Kentucky: the shopping!!

Phew ok. It's been actual millenia since I got back from Kentucky, it feels like. And the world has already moved so far past the event - Badminton, the Derby, so much stuff!

let's get this party started right

But I still have photos left over from the trip that have to get off my phone, so now is the time. Let's talk about all the shopping at Kentucky!

i guess it's still the rolex main arena!

I ended up getting a few things, from purposeful items checked off a long standing list, to a few impulsive but practical items at bargain prices, to some wildly impractical but totally necessary peer-pressure-induced purchases lol.

my photo quality is crap so i only took one dressage picture. Elisa Wallace & Simply Priceless

And actually - quite a few items on my list were at the trade fair available for purchase, but weren't really priced any better (in some cases the prices were actually worse) than what I could find online. So I passed.

lol unless you also count this as an action shot: me taking pictures of my friend's mom taking pictures of my friend after she had to sneak into the main arena during lunch break to pick up the wrapper she dropped...

That was a bit surprising to me - I had looked up a whole bunch of stuff over the past few weeks. Things that are kinda sorta on my "would like" list - a breast plate for dressage, ice boots with pockets, etc - that I wanted to see what kind of deals I could get at the trade fair.

a lot of cheese happened

But.... In something like 90% of cases, there really wasn't any special price in the trade fair. At least at the items I was looking at (which mostly did not include attire, so idk about any of that). It was kinda disappointing, actually.

on our last day we stopped by 21c museum and gallery in louisville. this interactive exhibit was really cool

But I guess generally good news for my carry on luggage going home haha. I wasn't packing nearly as much crap as I had feared!

the cocktails were also quiiiiite nice haha

There were a few exceptions tho, to that experience. Like the Stubben tent had some baller prices. More on that later. We actually didn't even really realize just how good their prices were until my friend had waffled on a set of reins, then decided to go back the next day only to find them sold out. So she looked them up online only to learn... they were literally 50% off in the tent. Womp.

back to the main event tho. it's decorated really cutely!

Mostly tho I tried to be good and stick to my list. I can be as impulsive as the next gal, and there was certainly plenty to tempt me....

hoof soaking boots

Like these fascinating soaking boots. Soft rubber shell, with a knit tubing and velcro strap closure. They were pretty cheap too. Honestly I'm not wholly convinced by this concept but they're priced such that it might actually be worth trying them out one day. Maybe. lol

eponia is ALL ABOARD the fluff this year, apparently

Other items were.... a little bit more out there. Apparently Eponia's new concept is to put sheepskin on literally ALL the things. This bridle was.... unique. Haha.

hedgehog jump fill!

I also always really enjoy looking at the jump construction stuff for sale. Not like I have any use for it, but maybe one day I'll get another urge to DIY some stuff?

i kinda love these portable, adjustable xc style fences for arenas!

This style of jump in particular is really interesting to me, and doesn't seem overly complicated in construction. Honestly it's kinda the standards and jump cups that seem the most important here anyway.

i could see zoebird wearing this

Inside the arena was a whole 'nother world tho. Wow. There was just so much stuff in there. All manner of saddlery shops, and bigger stands like the Horselovers corner.

also why don't these boots come in adult sizes?

It was kinda a zoo, honestly, haha. And by this point I had already sorta hit my quota, so I mostly just focused on finding the silliest offerings. Like these adorable boots.

the sole is a hoof print. i die.

Actually there was a lot of really nice footwear inside too - including a giant section full of well priced country boots plus consignment. I found a couple reeeeally attractive brown tall boots, including one pair that were the right foot size for me but alas not the right calf size. I'm sure someone snatched those up quickly tho!

c4 finally figured out that people use their belts as neck straps and designed a thinner version specifically for the cause

There was also a TON of attire too, including loads upon loads of gorgeous jackets ranging from thousands each (no joke) to the more affordable Horseware stuff. Actually - I really like one of Horseware's new jackets that I didn't get a picture of but it's this neat breathable mesh stuff.

I don't need any more jackets tho lol...

stubben maxi grip stirrups!

But what did I actually buy?? Well. Lemme tell ya. Right off the bat, I kinda splurged a little bit. Like I said, the Stubben tent had some cool stuff at good prices. I was in there wandering around looking for a breast plate for dressage, but kept ogling these light weight Maxi Grip stirrups.

yup i'm cool with this

Then I saw a pair on the ground below a saddle stand - apparently the demo set. I asked what they would sell those for, and the rep kinda shrugged and named a price about $100 below sticker. Plus I had a gift card so...... Yea. It was a no brainer. Also I can rationalize anything.

old compositis look right at home on my dressage saddle

I've been low key thinking about replacing the old school fillis irons on my dressage saddle for a while, so the current plan is to use the Stubbens on my jump saddle and my old Compositis on the dressage saddle. So far I like it!

wildly impractical PS of Sweden faux crocodile brushing boots

The next item was.... maybe even a little sillier. I was looking through some of the PS of Sweden stuff, again looking for a breast plate in the style I wanted among all the strap goods. At which point I found the faux crocodile gray sheepskin lined boots that you saw in my first Kentucky post. I took that picture bc.... I thought they were kinda ridiculous.

skeptical pony is skeptical

And they are. They are absolutely ridiculously. But.... Sometimes I'm into that sort of thing. The price was reasonable enough ($55 - same as online) and I thought perhaps the black would be just right for Sir Charles. Plus my friends basically made me. So.... What the hell, right?

Tho I ended up getting the full size hinds intending to use them as fronts bc... the boots look a little small. These boots I got would fit a larger horse than Charlie, but I'm not sure I would have liked the smaller fronts on him.

this style breast plate was actually the #1 item on my list

Anyway. That wild hair out of my system, I finally found what I had been looking for. After striking out at Bit of Britain where their Nunn Finer breast plate was priced ~$20 more than I had seen online (which did not seem to interest the reps one bit), I had picked up a card from Clever with Leather, thinking maybe I'd do a custom order.

i looked at a few options but the Eponia ultimately won me over as the nicest and best value for the cost

But then the Eponia booth had exactly what I wanted. Very similar to the Nunn Finer except nicer leather. Plus this version came with the neck strap included, plus straps to the D rings and a set of D savers.

so yea. we fuzzy now.

Naturally bc Eponia is doing all sheepskin all the time right now, it's got a big hunkin tube of it on the breast plate. Fully removable tho, but I might keep it on just to ensure there aren't any rubs. Plus. Ya know. It kinda matches the boots haha. #itsthesmallthings

maybe if i keep dressing him up like an uber fancy dressage horse, people won't notice that he isn't actually fancy?? lol he's still the actual handsomest tho for sure

I've still gotta futz around with the fit a little bit, I think, but from a practical perspective I'm pretty happy to add this to Charlie's dressage outfit to make sure everything stays right where it's supposed to. Everything fits and he seems comfortable in it!

plus he's super lovable too and that's all that matters <3

So. There ya have it - my small slice of Land Rover Kentucky shopping haha. If you went, did you see any screamin deals that I missed? Maybe in attire? Or did you kinda feel like most of the prices were the same as online?

Have you likewise gone into a shopping expedition with a specific, carefully curated list - then walked out with all manner of unexpected goodies??? Or are you really good at staying on task?