Rolex Shopping: the good, the bad + the ugly (and my haul!)

As anyone who's been following along for even the briefest span of time might come to expect - I took approximately zillions of pictures while at Rolex this weekend. God. So many pictures. Way too many, probably. But this is a judgement free zone, right?

Anyway, taking all the many many pictures also serves a useful function: I get to get all up and personal with some very beautiful things, but then walk away after snapping the photo feeling like I got what I wanted. Well. Maybe only sorta haha. But that's the story I'm telling myself so let's just run with it.

Especially when it comes to gorgeous Devoucoux saddles with blue fittings. Lindsey, had there been one with pink I certainly would have snagged one (the whole thing, not just the picture!), but alas. None were to be seen.

It honestly kinda amazed me how much tack was just kinda strewn about in buckets and baskets and the like. I don't mind sifting and sorting at the local consignment shop - but it somewhat loses its charm in the midst of swarming crowds and tight spaces. 

A popular attraction in many booths were the cross country and open front boot displays. These two examples above (eQuick and Majyk Equipe) were also prime examples of the latest trendy color: orange. Tho the MEs also came in a variety of others, including blue and red, I believe. 

Plus there were ample examples of their highly anticipated leather open fronts. All very pretty boots!!! As pretty as the MEs were, I walked away empty handed. The last generation of xc boots in size M were still too big for Princess Isabel, so we kept the search alive elsewhere (more details below). 

Here's a closer look at their two closure options: buckles or studs. 

Professionals Choice bell boots are always fun for me - probably mostly bc I'm like a child and am attracted by simple shiny things haha. GLITTER ALL THE THINGS!!!!

As has been an evolving trend of late, helmets are really starting to push some boundaries. Some of it I like (a couple of those Samshields on the left are quite attractive IMO), some of it I definitely DO NOT like. Like, erm, that brown One K in the center. Tho, maybe even perversely, in the right circumstances I could see myself wearing it. Weird, right? 

Personally I'm always a sucker for the random bits of strap goods, like these shots of various Nunn Finer pieces. In particular - I liked that rope running martingale attachment on the right. They had an elastic version too. Idk why it stood out to me so much, but I seriously considered it. Except the thing was actually oddly heavy compared to my leather version. I love the running bc it's totally neutral unless the horse flips her face all around... but so much weight would counter act that, right?

Lots and lots of girth options everywhere too - and almost all of them were of the anatomical variety. Which makes me sad in a strange way. Isabel is so narrow through her chest and girth groove that most of these shaped girths end up rubbing at her elbows - doing the exact thing to her that they're advertised as protecting the horse against. So. Ugh. No fancy pretty leather girths for us just yet!

Tall boots aren't anywhere even close to the top of my current shopping list (my black show-worthy Da Vinci tall boots are in excellent shape, as are my brown schooling Mondonis). Doesn't stop me from drooling a little bit tho! I honestly kinda dig these Ariats too, with the blue detailing and sporty foot. 

I also spent a while ogling the navy polos at Asmar Equestrian. So many pretty things! 

The "Clever with Leather" booth also had some really nice pieces - all of these padded two tone leather straps from bracelets to dog collars to belts to halters - you name it. Every color imaginable. And so soft and buttery to the touch! One of my party got a lovely black belt with white padding for her daughter - and for a song too!

Didn't actually spend much time in this booth - just thought the little vignette was cute, and apt given the weather lol.

Apparel seemed to rule the roost for much of the vendors. Especially Noble Outfitters, who had a HUGE section with ridiculous deals (no pics bc it was a zoo). But also some brands I've seen more online than in person - like Ghodho and Mango Bay - pictured above respectively.

And of course the Mango Bay booth was organized exactly like I've seen in other bloggers' pictures: in a very pretty color-coordinated spectrum. And I mayyyyyy or may not have added one to my collection haha.

Same can be said for the Kastel booth. So many pretty colors!! After reading so many reviews on sun shirts in general, and especially the few bloggers who have done rundown comparisons of how the different sunshirt brands stack up against each other, I was pretty excited to take a closer look at these shirts. 

Stock ties felt under-represented among the sponsors (esp the bigger tents that appeared to be 'one stop shops.' These from Style Stock were the only ties I saw (tho admittedly I could have missed some others). They are certainly lovely tho! Much nicer than my cheapie from Riding Warehouse, that's for sure haha (which I still love it).

Another under-represented product was uncovered in the C4 booth: these colorful two-tone pinny holders. I had never really thought about it before (just picked up the basic black plastic deal from SmartPak) but it really does seem like there could be a ripe market for custom pinny holders. And who does't love C4's color selections?

Anyway, moving right along. Am I the only one that can ooh and ahh over walls of spurs for a strangely long period of time?Yes? Ok fine lol. I dunno why, I just kinda like spurs.

Oooh, and colorful stirrups, which were on full display during the show jumping rounds too (as well as some other brands, undoubtedly). These Freejumps were surprisingly nice to hold in hand - much sturdier than I would have anticipated. A nice material and weight, and the foot bed spikes are NO JOKE lol. I can definitely see the attraction here. Just not sure I'd ever cough up that kinda dough for 'em. 

But hey. If we're gonna go the high roller route, might as well take a looksie at some of the trailers available for purchase on the grounds!!! I was particularly fond of those Euro vans in the background....

Alas, I'm not actually a high roller (try as I might!). So I mostly just enjoy the finest of the finer things from afar. Except for this totally random yet totally gorgeous gardenia - so fragrant!! And photographed just in case you needed a break from all shopping swag (since I'm not quite done).

Another first for me - seeing Higher Standards leather soap and conditioner displayed in a retail setting. This stuff already has a bit of a cult following, and for very good reason. And it was cool to get to sniff all the various scent - my favorites might be the lavender vanilla and the rosemary.

I also loved looking at the somewhat impractical items for sale. Like. Um, this ADORABLE citrus jump. We miiiiiight be brainstorming on ways to build this at home haha. 

Or this funky Equi Cool Down material. This stuff was wild - I don't even really know how to describe it. It's this weird gel-like material that, when wet, gets COLD. Really really cooling, just add water. They had it cut into all kinds of products too - the blanket and hock wraps above, but also people products too - like neck towels and head bands. Really neat stuff. 

But anyway. It was a LOT of shopping to be had, so my own personal haul might feel fairly tame in comparison. And that's ok haha - that was maybe even the point (and I may have purposefully only brought a small carry on to ensure that I didn't go too crazy buying new things).

So what did I get? A couple Kastel sunshirts (plus free hat with purchase), a full set of Le Mieux cross country boots in size S (fingers crossed they fit the mare!), and new bright blue Mango Bay belt, brown SSG gloves, and a blue Horze shaped saddle pad. Actually I was a little surprised at the limited selection of these shaped pads - the only ones I saw that didn't also have a built-in half pad were white. So I'll probably have to take that search online. We'll see. For now, I have the one. 

Phew, so that's my rundown of shopping at Rolex. It was really fun! Crowds weren't too terrible at all. And while the selection was definitely depleted by Sunday, it was by no means a graveyard. Probably I'll be all set for a little while tho haha.

Be sure to let me know if you want to hear more about any of the products I picked up for myself. And what are your favorite things to look at and play around with while shopping? Did I catch all of your top picks above? What did I miss??