Customizing for performance

Years ago in the mostly undocumented, pre-blog part of my hobby life, I bought a Cat Bercier Balllycor resin. Because she was marketed as a traditional scale Connemara, I was expecting something pony sized. Instead, I got a full sized horse. Once I got over my disappointment, I decided to make her a fluffy cob. I cut off her neck and reset it, and made an attempt at feathers. That didn't go well, so I temporarily put her aside.

And then she sat for more than a decade.

Enter Angelo Zunic.

In addition to being a good friend, Angelo is also an accomplished customizer. I absolutely love her big, fluffy, flowy manes and tails, so I dug up old Ballycor and begged Angelo to fix her.

"I want her to have all the hair," I said, "but she also needs to be tack friendly." 

Since Angelo is not a performance shower, we talked about what that meant in regards to saddle and bridle fit. A couple months later, Angelo sent me this work in progress photo. In it, Ballycor was wearing several rubber bands. I asked her about them, and she said she used them to mark the tack areas.

So simple, so brilliant.

Ballycor is going to be my 2021 NaMoPaiMo horse.

As much as I'm looking forward to painting her, the real goal is tacking her up! She's going to look so great under saddle. Thank you, Angelo, for making her both fluffy and tack friendly!