Hi there!! I have never posted in this group as I was never an eventer, I only competed in h/j but I am visiting the Kentucky 3 Day Event for the first time this year and wanted to hear some of your recs/what it is like. I will be bringing my dog as well so if anyone has done that before and has any tips that would be much appreciated!!
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Leave the dog home is the best advice. There have been multiple problems with dogs getting loose at Kentucky and other big events in the past.
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Please leave the dog at home. Please. It’s not cute or fun or unique or clever.
Prepare for heat and cold and rain and wind.
Shop early and schlep it to the car and be done. Otherwise you’re carrying it all day.
You won’t get a good spot at head of the lake unless you get there at like 4am lol. Just accept that and keep rolling.
I like walking the course backwards so horses are galloping to me. That lets me prepare and place myself to see the approach and landing and then keeping going toward the next fence.
Bring a refillable water bottle.
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Yes to all of what @Djones said.
Wear layers. Make sure you have on good, comfortable walking shoes. A backpack makes the most sense for toting your gear. Put a couple pairs of dry socks and some raingear (NOT an umbrella, please) in the backpack. Sunscreen, chapstick, a hat. Snacks.
We also walked the course backward. We got spots at the Head of the Lake by grabbing lunch early, before the break, and taking it to Head of the Lake to eat. Not front row spots, but good enough that we could see everything.
If you’re going to be taking lots of photos, put a rechargeable phone charger in that backpack too.
And to third this advice, please do not bring your dog. You may even be denied entry as a spectator with the dog, but that may just be wishful thinking on my part.
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This is for the most part true, but last year DH and I managed over the course of some time, to edge our way closer and closer so we were sitting on the ground just one row back from the ropes. People do come and go so sometimes you can get lucky and, politely, edge in to a good spot.
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Wear the most comfortable shoes you have, preferably waterproof. It is CROWDED. Leave ample time to get from point A to point B in the park, and from parking to the entrance. If you can swing it, go for 3-4 days. You will not run out of things to see and do. Get bourbon chicken but get in line early for lunch to avoid a long line.
While you will see a ton of dogs there, I recommend reconsidering. You cannot go into the stadium to watch dressage or jumping with your dog. And on cross country you will be a little limited trying to navigate huge crowds with a leashed dog. I love my dog, but I can have a better time without her.
Have fun!
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Nope. Tons of dogs at Rolex. Water bowls out for dogs at vendors. In past years, Mars had a giant dog area where they took special ID photos for folks dogs.
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Here’s the official dog policy:
https://www.kentuckythreedayevent.com/bringing-your-dog
I would still recommend against it It is VERY crowded and it’s a very long day. And the potential nightmare of a loose dog on the XC course can not be overstated.
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For personal needs, make sure to bring all the sunscreens for body, face, and lips. Wear a hat, better yet, buy a hat from one of the many vendors.
As mentioned earlier, wear layers and strip down as needed. The Rolex Arena, if you don’t have tickets under the covered seating area, feels 10-20F warmer when the sun comes out. Avoid buying tickets that aren’t under the covered.
If you’re shopping, and who isn’t being that this is the greatest chance to sit in nearly every saddle out there, make a list of what you want to see and where it’s located. Note prices. Bargain shopping at Rolex isn’t quite the thing as it was in the early 2000s, but you may find some sales.
Last, I recommend supper either Thursday or Friday night at Ramsey’s. Save room for pie, which is their claim to fame. And if you’re an earlybird, hit Spalding’s for their doughnuts. I grew up 20 miles from the original Krispy Kreme’s and have to admit Spaldings makes a better yeast doughnut. Thinking about them makes me a little weak in the knees. Bring cash.
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There is another thread here further down that started an earlier discussion about the hosted course walks. They are a definite recommendation to help your appreciation of what your Saturday experience will be.
For the people who do bring a dog and then realize the mistake they do have a pricey dog watch station near the tented shopping.
Enjoy! and definitely give us some feedback we always enjoy seeing it with new eyes.
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90,000 people attending: that is 180,000 human legs for a dog to nagivate around. Doesn’t sound like too much fun for a dog.
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I’m working with one of the sponsors for the event. They will be hosting a course walk and are adding some extra incentives for those bringing their dogs! For your furry companion, I would insure the long walking is something they can withstand. Have so so much fun!
This has been my experience also, people leave and others take their place, I usually like to station myself at several different fences, moving from one to the other throughout the day although the Head of the Lake is definitely one of the most exciting spots.
Leave the dog home!
Prepare for all types of weather, I have been lucky and had good weather on my visits but understand that heavy rain can suddenly come out of nowhere. Comfortable, waterproof footwear is a must.
KY is a fantastic event, you will love it. Also, try to visit some TB breeding farms while you are there (one day of dressage is enough, use the other day for some farm visits). Shopping is awesome.
And get the good tickets! I forget what they are called but you can eat under the tent while watching on the TV, also nice to be able to sit down for a while or get out of bad weather. It has been a while since I’ve been there but the tickets we had included some type of preferred parking, well worth the price!
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All the people saying leave the dog at home, I think there are pros and cons to having a dog with you.
We are camping in the campground & therefore bring our pups, but we only bring the dogs out into the venue some of the time, not all the time. Last year we brought our youngest pup on a course walk of the entire course, that was great for her! And took one of the older dogs on an abridged course walk. I don’t think we took either during XC day, and def did not on SJ day due to dogs not being allowed in the stadium. The dogs did get to walk around the trade fair some, but after we had mostly already done our shopping and where letting them get treats and stuff from vendors.
So if you had an easy way to leave your dog behind, bring it! But if you don’t, it may not be worth it. You cannot bring the dog into the stadium & you deff don’t want the dog to get loose and chase a horse on Saturday!
What days are you attending? My days typically are:
Thursday - Shopping before the crowd on Friday, maybe course walks or educational depending on schedules
Friday - Course walks, educational stuff, more shopping
Saturday - XC of course
Sunday - SJ & another walk through looking for deals in the trade fair
There is also the Grand Prix in the evenings, this year I believe its even bigger than the past, so if you are a HJ, check that out! We typically swing in to watch some of it too.
Bring a backpack and good walking shoes, that are waterproof - even if no rain, due on the ground can make for soggy feet (which reminds me I need to order some more…)
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Leaving your dog in the car is frowned upon, so it’s probably best not to think of that as an option.
From the website: “There will be no special parking concessions for vehicles containing dogs. Distressed dogs will be removed from vehicles, by whatever means necessary, by event Security/Animal Control/Lexington Humane Society.”
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Prepare for all kinds of weather and keep layers with you in a backpack or tote as it can change over the course of the day!
Personally I prefer to wander to different sections of the course, and never worry about getting a good spot at the Head of the Lake. You can always get sufficiently close to get a good view of several coming through the complex, you won’t miss out!
We like to do a course walk either on our own or with one of the groups on Friday. That gives us an idea of what combinations we really want to see each year and where we want to spend some extra time. For example, we’ve concluded over the years that it isn’t worth it to us to take the time to hike up to the Hollow, we’d rather spend extra time at some of the ditch complexes that have been so influential in recent years.
Plenty of great shopping for h/j riders too - 99% of our group is h/j and we always come away with more than we planned to buy! Especially if we’ve been unwise enough to utter the words “I’m not really looking for anything in particular this year!” 
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There are two Jumbo screens out on course which is a grass sit down spot to watch the complex areas rides. Part of doing the course walks Thurs/Fri is to determine how you want to navigate on Sat.
Doggie Daycare
The Lexington Humane Society offers on-site Doggie Daycare on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited to approximately 50 dogs at a time. Hours are 8 AM – 5 PM, and rates are $15 per hour (max $60 per day). All proceeds benefit the Lexington Humane Society. To board your dog, you must provide proof of current vaccinations (Rabies, DHPP, and Bordetella). For questions, contact ahall@lexingtonhumanesociety.org or call 859-233-0044 ext. 254 during business hours.
AND MOTELBOOKINGS WITH DOGS ALLOWED GO FAST.
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I briefly got a decent spot at Head of the Lake one year but that was b/c it was pouring down rain. I only stuck there long enough to snap some photos for a moment.
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Okay, so I haven’t been since 2019, can’t remember what’s changed, I went a few years in a row for XC day between about 2013 and 2017, then went in '19 for stadium jumping day. I live close enough to Lexington that I’d just drive down there for the day.
I don’t own a dog so can’t speak to taking a dog but frankly, yeah, it’s probably smartest to not bring your pet even though IIRC, you could take your dog.
Never had the chance to do a course walk, personally so can’t speak to those.
Trade fair - I think the deals weren’t quite as good in the later years when I went as in the earlier years but still a lot of fun to browse. (Can’t speak to how it was in the early '00s. Also w/the exception of 2013, I didn’t have a horse of my own/a lot of tack/riding gear related needs when I was hitting the trade fair so can’t speak to whether those deals are that great. I did pick up a black leather halter from Perri’s in '13 that I still have and barely ended up using that I’m hanging onto if I ever get back to horses. I was usually getting a belt or shirt or something. Still have an Animals To Wear sweatshirt I got there maybe in '16 or '17.) If you’re going for the full event, hit the trade fair the earlier days rather than the later ones if you want something specific b/c it’s usually kind of picked over by stadium day. I’d usually try hit the trade fair when some of the riders I didn’t care as much about were on course/during the lunch break.
I was always one who’d try to walk around and see different jumps instead of camping at one jump the whole day.
Wear comfortable shoes or boots and be prepared for all types of weather.
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This if OP is going for the whole event.
I’d also throw in - check out the Wheeler Museum inside the USHJA building at the KHP if you can plan to get there, I’ve always felt like that place is a little overlooked compared to the International Museum of the Horse (which I feel like is overrated) it’s not big/fancy, but they try to rotate exhibits out every so often which is more than I can say for the 3ish times I’ve been in the international museum of the horse and they have some really cool hunter/jumper history things in there. Here’s the full website, not sure what the current exhibit is: https://www.ushja.org/education/sport-historymuseum
Last time I was in there a couple years ago they had a lot of horse show photography related stuff on display. Museum hours are normally the same as the USHJA office hours but I thiiiiink in the past they’ve done special hours during Kentucky 3DE. It’s a small museum and doesn’t take that long to get through.
Also - the Show Jumping Hall of Fame plaques aren’t that exciting but kinda cool to see, they’re all in the entrance to the bleachers for the stadium.
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