Victoria's BCC entry

Granted, I'm not on social media as much as I used to be, but until yesterday, I had not seen one single entry for the BreyerFest Best Customs Contest Excellence in Performance division. I know some people don't post their work beforehand, but still, Iwas beginning to wonder if anyone had entered at all. Fortunately, I now know that is not the case. There is at least one entry, and it's good one. Here are Victoria Ulrich's Sand Pounders.

The Making of Sand Pounders

by Victoria Ulrich

During World War II, the U.S. Coast Guard established a group known as the Beach Patrol, to protect the country’s coasts from enemy invasion by water. The men in this group patrolled on horseback, riding up and down the coasts. Horses, being sure-footed and athletic, were the obvious choice to transport these men across the beaches of coastal America.

Also known as “Sand Pounders” these Coast Guardsmen came from all walks of life. Some were cowboys, horse trainers and jockeys, as well as men that had no prior equine experience. The horses, along with their tack, were brought into the Coast Guard from the U.S. Army’s Cavalry. These men and their horses helped protect our country during WWII.

These two models started out as a Wyatt and Smarty Jones. I knew I wanted them to have new necks, so I decided to swap their heads while I was at it.

Everything in this setup was made by myself. While I don't make tack sets very regularly, it is something I really enjoy doing when I have the chance. The rider's uniforms were the most nerve racking part for me as I've never sewn clothes that size before. It was a lot of fun getting to work on so many different pieces of this setup, and then finally getting to put them all together. 

Congratulations, Victoria. This is a great entry, and one that all of us performance lovers are really glad to see. Good luck in Kentucky!