Good Times and Great Ponies - St. Nazianz

It's no secret that horse show judges are people with their own opinions on what makes a model ribbon-worthy or LSQ (live show quality,) and that's why it's nice to have more than one judge in the ring. My mother and I have gone to several double-judged shows recently, and it's been more than interesting to see how one judge places the class versus the other. Sometimes the placings are the same (which often happens in the individual classes,) and sometimes they're definitely not the same (as we saw in the Section Reserve titles.)

You can have a horse place first with one judge and sixth with the other. Whether that's opinion-based or based on some small flaw or detail that one judge caught and the other didn't, double-judged shows give you the opportunity to basically attend two shows on the same day. Maybe we need to look into double-judging one of our shows...

(I think we could do it. Those Manes & Tails kids are getting really good at their horse judging. ;) )

This show started off just like any other, though - incredibly early and amazingly quiet.

A brief look at the show hall before the commotion began.

Looks like my mom caught me vlogging. Whoops! ^^;;

We brought a rack of consignment ponies and some goodies from the store to sell.

And as the show progressed, so did our placings...

Mr. Myxlptlk - Euro Draft - 1st/4th

Deputy Clyde - British Draft - 2nd/3rd

Blizzard Warning - British Draft - 1st/4th

Soleil - American Draft - 2nd/2nd

Kingsman - Other Mix/Pure Draft - 1st/1st

Icicle Junior - British Pony - 1st/2nd

I don't just mean for me, either. My mom really started racking up the ribbons at this show, too. Her donkeys completely stole the spotlight!

Whiskey Business came home with two seconds.

Perseus came home with two firsts and a section champ!

(She really does love her donkeys.)

As for the rest of my horses...

Sheza Mane-iac - American Pony - 1st/2nd

Before U Go-Go - Paint - 2nd/4th

Lexington - TB - 1st/3rd

...they definitely pulled their weight in the ring...

Black Cat - Spanish - 2nd/4th

Mirror of Erised - Carriage - 1st/3rd

Mischief Managed - Sporthorse - 2nd/3rd

Bleeding Hearts - TB - 2nd/2nd

Choco Chex Mix - Sporthorse - 1st/3rd

...some more than others...

Pocket Full of Sunshine - Spotted Stock Foal - 1st/1st

Peppered Gold - WB - 1st/1st - Section Reserve Champion

Cat Trax - Other Breed Foals - 1st/1st - Section Grand Champion

And last but not least, my big winner of the day. I know it's not an Overall Grand or a Section Grand, but TWO Section Reserve Grands are definitely a big step forward for this guy. 

Careless Whisper - Other Light Breed - 1st/1st - Double Section Reserve Champ

Breed research is one of my favorite things about the model horse hobby. It allows so much freedom; your horse doesn't have to be what the box says it is. And that's the fun part! I love to do a little digging and come up with something unique that fits the horse, though you always have to cross your fingers and hope that your judges will see the documentation you've done and agree with it. 

Some judges spend the majority of classes scanning documents and comparing/contrasting them to the horse... and some don't. That's okay - each of us as judges have different styles, and we need to take this into account. At the end of the day, judging is more subjective than it is objective.

Well, that's all, folks!

I hope you enjoyed this little peak into our most recent show. Don't forget to check out the YouTube video below with the vlog behind all the action. There will be more coming soon!

Double-Judged? No problem!

Double-judged shows - what are they? A double-judged show means that each division in the show has TWO judges, essentially making it like two different shows. The judges work side-by-side on the same tables, looking at the same horses, but that doesn't always mean that their placings match exactly.

One judge could give a first while the other gives a third, so on and so forth.

Good morning selfie!

Emma's table. A couple newbies hit the show ring today.

Our view of the hall.

This wasn't a performance show - just halter - so, despite the double-judging, the show flew by. There were CM/AR divisions for both breed and workmanship, China classes, Hartland, Northlight, Stone, Breyer, and Collectability. Lots of options!

Check out these cool decorators we found:

Emma's favorite - the Riddler!

Pisces (not OUR Pisces, though)

I definitely want those lucky charms!

And some sweet fantasy models!

The tiniest of Pegasi!

Also, a special treat- the rare "four-eyed Misty!" This version of Misty, released in 1972, is the first and the rarest version of Misty, but it actually looks nothing like the real horse. In fact, all of Breyer's versions of Misty are not true to the real pony. 

The real Misty did not have this odd white patch around her left eye, nor did she actually have a bald face with a patch around her left eye. When the original Misty was first produced in 1972 with in this "four-eyed" version, Marguerite Henry actually requested that it be changed as it was not accurate. Same with the "three-eyed" version that debuted in 1973. 

Here's a picture of the actual Misty:

Definitely doesn't look like her model, does she? 

Anyway- the show this weekend was fun, and we're working on plans for both our Black Friday/Small Business Saturday event and our January show. Stay tuned, there's lots in store!

Palooza - Halloween

This past weekend was our final 2016 show in a series of three model horse shows.
Palooza Model Horse Shows donate their proceeds after this show to Sally's Fund at UPAWS. This fund is for abused and neglected horses in our area, to help those who take in these horses care for them.

Those attending this falls show had the opportunity to take their horses picture with their ribbons at the new back drop.

Prizes for: Open Halter, Youth Halter, Open Performance, Youth Performance, High Point and the Palooza Triple Crown

Paint Pony Studios on site for sales and a Fun Night!

Bryant's Jake finally arrived for a young entrant!

Poltergeist even attended for a Spooky Decorator Class.

Judges were shadowed by Manes & Tails 4H members, as they will be judging for the 2017 show in January. Mark your calendars for January 21st, 2017!

An amazing fun time for everyone.

Thank you for supporting the Palooza Model Horse Show circuit.

We look forward to seeing you in January.

Halloween Horses...Merry Widow

Breyer Traditional Merry Widow was the third in a series of Halloween horses Breyer produced. Stone Horses also offer many seasonal designs, from Sugar Skulls and ghosts, to Christmas horses and everything in between.

Merry Widow was from 2003 and is iridescent green and black with a glow in the dark spider web overo pattern.

This hard to find model is now in our show inventory. Pricing out at around $100.00 on average for this horse. Finding a unique piece is always rewarding and personalizes your collection.