A day at the hunter show

In addition to being busy, this summer has been hot.  

Last month was Denver's hottest June ever, and those unpleasantly warm temperatures continued right through the first week of July.  Yesterday, however, the heat wave finally came to an end. 

Naturally, I took that as a sign that I should go to a horse show.  

Although I enjoy most kinds of equine competition, I will always be a hunter girl at heart.  

So even though I did find the time to watch a couple pony classes...

I spent most of my day at the Colorado Summer Classic happily parked next to the Colorado Horse Park's main hunter ring.

First, I watched a nice group of Junior riders... 

 compete in the USEF/Pessoa Hunt Seat Medal class.

It had been a long time since I'd watched an entire medal class...

so this was a real treat for me.

Junior hunters were next. 

Sigh.  There's just nothing prettier than a well turned out, quality hunter! 

It goes without saying that I took lots... 

and lots...

 and lots...

 of pictures...

so there's a strong possibility there will be several hunter related posts in the weeks to come!

Summer is...

busy!

Between household projects and the kids' activities, I've barely had  time to think about model horse tack, let alone actually make something.  This is a little bit frustrating, but summer is short and I'm trying hard not to dwell on the distinct lack of "me time."

Besides, it's not all bad.  At least once or twice a week, I manage to find my way out to Big Iron Ranch where I can spend some quality time with my favorite pony.

James has been accompanying me on most of these outings.  He's made friends with Aline's son, Robert, which is nice for everyone.

Even when Robert isn't there, James likes visiting the barn kitties, 

the chickens, 

 Pistol's foal, 

and especially the pigs.   

Jazzy's seven babies are just over a week old and they are as cute as can be.

They're also just a little bit bigger than our rats, which has us speculating about how they might look under saddle...  

Probably that won't happen, but there's still six weeks left before the kids go back to school, and anything is possible!

RMMHE performance pictures 1999

I've spent the day cleaning my studio.

I'm not talking about a simple clear-the-desktop-and-call-it-good type of cleaning--this has been a serious day of sorting through boxes and piles and throwing things out.

As is usually the case with me, there were a lot of stray photos amid the mess, including these from the 1999 Rocky Mountain Model Horse Expo.

RMMHE 1999 was held by Fran Lowe in conjunction with the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo.  Although it wasn't my first live show, it was my first big NAN qualifying live show. 

My own showstring consisted of a few common original finish models, but I had a part in several of the entries in the Custom/Artist Resin Performance ring.  This is Sandy Lyles' My Beaux Cheveaux wearing a Sue Rowe saddle and BCS bridle and breastplate.

I don't know who owned this custom Breyer semi rearing mustang, but I was quite impressed with him.  Here he is in reining...

and roping!

Sandy's Beaux also showed in the roping class.  He is wearing a saddle by Carol Williams (oh, how I coveted that saddle!) and bridle, tiedown and breastcollar by me. 

 Yet another roper and more vintage BCS tack.  This customized PAM was made by Cathy Wallden and owned by my friend Trisha.  I'm not sure who made the saddle, but the boots and headgear are mine.

The next two pictures feature Western Trail entries that could still be competitive today.

I like everything about this set-up, especially that little fan! 

Like old live show photos?  There are a few more pictures from the 1999 Rocky Mountain Model Horse Expo in this post, but I still haven't uncovered any showing my Cantering Welsh Pony in action.  I guess I need to keep cleaning!

Other saddles at the Old West Show & Auction

Not all the vendors at Brian Lebel's Cody Old West Show & Auction were adverse to having their items photographed.  In fact, a few--like the owner of this unique father and son saddle--went out of their way to show me their most interesting pieces.

This saddle was made by Nick Sampson of the properties department of MGM Studios in Hollywood, California and was owned by the well known actor Robert Taylor.  It is truly a one of a kind piece, both from a saddlery and star memorabilia point of view!

The same booth also contained a trio of Charro saddles.   

I was most impressed with this one.

Detail of the hand stitched decoration or piteado.  

 The thread is made from the fibers of a maguey cactus.

The third Charro saddle was tooled rather than embroidered.  I haven't seen many like this! 

Moving on to the Auction items--this pair of saddles was made in 1995 by Chas Weldon.

 Originally commissioned as a twenty fifth anniversary gift, they feature elaborate floral carving, bucking rolls and hair tipped saddle strings.

Each saddle features and loving message on the fender... 

and heart shaped conchos on the horn.  They were sold individually, but I can't help but hope they went to the same buyer! 

 Last but certainly not least, was this C.C. Cooper Western Sidesaddle.

Detail of the quilted seat.  The estimated selling price of this saddle was between $800 and $1,200.

I might have one more Old West Show & Auction post left, but for all intents and purposes, this is the final installment in the series.  Hope you've enjoyed looking at these saddles as much as I have!

NAN tagging party

For each of the past four years, I have donated a saddle set toNAMHSA to sell in the NAN Auction or Raffle.  Since this year's event includes neither, I decided to donate something else--my time.  

Yesterday the kids and I drove down to Colorado Springs to help NAN registrar, Jim West, prepare leg tags for the big show.  Along the way, we were able to catch a glimpse of the Waldo Canyon fire.  Although no longer threatening homes, this fire continues to eat away at the mountains West of the city.  

Jim's house is a fair distance from the burn area, but it has been engulfed its own unnatural disaster--a virtual tidal wave of NAN paperwork.  

Signs of the invasion are everywhere...

The door bell rang moments after our arrival.  Just look at what the mailman brought--another NAN card!

In addition to his other duties, Jim has spent a lot of time helping NAN entrants fix their incorrect and incomplete entries.  Can you spot the (very common) error on these cards?

We spent most of the afternoon peeling labels and affixing them to tags.

It doesn't sound like much, but with over five thousand horses entered...  It's a big job. 

Once assembled, the tags were placed in a baggie with the exhibitor's name on the outside. Eventually these baggies will go in the each entrant's show packet.

Prior to yesterday's visit, I hadn't realized exactly how much work the NAN Registrar does.  I hope we were able to lighten the load just a little bit.  If you are attending this year's NAN, be sure to find Jim and thank him in person!

Tackmaker OCD

Yesterday the kids and I and some of our friends went to Casa Bonita.  

This theme restaurant is a Colorado landmark, featuring a huge dining area complete with thirty foot waterfall, live entertainment and mediocre Mexican food. There are also two arcades, one with games and another with rides.

My kids know me a little too well. As soon as they saw this palomino, they knew they were going to be required to pose on it. James went first. I snapped a picture.

Then I noticed the bridle. Ugh. That's not how it's supposed to go together.

I tried to ignore it - I really did - but my tackmaker OCD was going crazy. Carol said, "Just fix it already."  So I did.

 Whew! That's much better.

Although - and I can't ignore this either - he still needs a curb strap...