Gypsy Uh Ohs!

This is a most roundabout story, but it deserves to be on here!

So my new Gypsy Cob boy, City Of Lights, placed 1st in Gelding and grabbed Grand Champion of show in his first ABMHA fortnightly show.

So I was checking out my Gypsy Cob page to see if I could find a good pedigree for him among my horses, when I realized none of my Gypsy horses had their personal pages done. So I started making one for Rex, my oldest stallion. As I started putting his pedigree into the generator, I realized his dam was younger than he was. Oops!

So I've been on the hunt for a new dam on the same site as I found his old one, vannercentral.com. So far, no luck.

But then I came across the most beautiful group of horses owned by one place that I have ever seen, here: http://www.vannercentral.com/Cielo%20Celeste%20Farm.htm. I can't even begin to tell you which one is my favorite. Look at that coloring on the silver! Look at how long that tail is! (Can't even imagine how hard that is to keep clean--and then I thought his dam's name even more humorous, hehe) Look at that dappling on the Duke! *swoon* Okay, I lied, I'm pretty sure he's my favorite. And Sir Collins! I think I found the sire to my Creamsicle!

I don't usually see horses I'd like to own, but if I ever find me a horse in Duke's color, he's mine!

Oh, and for anyone who's curious, here's an uncommon gray one! http://www.vannercentral.com/Tomboy.htm

Creata Winners Choice

There is a little known model horse brand called Winners Choice (WC), made by Creata, that I have had the good luck to know for many years. They are a collection of micro mini sized horses that preceded the Breyer Mini Whinnies.

Candace Liddy was commissioned to sculpt the molds. Three series were produced: one each beginning in 1996. In mid-1998, the companies behind the horses had a disagreement and the models were discontinued.
Luckily, in 2004, Breyer bought the rights and molds to all the Creata horses, and the horses were once again produced in 2005 under the safety of big Breyer's name.

I don't believe the first Breyer Mini Whinnies (MW) were of the same quality as the first Creata ones. Big splotches of black paint mark the eyes and areas around it, as shown by this mare.

 This probably lowered many collector's expectations of the micro mini-sized horses. But it is hard to argue with the gorgeous detail and the cuteness of the WC foal.

However, the more recent releases of MW have had a large increase in quality, and I am excited to add them all to my collection.

Meanwhile, Creata horses are becoming increasingly harder to find as the years progress since their manufacture. I was lucky enough to own the entire first set, Series 1, from my childhood, and recently came into possession of many of Series 2. Series 3 was only produced for a short time, so I have doubts I will ever be able to obtain them. At the end of their lifetime, some of the horses were sold to a company that put them into soap!

During my searches, I've come across two great reference sites for these models. There used to be a third, but I think that one got swallowed up into the great Geocities apocalypse. They can be seen here:

http://www.angelfire.com/miniwhinnies/WCSeries0.html

http://creatamicrominis.webs.com/index.htm

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to a long-lost brand!

If Horses Were Vehicles

I was bored today, and let my mind wander. For some reason, it started to compare horse breeds and vehicles. This is what I came up with.

Drafts would obviously be diesel trucks. They have lots of low-end power, and are good for hauling stuff. Plus if you sit in/on one, you're lots higher than everyone else.

Quarter Horses are like muscle cars. They're quick off the starting line and have a really wide back end.

Paints are hippy cars. Sometimes you can't tell what the main color is under all the markings.

Ponies are like scooters.They're not really useful, but they're fun to have and they can fit almost anywhere!

Arabians are exotic cars. They look flashy, but if you don't know how to handle them, you'll probably end up hurt. Also, everyone secretly wants one ;)

Thoroughbreds are the racecars. They're really fast and people pay to watch them go in circles.

Lipizzaners are like stunt cars. They do things you could never imagine a horse/vehicle could do.

More to come if I think of them!

The Hardest Thing...

About getting new horses is naming them.

At least for me, although I doubt I'm the only one who runs into this problem.

There is it, sitting all nice and new in front of you. The color is (mostly) obvious, the gender is *turn it over* blatantly obvious...and the breed type can at least be determined with a general glance over.

But that leaves a name. If you're lucky, you have a BSO that this body fits perfectly. If you're smart, you create BSOs and then buy bodies to match them. I am neither lucky or smart.

My newest acquisitions have given me similar issues.

 

This one came easily. He's such a powerful, strong looking stud. I've recently started watching Naruto, an anime-cartoon, and the episode before I got online featured a Shuriken, a weapon that looks like a group of sharp windmill blades. So I named him Shuriken.

  

His mare was a bit harder. But when I looked at this picture, she just seemed so feminine and royal, she reminded me of a queen. The part of The Lion King where Scar calls Simba's mom up to the ledge, by yelling "Sarabiiii!!" popped into my head. So I shortened it and called her Naabi, a mix of Sarabi and Nala.

  

 This girl's colors were so bright, she made me think Hot Tamale, which wasn't very original. And next came to mind- I like it hot. Another pretty cliche name. So I decided to twist it a bit and came up with I Like It Spicy.

These two haven't been named yet, but I will share their "Ah-hah!" moments here once I decide!

Gold mine!

I decided to go flea market/ antique store shopping with my mom in the next city over today.

Turns out to be one of the best finds of my life. In our last stop, I came across this...

Too bad I'm not loaded, or I would've cleaned her out. As it is, I obtained the dark bay Proud Arabian Family on the bottom left shelf. I really want the Clydesdale mare/foal in the front, so next time I have money, I'm grabbing them. The two Shams will be next :P

I've dreamy about finding a motherlode such as this! (Except in my dreams, the horses are like, $1.00 a piece, lmao)

Note to Self...

Those model horse sites that have the extensive info, pictures, and beautiful layouts for each horse usually have only a small, quality collection. When I decide to have a similar goal of a personal page for each horse, I should remind myself just how many horses I have, and question whether I have the time, motivation and desire to complete the task.

It is now going on two years since I started this enormous venture.

Also, I should also keep in mind just how many horses I normally add to the collection throughout the year.

Thanks,
Your Self

Website Makeover

So I once again delved into the maze of CSS of Weebly (thank you Weebly, btw, for making that an option) and did a complete makeover on my website, stableforchampions.weebly.com.

I altered just about everything: background color, text, drop down menu colors, and the main banner. I kept the layout the same because I like it.

My main concern is the black background. Does it give a more professional edge or does it create a void in space? I was hoping to have both a professional look and focus the attention to center.

So if you have the time, please check it out, and leave comments here :)