Congas I

I promised a blog post on congas.  This was partly because this new class was so much fun at my recent show, and partly because I counted how many congas my collection really had ("King's Herd's Hidden Congas") and was astounded at the answer (if you define conga as 3 or more of one mold, it was 36).  Also, I find myself increasingly collecting other peoples' conga photos, Stone and Breyer alike.  It is a fascinating field.  While I cannot possibly document all my thirty-six in one post, I thought I might start with a mix of shots from this year's Happy Valley Fun Show and from my existing files.

My own HVFS took place on November 15 and had 33 classes, all judged by one person (me).  The conga class, new for this year, was near the end.  We had 5 entries for it.  The winner was Kim's Classic Walking Draft Horses, sculpted by Mel Miller.  I'd had no idea there were this many.  I thought the variety, arrangement and documentation were very good (nobody else had papers or boxes).  Yay Kim!

 It's always hard to explain placing.  While these teeny little charmers stole everyone's hearts, they only drew second place.  These are the grazing Mini Whinny foals, who first came out in 2005.  Again, I'd had NO idea there were this many!!  They were so cute that both Kim and I photo'd them.

 A more traditional conga showed up with these Roxies.  These were also popular and both Kim and myself photographed them, but from different angles, so you get to see them twice.  These Roxies took third -- that is why the yellow-colored chocolate candy ball is sitting there -- it's the 3rd place ribbon.

 A more unorthodox view has me comparing and considering the many different tails of this mold.

I'm afraid no one photo'd the 4th-place entry, composed of Stablemate Pasos.  But the fifth place Frieseian conga did get photographed.  Although this is clearly the largest conga, I thought them less cute than the foals, and the mold is less close to my heart than Roxy.  Still it is an impressive sight, and must have taken a long time to assemble.

My own collection boasts 2 'official' congas in addition to hordes of unofficial ones.  Having said that, when I counted them, the official ones came in at 12 and 11 while an unofficial trounced everyone with 18--!!  Of course, those eighteen were my ISHs, Stone's Ideal Stock Horse.  I knew I had a lot,... the number fluctuates over time.

So we'll end this first phase congas post with a look at my Classic Liams (Stock Horse Geldings)(the 11) and my Buffaloes (the 12).  I recently posted this shot on my FB in tribute to the kindness of Margaret Loesch of the GrayWoodsCat.  Indeed and truly it is a gift to have a friend who's a dealer.  Thank you Margaret.

 There are some earlier blog posts featuring some of the horses in this conga:  Black Beauty vs. RCMP  and  PalmHenge  and  Reshelving the Classics.

And finally, there's my Buffaloes.  They already have a couple of blog posts of their own, but thanks to the Yuletide Cheer Photo Challenge, they got to be re-shot.  I don't want to talk about the dusting!  What a stampede!!

 Here are their blog posts:  Buffalo Conga  and   Hunting a 12th Buffalo.  Clearly I did pick up a 12th buffalo -- he's just not Waban.  He's a standard no. 76.  I've reached the point where I don't know which one he is;  one of the 3 with white horns with black tips that aren't identifiable as anyone else.

 We'll quit for now ith this dizzying view.  It would be nice to blog about King's Herd's hidden congas, but other subjects have priority, not least a fabulous silver saddle.  It has been harder than I anticipated to start work on one's own saddle.  I have dozens of Christmas letters still to go out too.  It's been another year of slowing responses (I must be getting older), but it had some truly great spots, and I am so glad for them.

As ever, thanks for reading. 

 

 

Sleighing with Rowan

 

This will be that rarest of things for me, a short blog post (hah!).  I had so much fun harnessing, posing, shooting and processing this little guy,... all for one prompt for the Yuletide Cheer Photo Challenge.  This series of pix deserves to be shared, not only for their holiday appropriateness, but for learning about basic PhotoShopping.  An earlier sleigh post by me will be linked at the end.

I've been wanting another driving pony for some time.  I chose the long mane stallion version of Rowan partly because I had a pony mare waiting (she is the Rapunzel), partly because I was convinced he could wear a harness regardless of all that hair (he could), but mostly because I just liked him better than the mare Rowan.  (I'm even keeping his name!)  And isn't that what it's all about -- ? 

I'm enchanted with myself for remembering to make tracks in the snow. 

 I want to start with the unprocessed shots, that is, the ones that aren't yet PhotoShopped.  Above we see my back deck, flower pots and all, in the fast-melting snow of Dec 11.  It is, in fact, snowing, but the camera didn't catch it.  I'm lying down on a coat with my back to the house wall, trying not to disturb the snow.  These 4 shots are the pick of the litter of 17, so there's the first lesson:  Digital images are Cheap.

 There was considerable difficulty getting my head low enough, and getting the appearance of distance around the rig.  A front shot solves at least one of these problems:  It allows you to collapse the length.  Also, this angle did not need any Photo-Shopping of the snow.

I cobbled his harness together from 2 other sets, one made for a pony and the other for a Trad.  (Which just meant a session of reversing the process afterwards.)  The santa suit was a gift from Bobbie C. and has shown me a neat way not to need a new Santa figure.  Instead, the famous white ermine cloak is given to Steve's lady friend, my Western rider Chalif.  Neither one of them has gloves,...  Stupidly, I couldn't find the whip at first.  Imagine my chagrin when I found it lying in the sleigh body!!

This one's great (above) but damn he looks like he's going downhill.  Below:  I have cropped these 4 shots, taking out the railing and most of the white tray on the right horizon.  I was also trying to show the bumper stickers on the rear of the sleigh.

So far, so good.  Now for the PhotoShopping.  I've had years of experience with PhotoShop Elements, yet I still feel I've explored only a corner of its vast warehouse.  One thing it can do is warp, or skew, a photo.  The downhill pony could be levelled.  However, I ended up not using that particular shot.

What I did do was erase most of the lines in the snow.  They originally were melt lines from the planks of the deck.  I also moved snow higher, to cover the bases of some of the pots.  I used a combination of Smear and Healing Spot, along with several passes of custom draw, copy, move and paste.  Here is the bumper sticker photo, before (above) and after.  Can you see how the snow has unmelted?

Here is my final product, the finished version of the second photo of this post and the pick of the litter.  I liked the way there was white behind Rowan's head.  Note the snow around the black pot's base in the upper left.  The strong little pony, comfortable with a breastcollar harness and wearing bells!, is well equipped to travel all the way to an old friend's house.

Here is the promised link to my earlier blog post on Sleighs:  Sleigh Pix

So, what's next?  Beyond something like 48 Christmas letters, I sure want to buckle down on a silver saddle.  Yes, it's just one now;  the other is on holiday till spring.  I know I promised posts on congas and saddles.  Thank you for your patience.
 

Timaru Star II #12

 

Back in July I published a blog post about Breyer's 75th Anniversary display in the Kentucky Horse Park's Museum of the American Saddlebred.  Ever since then I've been meaning to blog about the striking silver Parade saddle contained in that display.  I'm almost out of time!! -- the 75th year will be over in less than a month.  Well,... better late than .... you know.

This saddle is one of my oldest silver sets.  It has a long and interesting history.  Its story can be divided into 3 stages, with a fourth for this year's display.  Meanwhile here is a link to that July post:  75th at the American Saddlebred Museum 

The first and oldest stage began in April of 1983 [the 1982 of the museum is wrong], meaning this saddle is 42 years old,... older than my marriage, if y' can believe it!  In 1983 I'd been operating the TSII as a mail-order business for 5 years, long enough to get some of the kinks out.  This painted-silver piece was for a fast-becoming-important customer of mine, an artist in her own right.  It was the second silver Parade set she'd ordered from me;  the first, TSII #10, had been ordered in March of the same year.  Repeat customer!  How valuable they were!  As was the custom of extremely kind customers who were photographers in the era of photo showing, she sent me a picture of her completed entry.  This is *Opium, an Amarna r/r/h.  Yes:  it was Elizabeth Bouras who became one of my 3 most important and influential early patrons and supporters.

Photo by Amarna / Bouras

This photograph is still in my Red Scrapbook for the first 15 years of TSII Silver Parade sets.  The bit was by Sue Rowe of Sojurner Studios.

The second stage for #12 came circa 1988-1989 when, undoubtedly for reasons of artistic expression and development, Paula O'Keefe decided to decorate the set.  She "tarted it up" with black backgrounding and red jewel dots.  

I have to admit the black made for a more striking set.  

Nine years later, in 1997, for whatever reason (I do not remember the circumstances), on March 12, the set came back into my hands.  The goal was a complete rebuild, restoration and re-do with silver tape.  This job was one of my first, if not the first, restorations of a TSII saddle.  Number 12 was fourteen years old (14) at the time, and silver tape technology had swept away the earlier silver paint ideas.

 

(I just want to say, at this point, that silver paint should not be dismissed out of hand.  It is one of the longest-lasting, and easiest, technologies we have for silver on model tack.  It can be easily renewed and protects things well.)

And so #12 reached its third stage.  It took me almost a month to redo the whole set.  I remember cleaning and polishing the bridle.  It had an elegant simplicity of the sort I had been looking for, in that year of working towards the publication of my first book, Guide to Making Model Horse Tack [1998].  I was trying to describe the concept of design within your skill level, not making things too hard for beginners, but showing how beautiful and harmoniously detailed simple tack could be.  This bridle was an awesome example of that concept, straight from my earlier self.

 The page below is from my Red Scrapbook.  The writing is transcribed below.

 

 

"The Three Lives of Saddle #12

"The first life began in April of 1983.  The only photo I have may be seen in the Red Parade Scrapbook.  No red spots;  solid silver taps, drapes, breastcollar & fender;  silver pommel;  no hip drops.  It was the third Traditional size Parade set ever made w/ the [diamond] stamp;  and the second TSII saddle for the same customer, Liz Bouras.  Original purchase price:  $75.00.

"The second life began in 1988-9 when Paula O'Keefe added the red dots and other black markings, seen here.   Bit by Sue Rowe, c. 1983.

 "The third life began March 12, 1997.  Extensive notes, as well as photos, were taken.   See N.A. Notebook IV  9703.12 - 9704.03.  Twenty-seven pages -- surely a record, even if they are small pages!   I chose to keep Paula's idea of black background with diamonds, but the red dots had to go.  Completely silver taped,  fenders raised, seat darted, new reins, new blanket, new hip drops.  Total hours:  30.7   3 Weeks & 1 Day.

"To silver-tape old painted sets ike this, first I scratch off the paint w/ a knife.  Use Scotch tape to lift more off.  Black Dye & Edge Dye areas.  Cut silver tape to fit, stamp it down w/ same stamp used 14 years ago.  Cut off excess, smoothe edges.  Finally, paint with a glue solution, to help prevent lift.  ALL THIS is only for the solid silver areas!"

 "The goal is to retain as much as possible of the spiritual and physical old saddle, while also incorporating modern improvements that 1) are possible, 2) have proven their worth, such as liners, single neckstrap, rotating ring in reins etc. 3) do not compromise the saddle as a whole, but rather enhance it and prolong its life.  Some might say I'm ruining history.  To them I say Look at Notre Dame.  & I am assiduously documenting everything.  Who better to make these decisions than myself?   --  N.A. Notebook IV"

 This last rather self-centered and confusing paragraph, I'm afraid, tried to defend against attacks that were never made.  The reference to Notre Dame reflects, I think, my reading about this famous church, and how it continually evolved over time, being constantly under repair!  In any case, I went on to restore something approaching a quarter of the 100 or so TSII silver Parade saddles that exist;  so I cannot've had too many qualms about it.

Three years later, in 2000, I took pictures of the restored #12 on this chestnut PAS.  The shot can still be seen on my website.
 

It is not clear to me how the saddle landed back in my hands.  Perhaps I made something for the Bourasi and they paid me for it.  What is clear is that for the next 25 years, TSII #12 sat on my saddle rack, under the plastic sheeting, and watched while my tack collection slowly grew along with my skill.  I probably put it to use now and then, but I'm not remembering anything much about that.

(2512.19 Note from the future:  I found this pic, taken 4 years ago, while searching for something else.  The horse is Seurat, named Sorpresa in my herd:)

This view shows the bit well.

I also found this shot of TSII #12 on a completely different mold, the Stone ASB, taken in June of this year.  There is not room for the hip drops;  despite his long back, the saddle is large.

 For the record, the lowest (4th) pole holds my 4 Terry Newberrys, rightmost.

Fourth stage.  When Breyer contacted me in June of this year, 2025, I had about 8 silver parade saddles on hand:  the 5 shown above, one miserable painted one in a bag (a wreck), TSII #309 prism tape Canadian on a horse on the shelves, and my precious Carol Howard silver set on a Carol Howard resincast.  Most of this number were old painted ones.  TSII #23, the one on the second pole down above, might have qualified for their purposes, but its jewels, in the centers of the medallions, had all corroded into blackness and were falling out.  A lot of repair would be called for!  The best and brightest, TSII #400, my own Rainbow Brilliance prism set, was simply too loud and colorful for the job.  That left #12.

Amazing how a 40+ year old saddle could still be used,...  Take note ye, how good tack lasts and lasts!

If you managed to get into the Museum, let me know whether you enjoyed the display.

 ************************************************************************

So what's next?  Blogwise, it's congas and cavalcades if it's not silver Parades.  Tackwise it's definitely silver Parades!  But, in fact, it's probably gotta be Christmas letters.

 

 

The 4-Color One-Ear

This One-Ear flat braid curb bridle, in rust, dark brown, rawhide-dyed and linen white, with split reins, was finished December 2.  It is now up for offers!  I will stop (soft-close) taking offers at 9:00 pm, Tuesday, the 9th of December.  The current high bid stands at:    $325.00  (bidder 4)          

 The TSII thanks Marianna S. for her winning bid! 

This will be the last piece the Timaru Star II tack shop offers to the public for the year.  

Fine print:  High bidder pays domestic postage & handling if price falls below $145.  If price finishes at or over $145 there will be no charge for postage & handling.  Paypal and personal checks are accepted;  checks held til clear if I do not know you.  Foreign postage needs to be paid by high bidder.   I am not permitted to ship to China or Russia.  My PayPal address is the same as my email address, sbytsii@verizon.net.  My text number is 814-470-7199.  Be patient with me, my cell phone habits are still forming;  for instance, we shut down at 9pm Eastern most nights and come back on around 9am the following day, but are not always available every moment.

There was a clear best-of during the photo shoot:  Cosimo the Murguese!  I hadn't thought of this horse at all while making it;  but once I put it on him, we had a winner.

Yay Mink!  [Sculptress of the Murguese]

Every piece of tack starts with a vision.  This bridle started with the cheek buckles.  A customer had requested a portrait piece (she sent me photos of a championship bridle with beautiful custom-engraved cheek buckles), but after I managed to execute the buckles,

she said she didn't want them!!  A lot of work went into those babies;  I hadn't engraved Argentium since 2020.  I got them the way I wanted, and started really liking them.

 The customer later changed her mind;  but by then my vision had grown to the point where it drowned her desires.  (She got her bridle, and thank heavens, was pleased with it.)  I was determined to take those buckles and make a separate bridle of my own design with them.  I would sell it on my own.  And that is how this piece came to be.

Right around this time, Brooks the buckskin pinto Troubador Morgan was appearing.  I didn't have room for him on my shelves -- I already had a Troubador, Morganquest Native Sun -- but he lurked in my heart for a while.  This bridle was surreptitiously made for him, though, naturally, it looked splendid on my own Wacahoota.

 Other equally interesting and detailed parts of this bridle include the braided-thread rein-to-bit connectors, which actually work,

 

and the matching braided-thread curbstrap.  I suppose this last point is its greatest weakness (if model tack could be said to have such).  It is removable, being made with button and slit,

so if someone feels strongly enough against braided-rawhide curb straps, I can make a plain leather one for them.  But at the time, creating this little charmer from my beloved Sue-Rowe-supplied linen thread, and fitting the world's tiniest sewn leather keepers to it, made me inordinately happy.  After 45+ years in the field I could still think up something I hadn't made before.

 I tried the bridle on several larger Trad heads.  It looked reasonable on palominos,

though I had to adjust it 'smallest' for the Carrick.  I tried it on a Stone, with splendid results.

This horse, Bladewalker in my herd, has a deformed left ear.  But you don't see it above.

 (See that rolling eye?  He's mad I shot him from this side!)  The bridle is surprisingly easy to adjust, though one needs to be a little careful with those buckle hooks.

I decided against tassels.  If I had chosen them, a minimum of 4 would have been required:  two rein ends, Ear and curb.  It seemed too much work for a piece I was trying to finish and keep somewhat affordable.  

It is wonderful to be doing braidwork again for straight sale, after my 3-year hiatus for the book.  I know there isn't a Christmas on Mane Street this year.  But as a ghost of that, as well as for Brooks, I offer my first piece to the public since last year's BreyerFest.  Enjoy!

 What's next?  Starting on 2 silver parade sets, one for myself, one for a customer.  Blogging on subjects as diverse as congas, pin sales, historic model Cavalcades (weddings), and, oh, did I mention:  Silver parade sets? !  

Happy Tacking! 

NaMoPaiMo dreams: Kotinga

 

This is one of those share-the-vision posts where the horse may or may not go any further.  So many projects only make it to this stage, the Dream stage (before primer!).  It takes time, effort and discipline to become real.  But hey, every step counts, right?

I never thought I'd have a NaMoPaiMo vision I was slightly afraid to share.  Such a small thing;  but I can hear the voices:  How dare you do that?!  This is not like 2017, when I was merely shy of the whole NaMo idea, and came up an alternate personal vision of making tack instead.  This dream has already manifested in reality:  I've already depainted the horse.  It is that very depainting I'm hesitating to admit.  Still, the desire to share is so powerful that I'm plunging ahead.

My dream vision started in a glorious blaze of certainty.  I knew exactly what I wanted:  a palomino Stone ASB [American Saddlebred, Ringo mold].  (It happens that next year's NaMo has a premium on using a Stone horse.  I found that out after I'd already chosen my victim, so it is a sweet little reinforcement.)  I wanted him a bright metallic orangeish, with low socks and brown eyes, a glowing, gleaming, glimmering palomino.  He's to be the life partner of my Stone palomino Sassy/Tawny, she who has already been featured so largely on this blog.  Sassy is fractionally too dark for my taste (photos don't show this well) and she is not metallic.  He already has found his name, -- sure sign of besottedness -- originally spelt with a C [Cotinga] and referring to the colorful tropical bird.

Sassy / Tawny

Haunting the online markets and pinching pictures is a sure sign of my future buying intentions.  In this fashion I learned there was a 2011 Stone issue out there called "Spirit Mountain," a Stone palomino ASB run of 30 head.  Even now, with all I have done to prepare to paint my own, I think I would drop $$ to get this gentleman:  One can never have too many palominos!

Spirit Mountain.  img src unkn; will credit when known

 I had discussed such a horse with Linda of Design-A-Horse in person, in July this year at BFest.  She said metallicism had not ever been offered, yet told me there might well be future chances with individual pieces by individual artists.  Unfortunately, my overall experience with acquiring Stones has been a strong reinforcement of the old saw "never buy a Stone but in the hand."  Interior and secret long-simmering angst at both the waits and the prices, combined with NaMoPaiMo experience, set me on the path of attempting my own.  If I failed, the fault would be entirely mine.

Photo by Ryan Morrisey

I knew unpainted Stones were out there.  But finding one I wanted at a price I could afford depends on timing (as it does for every model purchase).  I wanted one NOW, to start the primering process.  In September I found an ASB for $120.  In a sudden stroke of daring I saw that his color included a palomino's mane and tail and hooves and eyes.  These parts, so essential to an O.F. and the toughness-of-coat I wanted, were already in place.  I had only to etch away his grey.

If you think I didn't hestitate, you'd be wrong.  But I have a long track record of pushing through with experimental projects.  What price learning?  I've never liked greys, I prefer a warm-colored horse.  

I started with the back spot. 

What I hadn't counted on was how fun it was!  Etching is relaxing.  There were tack pieces I was supposed to be working on, a trip to prepare for, long-neglected housecleaning and mending, blog posts promised but not done, oh, everything!  Yet what my Muse really, really wanted to do was sit down there and scratch away.  I started with the X-Acto and ended up adding a file and rubbing alcohol.

These few photos show my methods:  The jewellers file, the alcohol (bottle on right), the Qtips and the X-Acto (lower right).  Not shown is my half-round X-Acto which did the lion's share of the work.  The photo below, an oddity!, was taken to show some of my real, full scale horse tack.  Based on the grey on the shoulder, he was earlier than the above shot.

  Dang if he don't look good at this stage...

Note surface texture, hoof spots, and grey on chest

 

I didn't keep track of how long this depainting took, but it was more than 2 weeks.  I refined as I went until the last places were very smooth.  The eyes and sheath were the most challenging;  I wanted to retain the dark skin around these parts but had to allow for future blending of edges.  There's going to be a godawful amount of taping:  Even the crack between his quarters is a lovely pink which I don't want to primer over... !

I had previously painted a metallic buckskin:

 

 

so I'm not a complete greenhorn.   But I am wondering.  I never had to worry about the definition of unpainted before!  What if this form of depainting is illegal for NaMo?  Not the act itself, but in choosing a horse already partly painted?  Honestly, I hadn't thought this through until now!

 

 I learned so much.  I learned rubbing alcohol was not up to the job, but would serve well enough if fine scratching or filing had been done beforehand.  One had to be patient,...  and persistent,... and eventually the coat would come white.  There was primer under that grey, I had not known that.  He was, of course, a glossy, and my etching left a surface that has been very hard to smooth down to match that gloss.  (I will not quibble about ermine hoof spots on palominos, though I mourn the inevitable loss of the pink shading at the elbows.)  I look forward to the chance to test both his surfaces with primer, sealant, PearlEx and color.

The rules for National Model Painting Month are clear:  Take an unfinished model equine and paint it within the month of February.  Here I thought my shame was only in the depainting of a rare O.F.*  Maybe I can stand that.  This feeling of pride in my accomplishment mixed with tentative worry at others' understanding is so much a part of this hobby's history that I am almost comforted...

Da-ned if it's gonna stop me.  As things are turning out I'll only have the first half of Februay to work with.  My husband is ever-more insistent on taking trips "while we still can."  We shall be gone from February 15 to March 9.   We're trying to evade winter weather down in Florida.  I know it sounds unbelieveable, but the last January we were down there it was much colder than in Pennsylvania.  It was so cold (in Florida!) that our car keys thought their batteries were dead!  -- while they were in our pockets!!  Eh well, he's been experimenting with alternate seasons of the year for our usual birding haunts.  This is a longwinded way of saying I only have half of February.  Maybe that's an excuse to try to paint half a horse.

*Research is ongoing as to how many of this model were made.  As of this writing I have 2 answers, 6 and 30 (thank you K!).  The run was issued in 2011 for Equilocity.  Will update when more is known. 

Remember I'm the one who painted a Silver Dapple Fighting Stallion back in the 80s.  Silver Dapple Fighter.  Apparently I've always been stepping out onto strange lands and unknown places in the context of my beloved hobby.  This is just one more.

These photos are by Kelly Weimar.  Thank you Kelly!  Not just for these, but for giving him a good home. 

Killington (left),  SEB Silver Dapple Fighter (rt)

An impromptu view taken in her collection.  The warmer silver color is fascinating.

Next step for Kotinga:  Taping.