Baby on the Way!

Whoo hoo! Look at that belly! Yes, that is an in-foal Sultanna.

So, why haven't I said much about her pregnancy? Because late last fall I'd seen her squealing at Trouble, snaking her neck at him, and then turning and presenting her backside to him - signs of a mare in heat. I'd figured that the breeding had not taken and that she was an open mare again. (That had happened in 2021 when she was bred, too.)

Sultanna is a big-boned mare and although I'd had thoughts that she'd really "wintered well," I had written off pregnancy in my mind and thought she was simply putting on weight. But yesterday that belly line was unmistakable and a text toTim confirmed what I suspected. 

Yes, Sultanna is in foal after all. She is due in early April and I am thrilled.  

We're gonna have a baby!

The Story of Dogs I have Loved: Nacho

Today's blog post is another installment in the series, Dogs I have Loved. This one isn't my dog, but I spend time with him and love him, too. 

After over seven years of serving faithfully  as a seeing eye guide dog, Nacho is retiring.

He's getting older and slowing down, and Kathy is mindful of his needs (not her needs; she'd keep him as her partner forever if she could.) She is getting a new guide next month from Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

I've been lucky enough to travel with them to a few of their speaking engagements and know Nacho well.

When I drive them, they sit in the back and Nacho often stretches over the seat and sneaks in a lick or two on my cheek as he settles in.

Truth be told, I get a lot of kisses from Nacho.

He has worked hard and faithfully guided Kathy all over the country.

He was with her when she won Dolly Parton's Chasing Rainbows award (and Dolly gave him a pink rhinestone collar made just for him!) Go to 3:35 to see Kathy receive her award.

But Kathy knows her boy well and feels he has done enough. He will still be close to her - he will be living with her parents and they live in the same neighborhood as Kathy and me.

It was because of Kathy's recommendation that Craig and I were selected to be Pepper's retirement home when her own guiding career ended. Now the two of them will have a lot more play dates.

I have a soft spot in my heart for dogs, even more so for those who become service dogs like Nacho and Pepper. And Nacho truly was a cut above the rest; he was an exceptional guide and partner for Kathy. 

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

- Matthew 25:21

Disappearing Brand & Another Mystery

The Smoky mold was a model originally based on a horse in Will James' book, Smoky the Cow Horse. 

Photo from Identify Your Breyer.

That horse had a brand on the near shoulder which Breyer included on the mold.

Sometime after its first production, the brand disappeared. Only a small remnant of the rocker can be seen and felt.

I was curious as to when the brand disappeared and so I checked my 2003 Northern Lights to see if it had the brand or not. 

Like Sandman, it only had a faint remnant of the brand that could be seen or felt.

The 2000 Commemorative Edition still had the brand, so I'd narrowed the time frame of the removal to sometime after 2000 but before 2003. (Photo from Identify Your Breyer.)

There was one release during that time frame and that was Nevada Joe Sterling, the special run that was sold by Tractor Supply Stores in 2002.

I was able to look closely at the model in several auctions on eBay and there was no brand. That confirmed that Nevada Joe Sterling was the first release without it. (Photo from eBay auction by goebelbuyer2.)

In 2014 Breyer offered models they called "warehouse finds" that were never clearly explained and, since some had different paint jobs from the original releases, may not actually have been finds but possibly leftover whiteware that Breyer painted up to sell.

Smoky was one of the offerings, so I checked to see if he might have the brand.

No brand, but look at that near front leg - it's pointing down instead of out like it should be. (Photo from Identify Your Breyer.)

I was unable to find in-hand photos of the warehouse Smoky and am now really curious about that front leg. Is it really pointing down as Breyer's promo pictures indicate? 

If you know the answer, or even better, have one and can send me a photo of it, I'd love to hear from you. Email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com.

I'd be grateful! 

Surprise Shrinkies

I set my new Sandman onto the shelf next to my original Smoky and got a surprise.

Look at that size discrepancy!

It wasn't just a trick of my eyes or placement on the shelf; Sandman was quite a bit larger than Smoky.

I set Northern Lights in between them - there is clearly a trend of height differences.

Intrigued, I grabbed my seam measure and started more closely examining the three models.

Smoky's extended foreleg measures 3/8" off the ground.

Northern Light's measurement was a half inch (4/8") off the ground. (Er, shelf.)

While Sandman's was at 5/8".

My heart sank - Smoky and Northern Lights were shrinkies, models whose plastic was beginning to break down. Fortunately, neither Smoky nor Northern Lights have any of the other indications of shrinkiness - their bodies are not visibly contorting or contracting elsewhere; there is no odor and no ooziness. (Yet.)

(Kristen Wellman's blog, Model Horse Collectibility, has three excellent articles on vinegar syndrome, the more formal name of the decomposition of cellulose acetate, the plastic used to make Breyer model horses.)

I found something else interesting while examining these three pieces and am doing a little research on that. Hopefully tomorrow I will look at that discovery in my next blog entry.

Stay' tooned!

Sandman is Here

Sandman, the second offering in the 2022 Vintage Club, arrived this week. 

The Smoky mold looks gorgeous in this color.

The Smoky mold was based on an illustration by Will James, author of the book, Smoky the Cow Horse, and was sculpted by Chris Hess.

I don't care for the grey paint job on the original release, but this color is a different story.

A closer look revealed some flaws - dirt in the gloss on the near hind hoof.

 Several black spots scattered around the body.

A blob of plastic on the near ear

and another one where his tail attaches to the body.

And an odd wife spot under his tail. 

The flaws on Sandman are not nearly as bad as they were on Wite-Out (Cooper) but unlike Cooper, I did briefly consider returning Sandman and asking for a replacement. Why?

The odd bits of plastic and the paint flaws I can live with - it's the dirt that bothers me. I would hope that the models on my shelves come from a place that is clean, and that dirt on his hoof indicates otherwise. 

Something for me to think about with further releases from Breyer.

Abby Gets a Surprise

A box arrived in the mail the other day - not a surprise as we get a lot of boxes in the mail.

Except... this was was intended for Abby, so that was a surprise!

It was chock full of pepperminty goodness, Abby's favorite treat.

Thanks, Evelyn L.! That was so thoughtful of you, and I will be sure to share the candy canes with Abby and the herd. (Er, if she lets them have any, that is.)

Early Spring at the Barn

 With Diablo and Trouble in new homes, Abby has become the alpha of the herd. 

Here she is leading everyone up to see me and clearly telling Hokey that he is to stay back. ("Those are MY treats she's holding!")

The herd has wintered well and especially enjoyed the addition of grain to their diets in January. 

Not atypical for spring, Abby has a bit of a weepy eye that I am watching. But besides that, she and her herd mates are doing well.

Dolly has settled in and she is the horse with the lowest status, but she still gets her grain and her treats. (She's a sweet mare.)

Early spring is wet and muddy, but we are glad it is here.

Cosplay or Living History?

The question has been asked, "What is the difference between cosplay and re-enacting/living history?  Aren't they basically just the same?"

No. Not at all. Basically, the difference between the two is the purpose behind recreating the character, living, dead, or even fictional. Here are some photos that might help explain it.

This is cosplay.

Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character created for the film series, Pirates of the Caribbean. The man portraying him here has recreated Jack Sparrow's costume beautifully, but his intent is not to teach history - it is simply to recreate the character and then pretend to be him. (This guy 100% accomplished that - he was fantastic!)

This is re-enacting/living history.

Frank and Carol Jarboe spent months researching early American parsons and the lives of indentured servants in America, then created the characters of Parson John and his indentured servant, Maggie Bennet. They portray those characters as a way to teach history to those who attend living history events.

Cosplayers and re-enactors do have some similarities, one being the length they will go to for accuracy in the details of their clothing and props. 

For example, Parson Brown has acquired a genuine 1726 Anglican Bible that he carries with him as he preaches sermons in the style of an 18th century preacher.

Here is another couple that are a good example of re-enacting.

Mike and Phyllis Dotson  have created characters from the mid 19th century and use them to teach people about that the mid 1800s in our history. (Mike gave several lectures at the Kalamazoo Living History event.)

I cannot remember this lady's name, but she and her husband are portraying the Regency time period. (She was another lady whose sewing skills were incredible!)

Like re-enacting, cosplay is a lot of fun - I've dressed up as Deanna Troi before and had a blast! But my purpose was simply to have fun with friends, not to teach anyone anything. 

Living history is also fun, but when I participate in that, the teacher in me is very aware that I am providing a learning experience for others around me.

Clear as mud? Email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com if you have questions.

Kalamazoo Living History Show - Part 2

For the next day of the Kalamazoo Living History Show, I wore the riding habit I'd made last summer.

Leslie also wore one of hers, and we posed for a photo together in front of an artist who just happened to have a painting of horses on display.

In a nod to her Grandma Martin (my mom), Lisa combined the jacket and petticoat of one of Leslie's habits along with a waistcoat that was from one of her grandmother's habits. The hat was also my mother's. 

Jolis Chevaux had been too busy the first day for me to get away and shop or see the show, but I was able to walk around a bit the second day.

The Kalamazoo Expo Center had four gigantic rooms and they were filled to the brim with participants in the show. It was so massive, I only got to see one room beside the one I was in!

The array of goods and acoutrements on display or for sale was overwhelming. (Look closely - see the horse? Doesn't it look like the horse on my quilt block?)

One thing I discovered while walking around was that I had priced my clothing too low in comparison to what was at the show. 

I'm more of a hat girl than a frilly bonnet gal, but I wouldn't mind having one of those market bonnets on the top left.

Every year Leslie puts together some sort of Peeps display (which has nothing to do with living history and everything to do with stress relief) at the Information Desk.

This year she did a Peeps tribute to Ukraine.

Romantically Bent's display was my favorite and I spent some time looking at Cristine's work. She is the best of the best, and her work was stunning.

Another gorgeous riding habit. 

By the end of the show, I only had a few articles of clothing left on the clothing rack. I'd also been asked if I would sew 40 (FORTY??) military uniforms that would be needed in 2023, had a query or two about custom orders, and a most unusual request to make a loin cloth. (Not even going there, although it was a legitimate request and not just a guy trying to play or rattle me.)

 I was so worn down that, after we packed up and loaded the car, I hopped in without changing my clothes.

Such a fun time, but it was so good to be home again.