Liver Chestnut Marabella

I've actually had this girl for probably about 2 weeks by now, but I've been procrastinating terribly over getting her named and photographed. Even now I'm not entirely sure of the name I picked out for her, so I may go back at some point and rename her. But, for now, please meet my newest Breyer: Whispering Blaze, a.k.a. Whisper.

 She's the 1999-2000 liver chestnut mare on the Marabella mould (can you tell I'm fond of this mould?). I've long admired this model, but I was always a bit put off by the over-spray on her mane. I was also always unsure whether her points were blonde or more of a rosy orange colour, since all photos I could find of her online seemed to be rather old and not very clear.

 I finally decided to just go for it and see if I could find one for sale. This girl was actually being sold on ebay by a retailer in North America, and whilst I normally make a point of avoiding international sales (since I've been stung by customs charges in the past) there were no UK retailers selling the model I was looking for. The price was very reasonable, shipping wasn't too high and customs was included in the price, so I plucked up my courage and went for it. And I'm so glad I did.

 My mare arrived within good time. The seller's photos showed her with these beautiful rosy points and I was quietly hoping they weren't just a trick of the light. I adore liver chestnuts with rich brown bodies and lighter, gingery manes and tails, and when I saw the official photos of the Breyer OT Sara Moniet RSI I thought she was going to be like that (I was a bit disappointed to discover that her mane is actually closer to her body colour, but I still love her none the less). So I was delighted to find that my new Marabella mare really does have this wonderful colour in real life.

 Because of her dark red/brown body she's quite difficult to photograph accurately. But I've done my best to adjust the brightness and contrast on these photos to give you a better idea of what she really looks like.

 The lighter stockings may seem a bit unrealistic, but it's actually very common for chestnut horses to lighten around the fetlocks and lower legs, especially in flaxens. What's more, this shade of liver chestnut with a gingery flaxen mane and tail is actually quite common in Morgans, and since the Marabella mould is meant to be a Morgan broodmare it's a very fitting colour for this model :)

 In certain lights (and photos) she may appear almost black in body colour, but I assure you she really is liver chestnut :)

 Like all Marabella models, my girl has this adorable subtle braid in her tail. It's perhaps a bit more noticeable on her than on Ember because Whisper's tail is lighter than her body. 

 I can't tell for sure, but I think her eyes are the same brown as her face. They've just been glossed so they stand out from the surrounding features. She's got a charming blaze down her nose which sometimes makes her seem a bit Roman (convex) nosed from the side, but this is just an optical illusion.

 Her forelock has an extra piece of hair falling towards her right eye that Ember's model doesn't have. I also have the 2004-2005 My Friend Flicka model on the Marabella mould, and this mare also has the extra strand of forelock hair, so I think it's a feature of the mould that has either been lost or removed, for whatever reason, from the mould since 2005. I'd be interested to know from anyone who has the Renaissance Horse or Lindsay's Faith whether either of these models have the extra tuft of forelock hair.

 The part of her markings I find the most charming is this adorable lip spot on her her lower lip and chin.

  Overall, I'm really happy with my newest mare, and she fits in beautifully with my Marabella conga.

  Since they're all chestnuts I've made these 3 lovely girls half-sisters by the same father, so they all have a link to fire in their names. From left to right it's Indecisive Flare (Flare), Embers of the Heart (Ember) and Whispering Blaze (Whisper. I tried to call her Blaze but she didn't like it...). I imagine their father to be a Kennebec Count model named Flame On :) (though I don't actually own him).