Author: Amanda

breyer · equine art · model horse showing

Breyer Stablemate Custom Painting

Amanda3 Comments

As I mentioned briefly in my recap of the Vermont Live Model Horse Show, I wandered into the main part of the farm store and almost immediately got sucked in to painting a Breyer Stablemate.

I’ll be honest: I spent an hour and a half painting my little Stablemate to look like Tristan. I had a three year old girl on one side of me and a five year old girl on the other side painting Stablemates pink and purple, and gold and orange, respectively. I got way, way too into it but it also turned into a lovely sort of zen thing and I’m happy with the results.

I’m usually terrible at all things artistic, so that this even turned out passably good is amazing.

Coat 1: Very splotchy.
Coat 2: Getting darker, but still splotchy.
Coat 3: Starting to look good!
Coat 4: good enough for now! Starting the black on his legs and hooves.
Coat 5: Adding black to the mane and tail, and touchups on the body to darken the splotchy parts.
Coat 6 doesn’t look much different, but it was basically continuing to touch up splotchy parts.
Coat 7: Adding in the white, and done!
Thank you, Guy’s Farm and Yard, for a fun morning!

endomondo · road hacking

Short Hack

Amanda2 Comments

I got to the barn intending to do some combination of trot sets and long & low dressage work. I looked at blue skies outside, no snow on the ground, and I couldn’t make myself stay inside. We’re predicted for rain the entire rest of the week and snow this weekend.

So I opted for a road hack instead, which was at times lovely and at times very frustrating. Tristan was not too enthused to leave his hay, and he wandered back and forth across the road on a loose rein. It’s a catch-22, really: if I let him have a loose rein he’s clearly happier and better moving, but he also takes it as an opportunity to wander and occasionally swing around and turn for home, especially in the first 15 minutes or so. If I pick up the reins and ask for contact his momentum stops and I have to do more “schooling” than I really want for a low-key road hack.

I wished, in retrospect, that I’d brought his quarter sheet as it was still chilly even with the blue skies (low 40s) but he warmed up and moved nicely, and was happy to get back to his stall with his stable blanket.

model horse showing

Vermont Live Model Horse Show

Amanda4 Comments

I am fascinated by the world of model horse showing, and follow blogs like Braymere Custom Saddlery with deep fascination. When I was at Everything Equine earlier this summer, I saw a card advertising the Vermont Live Model Horse Show at a local farm store, and my interest was piqued. I went back and forth on whether I’d be able to go, but a friend’s plans for the weekend fell through at the last minute, so off I went!

Here’s the registration form and the class list, if you’re interested.

When I first entered the room, I felt super awkward. Really, really awkward. It was relatively small and everyone there was very busy doing their thing and I was the only creeper hanging around staring at things. I can dive right into social situations where I have content background – I am that weird soul who loves professional networking – but a new social situation where I knew nothing of the background? Eep.

Thankfully, when I stopped at the front table to try and break the ice and ask if I needed to check in or anything, I struck up a conversation with one of the organizers. After that, it was easier to chat with some of the other show staff, from the helpers to the judges and a few people selling things.

I didn’t stay for the entire show; I ducked out to the car to charge my camera (which of course was being finicky about battery life) and then wandered through the main store and got totally sucked in to painting a custom Breyer Stablemate. But I saw enough of it to learn a lot and see how neat it was.

I think the thing I was overall most impressed with was the way competitors talked with the judges after the fact, and how incredibly detailed the feedback was. I don’t mean to take anything away from model horse showing when I say I had no idea that judges would be so careful as to have a long conversation with a competitor about the placement of their horse in relation to a fence so that the striding would be right relative to the horse’s motion. Or the extra small strap on the horse’s face meant to secure the bridle, but really an extraneous strap that wouldn’t have made sense in real life. Or the suitability of a particular stance, breed, setup, etc. to the class and the activity described.

F’rexample, I loved, loved, loved this model, and he was used multiple times in a few different classes. He scored better or worse depending on his suitability. This was my favorite use of him, but it was not his highest-scoring class. (Check out the little fox peeking out from behind the stone wall, btw!)

I watched the competitor place this horse carefully and change his position relative to the rail a few times, but she got knocked points because the letter on the ring (which you can’t see) wasn’t right for the particular movement she was trying to illustrate in the dressage test. Wow!

This young girl and her dad were showing in Intermediate, and they worked so well together and I may have gotten a little sappy about how great it was that he spent his day helping his daughter show model horses. ❤
Another of my favorite things: the Novice competitors, and the way the judge worked with them to fine-tune their entries. She gathered them as a group after pinning each class and talked a lot to them about the way they presented. It was educational not just for model horse showing, but also for real-life horsemanship skills: how should this rider be sitting? how should this tack fit? etc.

A couple of trail entries.
The same dressage horse from above, here doing canter poles. I stared and stared and thought this through for a long time. On the one hand, I would never set up canter poles like that for a real, live horse; it wouldn’t accomplish anything, or at least not the things I want to accomplish on the occasions I use canter poles. On the other hand, it’s not wrong. You probably could canter a horse through poles like that. And in this case it let the exhibitor use more poles and the “look” is better. Fewer poles might not have illustrated the point as well. So where’s that line? I don’t know! It’s an interesting intellectual exercise that I didn’t expect to encounter.
On the other hand, here’s my favorite model for the day showing perfectly strided trot poles. BUT, and here’s another thing I thought a lot about, a horse actually moving through trot poles correctly and with engagement would not have that pretty hunter daisy-cutter trot. There’d be a lot more action going on, particularly in the hock and stifle. If you saw a flesh-and-blood horse trotting like that through poles, wouldn’t you expect him to drag that right front and knock the pole forward?
But are there models that are really perfectly suitable for that? Who’s going to create a model with the right kind of movement and engagement for trot poles? So does it matter as much? Again, I don’t know!

These were my favorite “action” models of the day. Can’t you just see the fire in these horses?

Custom models for sale. Don’t think I wasn’t tempted to check the price on that Sleipnir. The fiance would’ve flipped out.
Overall, I spent about 2 hours there watching and perusing. I would’ve had more pictures but a) I felt like a creeper, though I did ask permission multiple times and b) above-mentioned camera battery issues. I would definitely go again, and though I thought from time to time “how much fun!” I didn’t really come away with the urge to do it myself. 🙂

blanketing · clipping · winter

Should I clip my horse?

Amanda5 Comments

I’m really struggling with this question this year, so I thought I would do a straight-up pros and cons list. I’m going to present Tristan as an anonymous case study, and ask you all to weigh in on what you think. Ok?

Background: horse is a 19yo mustang gelding in work 3-5 days per week for 20-45 minutes each, primarily dressage and trail riding. Never been clipped before. Not a huge sweater (rarely more than a slightly damp/tacky coat in the girth and chest area once the weather cools), but typically does get warm enough to require extended cooling off time 1-2x per week over the winter.

Factors:
– horse exhibited signs of cold weather-related colic when temperatures began dropping this season, and will now be fully blanketed through the winter for the first time ever
– though the plan is to stay at 3-5 rides per week, there will no doubt be periods of time during the winter when 1-2 rides per week at the walk of short duration are the most work he’ll get due to extreme cold or snow
– horse was diagnosed with Cushing’s in August, is maintained on 1mg/day of pergolide, and is essentially asymptomatic on medication, with a totally normal winter coat and no signs of the classic long/wavy Cushing’s coat
– horse is heading into the winter at a body condition of about 5.5/6 after dipping down to a 4.5 or so this fall
– horse lost weight last winter, though not dramatically; say down from a 5 to a
– horse will have access to (essentially) free choice hay through the winter
– horse will have between 4-10 hours per day of turnout, depending on weather
– horse did not add muscle/wind well before starting medication for Cushing’s, and work will be harder for him as he regains fitness now that his body is capable of building it again; he has been running hotter than normal for the last 3-4 weeks

Possibly extraneous factors:
– owner is neurotic and terrified that clipping will result in constant vigilance to prevent cold-related colic symptoms
– owner also does not want to pile coolers and walk out for an hour after each ride

So: in my situation, what would you do?

blog roundup · clipping

Weekly Blog Roundup

AmandaLeave a comment

Here’s a few interesting posts that came across my dashboard this week.

Deciding How Much to Clip and Why from Cob Jockey
Great, GREAT overview, with pictures, reasoning, and thoughtful commentary. I’m currently flailing around deciding whether to do a very light clip on Tristan for the winter, since he’s been sweatier this year than ever before. This was a really helpful read.

Vegas: The Prequel & Vegas: The Part Where We Actually Showed from The Roany Pony
I know exactly nothing about AQHA showing, and I was incredibly excited to see this, about the AQHA Championships in Las Vegas. What an amazing experience!

Griffin Lately: A Photo Journal from In Omnia Paratus
I love reading about Griffin’s progress. Liz has such a practical, discerning eye when it comes to training a young horse both mentally and physically. The comparative photos she shares are always amazing, and wow, what a difference in this installment!

Tack Ho Pro: Buying from Overseas from The $900 Facebook Pony
Great tips here, and a nice followup to the PS of Sweden bridle post. Have you ever bought tack or horse equipment from overseas? I haven’t, though the fiance buys hockey stuff (mostly jerseys) from overseas all the time.

Fall is in full swing & another case of the OTTBs from The Foxhunting Friesian
Check it out for the gorgeous photos of foxhunting in New England in the fall. Stay for the honest & heartfelt pang we’ve all had when our horses are not 100% suitable for the things we love to do with them.

Full Circle: From Breyer-Crazy to Breyer-Creator from Musings at Minkiewicz Studio
I was never truly what you’d call Breyer-Crazy, but I do have a soft spot a mile wide for them. This post is utterly amazing in the way it takes you through the creation and sculpture process for a new Breyer model. WOW. Read every word.

blanketing

Tristan’s Blanketing Plan for 2014-2015 – Fashion Show with Pics

Amanda7 Comments

So I’ve gone back and forth and back and forth on this blog and 30x as much in private about Tristan’s blankets and sheets – what he would need this winter now that we know he needs some blankets, what to use, when to use them, what blankets to buy. I’ve had a dozen different solid plans that I’ve moved on and then discarded.

Here’s what has emerged as our plan heading into winter.

1. Stable Sheet. Used sometimes as a straight sheet in the barn (40s-50s), or as a liner underneath a turnout sheet. Tristan’s is a Tuff Rider brand stable sheet that I’ve owned for a few years but used primarily to keep him clean after baths until now. It’s not the highest quality sheet ever and its a teensy bit small, but it does the job. Basically a previous style year version of this sheet.

2. Fleece cooler. Used on its own sometimes (low 40s, high 30s in the barn) but mostly as a liner for a turnout sheet to create a sort of light-fill blanket. Now, I had a previous fleece cooler, but I bought this one new this year because the previous cooler did not have a belly band. This one does. It’s the Smartpak Fleece Cooler. I like some things about it a lot (styling, straps, length, and overall cut) and other things not at all (it’s long for the size and the back gather is awkward, and there’s no fleece at the withers to prevent rubs).

3. Turnout sheet. Unlined, basic, waterproof turnout sheet to use as a top layer over the sheet and cooler above, or sometimes on its own on a rainy but warmer day. This particular sheet has the distinction of being the one I’ve owned the longest for him: I used to keep him at a place that had the most incredible clay deposits in their pastures, and all horses in that barn went out during mud season in turnout sheets. Otherwise you’d be currying dried clay off of them for an hour before you could ride. It’s a Saxon that I’ve always really liked, actually, for all that it’s a “cheap” sheet. Basically the older model of this sheet.

4. Stable Blanket. One of the two blankets my friend J. gave to me, this will enter the rotation when it’s 30s overnight and during the day, under a turnout sheet. I have no idea what brand it is, but I like a few things about it: the cut back withers, the belly band (which you can’t quite see in this photo), and actually the closed front – less to fiddle with, less bulk under another blanket.

5. Medium Weight Turnout Blanket. Used for temps below 30s, possibly combined with the stable blanket when it gets down to the teens. The other blanket J. gave me, this is a Weatherbeeta that is clearly showing its age. The straps – as you can see – are hanging on, and the edging is almost entirely gone. There are rips in the flannel lining. That said, this blanket has been hard used for many years and the fact that it’s even still intact shows its class.
6. Heavy weight turnout blanket. Used for single digits and below. Depending on how he handles the winter, might double over the stable blanket when it really starts to dip below zero. This is the blanket he wore last year for single digits and lower. Another gift from a very generous friend, this is the Rider’s International Heavyweight Turnout Blanket. As you can see, it’s a great blanket but it swims on him a bit – it’s a size too large, and the cut of the blanket is too long for his legs. Not the end of the world, but I would not buy this blanket new, even in the right size, because of the length against his legs.
So, there’s the plan, anyway. What’s your rotation for the winter?