Fun with Head Collars

I've been really getting into making my own model horse tack at the moment. Nothing fancy or elaborate, just rugs to protect my models on their shelves, and head collars. In the past all my model head collars were either official brand or from other tack makers, but I've always wanted to make my own head collars. I just never had the right materials and equipment, and, to be completely honest, I still don't. But I have a box full of ribbons and beads and all sorts of things I've saved for the day when they'll come in handy, and I was going through it the other day and decided it was time to have a go.

 I wanted to try out two different kinds of head collars: traditional and rope. This is my first time making either, so they're far from perfect, but I'm reasonably happy with how they turned out.

 I used this tutorial from TiME Stables and Studio's blog to make the rope halter. It seemed a bit complicated at first, but once I started to follow the steps it was actually very straight forward. I particularly like the fact that this kind of halter doesn't require glue or buckles or jump rings, and once you have your string the right length, there's no more cutting needed either.

 On the other hand, this kind of rope halter is rarely, if ever, used for real horses in England, so it feels rather out of place on my models. That's why I chose Scout to wear it: since he's a stock horse it suits him better than one of my sport horses or ponies (at least in my opinion).

 The thread is some soft, rolled string I had for many many years that I thought would work well for a rope halter. It was a little shorter than the tutorial recommended, but it just about did the job.

However, I messed up on the final step. Whilst trying to tie the poll piece to the cheek loop I accidentally pulled the cheek loop out. I couldn't be bothered to untie the whole halter and go all the way back to the beginning again so I just tied off the poll piece and left it at that. When I try again I'll make an effort to make it realistic, but for the first go I figured it was good enough.

 For the lead rope I just took another piece of string and tied it to the chin loop. I realise this is probably not realistic either, but for now I'm satisfied with it.

  The other halter I made was much more complicated and took much longer to construct. The jump rings are actually from an old dangly ear-ring I have that's broken beyond repair. I'm a complete squirrel so instead of throwing things away I hang onto them and store them until the day when they'll come in handy, and that's just what happened with the ear-ring. Thankfully, it was pretty simple to take apart so I could use the rings from it. The ribbon came from my afore-mentioned box, and again I've had it for years.

 Unfortunately, I don't have any glue that I was willing to risk using. I'm not sure what kind of glue tack makers normally use, although I've known people to use hot glue guns to make model halters. What I do have, however, are needles and thread, so I sewed the pieces of ribbon to the jump rings instead of gluing them. This took a lot of time, and as you can see, wasn't very successful. Sure, it holds the halter together, but it's not very attractive, and the silky ribbon tended to fray on the edges where it was cut.

  On top of that, I'd sew a piece in, only to find that I'd mistakenly sewn it on the wrong side, so the end that's folded over is on the top instead of underneath where it wouldn't be visible. I also messed up and sewed the buckle piece onto the wrong side of the halter, but I have seen real life left handed halters, so at least that's not too bad.

 Unfortunately my bright pink ribbon ran out before I could finish the halter, so I was forced to use another colour for the poll strap. I chose black since it contrasts the bright pink nicely, and used the black ribbon again for the lead rope so at least there's some symmetry. The buckle was homemade from a chopped up paper clip that I bent into shape.

 The lobster clasp for the lead rope also came from a piece of old, broken jewellery. I used the same bright pink thread I'd used on the halter for the black ribbon to try to make the lead rope look like it belonged with the halter.

 The overall result isn't very pretty, and it definitely won't win any awards, but as a first try I don't think it's too bad. It'll only be worn by my model on the shelves anyway, so it doesn't have to be perfect. And I've learnt some important lessons for the next one I make (like glue is way better than thread!).

Overall it was a lot of fun, and I definitely want to make more head collars in the future. Maybe in a year or so's time I'll be better and I can compare my first attempts and see how I've grown. It's probably worth investing in proper equipment, though... :)

Chestnut Ridge Writing Contest 2015

All the way back in August of this year (Was it really that long ago? Wow!) Chestnut Ridge held a writing contest for readers of their blog. The challenge was to write an article under the title 'What the Model Horse Hobby Has Done For Me', with the aim of encouraging new people to join the hobby. It seemed like an interesting challenge, and since I enjoy writing I thought it would be fun to give it a go. I thought long and hard over what to include in my article, and carefully planned everything out, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed writing my entry. It was worth entering just for the enjoyment of writing alone :)

The closing date came and went, and by November the judging had been done and the placings announced. And I was astounded to discover that my entry had been chosen as the winner of the 18+ year group! I was speechless. I had hoped to place maybe 3rd or even 2nd, but to be first was more than I could ever have hoped for. It was like a dream.

I promptly contacted Chestnut Ridge and asked permission to write about the contest and my placing on this blog, and they said yes. But I was worried that it would seem big-headed to announce it here, so I held back. On the other hand, it seemed ungrateful not to acknowledge such a wonderful honour. Finally, I decided that the best way to write about it would be either when my Breyer Traditional contest prize arrived, or when my article was available to read on the Chestnut Ridge website. I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a little longer to read my article, but I can now reveal my prize model to all those of you who'd like to see him. 

So, please meet Frankel. I'm sorry for the photos, but the lighting today was so bad I had to use my camera's flash. But I knew you'd want pictures, so here he is.

 Aside from being a Breyer Traditional, the prize model was a complete mystery. So I was delighted to open the box and find Frankel waiting to gallop out of his packaging! I'd admired this stallion since he was released, but since shelf space is extremely limited for me I hadn't purchased him. Now I'm really happy I didn't :)

 To be honest I'm not a great follower of horse racing, although I had heard of Frankel. I was attracted more to the wonderful rich bay coat, crisp white socks and unique facial markings on this handsome guy. I think red bays with four white feet and facial markings are really striking, and this model is definitely a striking boy. He's also my first on the Smarty Jones mould.

 I just love the dynamic energy captured in this mould. He really feels like he's barrelling down the green towards the finish line. It's a really nice touch that Breyer painted the base green for this model, since English Thoroughbreds race exclusively (I believe) on grass tracks. And since the real Frankel is an English racing legend, it's only fitting that he's on an English racecourse.

 I haven't decided yet what I'm going to name my new stallion. Normally, I wait until after I've named them to feature them in a blog post, but this guy just couldn't wait. Well, with a pose like that would you expect him to be patient? :)

 I love the way his tail flicks up at the end. I love the way there's a little gap in his mane where the hair is whipping around. I love the way his ears are back, listening to his rider and the rest of the field.

 I know this model is normally used as a stock horse by live showers, since it's a bit on the stocky side for a racing Thoroughbred. But since I don't show my models I'll probably call him a retired racehorse, perhaps around 10 years old or so. With that grass base he works just as well galloping around his field as charging down a race track.

 His face has an interrupted stripe, snip and unusually shaped star. I love unusual facial markings in horses: I feel it gives them character, and makes them truly unique. His star kind of reminds me of a papyrus fan, or maybe a speech bubble in a comic book...

 I hadn't realised this from just looking at side photos of other hobbyist's models, but the base is actually hollow. This probably helps to make it more light weight.

 

I'm sorry the pictures aren't great. He's got much nicer shading in real life.

 Just like the real stallion, the model has ermine spots on his hooves. And each hoof on the mould is carved to resemble a real hoof.

 

 

I'm going to have to find a suitable name for this gorgeous boy now, and then I've got the task of trying to find him a space on my shelves. But I'm absolutely delighted with him, and so very grateful to Chestnut Ridge for my new model and for hosting their writing contest. I can't wait to read all the other winning articles :)

My Beautiful Horses

I never really thought of myself as a 'collector' until I started to buy Schleich models. I'd always sort of thought that you had to collect expensive things (like Faberge Eggs) or novelty things (like bottle caps) or things that had a lot of value as they aged (like stamps) to be called a 'collector'. But the truth is, I've been a collector since I was about 6 or 7 years old. And one of the very first things I began collecting was My Beautiful Horses.

Omar (renamed Tango), Heather & Sundance

I know I've already talked about these a little in a previous post, but they were such a big part of my childhood that I wanted to dedicate a whole post to them. If you've never heard of them before, My Beautiful Horses were a range of plastic horse toys produced in the 1980s to 1990s, aimed primarily at young girls between the ages of about 6 to 11. I like to think they were intended for kids who loved ponies, but wanted their toys to look more realistic that My Little Pony or even Barbie horses (at least, that's how I looked at them).

Heather

The very first pony I got came with a book. His name (according to the book) was Jewel, and he was a black version of the pony above, with a white diamond-shaped star on his head. Sadly, like many of my collection, I traded him to a friend when I was younger and now no longer own him. Shortly after I got Jewel, my mother bought me a subscription to My Beautiful Horses magazine.

Ben and Samson

 I loved MBH magazine. Every month the next issue would arrive, and with it would be a new free gift pony attached to the front in a little plastic bag. I was always so excited to see the new model. Each one came with a name and breed, and there was a feature in the magazine telling you about the breed of your new pony. Through this I discovered breeds I'd never heard of before, like Norikers, Akhal Tekes and Falabellas.

Rusty (renamed Brandy)

 I played with my horses for hours. They were my favourite toys growing up. There were stables and riders and tack available to buy too, although I normally made my own stables out of cardboard boxes with cardboard-box card taped in to form stalls :) I spent many happy hours making stables for all my horses.

Conker

 As a child I wanted to be a vet, so I also loved the sister-brand to MBH: Animal Hospital. This came with vet centres and models with colour change 'wounds'. Since both brands used the same models they were easily interchangeable, and I used my MBHs as patients for the vets to make better, and they could then go out for rides afterwards.

Poor Conker's missing ear

 One of my magazine horses, Conker, came to me with a missing ear. This didn't spoil my fun, however, as I pretended that he'd been injured and needed the vets to look after him.

Fergus and Galway

 You've probably noticed by now that a lot of these models have shorter manes and tails. All MBHs came with very long manes, but as a child I didn't think they were very realistic, so most of my horses got a haircut.

Ludger

 Looking back at them now, I wished I'd left them alone. Many of the haircuts are less than ideal, and the models with long manes tend to be the nicest after all these years. Besides that, the models in original condition are, naturally, more collectible. But I don't regret it. I loved my ponies just as they were at the time, and I still love them now.

Omar (renamed Tango after a pony I rode on holiday)

Name unknown

Something else I discovered through MBHs was customising. Whilst I never went very far, I used to add facial and leg markings using Tip-ex, and some like Conker had black points painted on with oil paints. Most of my additions are not very good, as you can clearly see, but again, I love them just the way they are.

Klaus (renamed Believe)

 My biggest 'repaint', however, was actually done using a felt tip pen! I loved (and still love) dapple greys, but none of my models came painted in this colour. So I decided to make my own, using a white horse and a grey felt tip pen.

 Very carefully, I drew interlocking circles or 'dapples' on my model's neck and sides. If I went wrong, I just rubbed away the wet pen with my finger and started again. Even after the pen had dried I had to be careful with her, since my fingers could still rub away the ink, but I was really pleased with the finished result.

Over the years the pen has faded somewhat, but you can still clearly see the 'dapples' I drew on her. And even now I think she looks quite lovely. I officially consider this horse to be my very first custom/repaint, since all the others just had minor white markings added to them. She may not be the best, but she holds a very special place in my heart, and I still adore her to this day.

High Jinks

Unfortunately, My Beautiful Horses stopped producing models and magazines, and my subscription ran out with a new pony mag, this time without a free toy and aimed towards people who owned real horses. Since I didn't have a real horse of my own I very quickly got bored with the new magazine, and didn't renew my subscription. I was really disappointed, as I loved my MBHs and looked forward to getting a new model every month. Later I moved on to flocked ponies, then Grand Champions and eventually discovered Schleich.

Ivan

But the story doesn't end there, at least not for these plastic ponies. They are now produced under the name I Love Ponies, so there's every chance you might have seen similar toys being sold today. I'm happy that a new generation of children will get a chance to play with these little plastic horses, even if they're a little bit different now. No, they're not the most realistic or conformationally accurate, but they're charming and very reasonably priced (and they don't have any plastic bumps between their hind legs to prompt embarressing questions from your kids!). They're a prefect introduction to the world of model horses for any child, and I've even caved and bought a couple myself... Well, you all know how much I love chestnuts :)

Rosie

Breyer 2010 Fun Days Limited Edition 'Onyx'

 I'm not normally a fan of 'glossy' models. In my opinion the high gloss finish makes the model look more like porcelain than plastic, and in doing so takes away a lot of it's realism. In addition, whilst I admire and even adore many of the special run or limited edition models that Breyer release every year, most of them are far too expensive and elusive to ever enter my collection, so I don't even fantasise about owning them.

There is, of course, an exception to most rules, and mine is Onyx.

 I fell in love with this Limited Edition Classic stallion when I first laid eyes on Breyer's official promo photos of him, but since he was limited edition and only available to buy at Breyer's 'Fun Day' event in 2010 I didn't hold out much hope of ever getting him.

 Then, one day, a few years later whilst browsing ebay, I came across a UK seller auctioning off an Onyx model. The price was only slightly higher than the recommended retail price of a regular run Classic, and the model himself was in excellent condition, with only some minor hoof and ear tip rubs. I hesitated briefly, but ultimately decided to go for it. And I am so happy I did!

 I haven't regretted buying Onyx for a second. He's one of my never sells. I can't say for sure just what it is about him that attracts me so much...I love his black coat that is only just starting to fade into grey (iron grey, I believe some people call it). I love his one white hoof and sock. I love the fading in his mane and tail and on his flanks.

 But I think what probably attracts me the most is the mould. Identify Your Breyer call it the 'Show Arabian' mould, probably because the first release on this mould was the bay Best in Show Arabian with mohair mane and tail. And he is a wonderfully characteristic Arabian, with a delicately dished face, high tail carriage and eager, prancing pose. Of all of Breyer's Arabian moulds to date, this one is my favourite.

 The name 'Onyx' suited him so well that I couldn't bear to rename him, making him one of my only model horses to keep his official name in my collection. His dark colour and high gloss finish make photographing him rather difficult, but by altering the light levels a bit in post production it's not too hard to get some lovely shots of this handsome boy.

 The only trouble with the high gloss finish and dark black colour is that the model shows every single speck of dust!

 I adore his face. The eye whites give his eyes an intelligent light and really distinguish them from his dark head.

 Probably the only part of his finish that I don't really like is the front of his face. To me, the dark shading that kinda resembles the characters used in Japanese writing (e.g. kanji) doesn't look very realistic at all. But it's a minor complaint, and one that I can very happily live with.

 I love my little glossy Arabian stallion, and I'm so very glad I bought him.