How To Choose Your Next Model Horse?

It's the problem we all have, we totes need a new model horse but which one to get? There are so many? How do we decide which of the thousands of pretty ponies out there we will be adding to our herd next?

Well do not fret! I am here to offer you great and wise guidance (and totally not enabling at all) on how to choose the next pony for your collection.

Lists

One of the best ways to organise what you are going to buy is to write lists. You can add these with savings (this is what I used to do as a teenager) and it is absolutely perfect if you are a bit of a spreadsheet or journalling nut!

Write a list of all the model horses you want to purchase (or need to purchase, you know those two words basically mean the same thing). You could add an approximate amount and even do little squares to colour in as you save up.

You could randomise the list as well to make it a bit more...well...random! If you are looking at inspiration check out eBay listings (particularly on eBay.com), current dealer websites, cataloguing websites like Identify Your Breyer and social media sites to see what should be on your must buy list!

Pandora is an example of a list purchase - back when I first started in the hobby I wrote long lists of everything I was going to buy.

The Impulse Buy

This is often the reason the models on our wish lists never get purchased, it is because we are impulse buying too many model horses! 

Hit the sales pages and eBay and start to scroll through, you never know what you'll find! See something that takes your fancy and buy it.

Just a word of warning - don't use this method too often. Your bank account will hate you (and what I mean by that is yes totally buy that pony).

Fiori (like many of my RubberNedz) was very much an impulse purchase. I should probably impulse purchase less expensive things...

Random is Fun

This is quite a fun way to choose a new model, you can end up with something you would never have normally chosen.

This is a good method to use for buying lower value regular run models like Breyer and Schleich. You know when you just need a bit of pony happiness but don't really want anything in particular? I like it because it adds lots of variety to my collection. It is also useful if you have something like a voucher to spend.

When I purchase things such as the Breyer Premier Club models I always buy another model to come with them, these are usually chosen at random like Toyland here.

Get Someone Else to Choose

OK so you better trust your friends but this can be quite fun! Give someone a budget and tell them to go find you the perfect model horse under it and then buy it! 

Obviously this requires some trust and I don't really recommend it for higher budget purchases but I think it is worth doing at least once. You never know what they'll choose and you could end up with something that is not only really random but also a memento of your friendship.

Smexy wasn't actually chosen by me! I got my mother to choose his colour, she said he should be spotty and spotty he was. Clearly she made a very good choice.

Buy The Model You've Wanted For Years

You know that regular run Breyer you wanted but never purchased? That model you've seen up for sale so many times but never quite got around to buying? Maybe you've had your eye on something in the show ring.

One of the problems with running a dealership is you never end up buying the models you like! I'd been after a Rainbow Unicorn Mare for a while but never got one for myself. So when I found one in the Toys R' Us closing down sale I just had to have her!

Well now is the time to buy it! Quite often we can buy the new shiny thing and never get around (or have the money for) that model we've been after for a long time. Don't put it off. Make the purchase, you'll feel so much better and you'll get something you really love.

Bogeyman

This year's Breyer Web Special Halloween classic is definitely interesting!

I'm wondering whether a bogey is the same thing in the USA than in the UK? Snot covered model horse anyone :p

That said I do rather like her, just can't justify the shipping :( Unlikely she'll still be around when I actually need to place an order!





Sale link: https://www.breyerhorses.com/bogeyman

WEG Postal Show

I am running a free to enter postal show with the theme of the World Equestrian Games

How Does it Work?

Just email over the entry form (you basically just put the name of up to 10 horses in a table) and you are all done! It is perfectly simple and completely free.

You don't need to submit any pictures or anything and it isn't actually done through the post!

The Prizes

I have ordered 20 rosettes for the class winners and there will also be printable certificates for 1st-6th place :)

Entry Deadline: 15th September 2018

This show is completely free and open to all! Share with your friends and lets get as many entries as possible :D

Results are judged at random, everyone has an equal chance of winning.

For more information about the show and to download the entry form please click here.

Having Fun with Outdoor Photography

So I promised I would start Blogging on a more regular basis and what better way to start off than a talk about outdoor photography.

We've had such dry weather this summer it has been almost perfect for model horse photography! If we ignore the often very bright sunshine.

So here is a little trip through some outdoor pictures and some tips on how you can get good lighting, good footing and generally have fun with your model horses outdoors!

Snow

OK so I know that I was initially talking about the Summer weather but I just love taking pictures in the snow so much! Snow makes for lovely light and a really great footing. The other good thing is you can use surfaces you wouldn't normally use such as tables and walls because the snow creates a realistic footing.

OK so here we have an example snow picture. Here you can see one of the biggest problems with snow photography and that is where the snow is too deep. I do quite like this shot because it looks like the horse is having fun playing in the snow but the long grass and deep snow makes it look out of scale and covers a large part of the horse - a big no no with model horse photography.

This is a much nicer example of an outdoor photograph. Here none of the hooves or legs are hidden by the snow as it has been crushed down where the horse is. You can see the grass is also much further away which means the horse looks in scale. The light is also really nice, there is a little reflection on the quarters - this is something you need to watch out for with slightly shiny models and snow pictures where there can often be a lot of light reflection.

Outdoor Backdrops

You don't just have to take outdoor shots using the natural environment. You can create mini scenes outside as well and use backdrops.

Here is a nice example of a really simple set up. A scenic mat, a backdrop and some lichen. I like the light in this shot, the foal is really clear and shown off. Unfortunately there is quite a lot of reflection on the backdrop though and also some shadowing which takes away from the realism of the photograph.

Here is an example of how outdoor pictures can sometimes cause you a few problems with lighting! Here we can see heavy shadowing from some form of plant that makes the picture quite atmospheric but doesn't lead to a great photoshow picture, particularly where there is shadowing on the background.

This is another example of a really simple set up. There is a painted backdrop and footing. This could be better but is a nice example of how you don't need anything fancy to get a decent shot!

General Outdoor Pics

Outdoor photography can often mean great light and a natural backdrop without much effort! But there are a few things to look out for, like long grass and...WIND! Gosh I hate wind so much...

Here we can see some lovely lighting but deep grass covering up the horse's hooves a bit too much. That said the light shows off his beautiful red colouration so well.

I love this picture. The background isn't massively realistic but the light and the colours just work so well. The light is perfectly hitting the horse and showing off his gorgeous shading. The grass at the front could have done with a bit of a trim.

Very deep grass does not a good picture make. Take a look at this picture of Ruffian in really deep grass and the picture below of Feoh on a area of ground which is more earth. Which do you prefer? The one below is clearly much nicer.

This shot of Feoh has lovely light and a nice base. It's just such a pity I didn't take the time to trim the grass and plants in the foreground as they are blurring her legs! If only those weren't there this would be a nice example of a good outdoor shot.

Long grass isn't the only issue with outdoor pictures. The background is really important. It's important to make sure the things in the background are realistic and in scale. Clearly our old house was not...

 Have you taken some cool outdoor shots over the Summer? Why not share them on the Chestnut Ridge Facebook page? I would love to see them :D

Welcome to the Brand New Chestnut Ridge

When I became unwell it forced me to reevaluate my own life and what I wanted from it. A huge part of my life for the last 11 years has been Chestnut Ridge. It was clear that I couldn't sustain it as a full time business simply due to my own poor health, so the question became what do I do?

Answering this hasn't been easy. At first I just didn't want anything or have anything to do with anything anymore, but this is my baby and I do own the domain name until 2027 so had to do something.

I asked myself a very simple question, what about Chestnut Ridge made me happy? What did I want to do? The answer was so telling. It wasn't the selling of models that made me happy, that wasn't what I enjoyed, that isn't what I really wanted to do. What made me happy, what I enjoyed most was encouraging others to take part in the hobby I love so much and that has given me so much. I wanted to spread the love and the joy of the hobby I feel.

And I think that is something that is so often lost. "It's meant to be fun" is a phrase you hear so much from dejected hobbyists as they step back and sell their collection. It is a phrase I have uttered as I have sat in tears because of some stupid hobby related incident.

So what did I want Chestnut Ridge to do? What could I do about it? I have a platform, a huge customer base and thousands of website hits each week, how could I change things? How could I create a positive environment where people could fall back in love with the hobby again? How could I encourage creativity and say "you know what it's OK to show off your models and your winnings, you worked hard for this!" because that is OK. It's OK to try, not everything you create has to be perfect, not everything you do has to make sense! There is no right or wrong way to collect model horses, do what makes you happy and what you enjoy.

And that is how we got here. A website not designed to sell things, but to encourage others to get involved, have fun and try something new. A place to escape for half an hour as you flick through old show pictures and laugh at the memories (remember that time there were giant grapes and My Little Ponies? Or Gavin? Or Pirate Pete?).

'Don't do drugs kids' - also don't let Dani and I any where near giant grapes, weird things happen...from The Great British Dust Off

I give you the brand new and very very different Chestnut Ridge. Not a shop. A community. www.ukmodelhorses.com

Please note that the website is still under development, many pages aren't finished, many products aren't added. But we are getting there. For context it takes about 15 minutes to do one product (I miss my superfast broadband so so much). Please just be patient and keep checking back, things will change every single day.

Below I've gone through everything in a bit more detail to explain the decisions I've made and also to give you some information about the content.

The Shop

We will still be selling a wide range of model horses and hobby supplies. But things are a bit different. No more stock images. No more in the box models. Every model we sell will be out of box and photographed so you can find the perfect model for you. Whether you are looking for something to customise and are happy to take a horse which is poorer quality or are after your next show horse we will have an ever changing selection available.

Our shop can be found here: https://www.ukmodelhorses.com/shop.html#/

Show Photographs

Throughout the site I have added hundreds of pictures from live shows. Many of these are not my model horses.

If you own one of these horses and do not want the image on the website please email me.

If you own one of these horses and want more information added (such as name, your name, artist details etc) please email me.

If you painted one of these horses/made the tack etc. and want your information added please email me!

Your Contributions

Chestnut Ridge is not just an excuse for me to listen to my own voice. I want it to be collaborative. I want your contributions, your opinions (remember this is a nice happy place), your articles, your photographs for the website and anything else you may want to contribute. If you want to contribute something please email me

BETA Testing

The website is still under development stage so if you notice something that isn't working (e.g. a dead link), a spelling mistake or just have general feedback please email me.

There are still many things that I want to change and will change so be prepared for things to change! But having people place orders, sign up to accounts, read the pages etc. is really helpful as it helps us identify any issues.

The Domain Name

That isn't www.chestnutridge.co.uk I hear you cry!

Yes well...there are a few issues with transferring the domain name that are boring and basically just involve people procrastinating (not me for once) but it will eventually direct to our new site.

In the meantime please enjoy our new domain www.ukmodelhorses.com

The CollectA Issues

In order to avoid me repeating myself again and again please read this Blog post about CollectA horses here: http://chestnutridgeblog.blogspot.com/

Customs

We will no longer be cross selling the same products. That means that custom painted horses, original finish models, felties and tack will only be for sale on ONE platform.

As well as the website you can find other, completely different, items for sale at:

eBay - https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/diamondsareforever6789/m.html?item=362413028000&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ChestnutRidgeHorses
Live Shows - BMECS, Halloweenies, Recycled Live III & East Devon Live in 2018

I will no longer be taking commissions on tack or customs. But I have plenty of pieces in progress and you will be able to find a good variety of new things on a regular basis.

Breyers, Schleich & CollectA

We will no longer be taking any pre-orders, we will no longer be ordering any products in advance.

All the products we stock will be sourced from the current in stock range at the dealers (although it's still dubious whether we can actually get CollectA anymore). I will place orders every few months once the majority of models we have for sale are sold. Items will be sold out of box. Some items will be available on the website and others will be available at live shows, just as with the website these models will be sold out of box.


Finally a huge thank you to Brendon for spending many hours helping develop this website, Laura for reading a lot of the stuff and listening to me rant and my mother for putting up with me crying and ranting when there were serious issues. You guys have helped this dream come a reality, my wish for the future is that we can work together to make a wonderful place for us all to enjoy the hobby we love so much :D

And very finally a sneak hint....next year I will be running a brand new live show....it will not be a BMECS qualifier and it will have some very strange sections but it will be seriously good fun. There will be cake. I will be encouraging Canadian Warmbloods (that's a moose related in joke btw).

Verdades

Breyer have announced that this Autumn they will be releasing a brand new model of the bay Dutch Warmblood gelding Verdades.

Verdades is a USEF International Horse of Honour, US Dressage National Champion, Pan American Games Dressage Gold Medallist and will be competing at the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

The new model has been released on the Keltic Salinero mould

An Explanation, An Apology and a Very Long Post!

I have written and rewritten this post a thousand times and still don't know how to word it. What to say and what to not say, what to admit and not to admit and how I can possibly explain what has happened or put into words 27 years of trouble. But I really needed to write this prior to launching the new Chestnut Ridge site so all that positivity doesn't get caught up in lots of negativity.
The fact of the matter is the reason these things have always been kept hidden is because I have no desire to share them. I have hidden them from the world not out of some form of shame or embarassment but more out of a sense of not wanting people's pity but also out of a sense of wanting to protect those who are incredibly close to me and whome I love dearly from something really horrible. It's bad enough that I have to subject my immediate family to it, I really don't want to subject others to it as well.
Things haven't really changed, I have no real desire to publicly talk about it, suffice to say that I am not well. Some people know, and I've never hidden it from those who ask, but I have never really talked about it publicly because I don't want to and that hasn't changed. This is my battle and my journey, it is not a public spectacle and it does not help me to expose these things to the world around me.

Which begs the question of what really changed last June. For almost my entire life I have survived on work, I have worked so hard I don't have to think, I've worked so hard I've passed out. Prior to moving house I was working five jobs and studying. I didn't have to think, or to accept it. If I just kept working I would keep surviving. And then something changed, something broke inside me and I couldn't keep going any more. It was like the moment I stopped this demon inside that I had been fighting back through sheer will power since I was a child was let out, it took over and took control in a way it had never done before and now I can't hold it back. I can't fight it anymore, giving in and accepting it has been the hardest thing I've ever had to done. It's so easy to see me as having run away from my problems but actually for the first time in my life I ran towards them. In giving in I faced them head on and accepted how unwell I really am. I accepted this thing as a real living thing, I accepted that I was not superhuman, for the first time in my life I accepted that I was unwell.
But a whole life of pretending to be OK is hard to undo. It's hard to let other people see what is going on inside, I've always wanted to protect people around me and nothing has changed. I don't want to expose people to this. Please don't see me ignoring you as a sign I don't love or care about you, it is because I love and care about you that I've backed away.

Going forward I have no real desire to go back to using things like Facebook on a daily basis anymore. For two main reasons (1) It does not make me a good person, it makes a horrible nasty angry hateful person and that isn't who I am and (2) I don't want to become seriously unwell and have the option of exposing others to it. I want to protect people and I don't want to lose friends who I love and cherish. That said I am going to download messenger onto my phone again, because I miss people :( and I want to talk to people who don't have Instagram or WhatsApp. But please don't send me crappy spam messages, I will block you! Seriously I don't want 3am pings because you are sending a chain message...
I have enough sense to take myself away and I am lucky that I have a husband who recognises when I need to be taken away and close friends who work so hard to protect me.
I am well aware of my own limitations, I cannot leave the house alone, I have panic attacks in public, I can't cope with most things and am terrified of a public episode. I am terrified of myself and what I know I'm capable of. I'm so scared of hurting those around me or pushing them away. I know its going to be a long time before I can work again properly, I know that my business has to survive more as a hobby than a full time job and in a state where Brendon can manage things if I get sick. I am aware that choosing to go and do a PhD is probably not wise, but academia has always made me happy, it's always been my escape and I need that part of life back again.

I want to say thank you to everyone who has sent me messages. I think I have messaged most people back. Your messages have meant the world to me, I love you guys so much. I don't know where I would be without the friends I have made through this hobby, your support and love knows no bounds. You are incredible people and deserve so many hugs. I can't hug all of you in real life so please accept my virtual love and know that in messaging me you have given me hope. And if I see you at BMECS remind me I owe you a hug :)
I want to say thank you to Dani and the rest of the BMECS team who took my sudden departure so well (I'm totes replaceable :p). I love you guys xxx
I want to say thank you to Donna and Becky who both visited/allowed me to visit when I was sick. They allowed me to pretend to be normal for a few hours and forget what was going on. Also I got some pretty ponies and pretty ponies make me happy.
I want to say an incredibly special thank you to Laura who not for the first time has been my rock. She is an incredible person and a wonderful friend. She has messaged me so much random useless crap over the last few months but it has kept me grounded. She puts up with my shit and she really doesn't need to. She's an amazing person and no number of small plastic dinosaurs will say thank you enough for the support she has given me (and yes I do know every single piece of hobby news and gossip thanks to her).
Finally there is a very very special thank you to my incredible husband. He has stuck with me through so much shit. He has supported me in a way that nobody else could. He is there for me every single day and is the only one who can really help me fight the demons. He has cared for me when I'm seriously ill, dealt with literally everything on a practical level and supported me so much. I don't know where I would be without him. I don't know what I did to deserve him but I thank God everyday for his blessing, he is the most wonderful thing in my life and I know I could never repay what he has done to support me over the last few months.

I have come to accept that this is not a curse, it is just a part of who I am, yes one day this may kill me, it may harm me, it my hurt and the battle may be hard but I have faith that God would never give me a battle I cannot fight. Thank you to everyone who has given me so much love and support. I'm sorry that I have chosen to continue my partial isolation from the world but I'm sure it won't last for long once I'm tempted back into conversations and cute cat pictures and all those other dark things that seduce me to spend all day on Facebook when I really should be doing something productive with my life...

Finally I am going to make three promises:

(1) I'll set my Instagram to share to Facebook again (btw I now have a personal Instagram as well which is @catriona_harris and has images of Caesar on...)
(2) I will download messenger again and respond to people's messages
(3) I will check Facebook once a day, respond to some stuff and I promise to share at least one picture of a cute animal a day. Because I know you guys miss Caesar and Brandy far more than you miss me!

Doing this does not mean I am better. It does not mean I am well and it does not mean it will continue. If I choose to disappear again that is my choice, but trust that it was made for very good reasons and it is to protect others not because I'm being selfish, attention seeking or running away from anything. It is because I love everyone so much I choose to do this, not for any other reason. I will never win this battle, I simply have to accept that this is who I am and be grateful for what I do have and that I have so much support and love. I don't know whether this post makes sense or whether it really explains things, but it is the best I can offer people. It is the best my brain can come up with right now. I am going to put it as a Blog post so that I can share it in various groups which contain people to whom I owe some form of explanation and probably a huge apology.

All my love, hugs and kisses

Catriona x

P.S. Here is a bit of eye candy for you :) My beautiful new RubberNedz Circus Horse.