Well I guess I didn't need the light box just now, anyway...

Ah, the joys of cat ownership...

Friesian sjees harness

A custom order, and a harness design that I'm using for the first time:

The saddle was made with a coke can "seat" with skiver stretched over it.

The blinker stays are adjustable...

And the reins are the cotton cord I've been using for leashes and lead ropes.


This is also the first harness I've made using tongue buckles! A bit more difficult than regular friction buckles, but I like the look and it's easier to adjust!

With the crupper attached. (whoops) These do not come with breeching, interestingly enough.

And last but not least, a new dog collar set for eBay, this time with some Swarovski bling:

Interesting what one can find around the house to take photos for eBay, the box the dog is standing on was a box for a bracelet that was a gift, and the backdrop is one of my old vet clinic scrubs. XD

eBay auction can be found here.

Until next time!

And still more colored leather lace!

This one using the red lace, which looks pretty darn good on the Breyer Dalmatian (modelled here on "GW Hello Operator"). It is also for sale on eBay.




It also comes with a lead and a rope "bone" toy (dog isn't for sale).

Pretty in pink

More colored lace, this time Juliet is modelling a draft foal size barn halter. The chin and crown have tongue buckles and the throatlatch attaches with a mini lanyard clip. The lead, again, is twisted cotton cord.





Halter is currently for sale on eBay.

The cord is from JoAnne's and comes wrapped on a card in five yard lengths. It was fairly kinked because of the packaging (you can see this in the rope halter post below), so adapting a tip I found on the internet, I set about correcting this problem. I cut the length I needed plus a little extra (around an inch or so), soaked it in water, then anchored one end to a shelf and weighed down the other end with a "chip clip" plastic clothesline-type clip, so the cord hung down and dried stretched out. It dried in about ten minutes and now drapes beautifully.

Yellow, how are you?

I found a new source for not only 'roo lace, but colored 'roo lace. And it comes in some nice, brilliant colors, too. The yellow was my favorite out of the batch I bought, I thought it would look good on bays and chestnuts like Sparrowhawk here.

Doesn't look quite as nice on greys and grullas like Riddle, though, but I was just trying it out to see if it fit other models.


It also fits Flash...
...as well as old Amazon.

The lead is twisted cotton cord with yellow accents and a mini lanyard clip. The buckle holes were punched using an old mechanical pencil (thank you Jennifer Buxton for posting the tip in her blog!) This halter and lead is currently for sale on eBay.

I also got turquoise, pink, royal blue, and red to work with, so I'll be posting more photos soon...

Mini-post!

Twisted cotton cord from JoAnne's + ecru DMC floss + superglue for sealing the ends= simple yet elegant old-fashioned Draft Horse rope halters!

Pictured here on NASD mare "Belly Dancer" and her filly "Juliet".

More Bucc photos

A few of my halter winners and other models from around the show hall. If you see yours and would like credit or wish to have your photo removed, please let me know.

"I'm Your Huckleberry"- OF Breyer Flash #594. Shown as a grade pony gelding, he wins/Champs just about every time out.


Clockwise from lower left- "Autumn Miss Sally" Breyer G1 OP Morgan Mare #5038, third OF Morgans; "Captain Caveman" Breyer G3 Andalusian #5971, first OF Other Spanish, OF Champion Spanish Breeds; and "Pearlin' Jean" Breyer Shetland Pony #25, first OF British Ponies. (with "GW Hell on the Red" OF Breyer Irish Setter in the upper right. I don't remember if he placed...)


Faye Cohen/Vicki Keeling Arabian. I love this guy's expression.

A lovely H-R Arabian.


Morgen Haberman's stunning brindle Matriarch in fine harness (someday I hope to make a harness as nice as this...)

One thing I took away from this show is that I must get a Strapless to show in Performance. So elegant and versatile!

BF SR "Sprinkles" all decked out in Native American costume. I didn't like her much form the BF promo materials, so I turned down a couple of trade offers for pickups. Now I wish I'd accepted!


The winner (and rightly so) of the OF Harness class. Most impressive setup!


I was in love with both this CM Lone Star and his tack.


A full body shot of Lone Star. Hubba-hubba!

That's all for the Buccaneer Live photos, stay tuned for next time!

Buccaneer Live post!

A few weeks late, sorry!

We attended Buccaneer Live model horse show in Lincoln, NE, over the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of August, here are a few photos of my performance entries.

This was my harness entry for this year, Fishbiscuit taking Christian and Jodi for an afternoon drive with foxhound "Vera" and Sheltie "Trade Winds" in tow. (5th place)



The harness is currently for sale on eBay.

Christian giving Jodi riding lessons on Fish, with Psi "assisting". This entry won 1st place in OF Other English. I'd wanted to show Fish in EP but didn't feel he would be able to compete against the more "polished" Strapless and Cleveland bay entries. The lunge line is twisted cotton cord from JoAnne's, attaching to the off side bit with a clip and run over the crown and through the inside bit. Saddle set has been sold on eBay.



Dana schooling "Roxy" over fences, which took second in the same class. (again, many many thanks to Melissa for helping me with this setup!) This is the same jump I use for my Newsworthy "Merlin", who was taking a break from performance this time.



The saddle and breastplate are for sale on MH$P (bridle is spoken for).

My new ISH "Drive Shaft"(thank you Hilary for trading!) in "Natural" Western Trail, only he and his rider are at a show dropping off a pop can before heading off to class. This entry was fifth in the class.



And this is also my first Western saddle, made from a Rio Rondo kit. MUCH easier than I thought it would be, though it helps I've been making English saddles for awhile. Despite the rather obvious differences, it was easy to translate a lot of the construction process into this set. I also did a little customizing and made the stirrups adjustable. I was pleased with how it came out, I can't wait to make more of these. (set has been sold)

That's all for now, I'll be posting a few more of my favorite entries from around the showhall. thanks for reading. :)

Summer 2009 update

Some recent eBay items and custom orders.

First up is a Classic scale harness, the first one I've ever made. I enjoyed working in another scale though threading the wire for the curb chain through that itty-bitty hole in the Kimberwicke bit was an experience! This was a custom order.



Next is a pair of bridles for Breyer's new loping QH mare mold "Roxy", both sold on eBay. The forelock is a bit of an obstacle...



I had fun plaiting the lace straps on this one. The bosal is DMC floss over a wire core, I wish I could find waxed thread in a rawhide-esque color, artificial sinew just doesn't work for me:



I've also been doing some dog "tack", this is a tracking harness and lead, the kind used in police work and search and rescue:



Ever turn up a single Rio Rondo halter ring in your supply drawer? Well this harness may be the perfect solution (well, that is, if your mateless ring is of the two-slotted variety)...



The real ones have a back ring just like this. This set was sold on eBay.

Some bling for an old Breyer Boxer antique store find:



And last but not least, a couple more custom order sets! An English set for the lovely Palouse:



I love the eyes on this model, she's one of my favorites to build tack on, too.



And a Newsworthy set. I get more tack orders for him, the Cleveland Bay, and the Stone Palouse.



Until next time! I'll have a report from Buccaneer Live in Lincoln, Nebraska.

American Heartland Live

I attended AHL this weekend in Platte City, MO and had a blast. I came home with some winners in the performance and halter divisions, including Reserve Overall OF Performance with my Breyer SR John Henry, aka "Fishbiscuit" (Lost fans should get the reference ;) ):



This is my new favorite performance horse, I can't wait to make some more tack for him. :)

A few more photos...



My Stone AH Bubbles Palouse, aka "Ayala", in English Trail. I went with a crossover style bitless bridle instead of a snaffle. She won first place. The doll is a slightly customized Breyer vet doll with new hair, a new hat, and the checkered jacket from a Breyer farrier doll that met a grisly demise (don't ask! LOL).

And here's my Newsworthy in Hunter/Jumper, where he placed fourth:



The jump was made using Breyer jump standards with the velcro(!) removed, painted white with holes drilled for the jump cups. The cups were made using soda can cuttings which were painted black.

A few more photos can be seen at my Webshots album.

The saddle sets are both sold, the harness will be up on eBay this week.

Many thanks to the showholder and the judges for a fun show!

Revisiting an old friend

My latest harness was made for a customer's Proud Arabian Stallion(aka the "PAS"), a model not high on the request list thanks to newer and more popular Arab molds. It gave me a chance to pull off the shelf an old friend from 1991.

I recieved "Thee Snowghost" as a late 14th birthday gift, he was my fourth Breyer ever, but my first Breyer I ever recieved after I discovered the hobby(via the Christmas 1990 HI article). He was also my first photo show horse, winning third place in the dapple greys class in Alison Benuish's Beginners Only show. I was so proud of my boy!

So it was fun creating some tack for him, and this was the final product(sorry there's only the one photo, the batteries were dying and the harness needed to be shipped out in time for a show):



Also, up on eBay this week is this Western snaffle bridle for Impress Me Shannon:



I made the bit, it's twisted from 32 gauge silver wire with a bead mouthpiece. I think every tackmaker should make their own hardware every now and then, be it bits, buckles, hooks, etc(I always make my own checkrein hooks on my harnesses).

Manufactured hardware is great and I'm thrilled the hobby has such talented crafters such as Rio Rondo and Sulser Saddlery and I love working with their creations, but it's fun to make my own, and it lends a certain individuality to the piece.

Until next time!

Combination trail bridle/halters

I made a couple of these last year for a live show, and recently started making more. They're a lot of fun to make and something different for Trail and Other Performance.

Here's the headstall without the bits attached, making a halter (this bridle came with curb bit and snaffle bit options):



A mahogany bridle with all working mini clips, and a white bronze grazing bit by Sulser Saddlery:



And my latest, which is currently for sale on eBay:



This one has braided floss reins with a leather lead for a change, as well as red Swarovski crystals on the bit. The bit is a Rio Rondo W415 dee training bit, customized to a grazing bit with the "snaffle" portion clipped off and filed smooth.

I will be offering these for custom orders, prices will range from $45-$60 depending on options.

March 09 update- Hungarian pairs harness

This was a slightly new experience for me, I've created many single harnesses but never a pairs harness of any kind. Many thanks to C Robertson for doing this trade for me, I've learned a lot and have new reference material to scour over and to inspire new creations. (plus I got my holy grail out of the deal to boot! I love my Chip!)



Modelled on "Sun Dog" and a JB Andrew which belongs to the customer(I nicknamed him "Bozeman" during his stay), this will be pulling a hearse and showing at Lone Star Live in a few weeks.



I put lobster clasps on the pole straps for easy on/off. Even someone as used to fiddling with tiny buckles as I am found this arrangement to be much less stressful! You can't find enough ways to reduce the amount of buckle-fiddling on a harness, let me tell you...



I was made aware of chainmail platelets by Susan Bensema-Young's book, and this was the first chance I've had to actually work with them. I rather think I like this look.



Here's Sun Dog unhitched from his partner. The hanging rein is the coupling rein, which atatches to the other horses's right side bit(and that horse's right rein attachs to SD's left side bit).



A study of the trace adjustor buckle.



Bridle study. The bits are brass RDLC elbow bits from The World Of Model Horse Collecting on eBay. The rest of the hardware is from Rio Rondo and Hobby Lobby. The feathers are black chicken feather fluff, trimmed down slightly to size.

And to wrap up, another full body shot...



Until next time!