You’ve worked hard in riding lessons and bonding with your horse and brought home horse show ribbons to prove it. But now that the celebration is over, what can you do with them?
In this article, I’ll show you some original and head-turning ideas for what to do with your award ribbons. Get ready to display them as decoration, repurpose them, and preserve those special memories in unique ways.
Whether you’re a proud rider, a horses-show parent, or just someone looking for creative inspiration, I’ve got you covered. Let’s turn those ribbons into eye-catching displays and lasting keepsakes that will amaze everyone!
With all this excess, I began to explore the many non-horse show related uses for award ribbons. Given that ribbons are much cheaper than trophies, are elegantly complementary to floral arrangements, and blend easily with traditional home decor already inspired by British-equestrian elements, there are many ways in which I found award ribbons to be both handy and beautiful home decor elements. Read on for a few of my favorite uses.
1. Display Award Ribbons in a Pretty Vignette
One creative way to display horse show ribbons is in a small, tasteful display like this one, created by Lori Larreategui of fairydustandrust.com. In this beautiful, vintage display, the pink horse show ribbon is complemented by dried pink roses, dried white roses, and antique books with pink binding and covers.
You can counter the bright colors with display items like this clarinet and deeper-toned trophies, as well as lighter tones from a silver trophy and a jar repurposed as a vase.
Don’t be afraid of displaying “lower place” ribbons! Sometimes what ribbon colors mean vary by how competitive a show was. Not only is this a functional way to display ribbons (and trophies!), but it is an aesthetically-pleasing way to sneak a horse show ribbon display into any room!
2. Build Wreaths or Shadow Boxes with Horse Show Ribbons
image used with permission from: @toplinewreaths, Cheryl Moore (owner of Topline Design Ribbon Wreaths), Topline Wreaths Facebook Page
Another great way to contain, preserve, and showcase your award ribbons from showing your horse is by creating a wreath! Topline Wreaths, a business run by Cheryl Moore, does just this. Above are a few examples of her custom creations that display multiple ribbons in a single colorful, beautiful, and personally designed wreath or framed arrangement.
Wreaths of folded ribbons can be a great way to memorialize anentire show season while minimizing storage space. On the other hand, a shadowbox can be a great way to display whole ribbons won from a single event or a horse and rider’s entire show career. Whether in wreath form or in a framed display, this is a unique way to preserve memories!
3. Create a Tabletop Display
Similar to the display created by Lori Larreategui at the beginning of the article is this beautiful, natural-toned and vintage-inspired display by Melody Clark (@mclair21 on Instagram). From the linen table runner to the brass vase, silver kettle, and ceramic cup to the dried greenery, the preserved and glass-covered flower, and the cross-stitched picture decorating the wooden showcase – everything in this arrangement compliments the soft yellow, white, and olive green tones of the ribbons on display.
Not only is this a charming, antique piece that can decorate your home, but it is a special way to honor past horse show memories.
4. Display Ribbons with Ribbon Origami Sculptures
image used with permission from: Anastasia James, FB: @For The Love Of Ribbons, IG: @Forthelove_ofribbons
These quirky and creative displays were created by Anastasia James from @Forthelove_ofribbons. What better way to preserve horse show ribbons than by creating a horse with those ribbons? One example of this arrangement is depicted in the first image: a horse head made by a collection of ribbons. Another display is shown in the second image: an arrangement that is a full horse body created by a collection of ribbons.
Not feeling a horse show ribbon horse or horse head? There’s no limit to how horse show ribbons can be folded like origami into unique shapes. I’m a big fan of these like the ornaments (pictured above) made from award rosettes. If you’re new to folding ribbons, start with an easy project like making a Lotus Flower using folded ribbons. (Here’s a step-by-step video showing how to fold ribbons into a lotus flower shape.)
These are fun ways to preserve horse show memories that can be either funky decorations for your walls or even your Christmas tree.
5. Stitch a Pillow
Another fun way to display your horse show ribbons is by fashioning a pillow out of them, like @chestnutsandchampions has done. In this pillow created by Chestnuts and Champions, a collection of show ribbons have been stitched together. A hard-worn championship rosette from one of the ribbons is featured in the center of the pillow.
A pillow made from show ribbons is a charming way to preserve the memories from each competition. This kind of memorial object can serve as a visual reminder of your journey. Plus, it’ll get those ribbons out of storage spaces and out into display where you can enjoy (and brag on) them!
Award Ribbon Pillows are An Easy First- Sewing Project
If you’ve ever used a sewing machine, there’s a good chance that a pillow was your first project! Easy, straightforward, and simple to complete, pillows – including award ribbon pillows – are a great project to teach your child to sew.
6. Make Display Table Filler with Horse Show Ribbons
image used with permission from:@dapple_bay
A unique and functional way to display horse show ribbons collected over time is by doing something similar to what @dapple_bay has created – pictured above.
In her show ribbon display, a once clear glass end table is now filled with colorful ribbons won from various equestrian shows. In each image, you can very distinctly see the collection of ribbons arranged with the pleated rosettes front and center. Also featured in one of the images is a trophy, which could be a great way to utilize this furniture piece, if not used as an end table in a room!
If you have many show ribbons to display, a deep and wide case- like a showcase table- is a perfect way to show off your most prized ribbons while using extra ribbons as filler to create depth and volume.
7. Commission a Quilt to Display Show Ribbons
Lastly, you could preserve your horse show ribbons by quilting them, like Wanda Bastien from @wandaleestitchery has done! (While these ribbons are from a dog show, this project could definitely be replicated with equestrian ribbons!)
With a horse show ribbon quit, ribbons can be preserved around the border. This unique quilt also makes space for pleated rosettes to be included in a clean, overlapping arrangement in the middle.
A quilt can be a wonderful way to thoughtfully preserve memories while creating an heirloom quality decorative piece that can hang on any wall or cozy up under on a chilly horse show evening.
8. Wedding and formal event decorations
Barn weddings are in style and here to stay. Whether your wedding or event is hosted in a rustic stable, event barn, or a more traditional banquet hall, award ribbons are a beautiful, non-floral way to elegantly decorate for your event. Reminiscent of the classic elegance of vintage equestrian style, there are many ways to integrate horse show ribbons into the decor for your wedding.
Award rosettes can be elegantly tucked into the boughs of flowers, added to pew flower arrangements, and are especially popular as chair-back decorations. For a DIY decoration, consider making a simple Flower Pom Pom Wreath and adding rosettes along with your pom poms.
Unprinted horse show ribbons can be custom made in your wedding’s colors or color combinations, And if you purchase a few dozen directly from a manufacturer, you can get embossed lettering with your name, monogram, or wedding date (for smaller quantities, you can even make your own personalized horse show ribbons). Horse show ribbons make especially elegant additions to rusting weddings, weddings that include horses, or any wedding with a classic style informed by British-American traditional style.
Ribbons are perfect as a cheap filler for floral arrangements during winter weddings when flowers are the most expensive and difficult to source sustainably. Rosettes can be hot-glued to dowel rods or skewers and inserted directly into the floral foam of an arrangement. Not hosting a wedding? Consider using them as décor to turn heads at your next Kentucky Derby Party.
9. Marketing Materials
Customers shop visually, and a first-place ribbon decorating your trade fair booth, market booth, or product mock-up can draw customers and investors in a way that words and logos can’t. Purchase blue first place ribbons to communicate visually the superiority of your product or business.
This can be especially helpful for demonstrating in a visual way the non-physical awards your product or business has won (for instance, when the award is too heavy or expensive to display at events away from your home office).
10. Red Horse Show Ribbons as Christmas Decorations
Red ribbons have long been a signature of holiday décor, and red rosettes add a charmingly elegant equestrian look to the traditional tartan plaids and deep green hues of Christmas trees and evergreen boughs. Consider adding red rosettes to Christmas trees or garland for a dramatic flair that’s unique and easier to style (and store from year to year!) than red ribbon bows.
Make your own horse head wreath and add a ribbon!
11. Stage Props.
Many times people purchasing blank award ribbons are purchasing for stage productions or outfitting a specific location that requires the use of an award rosette, either as decoration in a room or as a prize to be given to a winner in a competition. Horse show ribbons are particularly well-suited for this purpose, because they can be blank or unprinted.
12. Single awards for your club, competition, or race
When you are managing a small show or competition, purchasing ribbons can be frustrating.
Handing out awards is often the highlight of a competition. Create dramatic and photo-worthy award ceremonies by using the built-in metal hangers on horse show ribbons and a safety pin (which can be added to clothing during or before the award ceremony.)
While import-grade award ribbons lack this easy-pin feature, real horse show ribbons have a thin metal bar on the back that’s designed to be easily bent- originally designed to allow the ribbon to be securely placed on a bridle, harness, or reins.
13. Ribbons for parties, retirement gifts, and gag gifts
Make your own personalized award using our blank award ribbons and a vinyl cutting machine. We love this technique so much we created an entire tutorial just for this technique. You can purchase blank ribbons and then use a variety of methods – including foil transfer, adhesive vinyl letters cut out with a cricit or silhouette cutting machine, or even paint pens – to create custom awards for just about anyone or anything. You can add names to your ribbon, placing, or add text celebrating a milestone such as a retirement or mere non-traditional achievements like just getting out of bed and adulting your way through 2020…
14. Classroom Incentives
It can be difficult to find non-food behavior incentives that are creative and fun. Stickers and small toys make great awards but can become less exciting with time when used consistently as a reward. Horse show rosettes are exciting and dramatic and promote enthusiasm, cooperation, and academic achievement in your classroom. Blank or personalized ribbons work best for holder kids, but younger children may work towards a simple recycled used horse show ribbon.
15. Equestrian Décor
Rosettes are classic elements in an equestrian-themed room or home. If you’re letting your horse-crazy daughter dream up a new bedroom, ribbons may be a perfect decorative element- they look great framed, loose in gallery wall arrangements, adorning a nursery accent wall in the bedroom of your future champion, in shadow boxes, or on bulletin boards. She may dream of earning her own ribbons someday- in the meantime choose the perfect colors and order blank unprinted rosettes to keep the style simple.