50th Anniversary: 1990s BreyerFests, NAN, and Lincoln Land Live

The 1990s were probably the busiest decade in my life. My older kids were in high school and moving on to college, all my children were in sports and church activities, and I was volunteering at church and school. This was on top of delivering the early morning newspapers to vending boxes and the afternoon neighborhood routes with my kids, piano, and other music lessons. Time was in short supply.

I still was able to carve out time for my model horse activities. I missed the first BreyerFest in 1990, but Craig sent me to Kentucky for a "mama vacation" for the second one in 1991. I went all by myself and enjoyed some me-time. Not only did I do the horse park and shop at the Holiday Inn in the evening, but I spent time in my hotel room simply reading and relaxing. 

That started a trend and I was able to attend BreyerFest in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1999. Photo is of Stephanie Clift, Kathy Bateman, and Beth Dickinson with one of the Kentucky Horse Park trolleys during the 1999 BreyerFest.

It was during the 1990s that NAMHSA (North American Model Horse Showers Association) was formed. Live show holders could apply to NAMHSA to have their show become a qualifier for NAN, the North American Nationals. 

NAN is an annual show where the best model horses from across North America compete to be awarded national champion, reserve champion, or top ten in the nation.

I attended the first NAN in 1995 in Lexington, Kentucky. My circus girl set-up had qualified and made top ten. I was very excited about that; I had made everything from the doll's outfit, the tack, and the ring.

Sorry for the poor photo quality - the photo album is starting to fall apart and I chose to not pull the pictures out to scan them because of that.

A the time, NAN was alternating every other year from Lexington to another place in order to make it accessible to more hobbyists. I think the 1996 NAN was in California - too far for me to go. But it returned to Kentucky in 1997 and I was there! 

My Windsong Sherif has top tenned in every NAN I've attended and won reserve national champion, too.

Ouiatenon, tacked up with a Kathy Bateman western saddle, top tenned at several NANs, too. This is the 1995 NAN.

The 1990s were also the time when I took the plunge and held a couple of live shows.

In 1993 I held the Central Illinois All Halter Live Show in a large classroom in Craig's building on the campus of the University of Illinois. Julie (Poremba) Propes was a judge...

... as was Karen (Lebeda) Beeson. Both were studying at the UI back then and are now living in the Chicago area. Karen was a Breyer dealer and she'd call me when a new shipment came in. I loved going to her home and buying new Breyers from her!

I also held Lincoln Land Live I, II, and III during the 1990s. I only found two photos from those shows.

D'Arry Jone Frank debuted her M&M jump at Lincoln Land III. She still has it - she posted a photo of it on Facebook earlier this year. 

Kathy with the awards for Lincoln Land III.

Between family life and model horse activities, I was always on the run. But life got even busier. I went back to school. More on that in the next 50th Anniversary post.

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