Showing 101: Model Halter vs. Real Halter, Pt. 2

I’m not going to talk about live Quarter Horses anymore (is that a sigh of relief I hear?) but I am going to start with this year’s NAN Champ OF Quarter Horse.

I’ve judged this specific horse at previous shows, I’ve lost to him at other shows, and I’d steal him off the table if I had a chance (I’m kidding--sort of.)

Volunteer Models

I've been helping out with the NAN auction this year and this is one of my contributions. I'll be painting 20-something color changing customs for our party volunteers! The patterns and molds will vary, but they will all be painted in color changing "pearl" paint.

A Theme is Chosen

Sham!

I've been obscessed with the story of the Godolphin Arabian since a young age. The book is a highly, highly fictionalized version of his real life story and very little is actually known about the stallion's origins. Whether or not he was even an Arabian is a topic of much debate.

I've been doing research on the real horse behind the story for several years. At this point, I feel I have a reasonable handle on him and what he would looked like. The difference between the two is stark. One is a golden bay, elegant, mid-20th century Arabian. The other is a cresty, compact, brown your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine stud from an era that predates most modern breeds.

However, for this donation, I'm going to be leaning on Marguerite Henry/Wesley Dennis' depiction. I feel this is the version we all grew up with and they way most people picture him.

NAN Donation Suggestions

I am at a loss of what to do this year except that I'd like to do another drastic custom. I'm considering doing something in the two arenas that I'm told I'm known for (if I'm known for anything): racehorses or spanish horses.

I literally have a stack of Alborozos hanging around. He's very popular and I think he would be a nice draw.

...but, on the other hand, I wouldn't want to resculpt one to the point where he wouldn't be recognizable. I rather dig into my fugly body box for that. And yes, I organize my Breyer bodies by levels of fugly.

Nope, don't feel comfortable hacking up this mold at all.

Since it's in Kentucky, a race horse would be nice, considering this year's auction doesn't have a theme. I've wanted to create another John Henry portrait of his in his later years from the actual Breyer John Henry (currently sitting in my fugly box) but--to be honest--I wanted to keep this one for myself. Cigar and Funny Cide are options I'm considering as well.

The Slog

For anyone not familiar with the traffic conundrums of the Pacific Northwest (I'm assuming that's...all of you?), "The Slog" is a harrowing strip of pavement that stretches between Seattle and Portland. This site sums up it's horror quite accurately. I was once stuck for 7 hours between "Sloggerville" and "Headquarters Roads" with a broken down truck and a three-horse slant, but that's a story for another day.

My next trip down The Slog is fast approaching, literally and figuratively. Next Thursday, I will once again make the arduous journey with a car packed with plastic ponies, this time for NAN.

After NAN comes the scary part. For me, those last few weeks before Breyerfest are like the last five miles of a marathon: I'm exhausted, I want it to stop, and I can't remember my own name. Everything tends to come together in those last couple days before the big event, but in between it's hard to see the forest for the trees.

I'm trying to make a point to finish one piece at a time so I can better appreciate my forward progress, but that plan seems to already have gone to hell. I'm sitting here sculpting a mini head, but I have no idea what custom it's going on (witness my decent into madness!)

I have almost completed exactly one drastic custom for BF live. Full photos to come, but for now, here is her face:


Click for big pic.