2023 is the year Horse On The Loose participated as a vendor at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by MARS Equestrian. In the months prior to submitting our application, we couldn’t find online articles from other vendors that would help us get a better sense of what to expect. We made a pledge at that time to come back from the event with more insights, and to share our experience with everyone interested in applying to be a vendor. We are sharing our thoughts in the paragraphs below, hoping to help out future first time vendors get a more in depth idea of what to expect at such a high profile event.

Overview

The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by MARS Equestrian, is a prestigious 5 star equestrian event. It combines dressage, cross-country, and show jumping phases, and it is held the last weekend in April in Lexington, Kentucky, at the renowned Kentucky Horse Park. The 2023 competition dates were April 27-April 30, 2023 and this was the schedule for the event:

• Wednesday, April 26th…. First Horse Inspection

  **Retail is not open to the public.

• Thursday, April 27th.... CCI5*-L and CCI4*-S Dressage

• Friday, April 28th…. CCI5*-L and CCI4*-S Dressage & the Kentucky Invitational CSI3* Welcome Speed Cup

• Saturday, April 29th… CCI5*-L and CCI4*-S Cross-Country Day and the Kentucky Invitational CSI3* Grand Prix

• Sunday, April 30th… CCI5*-L and CCI4*-S Stadium Jumping

Organizers

Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI) is the organization behind the Kentucky Three-Day Event, Lexington 4*, and Kentucky Invitational Grand Prix. EEI is a non-profit organization, with a passion for equestrian eventing. Our Trade Fair Vendor coordinator and manager was Natosha Barnett, who was great to work with. You can reach her at Natosha@eq-events.com.

Application Process

If you are a first time vendor at the event, we recommend reaching out to the organizers months in advance, as the spaces fill out quickly. Horse On The Loose applied for a 10 x 15 feet booth space inside the Trade Fair in December of 2022. By that time, a lot of spots were already taken, and we had limited locations to choose from. Booth registration can be sent at the following link: https://shows.map-dynamics.com/k3de2023?Map_ID=6438&register

Please know that the vendors from last year have priority in reserving their spots for the following year or keep their spots from last year. Submitting an application does not guarantee space at the event, and you will need to receive a final decision from the organizers. An interactive map of the Trade Fair building where the indoor vendor booth spaces are, will be available on the event’s website. It will look like the image below:

You will be able to pick up a few location options. Although the map looks a bit complex, and you may not be sure which spot to pick, we think all spots got a lot of traffic during the event. The area in the middle might have gotten a bit more traffic, but it is also more dusty. Where we were, along the walls, there was less visual clutter.

The Trade Fair Building

The Trade Fair building is where the indoor vendors are situated. it is a large area, with a bottom floor and a top floor with smaller booth spaces to the sides of the walls. There is a large screen tv where all the action is played, bathrooms and a food and beverage area. A panoramic photo of the inside can be seen here:

The Trade Fair building is a short walk from the sponsor village, and close to food trucks. Below is the official map, and you can see the Trade Fair building in the lower left hand corner:

Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event map

Trade Fair equipment rental will be available during the sign-up process, as well as internet, additional parking passes and vendor permits. Two parking passes and four vendor permits were provided with our 10 x 15 feet space.

Larger vendor tents are located outside close to the Trade Fair Building, as well as sponsor tents in the Sponsor Village.

Insurance fees & due dates

Business liability insurance, product insurance and workers comp insurance, are required during the application process. A Certificate of Insurance is required naming Equestrian Events, Inc. and the United State Eventing Association are named as additional insureds for Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event April 27-April 30, 2023 at the Kentucky Horse Park. We used Hatford Business Insurance services.

Processing Payments & Sales Taxes

Square app was used by us to charge credit and debit cards. We love that it worked without interruption and we were able to take contactless payments directly through the app. For all other cards that didn’t have the tap option, we used the Square Reader device. The Square app has a built in inventory, and it is easy to keep track of what you sell. It gives you daily sales reports, and automatically transfers the funds into your bank account for a small fee, or no fee within 2-3 days. There is an ATM machine inside the Trade Fair building if by any chance your card reader has issues and you can only take cash payments at that time.

Kentucky Department of Revenue imposes a 6% sales tax upon all retail sales made within the Commonwealth. A representative will come by during the event and will leave with you a form to fill in. You will have until May 20th, to report your taxes and mail back a check. You do not need to apply for a seller’s permit if you are coming from out of state.

Move in Time

You will receive an email with signup times, and those will be Tuesday between 25: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.and Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. All vendors should be ready and open shop no later than Thursday, at 8:00 a.m. Vendor Booths may not be removed prior to 5:00 pm, Sunday unless authorized by EEI.

Merchandise

There are many vendors selling a wide range of products, from horse gear to rider fashion items. You want to highlight your products and make your booth stand out amongst so many exciting brands. We did notice that most of our customers were previous eventers, and although we had a mix of dressage, cross country and show jumping designs, our most popular was the dressage design.

Booth Design & Setup

There are so many options how to design your booth to showcase the type of products you are selling. From canopy tents, to backdrops, the possibilities are endless. Here are some photos of our 10 x 15 feet booth space:

Seasoned vendors suggested we bring some lights to create a more inviting atmosphere. The Target store, located in downtown Lexington, has the string lights seen in our tent. We also bought an extension cord, which comes very handy, especially when power may not work in some areas.

Below are some inspiration photos of vendor booths we liked (from left to right: Throw Me A Carrot, Stylish In The Saddle, C4 Belts):

Shipping Merchandise

Due to security and insurance restrictions, neither Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI) nor the Kentucky Horse Park can receive any merchandise for your Vendor Booth. EEI partnered with a delivery company, George Fern Exposition & Event Services. George Fern had all the required passes and booth locations to come and go from the Kentucky Horse Park to ensure adequate and timely delivery.
We shipped products to the Fern Warehouse, and they delivered them to our booth. Everything was there the day we went to set up, and they organized and shipped back what we needed at the end of the event. Fern Warehouse charges per weight, something to keep in mind as you are considering your options.

Other vendors used couriers such as FedEx and shipped directly to the FedEx warehouse in the area. They had to go and pick it up and then bring it to the Horse Park during their designated move in time.

Where to stay

There are quite a few options for accommodations close to the Kentucky Horse Park, and we stayed at La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Lexington, which is a short 10 minute drive to the park. La Quinta Inn has free breakfast each day, but we didn’t get a chance to take advantage of it as much as we thought due to timing constraints on our end.

Some vendors stayed closer to downtown Lexington, but they mentioned that traffic was bad a few days, and it took about 25 minutes to get to the event.

Scams to be aware of

Be aware of emails coming from accounts trying to impersonate the organizers and promising access to the attendee email list, in exchange for a fee. Weeks prior to the event, we were contacted by various individuals that were using the official logo in their email signature. The first emails asked the recipient to choose from number 1: interested to receive more details about the attendee email list, and 2: not interested. We are not sure if there were other types of emails sent out, but we suggest to contact the organizers directly prior to responding to any of these emails.

Notes Before We Take Off

Being a first time vendor at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, has been a tremendous learning experience for us. We loved meeting fellow equestrians and horse lovers from across the country and beyond. The positive feedback we received on our products has been amazing. The friends we made, the conversations we’ve had, the experiences we’ve shared, all account for a successful journey and we are very grateful for such an opportunity. We hope our quick guide, which ended up being quite long, will help other vendors like us in navigating this process.