Kayla's BCC entry

There are six categories in the BreyerFest Best Customs Contest: Most Extreme Custom, Excellence in Finish Work, Excellence in Tack Making, Model Glow Ups, Fantasy and Best Custom for Performance. Earlier today, we looked at one of the Most Exteme entries. Now it's onto Performance with this nifty set up by Kayla Blaine.

The Diving Horse

by Kayla Blaine

Diving horses were a popular American entertainment act from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. Horses ran up ramps and jumped off high platforms into pools of water, sometimes with riders on their backs. The act was created by William “Doc” Carver and became famous at Steel Pier in Atlantic City. The shows eventually ended because of animal welfare concerns, safety risks, and changing public tastes. Today, diving horses are remembered as a strange, but important part of amusement park history.

The model in this entry has just jumped from the ramp with a rider sitting loosely on its back. 

Horse divers used very little tack, which allowed them to move freely and kept them safe during the dive.

I’m in college, so finding the time is difficult, but I’ve had this idea in the back of my mind for years. I was finally confident enough to give it a try. I started sculpting on May 8th on my dorm floor, with no hope on finishing or it even making it presentable. 

Twenty days later, I can not believe I was able to pull this off. I feel like I met my goals, and I am incredibly proud of what I was able to do.

Congratulations, Kayla. That is a wonderful feeling, and also, a well deserved one. Good job and good luck at BreyerFest!