




Hey there, partner. This is The Oxer by Pegasus. The newsletter that takes you out of your tack room and into the global equestrian industry.
🐴 Here’s what we’ve got for you today:
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Breaking records in Palm Beach County: How WEF is adding to the region’s growing bank account.
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”C’est mieux”: LeMieux is making equestrian tech better with their digital outfit builder, and they’re not even a tech company!
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What the future equestrian facility will look like: Andrea Knowles, founder of Equine Residences, on The Pegasus Podcast.
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Final Foals: Check them out after the second story of this edition.
Before we get into it, have you signed up to try out Pegasus’s beta?
If not, head to Pegasus, click “get early access,” and sign up today!
Get ready for some great stories this week 👇
🌴 Equestrian’s Huge Impact on This Tiny Piece of Land
What happened?
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The Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) is the largest and longest-running annual equestrian event in North America, and it attracts athletes and spectators from all over the globe.
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As a result, WEF has made a record-breaking economic impact on Palm Beach County in South Florida.
Our jump on the subject
WEF is not just a sporting event, however. It is also a major economic driver for Palm Beach County.
The 2023 edition of WEF generated a remarkable $352 million in economic impact for the region, supporting 3,364 jobs and resulting in $103 million in labor earnings.
Over 70% of this economic impact was due to horse expenditures.
Most interestingly, nonresident participants made the biggest contribution to the local economy, spending $351.7 million on horses, lodging, food, entertainment, and other expenses.
Direct tourist expenditures by nonresident participants amounted to $52 million.
Spectators also made a significant contribution, spending $2.1 million on Saturdays alone. This boosted Palm Beach County’s GDP by $3.4 million.
To say that WEF is important to Palm Beach County is an understatement.
The contribution to Palm Beach County’s GDP that WEF made is about a third of a percent for the entire year, despite WEF only happening between January and March.
By comparison, WEF’s impact to Palm Beach County’s GDP is 3% of the value of the UK’s equestrian industry.
In addition to its economic impact, WEF also has a number of other benefits for Palm Beach County. It helps to promote the region as a world-class destination for equestrian sports and tourism. It also supports local businesses and organizations, and it provides educational and outreach opportunities for the community.
WEF is a testament to the remarkable synergy between sports and economic prosperity. It is a cornerstone of Palm Beach County’s economic success and a cultural attraction that captivates audiences from all over the world.
🧥 “I’d Like to Try On This On But From My House”
What happened?
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British equestrian apparel brand LeMieux just launched a digital outfit builder.
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The digital outfit builder lets customers try on apparel for humans as well as for their horses.
Our jump on the subject
We promise that LeMieux didn’t pay us for this article, but just look at how advanced this is especially for our space.
However, the outfit builder does not let you customize the dimensions of the rider.
The reasoning for this is below.
Since this is a pilot program, Amy [the digital model] has been designed to reflect the average gender, age, size, and height of the typical LeMieux customer.
Retail Technology Innovation Hub
As for horses, you can customize them by their color, not their breed. Options range from Palomino to Appaloosa.
LeMieux should get a medal for how simple they made it for anyone to purchase their products. That’s because on the next image, you’ll see that upon outfitting the horse, items are automatically added to the shopping cart!
Ever since we revamped The Pegasus Podcast, a common theme that has been discussed on many of our episodes is the lack of tech that exists in the equestrian space.
It can seem that tech is virtually nonexistent in equestrian, yet we are making strides.
Not only with LeMieux’s latest innovation, but also with other companies, such as…
🐴 This Week’s Final Foals
👩💼 In the UK, sales reps for equestrian products are even more important than marketing.
🎨 Quick tip on how to stand out with vibrant colors and flowers.
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Wipe your bit,
The Oxer by Pegasus