BF 2025 Loot

 

Time for the traditional loot shots.  If nothing else, this is a good way to document the inflow and outflow of my herd.  Although in comparison to others' loot shots this may look small, believe me, this is larger than usual for me.  And I'm almost sure I forgot something!

 The prize of the year, and the most expensive horse, was the lovely Stone Half-Arab Mare in glossy Sooty Buckskin.  That I have this Akhal Teke at all must go to the kindness of Mary Chrusciel 'in the 100s,' who took off a percentage to entice me.  Or was it reward!?  One thing's for sure.  The Stone factory name 'Garbo' was absolutely wrong for me!  Later I found the right name.  I wanted something exotic and dry and wild, like a high desert, the Tekes' home, yet feminine.  "Florissant," as in the Florissant Fossil Beds in Colorado:  what do you think?

Grey pinto SM is for a friend at home

 I did forget something:  the White Running Mare.  She will appear in another post.  She's not in the Loot portrait because she was sold again during BreyerFest.

 Since a person can only purchase 2 Special Runs and I wanted 3, that meant one of them would have to be gotten aftermarket.   I drew the two I wanted -- Future is Bright and Good Friends -- but I hadn't counted on Breyer's variations!!  Pahh!!! -- I do NOT care to purchase a horse sight unseen!!  Another blog post will explain how I wound up with the Long Mane version of Future Bright.  But choosing between the Long and Roach Mane versions of Good Times Roll was a real challenge.

Normally I am a glossy person.  Decades have gone by this way!  But lately my choices have been changing, starting with Sassy/Tawny, whom I definitely wanted satin, and Cosimo, whom I want matte.  (I didn't have the funds to get Cosimo;  see, I am not all-powerful.)  I already had two of the Show Jumper mold, and both of them are Long Mane (1 glossy 1 matte).  I first encountered Good Times Roll in the Open-air Stock Market, which is what I call the Nina Blvd post-tent area.  Dear strangers, how kind you are to share your horses with a casual walk-up!

After a full day considering it, I decided to get the braided Roach.  I like having variations, once I know what they are!  I felt I could provide glossy enough on my own, either by Krylon or by handshine (oiling), for protection,.. if needed at all, an arguable point.  Strongly influencing me was the fact that most people wanted the glossy and thus the matte would be considerably cheaper.

And he was.  I got him for less than a hundred, later in the rooms, on Friday.  This made him actually the first of my Special Runs to come into my hands.  My FB readers will find a funny story about him there, captured in this pic.

What no one notices is that his oiling process has begun.  He is one handsome horse.  I am, probably mistakenly, referring to him as a Manchado Appaloosa.  His impulsively-bestowed name, Uncle Rolly [roll-y], is hopefully not permanent --!!!

Future Bright, whose name turned out to be Rummo [room-oh] Juneteenth,  -- pasta and freedom, I do love naming a horse -- refuses to let go of Dry's Orange Hackamore.  He simply looks too good in it, and I am bowing to his wishes.  This lovely palomino is the son of Tawny/Sassy.  Only in model-horse-land can you have a mare and son without any hint of the sire,...  he is a glint in the owner's eye,...

The white mare and foal were last-minute, change-of-target purchases after I'd spent several days combing the entire hotel for a Stone palomino ASB.  The mold is rare.  I bear witness in personal testimony:  I looked through all 600 rooms, and found 8 or 9 of them.  It's true one was a palomino:

But he was a repaint, and that had not been on my shopping list.  It made me think.  Was this an acceptable alternative?  At this time, the answer is no.  But if another year goes by without me finding what I think I want, I will start to consider that path.

The Stone Palomino ASB is supposed to be the husband of Tawny and the father of Rummo.  I want a hard glossy finish, a metallic coat and minimal white.  I don't want, after Sassy, to order anything from the factory;  more on this decision later.   But it's becoming clear that I may have to either spend much more time looking or soften my demands.  After all, I've spent 2 years trying to get that white foal Ollie -- !  first seen at my own show, Happy Valley Fun Show, November 2023.

BreyerFest is a great place to find out more about everything model horse.  People were exceptionally nice to me.  A dear old friend, Heather, gave me a slew of BFest pins she had accumulated over the years.  And the stickers that came in!!  Some were bought, but most thrust themselves upon me.

 

The same Heather saw to it I did not travel home without any tack.  Thank you, dear.

The final hats-off should go to the rabbit.  This bunny is a needlefelted creation by Tina DeCaussin.  I found her, and him, in the 400s.  She reeled out a story of how she felt constrained by perfectionism in painting/sculpting ponies but was completely freed with needlefelting.  Indeed her little critters -- dogs, kittens, badgers, dragons, hippos -- were irresistable.  My husband collects bunnies and this one is for him.  Oh dear hobby, do not let perfectionism destroy your pleasure in creating!  And if it does, why then, try a sideline like this one.  Tina, I am deeply impressed.

 This year was a good one, though of course, all was not perfect.  I managed to stand up Mares In Black on Sunday morning  :(  and I still haven't seen a scrap of online programming.  I did my 5K race, but at a walk, because I'm recovering from a toe injury.  (Yes, that is an hour and twenty minutes.)  I placed last in my runner class,... but I finished without pain!  and took a ton of pictures, which may or may not appear in another future post. 

Hazy is a good symbol here: long, tender, rubbery legs!

As one gets older one just does not have the energy for all the intensity of years past.  Still it was so wonderful and I treasure every minute very much.