To make or not to make

I didn't set out to be a tack maker.

What I wanted to be was a performance shower.

Unfortunately, like so many college age collectors, I didn't have a lot of hobby budget. A regular run, traditional scale Breyer was the kind of splurge that meant I'd be eating Ramen instead of Mac & Cheese for a week. There was no way I could afford the beautiful saddles I ogled in the pages of Just About Horses.

What I could afford was a Western Saddle & Breastcollar Kit from Rio Rondo. I bought one as soon as they came out.

It required some tools I did not have, so I took it home with me at Christmas and raided Dad's garage. He also helped by taking me to local Tandy store and paying for some leather dye. Thanks, Dad.

Truth be told, I struggled with that saddle. I had no experience with leatherwork and probably should have started with a simpler kit. More than once I wanted to quit, but Dad wouldn't let me. I kept at it and ended up with something that - while not great - at least looked like a saddle.

After I was done, a funny thing happened: I forgot all about how frustrating that had been and started thinking about the next saddle. I went over the steps in my head, analyzing what worked and what didn't and the changes I would made to ensure a better result.

I was obsessed.

And I stayed obsessed for a really long time.

I often hear young, underfunded performance showers talk about learning how to make tack in an effort to save money. It's a great idea, and I think everyone who is even the littlest bit interested should give it a shot. There are a lot of free and low cost kits and tutorials available now. This blog alone boasts fifty four posts with the Tack Tips label.

Because everything is easier with support, I also recommend enrolling in a tack making workshop at one of the Breyer events...

or participating in International Model Tack Month.

But let me tell you this: If you try it and you don't like it - if after you're done, you think "never again" instead of "how can I make the next one better" - it's perfectly okay to not make your own tack. In fact, it might be the cheaper option.

I spent a lot money learning how to be a good tack maker. I can't even begin to guess the actual amount. 

That was okay because A, I was obsessed and B, I was able to offset (hopefully) most of the costs through tack sales.

Still, when I think back on it, I wonder how different my life might have been, how much money I could have saved, if I had just eaten Ramen for a year and bought a saddle from someone else.

With a little help from my friends

Especially when they're starting out, a lot of performance showers say they want to create every piece of their entries themselves.

They want to sculpt/customize/paint their own horses,

make their own tack,

and build their own props, 

They even want to dress their own dolls, which is craziness, obviously.

It's a big goal - a noble goal - and I can think of a handful of showers who have achieved it, even at the highest levels. Laura Skillern...

and Hanna Bear come to mind.

If you're reading this, Hanna, we miss you!

Tiffany Purdy can do it all, too. She just doesn't like to.

But here's the thing: There's just so much stuff that goes into a modern, top-level performance string. 

It's really hard for anyone - no matter how motived and talented - to make everything themselves.

In my life, I have customized and painted a lot of horses, built a lot of props and made a lot of tack.

I have made so, so, so much tack.

And yet, probably every entry I have ever put on a show table has had at least one element made by someone else.

Sometimes a lot of someone elses.

In 2011, I wrote a post-show piece thanking the creators of every single part of my performance entries, all the way down to the bridle number I borrowed for the dressage class.

It was a fun exercise, but also, an important one. Instead of just looking at the ribbons, I try to see the artists, the people, the friends behind every entry.

If you have the time, talent and motivation to make every single part of every single one of your entries, I salute you. Please, carry on.

But for the rest of us, there's nothing wrong with showing other people's work.

Even if you bought - or borrowed - every single piece of your performance entry, you're the one who put it together. That's a really important part of the total set-up. Don't discount your contribution.

Thanks again - thanks forever - to all the artists and friends who have provided me with horses, tack, props and dolls. I have loved playing performance with you!

Curvy

In a post about trot poles and model horses, I used this photo to illustrate proper placement of the poles in relation to the horses legs at this specific phase of the trot. For that purpose, it's good graphic.

But remember when I said that poles are tricky? This picture also demonstrates a common performance problem. That is, the curve of the horse's body does not match the curve of the obstacle it's negotiating.

Although you can see this from the side, it is a lot more noticeable from the top.

Here's another model in a similar trot, but this one is moving on a straight line. 

See how much better his body matches the line of poles?

There's no doubt that straight is easier, but you know, some of us like curves.

I like to use a set of poles with a well defined middle section as a visual aid for setting up my curved models.

In this case, you can easily see that the pony is walking over the same part of each pole.

As always, the best way to check this is from the top.

Here's a more problematic set-up. This circle is too small for the horse.

Without heavy rider intervention, he's never going to make it over the middle of that fourth pole.

Fortunately, the solution is easy: Widen those poles! 

Alternatively, you can move him out to the outer, wider edge of the obstacle. Just make sure your documentation reflects the chosen route.

Let me know if this is helpful, and please keep the performance questions coming!