St. Nicholas - My Tennessee Walker

In 1970 my parents bought a home with nine acres on the Wabash River with the intent of fencing the property so that I could have a horse.  Oh, my, were we novices! I had read a lot of books about horse care and training plus taken riding lessons, and that's all the knowledge base that we had. I was only twelve, but my parents deferred to me when it came to the horses, making me responsible for all aspects of their care.

And you know what? It turned out okay.

Me with my beloved Amy, my sister Leslie with Irish Flame, a Morgan, and my little sister, Jenny, with St. Nicholas, or Nick as we called him in 1970.

Nick was a Tennessee Walker that my father bought for me as a two year old stallion in 1970.

He was an old soul - a mild mannered, gentle boy who was just halter broken when I got him. Naively, I didn't worry about that and told my father that I knew how to train a horse. After all, I had read a ton of books about the topic!

Named "St. Nicholas" because his birthday was December 23, he had a beautiful white coat. Using my vast knowledge of horses, I looked at his blue eyes, pink skin, and white coat and declared him to be an albino. Now as an adult, I think he really was a cremello. When he was wet, you could see a very faint blaze.

Even as a twelve year old I knew Nick's conformation was not the best. But he had the gentlest disposition of any horse I ever had. You literally could do anything with him, and he would follow you around like a puppy. He didn't spook, he didn't shy, he never bit or kicked, was not pushy, he just liked being out with you.

(He did break my finger once, but it was an accident. I was cleaning his hooves and he lost his balance, putting his foot down squarely on mine. I jerked, lost my own balance, and fell, catching myself with my hands on the ground. Nick shifted and stepped on my hand, breaking my finger.)

 Amy, Flame, and Nick waiting for me to bring their breakfast before school on a cold winter morning in 1973.

As I said, we bought him as a stallion, so right after he arrived we had the vet come out to geld him. I will never forget watching the process with my youngest sister, Jenny, who was six at the time. With a puzzled look on her face, she turned to our dad and asked, "Dad? Are YOU a gelding?" Oh, my, I can still hear his laughter - he absolutely roared.

I did actually train Nick to ride. One memorable day I asked him to change gaits and he surprised me by going into a running walk. I'd never ridden that gait before, and it was exhilarating! But I didn't ride him much (I had Amy and Cee to ride, too) so mostly he just hung out with the his pasture mates or socialized with us.

When I went off to college in August of 1975, my parents sold Nick and Flame. I do not know where they went and have often wished that I did. I've thought of them many times over the years, hoping that they went to good homes.

 If any horse deserved a good home, it was Nick.

Tossed In, Sande's Ohio Plastic

Sande shared with me the story of Tossed In (what a name!), a model that she had in the 1990s. Interestingly enough, this was not a Breyer Western Horse, it was an imitation done by Ohio Plastics. As you can tell from the first photo below, he shares some of the same damage features that mine does. He was also an oozie.

Tossed In came in a lot of horses that Sande bought in 1990. His owner had mistaken the deterioration for dirt and run him through the dishwasher! Placing him in a plastic bag and stashing him in the utility room, Sande later came to realize that she had an oozie on her hands.

Luckily she took him to a show where he won the Most Deformed class - I say luckily because this is the only photo she has of poor Tossed in!

Sande sent me a photo of two more Ohio Plastics Western Horses that have passed through her hands (she still has the one on the left.) Quite the contrast - these are beautiful and make poor ol' Tossed In's demise even sadder.

I found Sandy's story fascinating for a couple of reasons. One, the model was also oozing, like Susan's are. Two, it shows similar deterioration patterns (beginning at the junction of the legs with the body).  3) It is not a chalky blackfoot palomino. But most intriguing to me, 4) we now have evidence of a non-Breyer deteriorating in a similar manner.

This begs the question, are there any models from other manufacturers doing the same thing? Lidos? Hartlands?

 My Hartland Horse Over Clock is probably not chalky nor is it palomino, but it does have the jet back hooves.

I see no deterioration, and when I asked Sande, she saw none in her Hartlands. Susan shared similar news about her Hartland Western Horse.

Just because there are none among the three of us, though, does not mean that there are none at all. I am going to have to continue to dig some more.

More Pieces of the Puzzle

(Continuing the study of some mysterious Western Horses and their unusual "dry" deterioration.)

Sande suggested that I speak with Susan Tank as she was pretty sure that Susan had a piece just like ours, an early chalky blackfoot palomino Western Horse that was showing signs of crumbling and breaking up. Susan and I are friends on Facebook, so I sent her a message right away. And like Sande, Susan was gracious enough to chat with me and then gave permission to post her pictures here on the blog.

Susan's HOC (Horse Over Clock) is showing a similar deterioration to Sande's and mine.

 Note that it is where the legs come out of the body, again just like the other two.

Sadly, Susan discovered that the rest of the HOC was now showing deterioration as well,

  damage that had not been there when she'd last closely examined the HOC.

The same hard bumps, white substance, and then a surprise.

The HOC was also oozing! That is not what Sande's and mine are doing.

Susan has one hundred Western Horses or so, many which are clocks. She then decided to check another clock which was paired with a blackfoot chalky palomino. This one was a HBC. (Horse Beside Clock.)

 When I first took a look at the photos of the HBC, I thought it looked as though it was okay.

I saw no deterioration where the legs joined the body, white spots, or otherwise.

Sadly, though, close ups showed that this model, too, was affected.

And, it was beginning in the same place as mine, Sande's, and Susan's HOC.

The start of the deterioration process was also found on a front leg. Like the HOC, the HBC was oozing, too.

So, instead of solving the puzzle, I found more puzzle pieces that I cannot yet fit in. Why are Susan's models also oozing? Does it have anything to do with the fact that they are clock horses? But Sande's is a lamp horse and it's not oozing. Is it environment? None of the four models are packed away in boxes; all are on display in one way or another. And why just some of the chalky blackfoot palominos, not all?  Sande and Susan have large collections of Western Horses, and this has not happened to them. What is the difference?

Instead of coming up with answers, I now have more to think about.

A Changing Perspective

Well, you never know what you will find out when you talk to other model horse aficionados. After writing my post about the deteriorating Western Horse in my collection, Collector Sande Schneider and I had quite the e-conversaion!

With her permission, I share a part of that - she, too, has a Western Horse like mine. Hers is on a lamp while mine is free standing. Even more interesting, she knows of the existence of two others, both of which, like ours, are chalky palominos with black hooves and the high grommet snap saddle from the earliest days of production.

I'm sharing this photo with you of my WH on a lamp base that has the blistering and crumbling problem.  This is what it looked like when I first brought it home last summer. 

That white dust like substance surrounding the rear hooves is powder from the chalky plastic rubbing against itself that happened when I moved the legs into alignment again. 

This close up ↑ was done outside in natural lighting.  The other two photos were shot indoors in our rec room. 

Chunks of plastic from the one leg have since fallen away from the rest of the horse.  As I mentioned previously Zap-A-Gap glue would not adhere to those chunks so I could reassemble the leg.  I should probably try some Gorilla Glue but haven't done that yet. (Meanwhile the lamp continues to remain on that table in our rec room.)

The black hooves on that horse presumably date it to the very early 1950s, probably no later than 1952.  That style of scrolled metal lampbase was the type used by Marks Lamp Company of Chicago.

I also have this WH on a Marks Lamp Co base and it shows no sign of stress to its legs (yet).  But I believe it to be a later production item because it has gray hooves not black ones.  I also have a palomino Western Pony on a Marks Lamp Co metal base that has no visible problems with its legs.

So now we have two of these deteriorating horses, but unlike shrinkies and oozes, they are "dry" deteriorating - there is no oozing or wetness, and a white powder is shed as it falls apart.

There are two more of these like ours - black footed palomino Western Horses from the very early 1950s who are falling apart. Sande put me in touch with the owner of one of them, and I discovered a surprise. I am waiting for permission to post some of her pictures of her piece. 

Her photos only add to the mystery of what is happening to these model horses. And at this point, I am wondering if this is a new (to collectors) form of plastic break down.

Are You Sure? A Closer Look

I've known Sande Schneider for years (actually, nearly three decades). If there is someone I trust to give me accurate information on Breyers, it's Sande. And when it comes to Breyer's Western Horse, she has no equal - it's her favorite mold.

I was very interested in her comments on the blog entry about my shrinking Western Horse. She sent me several Facebook messages and emails, and with her permission, I post part of our discussion here.

Are you sure that your WH is actually a shrinky, though? If so, might it have caught the "virus" from another shrinky? Most shrinkies are from the same era and your WH is presumably too old to be from that era.

Her question made me stop and think. There is a "shrinky era" (late 1980s - early 1990s), but there have been pieces found from earlier years that are shrinking, too. And some collectors have noticed that the shrinking often begins where the legs come out from the body (like my guy.)

Nancy Young's book talks of shrinking in the section titled Variations of Size (p. 340) but she doesn't mention vinegar syndrome anywhere that I can find and discounts the idea of the actual plastic shrinking based on information provided her by Elaine Lindelef, who is a mechanical engineer as well as a collector. While Nancy's research is top notch, it is also twenty years old and new information has come to light since her last book was published.

So the take aways from this was 1) my guy did not really fit the shrinky era, 2) there are exceptions known, and 3) he matches other pieces which also began deteriorating where the legs attach to the body. And, he has not been near other shrinkies to have caught the virus while in my possession (I cannot speak for his time before I bought him.)

Sande continued. That said, I have a palomino WH on a lamp base that has blistering issues with its back legs. It is a chalky plastic one and glue doesn't seem to want to adhere enough to repair it. At least one leg has crumbled into pieces. I know of two other palomino Western Horses with the same blistering on their legs. One is on a clock and one is free standing. I honestly don't know what it is or its cause. One gal thinks it is from direct exposure to heat. I'm not convinced

Okay, mine is 1) palomino, 2) not on a lamp, 3) has blistering issues, 4) is chalky, and 5) has not begun crumbling but has cracks appearing that lead me to believe that he will.

So... is he a shrinky or not? Is this vinegar syndrome? Or is it something else?

I'm not sure, as I can see commonalities with other shrinkies, but differences, too. He does sound a lot like the three that Sande describes.

I'm going to keep thinking on this.

Vintage Club SM Rosemary

The Vintage Club Stablemate Saddlebred arrived today -  at last!

 In the past years of the club, they have been sent to members well before New Year's Day.

I love the vintage color strawberry roan, and think Breyer did a nice job on this piece. Her braids are painted in Breyer's colors - nice touch, Breyer!

The vintage blister package is a neat touch, too! Little Rosemary (sweet name) is staying in her box; I like it too much to destroy it by opening her.

Apart from the lack of communication about the delay in sending it out (Breyer still has not said a word as to why there was a delay), I am very, very happy with this piece. 

Happy Trails Swag... And Other Things

As I begin preparing for my pony party/ show, I am gathering items to be used for the day.

 I got a box in the mail two days ago, but I only just had time to open it.

The Western Horses and Belgian are from blog posts that I am working on - they're not swag for the show! And I purposely made it so that you can't really tell what I ordered or what it's for - there are going to be a couple of surprises for the participants! (Obviously, the paper plates are for lunch.)

I've got a little less than five months to prepare, so there is plenty of time to get ready. Still, I have learned that it is best to get things done when you have the time. And being stuck in the house due to cold, snowy, icy weather gives me that time.

What a Shrinky! Poor Old Western Horse

How's this for a shrinky?

It's too bad because he is also a chalky and a very early version of the Western Horse with the O-link chain reins and high rivet snap girth.

Estimated date would be around 1951 - 1953, which makes this the earliest Breyer in my collection (as well as older than me. Haha!)

All four legs have a line of demarcation where they come out of the body and the shrinking begins. The legs are in bad shape, but above that line, the body is in good condition.

Some models with vinegar syndrome begin oozing, but I am not finding any evidence of that yet.

The hind legs are curving forward - he no longer can stand without support.

And the paint is flaking off in places.

There are two odd spots like this one, one on the inside off hind leg and the other on the outside near hind leg. You can also see bubbles popping up. They're hard, at least at this point in the deterioration process.

Some of the plastic has cracked - I could push just a bit of my fingernail into that crack.

And he just looks dirty as he flakes and peels.

I bought this piece at an antique shop about ten years ago. He was deteriorating then, and my thought was that I could save the saddle. Well, the tip of one tapadero broke off, so there went that idea. (That's what is taped to his underbelly - since he was falling apart, I was not worried about tape residue or damaging him. It was already far too late.)

Identify Your Breyer has an interesting article on Western Horse variations. Scroll down to the palominos and this piece is the same as the first guy shown. (That piece has a later version saddle.)

I am sad to see an oldie lost like this, but the process cannot be halted. So, I keep him and observe what is happening. Probably when he begins oozing is when I will chuck him into the trash, but in the meantime, he resides in a box in my closet, awaiting his fate.

Dapple Grey Shrinkies

I have been aware for some time now that, at least in my collection, some of the dapple grey models shrink more than their counterparts do. (Shrinking is called "vinegar syndrome; go to this excellent article in Kirsten Wellman's blog for more information.)

Since that article was written in 2013, we have learned more about shrinkies and more have been found in people's collections, including mine.

I took some photos of some of my dapple grey shrinkies so that you can see them in comparison to their non-shrinky counterparts.

 The Sears Holiday Catalog 1987 Special Run Graceful Mare and Foal set is very common.

And the American Saddlebred, produced 1987 - 1988 is notorious for shrinking.

The 1987 Black Horse Ranch Special Run (second from left) has a reputation for shrinking but so far, so good. But there is one that is shrinking - look at the blue roan on the far right. He is from 1990.

Notice how all those models share the same year of production as well as the same coloring? I find that really interesting and would like to do more research on dapple grey models produced at the same time and see if they have vinegar syndrome, too. (The paint colorway may have absolutely nothing to do with the tendency to shrink. Still, I find it interesting!)

This shrinking Belgian is a special run from the 1979 Model Congress. Others from the same run were sold through mail order companies, with leftovers being released in 1984. This is a little early for the shrinky period, but then, shrinkies can be found all the way back to Breyer's earliest pieces.

 I love Breyer's Running Mare - such a sweet little mare, and this color is especially pretty on her.

You can see that she is beginning to distort as the plastic changes. So far, she is not oozing. (Something that often happens with shrinkies.)

 Her foal is becoming distorted, too, and I had difficulty getting him to stand as a result.

 I finally just laid him down for his off side photo. His soft grey coloring is beautiful, albeit a little yellowed.

This shrinky has really yellowed! (Yellowing can happen to all models, not just shrinkies.) I should put him in a sunny window for a while.

No distortion shows yet which I'm glad for as the Five Gaiter is one of my top three favorite vintage molds.

As far as I can tell, this boy has not begun shrinking, despite being one of the Black Horse special runs, many of whom have had heavy shrinking.

I hope he will beat the odds, but I think that they are stacked against him so I keep an eye on him.

This is the 1979 Congress special run. He's clearly shrinking, but I don't see any distortions or leaning yet.

While I do collect vintage molds, the Belgian is not a favorite - that too short off front leg has always bothered me.

Such variations in the dapple grey coloring! And all lovely in their own way.

Tomorrow I will feature another shrinky, one from Breyer's earliest years.  He's so bad he gets a blog post of his own!