Today

This morning I woke up and immediately checked on Darcy.  I was pleased to discover that she shows definite signs of improvement.  She's still limping, but she's no longer limping and crying.  For today, that's good enough.

 I drove both kids to school...

 and headed out to Watkins for a short pony ride.

Trillium is so darn cute! 

After my ride, I returned home and checked Darcy again.  She was resting comfortably... 

so I retired to my studio where I began work on Teresa's bridle.  

At 3:15, I picked up the kids and treated them to a first day of school Blizzard. 

Home again to finish the bridle... 

 and start dinner.

What a great day!  Can't wait to do it all again tomorrow!

Last minute complications

Yesterday I wrote: Barring any last minute complications, my work on both these horses should be complete before the official end of summer vacation.

Well, we've had some last minute complications.  As usual, Darcy is the culprit.  She's three legged lame on two different legs.  Not good.  I did manage to find a vet with office hours today, but our appointment isn't until four in the afternoon.  I've spent my day hanging out with Darcy, trying my best to keep her quiet and comfortable.

I did manage to find a little time to work on the bad karma Lorenz.  He may not be completely one hundred percent done, but he's awfully close.  

At the very least, he's no longer a member of the project shelf herd!

End of vacation horses

Summer vacation is almost over.  

In just a couple days, the kids will be back in school and I will be back in the studio.  Although it's been a good summer, I'm ready for the change.  I look forward to having a regular schedule, especially a schedule that includes long, uninterrupted stretches spent making tack. 

Until then, I'm staying busy wrapping up two of my summer customizing projects.

I've shared bits and pieces of the first horse several times over the course of the last month but this is the first time s/he's appeared in his/her entirety.

This is a waste mold casting of an original sculpture by Jennifer Scott.  I've been doing the prep work, which is something I enjoy.  Additionally, Jenn has allowed me to fix some of the areas that needed fixing.  There's still some work left to go, but I look forward to giving him/her back to Jenn sometime next week.

The other project is a horse with a history.  About three years ago I spotted this lovely customized Eberl Lorenz for sale on MH$P.  I don't buy many finished resins, but this one really appealed to me.  I couldn't stop thinking about him, and eventually I arranged to make him my own.

And then...  my husband got laid off.  He was still out of work when the horse arrived so my usual new pony euphoria was replaced with feelings of guilt and remorse.  I could hardly stand to look at the model, and he ended up being placed a little too close to the edge of my work desk.  It's a sturdy desk so normally that would have been ok.  However, that was truly a Murphy's Law kind of month for the Buxton family.  Everything that could go wrong did and my horse ended up crashing to the ground.

Surprisingly, he didn't lose body parts.  However, two legs and an ear suffered multiple cracks and there was a lot of paint damage.  I'm good at fixing things, but I have my limits.  Plus, I really didn't want to look at this horse any more.  He had too much bad karma, so I hid him in the back of a shelf in the basement.

I discovered him there earlier this summer and decided I was ready--finally!--to restore the old boy to his previous glory.  I dug out and filled the cracks...

and have successfully restored the finishwork.  All that's left is the hooves.  I plan to work on those today and tomorrow using Kimberley Smith's tutorial.

Barring any last minute complications, my work on both these horses should be complete before the official end of summer vacation.

Progress pictures tomorrow!

Vacation horses 1979

When I was ten years old, my family vacationed in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. 

We didn't go on a lot of trips, so I was pretty excited about this one. So excited, in fact, that I almost didn't mind having to skip my weekly riding lesson.  

Almost.

I'd just started taking lessons that summer, and the prospect of missing even one seemed like a terrible hardship. As much as I wanted to spend a week at the beach, I really hated to lose that hour in the saddle.

Fortunately, it turned out that I didn't have to. The beaches of Baja Mexico were scattered with small strings of skinny rental horses. I begged and pleaded and my parents agreed to pay for a ride.

I was assigned a chestnut mare name Paloma. 

Erin rode a liver chestnut.

This was the year that The Black Stallion was released in movie theaters, so of course I had all kinds of romantic ideas about galloping Paloma through the waves. 

Paloma wasn't harboring any similar Cass Ole fantasies.

I managed to get her into the water, but she really made me work for it. 

This was the first and last time I've ever ridden on the beach. 

Maybe someday I'll repeat the experience on another vacation horse!

Vacation horses

Although we've petted a few noses...

 and found evidence of horses....

Griffith Observatory

on every stop of our Los Angeles tour...

Avila Adobe, Olvera Street

my favorite vacation horses are those living in my parents' basement.  Here's a look at a few of the most notable members of my California collection.

Pancho is the oldest of the group.  He is a Marx Johnny West Pancho that originally belonged to my sister, Colleen.  The wires around his neck, body and tail are literally holding him together.  The glue that used to do that job has long since disintegrated. 

Spotty/Splash is an American Character Bonanza horse and another member of Colleen's former herd.  

He is small traditional scale and has ball bearings in three of his hooves.

The plastic tack that came with him has long since disappeared.  It was replaced with a custom made yarn and twist tie bridle with wire bit.

He also has a replacement tail, hand made by me from sewing thread and scotch tape!

Lightning, the Alabaster Rearing Stallion, was Colleen's first Breyer.  He is shown with his brother, Morgan, who belonged to me.

Cayenne is a lot newer, but no less loved. 

He is wearing another early piece of BCS tack.  All the joins on this halter are sewn together.  Glue would have been easier, but it wouldn't stick to the pleather! 

This chestnut Cantering Welsh Pony belonged to my friend, Cindy.  I admired him for years and was so pleased when she gifted him to me. 

And then...  There's this guy. 

I remember every little thing about the first six horses in this post--their names, their personalities, where they came from, how old I was when I got them...  This one, however, is a total mystery.  I think I may have bought him at a flea market right before I left for college.  Or not.  In any case, he's  quite lovely despite that folded up ear!

Although my mother would really like to see these horses find another home, I look forward to rediscovering them with every visit.  Maybe someday I'll take them away, but for now I think they're happy in her basement!

Vacation

Last Thursday, the kids and I flew to California to visit my parents.

 Since then, we've kept ourselves busy exploring attractions old...

and new.

In between the kid oriented destinations, we've also visited all the places where I used to ride.

My kids would probably not list this as their favorite part of the trip, but it's been pretty wonderful for me.

On the home front, I've spent a lot of time going through boxes of old artwork, 

souvenirs, 

books, 

and family photos. 

My mind is filled with ideas for future posts, but most of them will have to wait until I'm back in Colorado!