’t want the sign. This really seems kind of silly, but horse folks are exceptionally territorial in so far as what breeds the associate with, and many won’t talk to owners who own different breeds of horses in the same public barn, and if you’re not a horse person, don’t just assume that a horse is a horse of course of course! Check and see before you buy, I guarantee any horse person will be more than delighted to ramble on about what kind of horse Peaches is if you ask.
Profession Related
I am all for it, Farrier ones for Farriers, Vet ones for Veterinarians, etcetera. Go for it, but find a good one if you can though, many business owners display these and will be disappointed if they don’t hold up to a reasonable amount of wear.
Practical Signs
Though a little on the dry side for a gift, many horse people are also very practical folks, and see the appreciation in the more boring (but useful) signs you can buy. One of my favorites can be found for Washington State, as well as many other states, and covers the Equine Inherent Risk law. It is a sign basically stating that by being within sighting distance of the sign, you are in a non-spectator area, and if you are hurt by a horse you have been warned that large sometimes unpredictable animals come through the area and it is not the property owner’s fault should you get injured, as you are choosing to be there. Do check to make sure the recipient will be covered under the Equine Inherent Risk law, not all states have laws covering this sort of thing, and if that is the case a simple “if the gate is closed keep it closed” kind of sign will serve as a similar type of gift.
Materials
They come in metal, wood, stone, ceramic, just about any material you can conceive of, and really the only consideration you have to take into account is where it is going to spend most of its time and what purpose it is going to serve. Wood will need to be special treated in order to weather well, and steel in the weather will rust if penetrated by water, so consider if you can how the sign is likely to wear, after all you want a gift that will last as long as you are friends.
Tags: funny horse signs, horse sign, horse signs