A recently completed "Dolittle" pony resin that I painted as a silver dapple pinto for owner Natalie Sherard. 

A photo of "Kaleidescope Kowboy" an older piece that I painted and created a custom base for a few years back.  It looks like he's doing pretty good winning ribbons at live shows.  The photo is courtesy of Karinny Hullahti. 

Beautiful Dozor.  So lovely!

The best laid plans of mice and men......

I got the new saddleseat tack set and I absolutely ADORE it!!!!!  Really great craftsmanship on this tack set.  But it's a big set.....  I put the tack on the model, and then set the half naked doll on top of it, and it's just a bit on the "largish" side.....  So now I'm re-tweeking my plans again.  I've got a large traditional model in my collection that this Honrath set will look absolutely fabulous on (see photos below), so I'll set this tack set aside and paint the model at a later time for it.

So, currently I'm on the hunt for a classic sized saddleseat saddle in a different color that will fit the doll and the model.  I won't give up....    

These are blurry pictures, (my cheap Walmart camera struggles terribly when it comes to extreme close-up zooming.....), but I thought this bird was kind-of cool looking.  I have no idea what kind of bird it was, but he was different from the finches that were hanging around the bird feeder.  He had some neat white "racing stripes" on his head, and the stripes made what looked like a cross on the back of his head.  I really enjoy seeing all the different ones that come to the feeder.

So, this new project of mine has a couple of objectives: 

#1  I have just purchased a saddleseat tack set that needs an appropriate model.
#2  The challenge of reworking a rough resin to fit the above said tack set.
#3  And, the most difficult part - dealing with a rider doll and making clothing for it.  A first for me!

This is going to be a challenge.

Pictured below is my little saddleseat tack that I just purchased from Germany.  I've got another older saddleseat set already, but it's set up specifically for a TWH, (with the straight breast collar and fancy shank bit).  I purchased that set around 14 years ago, and for a short time I showed it on a traditional sized hackney model.  The hackney really wasn't very appropriate for it, (as they are mostly a carriage breed), so I've come to the conclusion that I really need to create a more appropriate model for the new tack set.  (Later on, I should probably create a more appropriate model for the TWH tack as well....)

My new set was made by Steffi Honrath of Golden Creek Saddlery in Germany.  It's shown on a Peter Stone saddlebred, but the model that I will be creating will be from a different manufacturer.

Below are some inspirational videos below of kind-of what I'm shooting for with this whole project:


This one made me tear up a bit....  This is Scotty, a registered saddlebred that was rescued from the New Holland slaughter auction.  I love that his owner shows him almost totally natural.  He has some small wedges for the front, but there are definitely no stacks and no tail set.  (And if you watch, she shows against other competitors that do have them on their horses.)  I give her great respect for saving the horse and getting him out to competing "au-natural".

Another good inspiration for this project, kids having a great time!

And lastly, this one cracked me up.  We all need these types of horses in our lives, the good old school masters that help teaching small children how to learn to ride.  This horse is such a sweet old gem! 

 

 

I just finished this guy up in the studio today.  He was a very interesting challenge!  This is a hair prep version of the Kalendar Prince resin sculpted by Vicky Keeling.  I made a new sand base for him (with added magnets for stability), and painted him a golden chestnut for his owner Melissa Halvas.     

This is an older Kalendar Prince that I did several years ago for Melissa too!  She put the hair on this fellow as well.  It'll be fun to see what the new one looks like with locks!  (Photo courtesy of Melissa Halvas.)