Performance Extravaganza Live Show 2012 - part 2 OF

Here's the OF division from PEL this year. Pics after the cut!

Performance Extravaganza Live Show 2012 - part 1 - CM/AR

The second PEL show was on yesterday. Technically I co-hosted it with Lisa Winkworth, but she was awesome and did all the work, so she gets full credit for a brilliant show.

Unfortunately, interest was low; aside from Lisa and myself, only four others turned up. Still, the competition was fierce! The show was divided into two divisions: CM/AR and OF, both with the same class list (roughly 18 classes each). We had a late start, with judging by Karen Grigson of Bluebird Studio fame beginning at 10.30am.

Lots of pics after the cut!

Here comes the pre-show panic...

I'm sick at the moment (again) so while I would much rather be working on a bridle for once of Karen's ponies, I'm instead doing myt entry form for PEL, which is next Sunday. This show is all performance, split by finish (CM/AR and OF). There's no scene class, either.

Why yes, I am mad. I'm not showing my run list because our judge, Karen Grigson (yes, the Karen who CMed the ponies) will; be the judge, and I don't want her to know exactly what I'm bringing.

Hope you will have had your Weet-Bix next Sunday, Karen!

Speaking of live shows...

I'm hosting Performance Live Extravaganza (PEL) with Lisa again in September. But this year, we are doing things a little differently - splitting by finish, rather than size. The minis had a poor turnout, so we're hoping this should balance things out a little bit more. I personally am really excited for it, as I have a few OFs that usually get beaten by resins and it will be fun to see how they do on their own.

Late last year, I picked up a Breyer Polo Pony on a bit of a whim, thinking he would be a good games pony.

(Pic from this random place here:http://dogperson.org/DPS/equines/Breyer/classic.htm)


This guy is older than me - he was released in 1974 and was available until 1982. He's in pretty good nick for his age, although his base is a bit warped. That's a shame, because the Polo Pony has a weird triangle-shaped peg in the foot which makes a temporary base almost impossible. :(

While he would be a good polo entry (obviously), I don't have time to make all the wondrous strap goods that a polo pony wears, nor do I want to add slits to one of my existing saddles to make it a polo one. So into the games class he shall go - but which game should he be playing?

There is sword lancers (bit difficult without a doll to hold the sword!):

 

Pole bending aka Speedweavers (probably too fast for this one):

Maybe he can do Socks and Buckets:

or Litter Lifters (look at the air on that pony!)

Or maybe even the Associate Race:

 
While I haven't decided yet, you can be sure he will be wearing an obnoxious, fluoro 'PVC' bridle!

And maybe some crazy boots for good measure!

I will also have my BHR Drafter resin home from Karen Zorn by then as well. He looks like this, only Karen has added some wonderful detailed mane and tail ribbon bob thingys.

I don't have any dolls that are appropriately dressed for an in-hand class, and I think that might rule him out of ground driving too. He's not going fast enough for Jennifer Buxton's famous draft horse barrel racing, so I don't know what that leaves for him. Any ideas?

Ultimate Gold 2012

BFF Stacey ran Ultimate Gold live show over the weekend, and I flew in for a 46-hour visit so I could attend and help out.

With a small number of entrants, it was intimate and relaxed, with a small class list. I was super-prepared for performance - that never happens! - and the venue, which we'd never used before, was a comfortable size, with great facilities.

With us we had new-to-model-horses Juanita, who has lots of experience in the real horse world, but was pretty unfamiliar with hobby. Still, with a little guidance she made a great judge. She looked after performance, collectability and CM/AR halter; Stacey judged workmanship, and I judged OF halter.

Let's get into the photos. There's a lot, so jump behind the cut to have a looksee.

Melb Live 2012

Things kinda died here a little while ago. (Did I really last post in April? Wow.) I have a range of excuses: I was focusing on my other blog, Lolly Addict, for a while, and then I was busy preparing for Melb Live, making a few assorted-but-boring tack pieces. So, I guess this can be an ML recap post, seeing as, you know, it's my show and all!

I think I can say without bias that ML is the biggest show in my state of Victoria, and quite possibly Australia. Despite me taking a year off from it last year for assorted reasons (some of which continue to make me wonder whether I should bother to continue with the show), it still had a big turnout this year: 22 entrants, including several proxy entries and three interstate entrants. We had over 600 horses at the show, which broke the record for the number of models that were at the last ML which was a two-day show. Those numbers might not be much compared to the turnout our American friends get with their massive, frequent shows, but it's pretty exciting stuff for lil old Australia.

Two shows in two weeks!

Compared to the US, the hobby in Australia is TINY. While we might have, say, 100 hobbyists (and that's a generous statement), the capital cities are pretty spread out, and so are its inhabitants. Check out this image I shameless stole found on someone else's blog:

We also have about one-tenth the population of the US. So as you can guess, we certainly don't have the same amount, or frequency, of live shows that our American friends have. In my state, there are two shows that run annually - Mini Mania, run by my friend Lisa Winkworth, and my own show, Melbourne Live.

I only started my live show, Melbourne Live, because there were no shows, and had been none, in my state for a good ten years or more. I'm taking a break this year from running ML, so instead, another hobbyist ran her own show, Knox City Live, to fill in the blank left by ML in this year's calendar.

For a reason I wasn't privy to, the weekend following Mini Mania was chosen as the date for Knox Live. It sounds great in theory, but when it's something you're not used to, well, I am thoroughly exhausted! I am a huge performance junkie so although I only had one performance entry for Mini Mania, I had about 15 performance set ups for Knox. I didn't do very well at Knox, but such is life I suppose.

My baby dp. On the Prowl at Mini Mania. He won Western Pleasure, took 2nd in Western Trail, and 1st in Western Bareback. He did end up winning Champion Western Performance (!) but I don't have a photo of him with his ribbon.

And some photos taken by a friend of a few of my set ups at Knox:

Above: dp. Last Chance, Honey with her pony club gymkhana entry. Bridle, saddle pad, doll and sack by me; saddle by Robyn McCrae.

Above: dp. Astral Fairy Wings in English Flatwork. Bridle and saddle by Robyn McCrae, although I made the browband.

Above: Rosie in her leadline set up - its first time out! Rider doll is by Lori Batchelor and handler doll is by Joan Yount, and lead by me.

Above: Rosie got Reserve Champion English Performance for her leadline setup! :D There was a handler class she was entered in, hence the lack of saddle.

dp. Certainly Stylin in Western Trail. That's the lovely Erin Corbett saddle you might remember from my blog last year. Lisa kindly let me borrow it for Delta. :)

dp. Deal Me In in Other Western Performance.

dp. Streetwise, my dear Fluffy, in English Flatwork. The adorable saddle pad is by Jana Skybova. Saddle is a Robyn McCrae and bridle is by me.

Missy with her Handy Hunter setup. Saddle pad is also a Jana.


My next live is Black and Gold Live (affectionately called BANG, lol) over in WA in two weeks. I still have to decide who and what will fit in my suitcase. Eek!