Back in the Saddle

I'm sorry it's been so long since I last posted. I hadn't intended to be away for so long, so I really appreciate everyone's patience. Hopefully, I can get back to regular posts now.

To jump back into the saddle (so to speak) I'd like to introduce you to some of my latest boys and girls.

 This is Kendal Valley Dawn, or Kendal for short. She's one of the new individual Stablemates for 2015, and aside from the fact that she's a glorious chestnut mare, I was attracted to her because she reminds me of a Hackney Horse. A very old and rare British breed, Hackneys are prized for their stamina and naturally high-stepping trot. I'm holding out hope that Copperfox Model Horses will eventually produce a Hackney model (without a docked tail, please!!!), but for now I'll just have to make do with this lovely girl. (Ok, Ok, I know the ribbons, high set tail and short-ish body don't quite fit the Hackney breed standards, but this is all I've got right now)

 Interestingly, it was only when I'd bought her that I realised Kendal is virtually identical to a Stablemate foal I have from the Stablemates 5 Piece Fun Foals Gift Collection, so it was only natural to pair them up as mother and daughter :)

 Speaking of foals, I just couldn't resist getting these 2 Classic lovelies. Sold together as the Colorful Foals giftset, the flaxen chestnut Warmblood Foal is a filly, and the stunning bay tobiano Haflinger Foal is a gelded colt. If their colours had been the other way round the colt would have been an ideal baby for Gypsy, my Classic Haflinger mare, but then I don't think I would have been as drawn to him as I am.

 The filly is lovely. I really like this mould, and her shading is superb. I've given her my buckskin roan mare, Mothwing, as a mother, more through availability than anything else, so I've named the foal Tawny Moth, or Tawny for short.

The colt is just stunning. I love the combination of dark bay coat with minimal tobiano white markings, and again he has brilliant shading. As of this post he doesn't have parents in my herd, but I'm beginning to think the new 2016 Horse of the Year Harper could make a nice mother for him... (with an unknown pony/cob father, considering his conformation). As for names, I like to link a foal's name to it's parents, so for now he's just known as Tobiano, or Tobi for short.

And last but not least, another foal joins my herd, this time in the Traditional Stable. She's from the 2008 Mare and Foal Color Crazy Treasure Hunt Event, and originally came with a dapple grey National Show Horse mother. Since I got this filly second hand she didn't come with her original dam unfortunately, so I've paired her up instead with one of my Morgan Marabella mares.

For now, the filly is going by the name 'Flame', but I'm not sure it really suits her. I'm also not satisfied with her mother's name, so eventually I'll have to get around to choosing something more fitting for both of them. At least baby has a mama again, though I'm not really sure which of my stallions to assign as her father.

That's all for now. I've got plenty of topics lined up for up-coming posts, so hopefully you won't have to wait too long for the next one :)

Horse Crazy Decorator Stablemates

I recently featured my Pink Ribbon Stablemate, Courage, in a post and mentioned that I was thinking of getting the new decorator Horse Crazy Stablemates. CWS Stables & Studio very kindly did a review of her models to help my make my decision, and it convinced me to go ahead. So now, Courage has a herd :)

These are the 6 individual Stablemates from the Horse Crazy lineup. To keep with the theme that Courage started, I've given them all emotive based names.

 This is Blissfully Happy, or Bliss; the frosted pink Cantering Warmblood mare. I expected the frosted models to have a grainy/textured feel to their coats, but they're completed smooth like a regular Stablemate.

 Next is Greatest Joy, or Euphoria; the pink Tennessee Walking Horse mare. She's a deeper, brighter pink than Bliss, and seems to be moulded in a completely different colour instead of just being un-frosted.

 One of my favourites, this is Returning the Favour, or Favour; the frosted green American Saddlebred mare. I love the subtle mint green they chose for her colour.

 The last mare is Gracious in Victory, or Grace; the frosted blue Belgian mare. It's much easier to see her frosted coat in real life.

 Both stallions are purple in colour, but their shades are very different. This is Proudest Moment, or Pride; the purple Mustang stallion. Like Euphoria his coat in un-frosted, and the deep colour of his body makes the glitter in his mane and tail really stand out. Of them all, I think he's probably the most impressive.

And finally, this is Trust In Yourself, or Trust; the frosted lilac Walking Arabian stallion. Seen on his own it's easy to mistake his colour for pink, but when you put him with Bliss his purple tones become apparent. 

Overall, I'm happy with these models. It would have been nice if they had a bit of detailing on their bodies, like Courage, or even just had their eyes painted so they stood out. I think the un-frosted models are more effective and attractive than the frosted ones, mostly because their glitter manes and tails are more obvious, but that's just my personal opinion. I've also noticed that the plastic these models are sculpted from has a tendency to leave ridges along seams, especially around the bottom of hooves or around the ears, but maybe that's more an issue with quality control at the factory. It's worth bearing in mind, though, as these edges can be a bit sharp.

And finally, because I couldn't resist, I'll leave you with some imagines of the herd standing on a windowsill, with the daylight shining through them. :)

 

Breast Cancer Benefit Stablemate

Ordinarily, I'm not a big collector of decorator, or unrealistic, model horses. That doesn't mean I don't like them: in fact, some are really beautiful, and I think it's inspired to use a model horse instead of paper as a canvas for art. But with limited space on my shelves, and many of Breyer's decorator models being somewhat more expensive than regular runs, I haven't fallen enough in love with many to want to add them to my collection.

Like many other Breyer collectors, I started with Stablemates. They were small so they didn't take up much room, and relatively inexpensive enough that I didn't feel guilty spending money on them. I liked the fact that, despite their size, they were still quite realistic, and they were similar enough in scale to my Schleich horses that I didn't feel completely out of my comfort zone with them. Of course, Stablemates are like Pringles: it's impossible to have just one! So I bought myself a bunch of models, and, probably more through availability than anything else, ended up buying this guy too.

 He's the 2010-2012 Breast Cancer Benefit model, otherwise referred to as the Pink Ribbon Stablemate. Breyer has so far produced 3 different Breast Cancer Benefit model runs: one on the Traditional Andalusian Stallion mould, one on the Traditional Bluegrass Bandit mould, and this one on the Stablemate Prancing Morgan stallion mould. All 3 horses are inspired by the famous pink ribbon campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer, hence the pink colouring with pink and white ribbons on their bodies.

 I probably bought this stallion mostly because part of the money from the sale of each model was donated by Breyer to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Other than that, he was just another pretty Stablemate to add to my collection. But he very quickly grew on me and has unexpectedly become one of my favourite models. I just love him: I can't explain why.

 Unfortunately he's ridiculously difficult to photograph! For a start, he is the most tippy model I own. Although I adore it, the Prancing Morgan mould is already prone to instability due to having 2 hooves off the ground. But add to that the fact that my stallion has his foreleg bent too far out and I have to prop him up under his hind leg to even get him to stand upright! And because he's made of translucent plastic instead of the ordinary plastic Breyer uses for their models, the trick of heating the plastic to bend it back into position simply doesn't work for him.

 Which brings me to my second point. Because his body is clear, my basic camera really struggles to photograph him. It's a battle to even get it to focus on him, and then half the time it blurs his features anyway. I'm sure a better camera would probably work more effectively, but I've got to make do with what I've got. So just taking pictures of this guy can turn into a real headache. 

 Despite that, I still adore him. His mane reminds me of moulded glass, and he's got a subtle metallic shimmer to his body. His eyes, nose, inner ears and hooves have been airbrushed so they stand out from the rest of his features, and the ribbons on his body add interest to what would otherwise have been a very plain coat.

 It's not immediately obvious, but his colour is actually stronger in his body and fades out to almost clear on his lower legs and tail. He just looks like an exquisite glass horse.

 When I originally got him I thought it was a bit odd that Breyer had chosen a stallion to represent the fight against breast cancer. Surely a mare would be more suited for the model? Plus, pink is not a very masculine colour for a stallion. But the more I thought about it the less I felt it mattered. Breyer chose a mould that was spirited and elegant, beautiful and strong to represent the fight against breast cancer, and I think they chose well. Besides, breast cancer can affect men as well as women, so maybe a stallion can help to raise awareness that men can suffer too?

  Maybe I like this guy so much because I can just feel the power and spirit in him. He's so majestic and lively that it feels as if nothing can stand in his way. Breyer wanted their model to symbolise hope, and I think he does just that. So I decided to name him Courage, and his show name is The Strength to Carry On.

 I said at the start of this post that I don't normally collect decorators, and indeed Courage is my first and so far only one. But he's introduced me to a whole new sub-genre of models, and I'm very quickly falling in love with Breyer's Horse Crazy decorator Stablemates. They're much simpler than my boy, and lack any shading on their eyes, nose or hooves to pick them out. But I think Courage might just like a little herd of translucent horses to keep him company. I think he'd probably be the leader of the herd, though :)