Why do I have rider dolls

I got this idea to my head when I read the Braymere Custom Saddlery blog just to use some time. I have read those same posts so many times before, but it didn't matter, they are too good to skip. This time the thing were dolls and how to use them, and why they make everything better.

Offhand, one of my best dolls, on Lacey.

It is very true: dolls make everything better, and everyone needs some. Most people who talk about dolls in the hobby are those who also do performance showing, which kind of explains most of it. It also is why so many dolls there are customized to ride better and have more fitting clothes. The Breyer factory dolls are a bit weird and don't really complement those top level art horses. 

While I read those posts and agreed to what was said, I remembered what happened when I got my first Breyer dolls: the whole modelverse scene thing exploded, it came to life! I remember the feeling when I had none and felt like I needed at least something that could use the tack I had just started to make for my horses. I could even call it desperation. So, when the two guys came, I didn't bother to even resculpt their heads before I tested how they could ride. I removed their clothes and tested how far all the joints bent, put them on everything's back. I (and my brother) bent them to stupid poses just for the amusement of it. Then I put their clothes back on and took some scene photos. It was the magic. 

These photos also show some of my oldest traditional tack. It was made from jewellery materials.

I want to mention one thing. Since I never thought I could have more dolls than those two rat guys, I wanted them to have moving eyes. That meant I painted some oversized beads and never glued them to place. The pupils got painted around the hole in the bead, so I was able to move them easily by tucking a wire or a pin into it.

Asko on the left, Omar on the right. These guys got new versions around 2019.

So, to deliver the message and main point of this post, I can just say I couldn't enjoy my horses as much if I did't have dolls. Those first ones were only customized from their heads, and otherwise they were those cringey factory dolls, but that didn't matter. I still enjoyed the fact that I now had something to use as horseowners and riders. 

That was it until late 2016. I had considered about buying more dolls for customizing, but unfortunately they could cost a lot and I couldn't be sure what I wanted the most and if I even could succeed with the resculptings and hairings, let alone give them tails (I prefer animal dolls over humans). That is why I tested if I can make a doll entirely by myself, using wire and clay. I hated the fact that I had to use wire and leave it visible for joints (and necks), but compromises are like that. It's a bit similar to how I designed the "mouthpieced" functioning bits I now can't live without (unless it's a hackamore, haha). It may not look the best but the function is what matters the most, so it will stay.

This was the second homemade doll. The first one didn't get many progress photos, I think.

I was surprised by how easy it actually was, or at least felt. But first attempts are often like that... The next ones weren't so good, though some were nicer than others. I used silk clay and foam clay, and then leather or some fabric for paws and tails (depending from the animal species). Eyes were beads which I glued to place and painted. 

My dolls are still ugly and anatomically stupid, but they can ride. 

Little Damage the domestic rat dude, and Maksi.

And I never wanted them to ride naked! I want clothes for them, and I wonder if there could be a technique to craft them boots without gluing them permamently on... But because I am incredibly dumb with especially textiles and can't sew, I haven't tried after a few fails (the first dolls got some really poor garments on, then I gave up). I tried to design trousers very recently, using a Breyer doll as a victim, and eventually came to the conclusion that I just can't process how that is done. Cloth designers are wizards, I guess. So Kave is a wizard then, since she sewed up some pants for one of my dolls and they seem perfect and comfy. 

One thing I need dolls for are definitely scenes. I like to study balance points and dynamics with them, as absurd as it may sound. (I have also studied bit functions with my moving bits; not that they could be totally accurate.) And, I can think about scenes and photos which could make zero sense if there was no doll, like those where the rider falls off. Their hands and legs play a big role for sure. So do their facial expressions.

Offhand and his twin sister Grievous.

I also like to cook up horse and rider pairs especially because of the variety in (my) dolls. Is the rider anatomically able to ride well? What sized horses do they require? Is that one an adult pony rider? Weirdly enough, I've found out that especially one of my dolls is a total western rider. I just can't make him look believable if he tries to do English, even if everything was as good as required. He just doesn't look natural if he doesn't hold reins in just one hand, for example. 

Anelma is way too small for her horse... But I bought the horse because he matched to one I saw in a dream, and Anelma should represent his owner who also appeared in it. I never wanted to make her so short, but things happen.

Sometimes I sculpt a doll with the idea that it does not NEED to be a good rider, or anatomically as symmetric as possible. It may sound dumb, but sometimes I need to allow that kind of mess for myself. I'm not able to make them symmetric enough anyway even if I tried my best, so most of my dolls don't know how to ride in full balance (if that makes any sense). And of course it goes so that when I don't care to make the doll perfectly, it rides better than I wanted it to. Meanwhile I made one as a dressage rider, and he is anatomically so bad that he should rather THINK he knows how to ride, since he is physically so bad. 

Kammo, the "professional" dressage rider in question. His facial expression is just as toxic as his personality.

I haven't made new dolls in a couple years now. That is because I want to stop using the wire only, and could test some ball joints and related, to see if it could work and possibly give them a longer life. They could also make it easier to change clothes between dolls, or dress and undress them in general. Ball joints I have thought to make by gluing a bead to a wire. Clay could do the rest, and some plastic film. I have yet to test that, of course, and I do not expect it to go well, honestly. 

I do not show, so that is not my motive for anything. I just happen to be obsessed with many things seen in this hobby, and that includes the fact that I like to cook up scenes and moments in time. These scenes then form stories. Of course, if I only wanted stories, I could just write and maybe draw. That just is not enough to me, so I use miniatures to get a step closer to knowing how things could and should really be. (As I said, I have studied tack functions and balance and all with these things. I could know nothing about saddle anatomy and fitting neither if I didn't start to make some.) 

Valtti the housecat and Roope.

I simply want to have dolls for the sake of them being dolls. They are characters, and they do so much.

Value vs. use, part 1.

I now try to find words for one phenomenon which I have pondered a lot about. (So the following writing is mostly just thought flood for the sake of thinking. There is no need to get angry, in case the reader disagrees with me.) If you have an expensive or rare model, and are afraid of tacking it up or traveling with it due to fear of damage... Is it worth owning?

I may be at least the third owner of this model. And he will remain as is.

Not sure if that helped. I really do have this thing in mind, but no words for it, seemingly. So, are limited editions or very special runs used in performance showing or just tacked up at home? Basically, are they used like some RRs? If not, why so? 

Now, I need to define what I count as "use" of a model horse: Tacking up, showing, photographing, taking it to the outdoors, traveling with it, handling it a lot. Only keeping it in a shelf doesn't count as use from my angle. 

I personally* think that a model "goes to waste" if I can't use it. So I don't feel the need for a model which can just sit on a shelf because I can't or don't dare to touch it, maybe for the fear of paint damage, dominoing, or whatever else. Okay, I can explain this by saying I have a limited space to use, and I don't want to impulse buy anything. 

* This, if anything, means that I am not against if someone else is afraid of tacking up or handling a model, and only keeps it in a shelf or show in 'halter' classes. Not everyone is into tackmaking, scene photos, shows, and so on... I know there are many who only want to collect the horses as is. I simply have found out that I myself need not only the horses but also the tack and dolls and related to enjoy this hobby fully. 

I've been as careful as possible with that chain - it is there for story (modelverse) excuses.

What is the point in owning a model so fragile that you don't dare to even look at it because everything could cause damage to it? I may not own anything super rare or special run models, but that doesn't mean I could not in the future.

At the same time there is a discrepancy called customs. People make custom models specifically to tack them up for shows, to which they have to travel, of course. Customs can often be way more fragile that factory models, plus are always one of a kind type. So why are people afraid of using a factory model but not a custom? The latter took way more work to become a piece, after all. Is it the fact that the factory model could lose its collectibility value if damaged badly enough and then fixed? Some people fix old models to their original look and specialize in that. It is a thing both with factory and custom models. 

An original sculpture made from some fragile airdry clay which nobody in the hobby will recommend.

Jennifer Buxton once wrote about the fact that maybe model horse people should be more accepting when it comes to damage risks caused by traveling. I agree with her - if you use a model, you are stressing it, and this can cause some wearing out. It comes naturally. And let's be honest, things can go downhill even if you just keep the horse as a shelf model who doesn't get tacked up or anything. Just take it off from its place in the shelf, knock your hand accidentally somewhere and oops - the model can fall! Dangers are everywhere! 

So why to waste it by overprotecting it? It's not worth it. I could carefully assume that show damages are way less common than there are show trips or participating models. (This comes from someone who has never traveled or showed with their models. Feel free to correct me with facts if I assume wrongly.)

Tripworthy, my Braymere giveaway marwari.

It is a dilemma. I like to adopt used OF models which are slightly damaged (ear tips, rubs here and there), exactly because I will not make them worse if something happens. At the same time I also look for really damaged models to use them as customizing victims. And what comes to my customs and their paintjobs... Well, I have still used them just like those OFs, too, and so far so good. 

I have noticed that the used materials and paints matter, when it comes to making models sturdy and damage-proof. Of course nothing is really damage-proof, but it can be bettered to some degree. I have no experience about anything Krylon so I can't compare it to Vallejo, which is the best sealer I've found so far. And I mean, my customs with some worse finish have suffered paint damage (bit glues/tapes rip paint off) while the ones with Vallejo have not. The bits have been attached with the same materials on both and the girths have been tightened to same degree as well, of course. The only issue I find with Vallejo is the fact that it doesn't dry exactly smooth. I've come to a conclusion that there are no smooth-drying varnishes when they are brushable. Only fixatives and maybe other sprayables can dry actually plastic-like?

In fact, I recently found out that some of my sculpts dominoed in the shelf and had heavy books fallen on them - and I didn't see any damage! So far... It was scary. 

This horse seems to have an opinion to everything.

So, I think, while damage is unavoidable, the goal is to find or develop finishing materials which are tougher and tougher. All this because we want to play with our horses. Or at least I want to play with mine. They will not only sit in the shelves doing nothing.  

I may do a second post about this topic.

I do not collect...

I have seen other hobby bloggers write about this topic, and I've wanted to do so myself, but for some reason I hadn't done so before. Weird. Well, now I do. So, people say they don't collect something, while in reality they have a suspiciously large pile of that same thing in their possession, and they use effort at it. 

I do collect Schleichs with factory flaws like this.

I mainly collect Breyer traditionals, and want my horses to be tack friendly and realistic. I am very much into base colors and do not look for anything too complex most of my time. So... How do I explain that I...

...I do not collect appaloosas. I really do not like spots and do not know why they are so popular. I think it makes an animal/model look visually restless and it also hides its anatomy and shapes. So, how the toe do I own so many horses with spots on them? Some are entirely covered in spots on white background, and some have blankets. I just end up getting these for some reason, although I keep telling myself that I do not like spots. 

Dreamy.

I do not collect stablemates. Why I still have a lot and get more and more of these? I don't even know where to keep all of them and what should I do with them. (Nope, there is a key: tackmaking... and sometimes customizing.) Blergh.

Formosus Ningor "Ninksu" and Chocolate In The Ballroom "Pallero", two lovely repaints by Kave.

I do not collect warmbloods. When I think about what kind of horse breeds I find interesting and what I have ridden for real, I can count drafts and ponies. Despite this, I do not have as many draft and pony models than I have warmbloods... I have never ridden a warmblood (seriously) and do not find them very interesting as a breed. It's a sporthorse, and I hate sports. Why do I keep collecting these? Maybe because they sure are tack friendly. (Nope, seriously, thoroughbred is one of my favorite breeds. It's officially not a warmblood, of course, but is a sporthorse, and I still hate sports.)

A precious red hannover gelding.

I do not collect Schleichs. I dislike them these days. Why do I keep buying them? Because I customize! To be able to fully compare the customs with OFs, I need to have a sample of an OF model. The factory models in my Schleich army will not get names or anything these days, they just aren't worth all the effort. But they are here entirely for photos... Dumb? 

 

Wow, why is the list so short... I could get a longer list about things I want but do not have. Of course. Everyone else could too.