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!)