The Artisan's Gallery

Here's the deep dark secret I didn't want to share with Kimber on the BreyerFest live feed: I don't go to BreyerFest for the Breyers.

Oh, I definitely come home with some for sure.

Ugh, why?

But they are not the main attraction.

I am there, first and foremost, for the people. I love the people.

As far as actual models go, I am all about the artists pieces.

Big resins.

Tiny resins (and pewters!).

Customs.

Medallions.

Even freaking octopus medallions.

These are the things I go to Kentucky to see.

That's why, for me, the best part of BreyerFest is the Artisan's Gallery.

There is simply no better place to connect with old...

and new friends...

and to see all their amazing art.

After two years of virtual BreyerFesting, it was so nice to be back in this room with these people...

and these things.

Thank you, artisans for coming out in force this year.

Truly, you are the reason I come to BreyerFest!

Parade of breeds

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of BreyerFest Saturday, I did find a few quiet minutes to take in a showing of the Kentucky Horse Park's Parade of Breeds.  

I'd barely had a chance to sit in my seat when the first two horses were led into the ring. They were a Lipizzan...

and a Mustang.

I like Lipizzans just fine, but 2022 has been the Year of the Mustang.

My eyes were glued to this pretty little mare from the Devil's Garden HMA in California.

Such a sweet face!

After that, we got a Chincoteague Pony...

and a Paso Fino.

As a child of the '70's who grew up reading Marguerite Henry, I was absolutely delighted to see this little guy. 

And even though I'm not making a lot of tack these days, I couldn't resist snapping a picture of his bitless Micklem bridle. Probably I won't ever need this reference, but you never know.

According to the her DNA profile, Olive's primary breed influence is the Columbian Paso Fino. 

There was another Paso Fino performing the very exaggerated Paso Fino gait in the Covered Arena throughout the BreyerFest weekend. I didn't see any of Olive in him - thank goodness! - but I could, sort of, in this more relaxed horse.

Another bridle shot, just because!

The next two horses in the ring were a Rocky Mountain Horse...

and a Haflinger.

Because of Thunder, I have a soft spot for Rockies.

This one was very different than him, but still quite nice.

The Haflinger was absolutely adorable.

If it doesn't work out with Olive, I'll take one just like this. Thank you.

The show ended with a costumed Shire.

These pictures are pretty much identical to those I took in 2017.

So many things have changed since then, but not the Kentucky Horse Park's Parade of Breeds!

I'm joking, but this actually makes me really happy. I will forever be a horse crazy ten year at heart, and the Parade of Breeds taps right into that. I hope to enjoy it again and again for decades to come.

Not Mindy Berg

I was leaving the Kentucky Horse Park's Covered Arena when a young woman with a clipboard ran toward me and said, "Oh my god, are you Mindy Berg?"

I laughed and said, "No, I'm Jennifer Buxton."

"Oh," she replied, without a hint of name recognition. "Well, that's okay. Would you be willing to talk on camera to Kimber?"

I signed the waivers and stood in line with my fellow interviewees. 

Most of Kimber's questions centered around shopping. At this point in the event, I had yet to buy a single Breyer.

Then it was my turn.

Kimber asked my name, where I was from and how I'd travelled to BreyerFest. I was delighted to field a non-shopping question, and told her that I'd flown to Chicago and roadtripped with my bestie. Then she asked me how I was going to get all my purchases how on the plane. I told her, no worries, I was driving home with friends from Colorado. At this point, I was proclaimed a BreyerFest pro. Probably the interview should have ended there, but inevitably I was asked how many models I'd bought. Ugh!

When it was over, I took a quick selfie with Kimber and my fellow interviewee, Emily.

Then I headed out to the Special Run tent to buy a Breyer or two.

BreyerFest Saturday

I had five items on my agenda for BreyerFest Saturday. 

The first was to purchase my special run models.

This was accomplished quickly and easily. I liked everything about Breyer's new system except, instead of bags, we were given large cardboard boxes in which to transport our models. This was awkward, and I was not looking forward to carrying a big box around with me all day. Fortunately, I ran into Lisa Smalley and her mom, Janet, just outside the tent. They were heading back to the hotel and kindly offered to take my models with them. Thank you again, ladies. I so appreciated that!

The second order of business to attend the raffle and win a Lederhosen.

Alas, I waited and waited, but they never called my name. At least I was in good company.

After that, it was off to the auction.

Everyone was expecting the prices to be high, but no one foresaw this.

Just in case you can't believe your ears, yes, this pegasus really did sell for $65,000.

Agenda item number four was to get a picture of Point Given with Christie Richardson and me. 

This was harder than expected...

but we persisted, and eventually our efforts were rewarded. 

This left just one item on my to do list, but it was a big one: Meeting with my fellow judges and finalizing our choices for the Best Customs Contest.

We got it done, but let me tell you, it was not easy.

Of course, that's not all that happened on Saturday. 

This was a day of random encounters,

unplanned activities,

big money,

big emotions,

and little sloths.

I could probably write a dozen posts about things that happened on Saturday and still not cover everything.

It was a good day, a long day, an extremely BreyerFest day. I'm glad I was there to experience it firsthand.