One of the many advantages (or as Brendon would probably say disadvantages) of being a moderator on a sales group is that I get to see sales ads before anyone else.
This means I can buy the thing before anyone else. Which is probably not a good thing. But my latest impulse buy hardly broke the bank so it's all good.
So here's the story. A few weeks back I was happily minding my own business wasting my life on Facebook when I decided to actually contribute something to society and moderate my own Facebook group, you know like a civilised human being. After repeated rule infringements I've had to set the posts on UK Model Horse Sales to approval, which has actually made moderating a LOT easier. But it also means that I see the sales ads before anyone else does as I'm the only person that currently does any moderating.
So I click on the list and I'm going through, approving posts when I see this gorgeous custom. She's just too cute! The post is full of "she's not very good, only really a body etc. etc." and I'm like "no poor baby she's adorable, I love her, I have to have her!". So I approve the post, search Facebook for the group, find the group, find the post and then message the seller because I HAVE to have this horse!
Several messages later and my very extravagant purchase (less than £20) is made and Badger is on her way to me. I'm so excited, she's just adorable and I love her so much!
You see the thing is, the seller is right, this isn't a show model. She could pass for PSQ but she is never going to be part of my live show string (although she will come to some shows), but that DOESN'T MATTER. Because you know what? Winning isn't everything. I know shocking news flash but for some people this is something they need to hear. It makes me sad when I see younger collectors in particular selling things because they don't show well that they've had for years, or only searching for the best of the best, because if all you are looking for in a model horse is show success then you are only ever going to be disappointed. Even if the horse does as well as it possibly can at some point it is going to lose and you are going to feel crappy. If you spend £500 on a top quality custom and it never places (trust me it happens) how will you feel about that model? If you spend £500 on a top quality custom because you love it more than anything you've ever seen and you couldn't care less if it places or not then yes you probably are going to feel a bit bummy when it doesn't place but at the end of the day you love her so it doesn't matter.
Buy a model you love and you have a piece to cherish for eternity.
Buy a model to show and you will have nothing but that aching feeling that maybe you could have just done a little bit better.
And with that I'll leave you with a final picture of CRS A Mushroom (aka Badger), a beautiful custom by Steph Lovely.
Thank you for this post - I needed to hear/read this today. My own customs are not live or even photo show quality, but they make me happy. I need to stop beating myself up because they're not as good as everyone else seems able to make, and just enjoy what I have been able to accomplish.
ReplyDeleteI have so many models that definitely aren't show quality, but every time I look at them on my shelves I smile - that's what collecting should be all about.
I don't show (there are no shows I know of anywhere near me in France) and I only recently got back into the Breyers.
ReplyDeleteI decided to concentrate on the foals. And some others, like a Huck Bey, and such. My holy grail will never be available at a reasonable (for me) price, and it's not a Breyer anyway.
I had a friend of mine pick up two foals at a horse show in Kentucky recently, because she knows I've started to collect them again, and she asked what I'm looking for.
She found them, they weren't in the best condition... but I liked them, so I told her to grab them.
I found a pair of foals on Ebay US (Amber & Ashley) and grabbed those, sent to her as well. She has a few Breyers she'll let me have on top of that... so eventually a big box will wing it's way to me, filled with them.
Am I ever going to show one?
Unlikely. I collect them because I like them. And that's all there is to it. :)