Westcoast Equestrian Week Challenges Visitors to Make Smarter Choices
Westcoast Equestrian Week, one of Sweden’s largest equestrian events, takes place from July 22nd-28th at Åbytravet in Mölndal, near Gothenburg, for the third consecutive year. The event, open to the public, combines top-level horse competitions with a large festival area, including a food fair, children’s area, and, new this year, the circular fair Hoofprint Market.
“We have been partner to Westcoast Equestrian Week in their sustainability efforts for several years. The organisers truly think innovatively and prioritise sustainability highly – just look at their various activities this year! We hope this can support them in their pursuit of future certification,” says Madeleine Eriksson, Event Developer at Göteborg & Co.
In addition to a programme full of show jumping and dressage competitions, the event offers a festival area with food trucks and children’s activities. The event has also had a strong focus on sustainability since its inception, and in its efforts to make it easier for visitors to make smarter choices, Westcoast Equestrian Week has decided to replace the traditional fair with a circular one.
Hoofprint Market: A Circular Fair for Horse and Rider Equipment
Hoofprint Market aims to symbolise the positive footprint that those engaged in equestrian sports leave behind. Instead of a traditional fair, Hoofprint Market will offer a modern shopping experience where all the goods sold are second-hand.
“In a society where fast-fashion dominates, we are proud to be pioneers of a shift in event shopping focus towards a more circular purchasing behaviour. We handle all sales and create a modern shopping experience with only pre-used equipment for horses and riders. We believe and hope this can be a new way to shop at fairs during events and inspire more organisers to circular shopping experiences,” says Hanna Khazrai, head of the event and sustainability work at Westcoast Equestrian Week.
For items that are not sold or picked up, a collaboration with riding schools in the Gothenburg region will ensure that the products end up with grateful riding school riders or our community heroes – the riding school horses.