The Arabian Costume Connection

 Second Post of the Day

(The irony of writing back to back about two friends named Kathy is not lost on me.)

Earlier this month, the son of my dear friend, Kathy Bateman sent me a box of tack and props from her collection. I was glad to have them and looked at every piece.

Kathy had made most of the items during the 1990s and they are excellent examples of tack making from our hobby history. 

Western tack made by Kathy and in the collection of Kay Biberstein.

I contacted Ardith Carlton and Corky Visminas who are working to open a model horse museum in Wisconsin, told them about Kathy's tack and props, and asked if they might want them for their museum.

They did.

And so I sorted it all into bags, tucked in some photos of Kathy at shows, and will ship it out today.

I did keep a couple of things - a stone wall Kathy had built, a saddle blanket, and three "silver" trays she'd won.

And, an Arabian costume with a story behind it, one that is intertwined with our friendship.

It's an early Tiffany Purdy piece. In the mid 1990s, I held a show called Lincoln Land Live, and it was Tiffany's very first model horse show. Boy howdy, she knocked everyone over with her creativity and talent.

She had with her a gorgeous Arabian costume, and both Kathy and I asked her to make us our own Arabian costumes.

Mine was purple, green, and gold,

and Kathy's was maroon and silver. We both won a lot of ribbons with these costumes.

Since Tiffany has gone on to become a well known person in our hobby who is still creating in a variety of mediums, I probably should have included Kathy's Arabian costume in the box I'm sending to Ardith and Corky.

But I couldn't, at least not yet. The memories wrapped up in these two Arabian costumes are just too strong a connection to Kathy. 

They represent and remind me of so many fun times we had together, be it traveling to BreyerFest, showing at NAN, or just packing our tubs in the back of her truck and heading down the highway at 5 AM to go to a show.

Maybe down the road I will be ready to pass it on. 

But not yet.