Headcollar 1.2

Remember my rather failed first attempt to construct a model horse headcollar?

Well, now it looks like this:

That's right, I finally went out and purchased some glue (like a sensible person :D), and decided to have a go at rebuilding my earlier catastrophic attempt. 

 The hardest part was unpicking all those terrible stitches, but once that was done I was able to reuse all the the parts from the original headcollar. 

This time, I was careful to make sure that all the ends were tucked under the inside of the headcollar, so the end result is much neater. I also managed to get the buckle on the right side this time (yay!). 

Unfortunately, I still didn't have anymore pink ribbon in the exact same matching shade, but this time I decided to use the black part as the throat strap so it's less visible from the top and front. I think it looks much better this way, and actually looks kind of smart, to me at least.

 Jewel thinks this headcollar looks much better on her than on its previous owner, and I'm inclined to agree. I guess I'll just have to make a new one for my long-suffering Morgan ^^;

 I folded the excess ribbon over the rings just like before, but this time I glued them on the underside instead of sewing them.

 To hold the ribbon in place while it dried, I used bobby pins/hair grips! :)

Thankfully, the glue was quick drying, so I didn't have to wait too long.

 

 I decided to leave the pink thread on the leadrope as I liked the contrast and the way it ties together the two parts.

  The free end of the strap that goes through the buckle was lined with glue to prevent the edge from fraying.

 The glue I used was Anita's PVA Tacky Glue. I'd heard other hobbyists talk about using "Tacky Glue" in the past, so when I saw this I figured it was worth a try. 

 I hadn't realised that what they'd been describing all along had been PVA, the stuff I'd used extensively in primary school arts and crafts, and the stuff used on children's DIY shows to make papier mache crafts.

 At least I've got plenty of experience with using PVA glue, so that helped me to feel more confident using it for my project. I also feel much more comfortable using it around my model horses, as it's less likely to damage them than other bonding agents like super glue.

 I was also encouraged by the fact that this glue is described as appropriate for, among other things, "non-washable fabric projects", which sounds like model horse tack making to me :)

 Whilst I appreciate that other glues would probably be more durable and hold better, my tack is intended for display rather than play, so it shouldn't have to put up with much rough handling. And at least if this does pull apart it's easy enough to reapply the glue and stick it back together. And the quick drying time is a big bonus. 

I love the precision nib on the cap that helps to prevent more glue coming out than needed. It really made sticking the ends of the ribbon together much easier.

In addition to my now headcollar-less Morgan mare, I've got a few other models that are also waiting for halters. Since I now have the glue to stick them together, and I've invested in some real jump rings, I'm looking forward to making more of my own headcollars. I'll try to make sure I've got enough ribbon for future projects, though :)

Breyer Madison Avenue

Breyers are like potato crisps: you can never have just one...

Yeah.

 So, I'd like to introduce you to my latest model. She's sculpted on the Rejoice/National Show Horse mould, and I believe she's the Madison Avenue model, but she could just as likely be the warehouse find/reissue version. I'm not really bothered either way.

   She's second hand, and has a lot of small rubs and scratches. You can see the most obvious two on the base of her tail and her off side hip. I can probably touch in the one on her tail with some brown/black paint, but her imperfections really don't bother me. In fact, as someone who only collects Breyers as a hobby, I'd rather have the imperfect models and let the pristine/immaculate ones go to the showers and competitors.

Probably the biggest thing that attracted me to this girl was her colour. She's got this fantasticly shimmery buckskin coat that wonderfully highlights the contors of her sculpting. I love the way her golden pelt is darker and lighter in places, and the juxtaposition between the rich tones of her body and the dark chocolate black of her points is just superb.

  I'm a big fan of solid colours in horses, so I like the fact that she only has a few white markings as highlights. I also like the fact that the markings on her legs are all different lengths. I feel that it really adds character to the model.

 The mould itself is really lively and animated. She feels like a very sassy, energetic mare, but at the same time very dignified and proper. It just feels like she's begging to be harnessed up to a light trap or prancing around a showring in hand.

 Because she only stands on 2 legs, her exaggerated tail is essential to balance the mould. Despite this, she's actually very stable and no more prone to tipping than any other model. Her long, thin tail does seem like a potential snapping point, though, so I'll have to be careful with her in that respect.

 Her off hind leg is actually drawn under her body as well as forward, and I like the fact that there's a very obvious slant in her hips to emphasise her movement.

 Her hooves seem a bit pale to me, but that might just be with age or exposure to sunlight.

 She's got an intelligent head. I love the way her ears are pointed in different directions. She's definitely listening to something behind her (her driver/rider, maybe?) whilst focusing on where she's going at the same time.

 I think it's a bit of a shame that her eyes are just plain black with a white edge. She's got such large, emotive eyes that it would have been nice if they were a bit more detailed.

 The black tips to her ears are a really nice touch, and something that customisers often forget buckskin horses have.

 

Her mane and forelock certainly seem tack-friendly, and she's got the large bridlepath traditional to the National Show Horse breed. I can't tell whether it's her golden colouring, her energetic pose or just the joy that comes with a new model, but every time I look at her I can't help smiling.

Most of my models quietly wait for me to find the right names for each of them. But true to her lively, sassy nature, this girl got tired of me procrastinating over naming her, and told me to hurry up and call her 'Jewel' already! I couldn't argue with that, so her showname is now Persian Jewel. I've got to say, it'll be nice to have a mare with a bit of attitude in the herd :)

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 :)

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... :)