Yuletide Photo Challenge - Week One

I've always loved participating in photo challenges and have shared many of them here over the years.  There's a new one going on, called the Yuletide Photo Challenge, started by Kristen and Sarah Wellman. 

I knew keeping with it would be, well, a challenge - for me.  I'm not sure I've managed to fully finish one of the month long daily challenges, but I'm giving it a go!  I did figure that doing daily blog posts for it would be extra tough, so I've been posting them on Facebook, both my personal page and my Studio FB page.  I decided that maybe I'd try and do a weekly recap post here and so this is the first one!  

First up, here's the prompt list:

And, away we go!

Day 1: First model in my collection.

My first ever model horse was the original Smoky. My grandparents bought him for me for my 3rd birthday. He was extremely well-loved, even after his tail and one leg were missing. Sadly, I don't have him anymore. I do have his... I don't want to say replacement, but I do have have another well-loved (and unbroken!) original Smoky - from my dear friend, Sue. He came with the name "Indy" and that's what I call him. He's been quite the star here, having appeared in many "bad performance" set ups. His biggest adventure was probably when he took to the skies, hanging under a drone, in a rescue sling that I made.

I still have a love (obsession) for the Smoky mold. More on that, tomorrow!

Day 2: A model from a friend

Yesterday, I talked about how the original Smoky was my first model. I have a few others on the Smoky mold in my collection, and several more for custom projects, but there was one that I really wanted to add someday. Sandman, from the Vintage Club, because: Smoky and also because I have always LOVED a loud overo (as in Katie from Young Riders, or Hidalgo).

While visiting with a good friend this past spring, and talking model horses, I had mentioned how he was on my wish list.

A short time later a mystery box from that friend showed up and... !! (I cried happy tears) He is absolutely MAGICAL and he immediately became a top favorite in my herd.

Day 3: A purchase made on a whim.

This one was actually hard. Most all of my models, I had a reason for buying them. It seems rare that I buy "on a whim". Then I realized this guy fits. In 2021 BreyerFest was virtual and I bought several models. Rhev here WAS an impulse buy. I hadn't planned to get him, but decided to "add to cart" anyway. I didn't have one on this mold and did think I might want to make tack on him at some point, though even then I knew I'd rather have a purebred Arabian color for that. Anyhow, I did indeed buy him "on a whim".

Now I do have one on this mold in grey/white now, but this guy is still hanging around. Remember, yesterday I said I've always loved a loud overo.

Day 4: A model I would never let go.

It would have to be Reckless. He's one of the first horses I ever painted, when I was 14-15 or so. He's a Hartland that I'd bought at a flea market and painted to a wild pinto pattern. I named him after a Bryan Adams album. He was a champion photo show horse back in the day and has even won some live show awards (in vintage classes). He lives in his custom leather nameplate halter, which was a gift from my friend, Jennifer.

Day 5: Krampus is coming! Who's been naughty?

When this guy first arrived, I was happy to have another Akhal-Teke, to join Uffington (this same mold, in cremello). I immediately parked him on the chaotic tack desk, to start "earning his keep" as a tack model. Very shortly after that, he tipped over and wiped out all sorts of horses and projects. As I recall, I took a picture of him and send it to a hobby friend, calling him an, um, unflattering name. It's not his fault, he's just a longboi.

Day 6: A model lying down and taking a break.

I think this might be the only lying down model I have. This is Enya, the Premier Club Stablemate from 2024, sculpted by Mindy Berg. I decided to take her picture lying down in one of my favorite footings for the mini horses - I love this grass mat!

Day 7: Pearl

The model that immediately came to mind was this guy. He is TB Trueno, a Winterfest model from 2023. I named him Starlight.

Day 8: Longears

I don't have a whole lot of longears in my herd, but this one is the most recent. He's a mule from Schleich. I bought him this past summer and in September he won a class at a live show and is now NAN qualified. I named him Jake.

Day 9: Evergreen

For today, I immediately thought of this guy. He is Greenman, a Store Special from BreyerFest 2020. He's one of a few horses I've kept NIB, because his box is cool and I thought he looked neat in it. For a bit he was the only one I had on this mold and I had considered extracting him for tack making, but then I did end up getting the TSC SR (grey with a blanket, also in 2020). So this guy has stayed snug in his forest scene box.

And that's it for the first batch of pictures!  I plan to be back here with Week Two... or the last part of Week Two anyhow, since I went a couple of days into it here already!