Completed Side Saddle Set

For once I've actually made a set relatively swiftly!! But knowing a set of tack will be shown at NAN on a beautiful custom that you'll soon be the proud owner of is very good motivation. This set was made to fit a Salinero custom but I think it looks good on my Hazel resin, Valkyrie, painted by Sheila Bishop. This was actually the first time I've ever tacked Valkyrie up, and she looks very smart despite the unplaited mane. I've been reading up and she could get away with depicting an Autumn hunting scene - apparently horses don't have to be plaited for Autumn hunting. 

90% of the leather in this set is kangaroo, from Packer Direct here in Australia. It is the bookbinding leather and required no skiving except at buckles etc. Hardware is all gold/brass coloured which really sets this havana colour off nicely. The panel is covered in linen, and the breastplate centre and sandwich case are lined with real sheepskin. I also developed a new pattern for this set including a new tree design with riveted fixed and leaping heads for durability and longevity. They are slightly flexible depending on the type of rider used. I also made a hunting crop with a braided leather leash complete with the standard red thong. Enjoy the pictures!

Pony Cuteness!

One of my recent orders has been for a snaffle bridle to fit the Breyer Classic scale Haflinger pony. I didn't have one of my own so decided to order one, as I knew it would be a bit dodgy doing this one from measurements. The cheapest way to get Breyers here in Australia is to buy them from the UK! It takes a week or so for them to arrive but then again the domestic post usually takes that long anyway. I also bought a Classic scale warmblood (the Selle Francais), and a Heartbreaker and Valentine set (or whatever they're called). I don't generally pay too much attention to Original Finish models unless I know I'll need the mould for tack fitting purposes! I do enjoy customising them so they will all become fodder for that. I like the resculpt part but not really the painting part so I'll get someone else to do that!

For the pony, my idea was to get rid of the huge mane and forelock to make her a bit more tack friendly. When she arrived, it's pretty clear she's not true classic scale. Much bigger in fact. I think she'd make a good small pony in Traditional scale. Anyway, just as I was about to start the bridle, I was mooching on MH$P as one does, and came across a gorgeous customised Haflinger by Frances Stevens. Just had to have her, as she was almost perfectly in the image of what I had intended for my original model. She had cute little braids, and a very pretty colour which any little girl would adore!

She arrived last week and I got the bridle finished at the weekend. She made the bridle fitting a lot easier! I made two browbands for the bridle, one to keep intact, and the other can be chopped up if the owner needs it to fit around the forelock on the original model.

 

I've given her the suitably cute name of Mayblossom

Coming up for air!

I have been really busy over the last few weeks. Last weekend I attended my first Live Show in Australia, the Ultimate Gold live show hosted by Stacey Crowley. So I will be writing a couple of posts dedicated to that. But before the show I managed to finish a couple of orders, including two sets of boots for Stacy Quick and Stacey's Morgan bridle.

Stacy's first set was exactly the same as some I had made previously for her. They were for her CM Newsworthy model to match her show jumping set. The second set were a set of four protective boots for a steeplechasing set up she is working on. To save her having to fiddle around with buckles or studs I experimented with magnets for these. The results can be seen below on my Atom resin. They feature stitched on striking pads as I've never had much belief in glue when it comes to striking pads. At least by hand stitching I know they're NOT going to come off! Overall I was pretty happy with the design of these boots and they'll suit cross-country too. I made a set in black leather as my donation to the Ultimate Gold live show and peeps there seemed pretty interested in the magnetic closures. They take seconds to take on and off and the straps have much less chance of breaking or tearing.

Next up was Stacey's bridle for her Darcy resins. I had sworn I had ordered the bit for the bridle months ago but couldn't find it anywhere, so quickly ordered a new one. Luckily it arrived the day before I left for the show so I was able to finish it off. It features a fancy blue browband and noseband with rolled black leather edging.

Finally I am starting to feel like I'm getting on top of my orders. I still have some that are long overdue like the Australian set, as well as concurrent Equorum tack orders, but the light is just peeking through at the end of the tunnel. My books will be closed until these orders are finished and will probably stay closed for a few more months as my stress load at working will be increasing!

In the next few posts I'll have some fun live show pics and results, everyone needs a break from tack once in a while!