My last day at BreyerFest! (Even though it continues through Sunday, I don't go that day.)
Like yesterday, I spent much of it in the covered arena watching the live horse demonstrations. I did shop the concourse again, but did not find anything to buy. Correction, I found a LOT of things, but nothing I felt I wanted to purchase. The woodgrain Brahma Bull was still there - what a gorgeous piece! Until you saw his tail where there were four tiny teeth marks, two on top and two on the bottom. I'd say a chihuahua or some other small pooch grabbed him once. What a shame!
I think I mentioned that two horse shows were taking place simultaneously with BreyerFest in the Kentucky Horse Park. Trailers and vans shared the parking lot with the BreyerFest attendees.
Yeesh! These horses really ride in style! I wonder how much this rig costs?
It is popular for the kids who attend to decorate their cars as they prepare to come to Kentucky.
This is the approach to the covered arena where the live demonstrations happen along with the concourse shops. The arena inside is HUGE. (Maybe football field sized?)
The miniature horses were being shown when I arrived. I quibble with their breeders - they're PONIES, not horses. The proportions are pony-sized, not horse-sized. (For clarity, think of the proportions of human midgets vs. human dwarves. Midgets are proportional; dwarves are not.) But pop that "mini-horse" label on an animal and the value goes up. I keep my mouth shut, but I am guilty of rolling my eyes....
This little grey pony... er, I mean "miniature horse" was beautifully groomed. Loved his dark eyes!
And this boy's mom dressed him as a knight with his steed in keeping with the British Invasion theme for BreyerFest.
A team of "draft miniature horses" pulling a western wagon. (This group is from Indiana.)
This cutie was entered in the jumping competition and decorated like the union jack!
Another driving team and a single in harness.
(Now, this mini does have proportions close to a horse!)
For some reason the Gypsy Vanner/Drum Horses came in again despite not being on the schedule, but I didn't mind as they had some new animals that were not in yesterday's show.
What a gorgeous horse and beautifully behaved. Again the announcer talked about how gentle these animals are, but just like yesterday, some of the horses' actions belied his words at times. There was a 16.2 hand 3 year old stallion who kept rearing. (Since I am being opinionated in this post, I'll continue - why would you bring a very young horse, one that is a STALLION, into a place full of 1000 people who are making a lot of noise? It did not seem safe to me, for the horse, for his rider, or for those in attendance.)
This Gypsy Vanner's tail was so long that its owner tied it under the carriage to keep it from dragging in the dirt! I can only imagine what it must take to keep that horse and his pretty tail clean.
Breyer has a large following (obviously, given the size and scope of BreyerFest) and thus some influence in the horse world. They have used that in the past in bringing attention to issues by using their models. For example, they had a Mustang series which raised awareness of the vanishing Kiger Mustangs and helped preserve them. (Proceeds were also donated.) Currently they are doing a breast cancer awareness series - unusually painted models with the pink awareness ribbon on them.
And Breyer has brought attention to the Cleveland Bay, a British breed of carriage horse that is nearly extinct - only a few hundred are left. One was at BreyerFest for us to ogle - she was massive! (She reminded me of Trouble, or perhaps Trouble reminds me of the Cleveland Bay.) Breyer also has done a Cleveland Bay model.
The last demo I watched was of Pony Club/Gymkhana and Gaming. Small horses work best for this as they have to be fast and handy at turning. I especially like that crops, bats, spurs, etc. are not allowed - only vocal encouragement can be used to get the horse to run.
Four teams were in attendance, and the riders ranged in age from youth to adult. The horses sported colorful leg wraps and skid boots, and a few were actually decorated with handprints, circles around their eyes, etc.
This group is lined up ready to sprint when the flag drops!
Several teams at the end of the arena, waiting their turn to run.
Gold, the palomino, is 29 years old and loves competing. (You can barely see the green circle around the eye on the left. He also had a green handprint on his hip.) He's so gentle, he doesn't even need a bit - she's riding him in a hackamore! Contrast that to most of the other competitors' horses who were rearing and plunging in anticipation of the flag signal.
But not just shopping on the concourse and demos in the arena are taking place in the Covered Arena - see those glass windows on the second story? Those are rooms where seminars are taking place - painting model horses, miniature tack making, lectures on breeds of horses... all kinds of things. And, the participants can watch the action down below while they work!
This rider is the announcer for the Gaming demonstration, explaining to the audience the rules of the games, sharing about the participants (who were from all over the world), etc. She kept to the perimeter of the arena to stay out of the way of the galloping racers while keeping up an informative running commentary.
I love this picture of a dad holding up his little girl so she can pat the announcer's horse. The horse is standing there calmly, but you can tell by his cocked ear that he is also paying attention to the baby patting him. Often horses sense when someone is young, inexperienced, timid, etc., and become very, very gentle while that person is with them. This photo is a beautiful case in point.
I made one more tour of the concourse before saying good-bye to BreyerFest 2012 , hopping in the car, and heading home. BreyerFest certainly was a fun and relaxing "mini" (haha) vacation for me.
