Last year’s return of a BreyerWest was a huge success, and I’m so glad Breyer decided to do it again this year! For those of us on the west coast who can’t make it to the big event in Kentucky every year, it’s really great to have our own awesome Breyer weekend in March!
This year I showed at BreyerWest live on Friday and then was the show steward for the Youth Novice show on Saturday (I wasn’t able to attend BW on Sunday as I had to leave for a work trip).
I had been prepping wildly for the performance division at BreyerWest all spring- I really need to start earlier for next year- and it was a blast to see it all come together. I showed my new horse, RoboClop, as well as my seasoned campaigner Nightfox.
I was particularly excited to show RoboClop for two reasons. Firstly because he is made with a interchangeable mane and tail, which was a really fun challenge to make. Secondly, because the incredibly talented mini tack maker Anna Helt of Dreamflite Designs had made me a goooorgeous western saddle set. I can make passable tack, but Anna’s work is in a whole other galaxy. It’s beautiful, precise, detailed… and fantastically easy to use!
Thank you Anna!
I didn’t have any entries in the Other Performance division, which gave me tie to prepare my entries and chatter away with other showers. My first entry was RoboClop in stock work. I am exceedingly pleased with this set up. I made the fancy gaming bridle and tie down to match Anna’s saddle and saddle pad. The rider is a new variation on my custom riders which better shows the action of a roping scene. In fact, this is the first time ever that I’ve done a roping entry with the horse and calf actually running. I’m also chuffed because at the last minute I realized my existing bell boots didn’t fit ‘Clops, so the one’s he’s wearing here are actually blue tape.
The next class was Western Games. I did a musical stalls set up with RoboClop and used two prop horses to complete the scene. I also adapted my judge’s booth (which I usually use for dressage) to work here, with a ring steward in control of the music for the game.
In the Western Patternwork class, RoboClop did Western Dressage and placed first! Here he’s wearing the pleasure bridle I made to match Anna’s saddle.
RoboClop placed third in Western Trail with a lope-overs set up. The tiki heads are actually pencil toppers that I acquired a while ago at a thrift store and have been using as props every since.
RoboClop placed second in Western Pleasure…
…and third in Other Western with an English vs. Western demo set up.
To my surprise and delight, RoboClop was named Champion Western!
Next up was the English division, which included Nightfox’s debut- in the Jumper/XC/Eventing class.
RoboClop also showed in this class. I wish I’d had time to get his splint boots on (putting two horses in the first English class with a full tack change was not a great plan…) but without them he placed fourth. This picture does show off his switched-out braided mane and tail for English!
Next up was Other English/English Games. RoboClop stepped in as a prop horse for Nightfox’s toilet paper pairs set up.
In English trail, Nightfox placed first with my trail diorama. Alas I only got a cruddy picture:
RoboClop’s final class was Hunter Over Fences. He looks mighty smart as a hunter!
Nightfox was also in Hunter Over Fences but I was getting tired, and the quality and quantity of my photos was decreasing rapidly. I seem to have also missed his entry in Huntseat Pleasure. Nightfox’s last class was Dressage.
And with that he earned Champion English!
For the overall callbacks, RoboClop was named Reserve Overall Champion! Overall Grand went to Sandy Lyles-Sanderson’s beautiful CM Wyatt, Frankly Scarlett.
Wheeeeee! What a fun day. A huge thank you to Erin Corbett for organizing BreyerWest and to Beth Rappleyea for judging performance!
Shoestring Stable 