Thursday, October 27, 2011

Alternative Performance Events: Corrida de Sortija


Corrida de Sortija by Roberto Fiadone

This traditional gaucho sport comes from the Rio de la Plata region of South America. In a plaza, a beam is suspended on two ten-foot uprights. Hanging from the underside in the middle of the cross beam is a small ring, about the size of a wedding ring. The aim is to take the ring off the beam, at a full gallop, with a stick about the same thickness as a pencil.


What will I need for a Corrida de Sortija set-up?
  • a fast horse
  • a rider
  • a ring in the correct scale
  • a stick in the correct scale
  • two uprights with a crossbeam
Anything else in that setup is gravy. Since it's a very informal sport, there's not reason it couldn't be bridle-less and bareback. Most often, it's performed during Carnival and other festival times, so if you have the time, inclination and money, you could use some very flashy and celebration-appropriate tack and clothing.

Check back next week for another alternative performance event!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Alternative Performance Events: Mounted Orienteering

Photo by Karen Wilcox

Do you want another event where you can re-use any riding tack your horse already has on? This one might be for you.


Mounted orienteering came from military orienteering, and can be an individual or a team sport. The goal is to find as many objectives as you can in the fastest time. A map of the area is provided at the starting location which shows where the objectives are. The objectives are marked by a circle.


Teams set off at intervals, and ride to the first objective station marked on their map. Once they reach the area, they begin searching for clues (detailed on the back of their map) that will lead them to the objective in that area. When they locate the clue, they can follow the bearing given on the marker at the clue's location, which if done properly will lead them to the objective, or they can search for another clue to help them triangulate where the objective is.


What will I need for a mounted orienteering set-up?
  • a horse
  • a doll
  • saddle
  • bridle
  • map
  • compass
  • scenery (objectives or clues will work well)
Where can I find out more?
North American Competitive Mounted Orienteering


Driven Orienteering
Though I can't find out whether this is an existing sport as a stand-alone, there does appear to be a driving class for the sport TREC. For driven orienteering, you can replace the saddle with a harness and cart of some description.

Where can I find out more?
FITE: the international governing board for TREC


Check back next week for another alternative performance event!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Prestige Leather Miniatures

I was poking around the web trying to 'window shop' for the camera I hope to get for my birthday. I think I've settled on a GE E1450W.

While I was searching for tips on what kind of camera I need to get, I came across a tutorial on photographing miniatures on Prestige Leather Miniatures (tutorial). Well, since it was showing pictures of miniature tack, I poked around a little more. As it turns out, this company specializes in miniature leather items. I'm not sure what scale they're in, but if you're curious, shoot them an e-mail and ask. I'm not too amazed with their saddles, the model horse crowd makes better, more detailed ones, but I think some of their other items in their store might help finish a scene. I really like their leather trunk (you'll need to scroll down to it), and I have a few ideas for what I'd do with a leather trunk like that for photo showing.

I don't have the money to buy any of these things, but being a thrifty sort, Prestige Leather Miniatures has given me a bit of inspiration. I actually have some of the supplies on hand to try my hand at making my own version of that leather trunk, so I think that's something else to get on with in between prepping and painting my batch of SMs.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Racing Results

The results are in for the October MHFC races.
All highlighted horses are Long Road Home horses.

The Quarters
Race 1

Winner: Chicks Black Beauty
Place: Smart Star
Show: Red Sonja
Also ran: Lightning Flashfire, Dragonsblood, Smart As Jones, Texas Jack, Mister Hawke, Soft As Smoke, Zoom Zoom

Race 3

Winner: Hey Mister
Place: Freckles Leone
Show: WS Nu Imperial Jewel
Also ran: League's Pride, Te Bird Skip, Noble Whiskey Solano, WS Goodtime Cowboy Casanova, Bold One, Sam Barco Leo, On Watch
Race 4
Winner: Judah
Place: Skips Jess
Show: Roan Fox
Also ran: The Big Event, WS Lassie Boon, Fancy Red Lace, Bubba, Splashed With Moonlight, Night Cometh, WS Doctor Pep
Paints 
Race 2
Winner: Masked Badger
Place: Painted Trendsetter
Show: Odd Colored Skittles
Also ran: Bahama Breeze, Heza Custom Blend, Lizzies Diamon, Maximum Wattage, Gonna Getcha Good, Ratchetts Star, Zippin At Midnight
Race 3
Winner: Solstice Eclipse
Place: VnV Say My Name
Show: Winx Club Girl
Also ran: WS Ima Cool Outrageous Dandy, WS Zip Mac Hustler, Ceshire Cat, Bleu Ghost, My Mocha Dream, Smooth Criminal, Dash Splash Cash

Standardbreds
Race 2
Win: Miss Sokys
Place: Climhazzard
Show: Blue Chip Cadeau
Also ran: Summer in Darley, Ahrodie, Lune, Wasabi Sensation, O'Donovan, Sassy Lady, Moonlight's Sonata

Thoroughbreds
Race 1

Winner: Jump 4 Joy
Place: Precious Metal
Show: Bold Count
Also ran: Knight's Legacy, WS Count Me In, The Hawkes Belle, Darkwalls Lady, Vision Cry, I'm Lit, On Golden Winds

Race 3

Winner: Sword Dancer
Place: Raggedy
Show: Chasing Liberty
Also ran: Merry Wings, Frosted Dreams, Lightning Blaze, Hello Operator, Irish American, Ladyhawke, Nobel Swap
Points Summary
Mister Hawke: 3
Hey Mister: 10
The Big Event: 7
Heza Custom Blend: 6
Smooth Criminal: 2
Wasabi Sensation: 4
The Hawkes Belle: 5
Hello Operator: 4

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Alternative Performance Events: Ski Joring

Photo from Butternut Farm

This winter sport is derived from a method of transportation, where someone would drive a reindeer, and glide along behind it on skis. This way, they could cover long distances quickly, and with a lower expenditure of energy.

The activity found its way to the rest of Europe sometime in the late 19th century. The first skijoring race in Switzerland was in 1906. That race in 1906 followed roads from one town to another, and racers started at one minute intervals, rather than racing directly against each other. Eventually, the sport was transferred to race courses, and the teams competed directly with each other.

When skijoring found its way to the United States in the mid 1950s, ranchers would attach a long rope to the horn of the saddle of a horse ridden at high speed, and race along long straights. Currently, sanctioned skijoring races in the United States take place in five states, and in these races, skiiers must negotiate jumps and other obstacles, sometimes spearing rings and going through gates.

What will I need for a skijoring set-up?
  • a moving pose horse (faster is probably better)
  • a doll
  • skis
  • saddle or harness
  • rope (with or without handle)
  • bridle with long reins
Where can I find out more?
North American Ski Joring Association
White Turf
Skijoring at patwolfefjords.com

Check back next week for another alternative performance event!

Alternative Performance series starts today at 3pm!

The Long Road Home miniseries "Alternative Performance Events" starts today at 3pm. I hope you'll enjoy it. There will be a new installment every week at 3pm for the next month.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Upcoming Short Series: Alternative Performance Events

Today, I wanted to make some CL-scale lariats (not lassos, lasso is a verb). I'd already found instructions for the proper way to tie them, but I had forgotten what sort of length they tend to be. In searching, I ended up finding my way to Wikipedia, the site that derails many of my daily plans.

One page led to another, and I found myself looking at the list of horse disciplines for some uncommon performance options.

Perhaps some of these will inspire you to create unusual performance setups for your photo and live shows.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Tricky Breed Assignments: Mesteño

Some models are not well-liked in the model horse showing crowd. Some of them are models that don't have good anatomy, and have glaring errors that will get them marked down as a result. Those with decent anatomy are sometimes still badly conformed, but at least look like they're a horse. Those with good anatomy and good conformation can have color problems for the most common breeds that will be suggested.

I conga the Classic standing Mesteño. For all its niggling details, I think it's a very enigmatic model. He's a big, powerful, alert horse, able to reach well under himself in the back. Honestly, he looks like he'd have a high action in the front, too, with his front legs being the way they are. To me, he's a very attractive horse, even with his faults.

So what are his faults?
  1. His neck is thick and unrefined, and extremely thick in the throatlatch. This horse, if it were real, is extremely cresty, with a thick, inflexible throatlatch. He'd have a hard time getting his head down, if he could do so at all.
  2. His hooves are positively horrid, especially on the rear leg that's furthest back.
  3. He's narrow across the hips, and thick across the shoulders.
  4. He has a very coarse head, with that typical flat nose we see in most Breyers.
Okay, clearly, this is a horse that will struggle in shows, both photo shows and live shows. While you might be inclined to show him as a Mustang, if you show him at all, there are in fact other options. Here's a few to consider:
Mongolian Horse
The Mongolian Horse is a very old breed, supposedly unchanged since the time of Genghis Khan. It's a hardy horse, with a stocky build, short legs, and a large head, and a very long mane and tail.

Mesteño isn't a great match for the Mongolian pony, he's long in the neck, and short in the head to be a good representative of the breed, but it's worth a shot if you want to try showing something more unusual.

Australian Brumby
The Australian Brumby is a feral horse, much like the Mustang, found in Australia. They're descended from a wide variety of horse breeds introduced to Australia. Brumbies from various regions have different mixes of breed that have gone into making the modern animal.

Since there isn't really an iconic Brumby appearance, this might be a decent breed assignment for Mesteño models. Brumbies are somewhat common in some showing crowds, so you might find you'll have some hot competition if you decide to show your Mesteno as a Brumby.

Carolina Marsh Tacky
The Carolina Marsh Tacky is a breed native to South Carolina. Like the Florida Cracker and North Carolina Banker, it has colonial Spanish blood that connects it to some of the earliest equines imported to the Americas. It is only recently that a study determined that the Marsh Tacky is gaited: it performs something that is called the Swamp Fox Trot, a broken trot like the foxtrot, but with the timing and durations being more similar to the marcha batida. The marcha batida lacks the diagonal pairing found in the Swamp Fox Trot, however.

I actually show Rum Runner as a Carolina Marsh Tacky. I think he's a decent fit for the breed, if a bit coarse in the head and neck. You won't see too many people showing Carolina Marsh Tackies. The catch to this, of course, is that you tend to be in the "Other Pure Breeds" category, which can mean tough competition from all the other rare breeds.
If you're prepared to customize your Mesteño to show him, then these breeds might give you a jumping off point for what to do once you've decided to customize him. Sadly, most of the customizing you'd need to do would be a lot of work. The Mesteño horse is a drastic job, no matter how you look at him.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

EA Equestrian Photostories

When I got my first Breyer catalog, many many years ago, I dreamed of making photostories with my model horses. Sadly, I never did get a Breyer during my childhood, they were too expensive for my below the national poverty line family.

As I grew up, the desire for a Breyer never went away, and eventually, I bought myself one after I got married and moved to America: Sonador, a CL Ginger. By this point, I didn't have a camera that was any good, and I planned on customizing Sonador into Sunny, a QH gelding I worked with while I worked as a joust squire for the Renaissance Faire.

Sonador is still not Sunny, and I still haven't told any photo stories. Maybe the photo story thing will change soon, since I'll have a nice new camera to play with toward the end of November.

For now, I content myself looking at other peoples' photo stories, so this week, I'm sharing a link to a place with some neat photo stories.

This is EA Equestrian Photostories, written by the very talented lass at Last Alliance Studios. She makes tack, customizes, and tells some great photo stories to boot.

Monday, October 3, 2011

FriesianFury's Feathers Tutorial

I was reading through some of the blogs I follow, and followed a link to this nifty tutorial. It's not bad at all, and well worth bookmarking for future reference. The reference pictures alone are worth heading over there.

Go check it out >

Sunday, October 2, 2011

September Show Results

Here's my September show results. I'm pretty pleased with the results this month, it's a nice thing to come back to after a tough month.

LRH Nighthawke
 
Judge 1
Novice CM/Resin/China: Young Mare: 4th place out of 9 entrants
Novice CM/Resin/China: Warmblood (open registry): 1st place out of 1 entrant
Novice CM/Resin/China: Carriage/Sport Breed Reserve Champion
Novice CM/Resin/China: Bay/Brown: 2nd place out of 2 entrants
Total points: 46

Judge 2
Novice CM/Resin/China: Young Mare: 6th place out of 10 entrants
Novice CM/Resin/China: Warmblood (open registry): 1st place out of 1 entrant
Novice CM/Resin/China: Carriage/Sport Reserve Champion
Novice CM/Resin/China: Bay/Brown: 2nd place out of 2 entrants
Total points: 44

Grand total points: 90

LRH Xiwang
 
Judge 1
Novice CM/Resin/China: Senior Stallion: 1st place out of 1 entrant
Novice CM/Resin/China: Senior Horse Champion
Novice CM/Resin/China: Overall Gender Reserve Champion
Novice CM/Resin/China: Fantasy: 1st place out of 1 entrant
Novice CM/Resin/China: Other Breed Champion
Novice CM/Resin/China: Overall Breed Reserve Champion
Novice CM/Resin/China: Fantasy/Decorator: 1st place out of 1 entrant
Novice CM/Resin/China: Overall Reserve Grand Champion
Total points: 170

Judge 2
Novice CM/Resin/China: Senior Stallion: 1st place out of 1 entrant
Novice CM/Resin/China: Senior Horse Champion
Novice CM/Resin/China: Fantasy/Decorator: 1st place out of 1 entrant
Novice CM/Resin/China: Other Breed Reserve Champion
Novice CM/Resin/China: Fantasy/Decorator: 1st place out of 1 entrant
Novice CM/Resin/China: Other Color Reserve Champion
Total points: 100

Grand total points: 270


That's all for this month. Thanks for judging the shows, MHFC members!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Cats, glasses, and life

The last month and some change has been very hectic for me. My cat had an eye infection, which developed into a dismetocele (a crater in the cornea), which required surgery. The treatment for the infection, and then the aftercare for the surgery put my whole life on hold. He's finally out of his "cone of shame" and getting back to normal, and I have only four more days, including today, of intense medication schedules.

Despite being very busy with my cat, I have been getting a few things done here and there, including constructing a SM scale stall from craft sticks. I've got a lot left to do, and I doubt I'll finish it before the new year, but when it's finished, I'll be showing it off on here. I've also made a few SM scale cross-country jumps, which only need some finishing touches.

The next thing that came up was that I got superglue vapor on my old glasses. It stuck to a smudge on the lens, and that was the end of that pair of glasses. I need my glasses for detail work. My vision isn't bad enough I need glasses for everything, but I can't read, write, or work on tack, painting and other detail crafts without them. My prescription changed significantly in one eye as well, and I'm still getting used to my new glasses. The focal area seems much smaller, because I have smaller lenses than I did before. I have two pairs now, one for general work, and one very narrow lensed pair that are good for keeping my focus on writing (actually why I chose them).

With my birthday coming up toward the end of November, I've decided to put a hold on trying to get good sales pictures of my halters with my bad camera, since I'm going to be getting a slightly better camera for my birthday this year.

I'm going to try assemble a quick how-to guide on photoshowing with a bad digital camera, since I have the example pictures ready. I might be moving on to a new camera, but I'm sure there are a few people out there who might glean something useful from my experience.

I'm still prepping my batch of SMs. Does the prepping phase ever end? I'm so done with prepping, I want to get to the painting, but I think I'm going to hit problems with sealer now that we're in fall and heading toward winter. My sealer doesn't work well in low temperatures, it gets grainy.

I'll still be showing through fall and winter, so it won't be completely dead around here, and I'll still be able to make tack. I have a nice halter design that I'm planning to make a lot of. I stocked up my tack making kit last time I made a trip to Wal-mart, with cheap jewelry making supplies and some grosgrain ribbon. The current set of halters are red satin-backed black grosgrain with jump-ring hardware (including a new no-bend jump-ring buckle design that looks pretty neat), and look pretty spiffy. More on those at the end of November, when I can show them off properly.