Getting a Hooficure

Abby and the rest of the herd got hooficures yesterday. Tim wanted to begin with the babies, and so he brought them up to the new barn and put them in the box stalls, all ready to go for when our farrier, Jess, arrived. (Tim has always done his own trimming, but last summer he had to have back surgery and he cannot do it any more.)

Except that the farrier was running late and Snickerdoodle and Sultanna became very restless - understandable since they spend all their time free and wandering pastures. Tim decided to turn them loose in the indoor arena and we had gotten Snickerdoodle in and had just haltered Sultanna when the farrier pulled up. Tim went outside to greet her with Sultanna in tow.

That was too much for Snickerdoodle who was pacing along the arena wall. He did a beautiful levade and then leapt over the wall!

When he went back on his haunches (shades of Abby when I first got her; read about that here) I knew what he was up to, and that I could not stop him, so I quickly turned and slid shut the outside door to prevent him from running loose outside. I grabbed Sultanna and Tim went haring back into the barn to chase down Snickerdoodle. It took him a while, but as that was happening, Sultanna became more and more agitated herself, so Tim decided to bring up Hokey and Abby and let the babies calm down out in the pasture for a while.

Hokey's behavior was a big contrast to that of the babies! (And he provides a good scale as to how high the arena wall is that Snickerdoodle jumped freestanding!)

 Hokey's an experienced, quiet, older gelding and he was very well behaved. (He's my favorite of Tim's horses.)

 Abby waited in the wings to go second.

 Tim held her (since I am post op and still under restrictions - I really should not have held Sultanna earlier, but it was an emergency, so what do you do?) and while Abby was wiggly initially, she soon settled and behaved herself.

 She played with Jess's pony tail a bit and her head came down as she relaxed more and more.

 In fact, she started to nod off which made Tim laugh!

Diablo was lined up to go after Abby. I wish I had been able to stay and watch her trimming as she needs special care. At one point in her life she foundered, and so her hooves have deep rings on them and tend to want to grow out and up.

 The farrier asked me to take some photos that she could use on her Facebook business page so I was trying to get an assortment. Not sure if she'll use this one that Tim photobombed. He's good at that - go here for another recent example.

I was intrigued by the farrier's stand - it had magnets to hold her tools so she didn't have to lay them on the ground.

After Abby was done, I had to leave as I had a post op appointment to get my stitches out and hopefully get my restrictions lifted. (Some were but I have to continue to "take it easy." Drat!!)

Antiquing in Indiana

Indiana is a great place to live, and one of the things about it that I really enjoy is the abundance of antique shops. Nearly every small town or wide place in the road has one, and I love to poke through them when I have time.

Today I drove an hour north to visit one that I check out once or twice a year.

 It has aisles to wander down and is clean and well lighted.

 It's very easy to see the merchandise.

I spied a very yellowed Breyer Old Timer. It has no breaks and was in excellent shape aside from the yellowing, plus it had its hat.

But, the vendor wanted $32 for it - far more than the $10-$15 I was willing to pay. I considered asking if they would accept less than the asking price, but generally shops will only take 10% off and that still would have been more than I was willing to pay.

This unusual horse was $12. I thought it might be a European ware, but it had no label or stamp. I didn't like it well enough to risk the money and so it, too, stayed behind.

 I've already got a pair of Fostoria bookends just like this one. I see these often when I am antiquing, and they can range from $15 to $60. Mine were a gift from a friend, Martha Jones, when I graduated from high school.

I used to collect old horsey tins, and this one was really cool.  I was tempted, but ultimately left it behind.

This large art print was unusual. From the color palette, I would guess it is from the 1940s or 1950s. But I left it behind (and didn't even look at the price.)

So, I came home empty handed. But that's okay - I'll be back another time. And in the meantime, there are tons of other places to go search for treasures!

After 40+ Years, Identification!

In 1974, my dad showed me an ad in the newspaper about a collection of horses for sale. He offered to take me to look at it and buy some pieces. It was a good find -  I got an HR Adelaide, HR Amir (small), a neat Hartland Saddlebred, and this oddity:

I'd never seen anything like it - it was lightweight and seemed made of paper mache with a costume made from fabric covered wood.

It was very unusual, and looked like it had Asian origins, so I named it "Chopsticks" and have kept it in my curio cabinet ever since.

Only once have I seen a reference to it in the model horse hobby - Linda Walter has the same piece and a picture of it was published in an old hobby magazine that I came across years after the publication date. But there was no identifying information with the picture in the article and I did not follow up on it.

Yesterday I was noodling around on Ardith Carlton's site, Vintage Custom Model Equine Center. She has exciting plans to build a museum for model horses in Michigan, and she has sponsored some events to help preserve early parts of our hobby history.

Ardith lives in Japan and has long been fascinated with its culture. The VCMEC has a second component, a link to Spa-Kun, the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Kazari-Uma Ningyo.

Never having heard of Spa-Kun, I clicked on that link, and suddenly discovered the identity of Chopsticks. He was a Japanese Battle Doll Horse!

An example of another Japanese Battle Doll Horse from Google Images. Note how similar it is to mine.

The web site includes some information on these interesting pieces:

"In a tradition dating back to the 16th century, the Kazari-uma is part of the array of warrior dolls and tot-sized battle gear displayed in the homes of Japanese boys every May 5 (which until 1948 was called Tango no Sekku, or Boy’s Day; it’s now the holiday Kodomo no Hi, or Children’s Day). 

"Ranging from Little Bit size to about 18 inches at the ear tips (in general, the bigger the horse, the older it is), most Kazari-uma are white and made of touso (a wood-based composition material) or paper mache, covered with either keuesaikupasted-on silk-fiber hairs or chirimen cloth, and given glass or crystal eyes and a rooted hair mane and tail. They’re then tacked with lacquered wood, brocade and fringe, and are sometimes graced with rider dolls.

"With decreasing living space an increasing issue, though, the Kazari-uma has unfortunately become a luxury option for Japanese families today—and antique Kazari-uma that were once heirlooms now find themselves in secondhand shops and online auctions.

My piece is bigger than a Breyer Classic but smaller than a Breyer traditional. I have no idea how old it is or how it came into the possession of the Purdue student from whom I bought it all those years ago. I have written Ardith, though, and told her what I have. I am hoping she can shed more light on it.

In the meantime, I am thrilled to finally have identified Chopsticks!

My BreyerFest Prep

I am a minimalist when it comes to preparing for BreyerFest. At least this year. I'm not showing or taking any seminars, NAN is not being held, and my sisters are coming with me. (One is horsey but not a collector, the other is neither.)

Aside from clothes, snacks, and sunscreen, this is all I have had to prepare.

A mini misting fan, a map of the CHIN, single day tickets for Friday and the evening show at the horse park, a parking pass, a printout of our motel reservation, and my info for the Collectors Club tent.

Not much! And the tickets were free from Pat Reed - when we spoke at the Stone Country Fair and she learned that I was going for just a day, she offered to send me three wrist bands that she had as extras. She added in the tickets to the show as a surprise.

It's been fun reading what people are doing as they get ready for the biggest event in the model horse hobby world. People are painting and prepping models, making tack, packing sales items, preparing for the shows, and talking, talking, talking on social media. There's a buzz of excitement, and it's fun to be a part of it.

I'm not jaded or anything about BreyerFest; in fact, I am very excited to be going. But I have been many times, and for me, the fun is more about seeing old friends, shopping for a special model or two, and just being around the horses in the horse park. I guess I am a "quiet" BreyerFester. (Hah!)

Everything else is just the cherry on top!

Model Repair x Four

It is good to know your limitations. I have learned through experience that I am not a model tack maker, painter, remaker, or restorer. So, when I have a broken piece in my collection, I send them out for repair. That can be dicey - I've also learned to make sure I send them to someone reliable who will do the work in a reasonable amount of time as well as do a great job on the repairs themselves.

Sheryl Leisure is one who has done some work for me, and I have been very happy with her. So, I have just sent four Hagen Renakers to her fix. Some have been languishing for years (one, decades)!

 My DW Head Down Pony has a leg break - it was there when I bought it from Cindy Neuhaus years ago. (Actually, this one has been broken for at least a decade, too!)

The DW Lippizaner that I bought from Joanie Berkowitz earlier this year had a broken leg when she listed it for sale. I don't know how long it has been that way.

The original, early Performing Misty came with its led glued to the stool, and sadly it was discovered that that caused a lot of breakage. Mine is one of those early pieces that bears witness to the stress gluing the leg to the stool put on the piece.

And finally, there's my poor DW Adelaide!

I bought her mint in the mid 1970s and broke her shortly after purchasing her. She's been languishing for decades!

 She has three broken legs - left front...

 ... right hind (her original stickers are on her belly as you can see)...

 ... and left hind.

 Her ears are a mess and a piece is missing out of one.

A better shot of her stickers - I removed them from her belly and am storing them in a safe place until her restoration is done.

Even her hat has a couple of chips and needs work!

Sheryl has a form to fill out for each piece you send her - poor Adelaide's had a lot checked off!

I nearly chucked her all those years ago when I broke her since she was such a mess, but I hung onto her, just in case I found someone who could restore her and I could afford that restoration. It's been a long wait, but her time is now.

I can't wait to see how she looks when her restoration is done.

A Curious Text

Yesterday I got surprising text from Jessica, my daughter who lives in Virginia. Since she is not much of a fan of my collection, I was surprised to have her ask me if I had any Family Arabs in it.

I thought maybe she'd found some while out shopping and was thinking she might get them for me, but actually Jessica was asking for a friend. I was sewing in my horse room, and so I grabbed my "white Arabian Family" from off the shelves, set them out on the ironing board, and took a quick snap for her.

I explained that the mare and foal on the right were actually not Family Arabs but Proud Arabs, and a joke ensued, one that Jessica actually found funny despite the fact that she's not overly fond of the collection!

I hope her friend gets to replace her childhood ponies with some from eBay or elsewhere. 

Amy's Spot

Amy, Abby's doppleganger, was my very first horse. I got her when I was twelve years old after waiting for what seemed like an eternity. (In reality, I started asking for a horse when I was five, so it was only seven years. But, to a child, that's a long time!)

Yesterday Craig and I drove past the place where I purchased Amy in 1970. I quickly whipped out my phone and grabbed some snaps as we went by.

The area has changed quite a bit - it's about 20 acres on a sweeping bend of Indiana 25 with the Wea Creek curving back behind the property. At the time there were four or five modest ranch homes, each with its own little barn and some fenced in pasture.

A couple of the little barns remain, but the place no longer seems to have horses like it used to. (We also bought our cob, Pokey, at this place a few years after I got Amy.)

I rarely travel out that way, but when I do, I always look for "Amy's spot" and smile. She was my "horse of a lifetime" and so many fond memories are wrapped around her.

This sassy miss is a wonderful reminder of her....

... and beloved in her own right, too.