Heartbeat

For a couple of years now I have been searching for a little toy or model to carry with me wherever I go. I just like the idea of having a little mascot/companion in my pocket that can join me when I go out.  My criteria for it were quite specific:

• It had to be small enough that I could carry it anywhere without attracting attention (I really don't want to have to explain to everyone I meet just why I'm carrying a toy horse with me...)
• It had to be able to travel safely without the imminent risk of getting damaged or broken (so no clinkies or Stablemate foals with long spindly legs liable to snap)
• And it had to be separate from any of my collections (I'm more than a bit of a perfectionist, so I can't stand the idea of splitting up a collection by carrying one model around whilst the rest are at home on my shelves...)

 The trouble was, I just couldn't find anything that I really connected with. I wanted the model to have meaning for me, not just be a random toy that I carried around. And then, this year Breyer released their second series of Mini Whinnies Blind Bags.

 I'd never really been that interested in Mini Whinnies in the past, partly because it's really difficult to find any for sale in the UK, new or used. And then I saw the models that would be in this series, and one in particular stood out and grabbed my attention.

A solid chestnut mare with a self-coloured mane and tail and one little white sock.

Slowly the idea dawned on me that here was the model I'd been looking for! Small enough to fit in my pocket undetected, made from a slightly bendy plastic so there's less chance of bits getting broken off, and completely separate to any of my collections, with the added benefit that as a little chestnut mare it spoke to my heart. Now all I had to do was find one.

But with a 1 in 17 chance of getting the model I wanted from the Blind Bags (and no codes on this series to decipher who's inside) I really didn't want to buy a Blind Bag new. Like I said, I don't collect Mini Whinnies, and if I started to I wouldn't be able to use the mare as my pocket companion. My only hope was to try and find someone (in the UK) who was selling the mare off secondhand and opened.

After a couple of months of fruitless searching I stumbled upon a little Facebook group called UK Model Horse Sales. On the off chance I posted a wanted ad, and within 20 minutes had an offer!

So, I would like you all to meet my future adventure companion:

Whoever at Breyer was responsible for naming the latest set of Mini Whinnies doesn't seem to have realised the assigned genders of some of the moulds. Whilst I guess 'Joy' might work for a stallion, and 'George' could be short for 'Georgina', naming stallions 'Fiona', 'Hannah' and 'Elsa' is a bit much :)

 This lovely little mare is on the Walking Arabian mould. 

 Surprisingly, for such a tiny model, she's got beautiful paintwork and a multi-toned body and tail.

 Her only white marking is the sock on her near fore, and she's even got 3 dark hooves and one light hoof on her marked leg.  And her eyes are perfectly neat little black dots.

I was a little bit surprised at just how small she is. Here she is next to a Schleich cat.

 And standing on the back of a Traditional...

"Get off!"

"Aww, spoilsport!"

To protect her during her travels I've got this little velvety draw-string jewellry bag to use as a pony pouch.

"What is that thing?"

"It's big....and a little scary"

"Sniff"

"Does this colour clash with my hair?"

"Interesting..."

"What's up here?"

"Ooh, velvety soft!"

"Hey, I can go inside!"

"It's dark in here"

"Yes, I think this will do fine"

Looks like she's made herself right at home.

Of course, the smaller the horse is the more likely they are to get up to mischief. No sooner had she finished playing with the pouch the little mare decided to take a dive off my table straight into my cat's water bowl.

One very wet Mini Whinny. What have I let myself in for...?

Thankfully, little plastic ponies dry off easily. 

I think that's enough adventuring for one day. I would like to say a huge Thank You to the UK Model Horses Sales  Facebook group for helping me to get the little girl I was searching for. Oh, and before I forget, I've had this lady's name picked out for some time now. It feels only appropriate to name her Heartbeat, considering this blog's title. Who knows, you may even get a few guest posts written by her in the future :)