Hobbies and Oddities

Imagine jogging along on a big bay gelding. He is one of your favorite cattle horses. The cows need to be moved out of the brush pasture by the river and you want a solid horse for the rough terrain. Maybe your just going out to check the cows?  Well all this takes place in your Kitchen where your making tack for your strange an unusual hobby...Model Horse Collecting. I got into the hobby while I was working for The Stepehenson Family of Diamond Shorthorns, the two girls not only love cows but like all little girls were crazy about anything to do with horses. Their mother is a teacher and one week when I was working show cattle for them she asked me if I could spare the time to take Jamie to a live model horse show.

I shook my head...what a pain...I had a lot to do with the cattle but I guess I kill an hour or two.  As it turned out two days later Jamie and I were totally addicted to this very cool hobby. The models are made by several companies...Breyer Model Horses and Stone to name two. There are also resins and china, original finish and custom, almost anything you can want in all sorts of colors and poses. It was so much fun...we "Showed" Jamie's horses in all sorts of classes, the judges took their time and were serious about their placings. Just like any horseshow I have ever been to with a lot less hard work and stall cleaning.

We couldn't imagine some of the things we saw. Tiny saddles with working buckles and latigo's, dripping with silver! English tack on models that were  jumping over miniature  Three day Event Fences. Horses doing everything horses do from ranch work to heavy draft pulling contests. There were lots of Traditional Scale, they are 9 to 1.  Stablemate that are teeny tine at about 2 inches high  all tacked up and ready to go. All breeds had their representitives  in every shade of bay, chestnut, gray, appaloosa and pinto.

It was just a totally absorbing way to spend time and we both came home with horses. My first Breyer was a deep bay AQHA model called Rimrock from the movie the Horse Whisperer...he led to a good sized collection of plastic and even a few very special resins. I make the tack and gear for them all, just a wonderful fun hobby. I have infected friends and my niece and I have had great adventures showing our herds, herds that I might add have grown over time with purchases from all over the place.

Now back to chasing the cows out of the Brush pasture...Frank has his Chinks on and "Cattle Hustler" is jogging along nicely..its going to be a great day!

PS: Type in Model Horses on you web Browser and prepare to be amazed!