Model Horse Live Show

One of Ks New Year's Resolutions came true yesterday - that was to attend and participate in a live model horse show. She has done numerous model horse photo shows and postal shows but the ultimate - to take part in a live show - had yet to happen. This one was held in lovely sleepy Rothersthorpe in Northamptonshire's beautiful countryside.

It started at 10 a.m. (so an early Sunday morning wake up - yuk). In fact P and I couldn't sleep the night before (K couldn't sleep either due to nerves, excitement and just that fact that K's a light sleeper), we sat in bed chatting and debating things for quite a while and then we both felt wide awake! Getting up around 6.45 a.m. on the Sunday was not my idea of fun, but we were out the house by 9.30 a.m., only 15 mins. later than we'd planned.

Route to Rothersthorpe appeared really straightforward on the map, we also took some internet instructions, just in case we got lost. P always runs these off together with an awkward map. I hate these instructions, the ones that say, "after 0.xx miles turn left onto slipway and bear right, after 0.xx miles take 3rd exit off the roundabout onto A blah blah (which is never signposted) or A blah blah 'something Road' (which again is never signposted). Anyway, you get the drift. We got lost, naturally. We were so close, it was just there were no signposts or road numbers and a serious number of hedges between us and the village. Stopped off at a hotel for help and they kindly ran off another load of these horrible internet instructions, all with road names (no help, couldn't even find the starting road name!). A kind American in the hotel lobby said we needed to get onto the M1 and go up a junction which we did and then got lost from there! Hopeless aren't we - I'm just so glad I coaxed P to drive rather than me. In the back of the car, as the clock ticked past 10 a.m. ,K became abit tearful and suggested we just go home. No way! We were just so close we couldn't give up!

Found Rothersthorpe by chance - the wind blew as we got close to a road sign and Rothersthorpe appeared alongside other names! Yippee! We were only 20 mins late and they hadn't started as others had got lost too!

Anyway. K's hobby of collecting model horses has opened up a whole new life for us all! We know, from her, that there are lots of different makes of models, different sizes too, that you can alter them to be a completely different horse to the one you originally bought, paint them, make tack for them, put them in for photo shows to win mini certificates and sashes, and enter live shows like this one.

This show was specifically for Julip model horses and other "craft" horses, whatever that means (K knows), and people pay for a table to line up their models ready to enter specific classes, competing against others and hopefully win prizes. K didn't have many models this time. She took her Schleichs and her Feltie (which are "craft") and her one Julip.

Everyone is so particular about their horses - grooming them and making sure they look their best for the judges (one of which was the owner of Julip (see above link), no stray hairs, scratches, etc. Classes with horses wearing tack and including riders need to immitate real life versions to even hope of getting a placing. It may sound abit strange but in fact we found we were getting very competitive, and nervous too during judging. K came away with several tiny rossettes and certificates for fourths, fifths and sixth and even got a first for one of her Schleich (with rider) together with a mini trophy. She was so chuffed. It was also really lovely for K (and me) to get to meet some other model horse mad people (all female) and a couple from forums that K belongs to.

P and B were totally bored by the whole thing. They did go for a bit of a walk before lunch (and didn't find a pub) but the weather turned terrible so they were stuck with K and me until we left at around 6 p.m. (although the show hadn't yet finished). Must admit, K and I did feel it was beginning to drag by then so we probably won't be doing this every weekend! I know there's another one coming up in October some time.

Here's some pics.


Ks models ready for their classes

all lined up to be judged

rosettes and certificates