Milestones

August has been a month of milestones for Sage and I.

In just the first two weeks, she's had her first ride by someone other me,

her second ride by someone other than me,

her first ride outside the ring,

her first ride outside the ring with me...

and today was her first bareback ride.

I am so pleased with my little roany hony.

Also today, I noticed that my blog had reached a milestone of its own. 

Six thousand posts! That is so many.

I honestly don't know how I've stuck with it, but I'm glad I have, and I am thankful for every single person who has accompanied me on this very long, very wordy journey.

Sage's August milestones have been rewarded with treats.

The blog gets a giveaway. 

my prize, not yours

I haven't decided exactly what the prize package will be, but it will definitely include a full set of Jennifer Show medallions.

Also, a vintage Breyer or two, should the winner want that.

All the usual rules apply. Every comment left left on this blog during the entry period equals one raffle entry. Old post, new post, multiple posts, it just doesn't matter, but if you're posting anonymously, be sure to include your name. I will choose a winner on August 22.

Besties

After Kaffi moved out to the field, Luna took over his stall. Now she is Sage's neighbor.

They already knew each other from turnout and get along well.

Mostly.

Now, they're besties.

Mostly.

They're not so tightly bonded that fret and call to each other when separated, but more than often than not, when I go out to the field to catch them, they're together.

It's cute.

Our girls.

I'm so glad they have each other.

Life is better with a bestie.

Kaffi update

Last November, Karen hauled Kaffi to Littleton Equine for a full diagnostic work-up in regards to his frequent colic episodes.

The exam found ulcers, but offered no definitive answers. 

He came home - a bit later than expected - and was put on an intensive anti-ulcer regimen.

For a while - almost six months - it seemed like everything was going to be okay.

Then the colics started up again.

Oh, Kaffi.

It was obvious changes needed to be made. After a lot of discussion with the vet and barn owner, Karen moved him out of his stall and into full-time turnout in the gelding field. She'd actually tried this before, with less than ideal results. Still, desperate times call for desperate measures.

The good news is, this time it seems to be working.

He's buddied up with Linda's good boy, Dango, and has had only one minor episode all summer.

Karen is planning to bring him back into work this fall. Enjoy your vacation, little man. 

Red tree time is coming!

Harnessing the past

I would be remiss if I didn't share pictures of the four harnesses that accompanied the Marie Welch stagecoach.

Alas, that is the only picture I have of the entire set. As Trish told me so many years ago, these harnesses were sewn onto the models. 

We took them off the bays, and now they're staying off, at least for the foreseeable future.

Instead, I tried to lay out the pieces of one of the harnesses in a way that made sense. It was harder than I expected!

I did a better job of capturing the details of the collars. 

The hames are made of hand-bent wood. Rather than relying on glue, the wire pieces are attached to the wood through tiny holes. 

Here's one of the other collars shown on the horse.

Remember, this was made decades before Rio Rondo. 

There is no mass produced, specialty hardware here.

It's all beads, jump rings and shaped wire.

Three of the Zaras have holes drilled in the corners of their mouths for ease of bitting.

The fourth Zara's bit is secured with a nearly invisible piece of thread.

Like Pecan's halter, most of the leather is stiff and brittle with age. The collar, the saddle, the blinders and the breeching are made of pleather and have fared significantly better. In fact, they look almost as good as new.

None of this is modern live show quality, but for its age, it's completely amazing. Trisha's grandmother was not a model horse hobbyist, but she was an accomplished horse woman and artist. Her work reflects her knowledge, ingenuity and attention to detail. I am honored to have it in my collection.

Coach

It wasn't just the Shirmars that caught my eye during my first visit to Trisha's parents' house. I was also awestruck by the traditional scale horse and carriage set-ups that decorated their living room shelves. One was a sleigh pulled by an alabaster Breyer running mare. The other was a a stagecoach with four Shirmar Zaras all in collared harnesses. 

At the time, I was a nineteen year old college student with big performance dreams and almost no money. I looked at those horse drawn vehicles and saw opportunity.

After a few more visits, I broached the topic with Trish. "Would it be possible," I asked, "to take those set-ups out of the china cabinet, maybe put the harnesses on some of my models and take pictures?"

She shut me down immediately. Everything was very old and very fragile. The harnesses were sewn on to the horses and the stagecoach and two of its models were permanently attached to a base. Fun idea, but no. That was never going to happen.

I respected that, of course, but for years I dreamed of showing my models with that sleigh and that coach.

Last month, I attended the Celebration of Life for Trisha's mom, Donna. 

I came home with a whole herd of Shirmars and the stagecoach.

Even though Trish and I were extremely careful, the coach started breaking before we even got it out of the cabinet. 

The wheels were the first to go. 

Those delicate joins and the decades old wood just couldn't handle the stress of moving.

As Trish had told me all those years ago, the coach and two of the horses were permanently attached to a long wooden base. One of the horses came off easily.

The other - along with the remains of the coach - are still stubbornly hanging on. Today, I carried the whole thing downstairs to the photo table.

Because the wheel assembly disintegrated, the front part of the carriage is propped up on a box. 

This was hand built by Trisha's grandmother, Marie Welch, some fifty years ago.

See those metal springs?

I have reason to believe they were cut from a coffee can!

It's not up to current hobby standards for horse drawn vehicles, but still, this is a really neat piece with so many fun, vintage details.

Despite the condition of the wheels, the body of this carriage feels pretty solid. I don't have the time or energy, but I'd love to give it to someone who wants a project.

If you're interested and at least local-ish - I can not ship thise - please get in touch. Even after all these years, part of me still wants to see this in the model horse show ring!