Why just that horse?

Emotion is a big factor when choosing a horse to buy. I'm a highly sensitive person (no, I really know I am), and have strong feelings, and that's good - if only visual view could tell me what horse to get, I could be even more in trouble than I already am (good horses are pricey!).

I'm now telling the "why I got this" -stories behind my Breyers. If this article becomes too long, I will happily crack it to two articles... Not every horse has an emotional backstory, for example those I had no time to plan to get.


Wishmeluck
Along with Overkill, Wishmeluck alias Vissy was one of the two first Breyer Traditionals I got new. I'm very picky with what I buy because Breyers are expensive, and I can't buy them like candy (like some Americans seem to be able to do, honestly), so I have strict criteria of what to pay attention for when choosing a model or mold. With this one, it was the anatomy. It's a realistic mold, and I like thoroughbreds and anatomy. Yet the black color helps in seeing the sculpture's details better than a non-solid color. It also wasn't hard to start seeing a personality to this model as soon as it was confirmed that he's going to end up here.

Vissy is definitely one of my favorite models, and no less because he was one who started my Breyer collection. He was choosed before Killi. And maybe he was unboxed before him, too. Vissy also is very photogenic and a good tack tree, though he has some errors, but those don't disturb me enough. 

Overkill
This is one of the most powerfully galloping molds I know from Breyer, and I remember how much I wished to have dynamic horses back in the 2016. Overkill alias Killi definitely helped to fill that hole in my hobby life. Partly that was because he reminded me from some of my sketches that included light gallopers, since I've tried to get the anatomy and dynamics correct with those... So my brain melted when I saw a nicely sculpted horse which was something I've wanted to do myself for some time.

Like Vissy, also Overkill developed his personality very soon after he was home. Though his final personality has been known only recently, as I've been able to build my modelverse more.

Reizvoll
Behind this horse is not only a good sculpt, but also the fact that Valegro model matches a horse I once met in a dream. I was going to ride a warmblood gelding, I don't know why. He was very... well, average, a mid or reddish darkish bay with some socks and face markings and nice personality. He actually was cute. I had to tack him up, but for some reason I lost his bridle somewhere, so his owner got angry. The bridle was a black hackamore with some orange padding. In the end of the dream I rode this gelding, but I don't remember much else anymore...

Still, this was one thing I had to remember. I rarely get to ride a horse, and I've never done that on a warmblood, let alone a dressage horse. So when Breyer published their Valegro, I decided that I had to get one. It was one of the best thinbgs I've bought; I like my dressage pony! And he matches well enough to the dream horse. I even made his bridle soon enough, so now I really do have a bay warmblood gelding with an orange-padded hackamore (with some extras of course, but they are removable).

During 2019 I decided to sculpt a doll to match to his angry owner. 

Dreamy
In the same dream as Reizvoll, was a small spotted horse - or a pony - too. It had quite stock horse type of barrel, and anatomy overall. The spots were chocolate brown, and the animal had a short mane and expressionable eyes. I never got sure was that a mare or a gelding, but it didn't matter at all when I checked that I can buy a matching-enough Breyer horse, Lil' Ricky Rocker, to act as this dream pony. So after all that he is a stallion, though the calmness and cuteness are here very strongly. One reason why I dreamed about a spotted pony was possibly because I've seen some knabstrups at a riding school some very long time ago. The expression and size were quite similar to theirs (while the pony was anatomically closer to an appaloosa).

Windy
I stick my eye at dynamic models, so I had to have this one. It also is a quarter, and QH is one of my favorite breeds despite how cruel their health state is these days. Windy has developed a strong personality since I got her, and she's one of the nicest mares I have. Not all flying or muscular horses are stallions, also mares can be strong and sharp. And Windy definitely is. Her name should represent the personality I originally saw her possessing, despite how it's colors don't match the red chestnut color so well.

Okay
Once when choosing what to order from the webshop, I saw the Slick model and thought "that horse wants to be bought". Then felt a bit stronger and decided that yes, he must be mine. He was in discount (if that's the right term), which meant less loss of money for me. Something in this horse just says that he belongs to me.

Rispetto
I don't even know the exact reason why I got this one... Maybe it was about the fact that I never got Salinero when he was available, so, as I saw a new model coming out from the same mold, I decided that it's this or nothing. You never know if a mold breaks or just goes out of production due to some (really annoying) reasons (like... age). And as I've found out, I love bays of all shades, and I also like Eberl's models, so this one should just explain himself. 

Catita 
Another Eberlian. For long I have been realising that I need two things: greys and iberians. Then I got both in one horse when I got this mare. And damn, isn't she nice! The sculpt is really photogenic and you can take a nice shot from every angle - even from the butt side, which usually isn't so much to see. She's more like an S, while most horses are rather I:s or slight J:s. I'm not into anything blingy or sparkly, or spotted, I like "boring" colors and textures (see how less appaloosas I have?), but this mare's surface material isn't too much for me to tolerate. I actually think it works well for a "ice horse" as she is an Yule model. Yet I have to mention that Eberl's sculpting style works very well for such icy horse. One reason to adore an ice/winter model is because I live in an "arctic" country and am a winter person myself. Snow, ice and freezing temperatures are nice (if we even have those anymore...).

I can't list more than factory models here, since I can't buy my own works (obviously... especially those which yet live in my head only) and buying resins is impossible.

Things I have never

These are things I have never done, been or owned. Does this seem weird for you, American model horse hobbyists?

Passi and Tilda, my two original sculptures.

I have never seen an artist resin in real life. How would I?!

I have never sculpted with epoxy. I don't know where to get it yet, and I don't think I'm worth it anyway, what comes to my sculpting skill level.

I have never seen a Stone in real life. Interesting models are traditionals and too expensive, cheaper ones are too small and uninteresting, and no webstore sells them in my country.

I have never met other model horse people in real life (except my twin). I know some, but only digitally (and by trading...).

Ninksu and Pallero, my stablemate scale pearls who I got from Kave, who also painted them.

I have never painted with oils. I own a set, but I have never been able to actually start and try to paint anything with them. And I recently decided to not to even try them on models, since oils are... well, oils, and maybe not so good with plastic.

I have never seen professionally made tack in real life. By this I mean tack made by masters like Jennifer Buxton and other extremely skilled tackmakers... There are so many of them, and I want to become just as good.

I have never made bridles from leather lace that was bought in the ideal width. I have to make that width by myself.

I have never used pre-made bits, buckles, clasps or anything else which would be bought from hobby stores such as Rio Rondo. I have never even seen those metal pieces in real life. I make all my buckles and other metal parts by myself. 

I have never seen professionally customized horses in real life. CM AR? Drastic Breyers? Seen them only online. I assume the first time I see one would come when I make one of those myself, which is just realistic with the life I have. Long trip coming. Long and slow.

Does this count as drastic?

I have never photographed my horses outdoors. I'm afraid of breaking them and so on, you should know this. Though I now got two pony pouches, so outdooring with my models should be a bit more possible at some point.

I have never seen Breyer traditionals in a physical store. I have only seen stablemates and classics, and also that only once. That was also the only time in my life when I bought Breyers in a physical store.

I have never showed neither live or photo. My country simply doesn't have shows, and while photo shows would be a thing in theory, I simply have never been that interested to even try.

I have never bought a horse, made a piece of tack or assembled a horse & rider setup with showing in mind.

I have never tried to sculpt and paint a horse that would ideally match to a breed standard so that it would do well in shows.

I have never designed tack so that it would look exactly like something which already exists in 1:1 scale. I do my own designs. 

I have never done anything with showing in mind.

I have never done anything with perfection - in the sense of idealism - in mind.

Not perfect, not ideal, but quite realistic in my standards. And that should be enough.

So, I lack a lot of things which are seen as normal in the hobby. Most hobbyists are American, and the model horse stuff there is more like a complete industry rather than just a small hobby where adults collect toy horses. I guess they can often forget that not everyone has the possibilities they do have there. Americans simply have everything they need for the model horse hobby, in their own land. One can have hard time realising or remembering that not all hobbyists live there, or, yet weirder, that not every modeller is interested about showing their models.

I'm one so-called home hobbyist. I hobby at home. I don't go anywhere, I don't see people, I don't collect or make anything with show careers in mind. I do everything for myself and for my very few model horse colleaque friends.

No one knows me.

Rollo the ugly custom being flied at by Windy.

I know not all American hobbyists are or have the things I lack. But those liveshow freaks just are what I read most often about... It would be a common stereotype of an average model horse hobbyist. Ha! (Just in case, reader: have a sense of humor!)

Who is Kave?

Well, well. After a long (embarrassingly so) time of not doing anything about this blog I am here to introduce myself. So today you'll learn who is Kave!

I am the pigment-crazed one in our duo. I am 20 years old, I own five dogs and will study to become a nurse. My english isn't the best yet, but as I'll study in English I believe it'll get better. My life has been a real journey in the last year. I moved away from my parents into a small apartment. Then I moved back here to my parents. Here I have more space for model stuff. I currently have two tables, one for studying etc and the other one for model stuff.

My "artist name" is Kave, and I use the name Silmin Maalatuin models. Silmin maalatuin means with painted eyes, it's a name I gave for my Finnish blog a long time ago. Since then it has become my "studio" name and I go by it. 

Working with pigments

I prefer pigments when painting models, and this has become sort of an speciality of mine. I also customize but am just a beginner in resculpting. Customizing is fun, but it's a lot of learn and error at this stage. Also I am really not a horse-person. Which I find funny, since I collect model horses. Don't get me wrong, I love horses BUT it's not my favourite animal. My favourite is dogs, and bovine! This really doesn't matter that much, but it makes this hobby harder for me. I have studied horse colours, breeds etc all for this hobby. I still get confused with all of these a lot...

My collection is... versatile? I have lots of scales, lots of different brand and animals. I have tigers, horses, dogs, a lot of cattle... Safaris, Collecta, Breyer, Schleich, Papo... I have fantasy animals that I make in my own style etc. Looking at my modelshelves can be a real journey. I believe I am the only one who won't be surprised by what you can find there.

I have been collecting since 2009 or 2010, so for ten years already! It took me long to get into breyers, because getting them in Finland is hard. But for years I dreamt of them, and now I have over 20 (I need to count them again...). My entire collection is something around 300 models.

I am planning on posting about my hobby way more in future. I haven't posted here before, which is embarrassing. But sometimes life just doesn't go according to plans! But I am back at blogging and you can't get me out for good (even if I take some breaks every now and then). This introduction is short, but you'll get to know me better with time!