BreyerFest opened this morning at 7:00 AM for their open show. People stood in long lines to get in, and sales tents were mobbed. I missed all that. Deliberately. I am perfectly content to stroll in several hours after it opens - there is nothing I want that badly that I'd go camp out in line to get! (Must be gettin' old...)
So, I slept in, got up and worked online and read, and then headed out at noon. Because two major horse shows are being held at Kentucky Horse Park along with BreyerFest, the place was PACKED. I knew this and anticipated parking a long way away and hiking to the entrance. But to my surprise, the park had golf carts ferrying people to and from the parking lot! I ended up on the back bench of one, facing out and with nothing to keep me from slipping off and falling onto the pavement. And the woman who drove it went at a good clip! But hey, it was an adventure and I survived by grabbing onto the sides and holding on for dear life.
I headed straight to the covered arena where the vendors' fair was being held concurrently with demonstrations in the arena. The arena is huge! And, since the theme for BreyerFest this year is British Invasion, naturally the Union Jack is flying.
The arena is encircled by a concourse. Well, actually it is horseshoe shaped with a stage (where the flag is displayed in this photo) at the end and two entry gates for horses. Seats also line the arena, and then there is a concourse behind the seats for vendors. And it was packed with goodies!
I go into overload just looking at this photo.
Stations like this rim the entire arena, and there are thousands of pieces to peruse for sale. (Just for the record, I didn't buy a thing, but if that woodgrain Brahma Bull is still there tomorrow, I will give it a second look!)
Events run all day in the arena. In keeping with the British theme (as well as the Olympics being held in London) there was a fascinator contest. A Breyer horse had to be displayed somehow in the fascinator.
I counted 100+ entrants, including at least ten men and boys!
This gal was spot on in her impression of Princess Beatrice at last year's royal wedding. (Although I doubt there was a Breyer tucked into the real Princess' hat!)
After the fascinator contest we were treated to a medieval jousting demonstration by the men from the TV show, Full Metal Jousting.
What a pretty horse! I could not determine the breed, but it was a very quiet animal. It patiently walked around and around the arena while the host (his rider) spoke to us. He did an excellent job of explaining the sport. I only knew a little about jousting before the demo took place. (Still have a lot to learn.)
Two men competed against each other and also demonstrated various aspects of the sport. They occasionally handed roses out to audience members, usually choosing a little girl. It was cute to see them ride over to the seats, bend over, and give a rose to a befuddled and suddenly shy child!
After some preliminary activities (ring spearing at a full gallop, spearing a bale of hay painted with a bulls-eye, etc.) the riders prepared to actually joust. I now know why knights had squires - they needed help getting into their full armor! Each knight had two men assist, and because of the big horses, they needed special platforms to stand on. Knights were dressed this way because, once the armor was on, they could barely move - it was stiff and it was heavy.
Jousting consists of running full tilt at each other with long spears at the ready, and hitting the other knight at full gallop with them. The knights are nearly blind because of their helmets, and have to drop the reins to hold their spears. I cannot imagine riding blind at full tilt and not having any way to control my horse.
The spears used in the demonstration were wooden, and nearly every time they snapped upon impact with a loud CRACK. They made five or six runs at each other, garnering points for each run.
This poor guy ended up with the hilt of a spear embedded between a joint in his armor on his thigh. I think it must've hurt - it sure looked nasty and I'll bet he got a good bruise where it penetrated his armor.
Next up was a drill team from Kentucky; in fact, they are the Kentucky state champions.
Nine girls galloping about the arena while riding intricate patterns.
All the while holding a flag as they went. One time in high school, I was asked to carry the flag in a pre-horse show parade around the arena while riding Cee, and then stop and hold it during the Pledge of Allegiance. I had a sling to steady the flag, but controlling a horse and keeping that flag in place was tough. My arms hurt when I was done.
These girls had my full admiration for being able to do it at a gallop and for a sustained amount of time!
Gypsy Vanner horses were on display next. They're descendants of horses European gypsies used to pull their wagons.
The lighter horse is a blue sabino two year old filly. She was lovely - her mane, tail, and feathers looked fluffy and soft.
The announcer kept talking about how gentle Gypsy Vanners are, but this one was not an advertisement for his breed. He reared and circled, and his handler kept yanking on the lead rope to control him, causing the horse to throw his head up and back.
At one point, I wondered if the horse was going to leap into the stands!
The announcer said we would see eleven Gypsy Vanners, but only eight made it into the ring. This next one kept rearing and causing trouble in the warm-up ring (I could see it from where I was sitting) and actually got loose! It took several minutes to catch him. I think the lady in the dress was supposed to lead him around, but she ended up having a man lead the horse while she trailed behind.
Speaking of trailing behind, just look at that mane and tail! Stunning!
Despite their beautiful looks (and several others in the arena who were behaving well) I am not sure I buy the "gentle giant/friend of children" sort of description of the breed.
At this point, I decided to get some lunch/dinner and head over to the host hotel and wander the room sales. I happened to notice the name of the street that the hotel is on:
Too funny!
A highlight of the trip was reuniting with my friend, Cindy Neuhaus, and catching up a bit. She lives in St. Louis and her husband went to the University of Illinois. About ten years ago, Cindy developed her own line of china horses. They're really nice, and the one I own won its class yesterday at Breakables (qualifying for NAN.)
Cindy has been experimenting with an ancient Chinese method of firing fine china called "Raku." Each piece is one of a kind. I had wanted one, but wanted to pick it out in person. Here it is (and Cindy, too.)
We took it outside to see the colors in full sunlight - wow! If you've ever seen a swirl of oil on water in the sun, that's sort of what it looked like. I am really happy with this piece.
For BreyerFest, people throw open their room doors and have sales items all over tables and shelves for sale. You see all kinds of pieces for sale, plus horse books, paintings, jewelry, and things for real horses, too. Plus, you get to meet new people or chat with longtime hobby friends.
Terry Richards (from Rockford, Illinois and Antina's mama) and I had a chance to catch up, too. I bought a woodgrain Jolly Cholly for a rock bottom price from her and a dark red Lady Phase that had belonged to Marney Walerius. When Marney died, Terry was asked to sell her collection, and since I knew Marney, I wanted a piece from her collection (it, too, was rock bottom - $15!)
The mini horse was included in the price of the ticket and came in a Breyer-blue pouch. (Kathleen Moody, another friend who is also LDS, sculpted it.) I ran into old friends Susan and Gene Taylor and bought a bitty bridle and a saddle pad from them.
I also exchanged the necklace that I'd bought in June at the gift shop in the park - three of the crystals fell out. So I returned it and took a chance on another. I coated the crystals on this one with a layer of clear nail polish - hopefully it will act as an adhesive and keep the crystals intact.
And, believe it or not, I ran into Linda Walters. Good grief, I still have her address memorized from the 1970s! (And it hasn't changed!) She's a very shy, reticent woman, never married, who is nervous around others but dynamite when she writes. She published The Model Horse Journal for years and I eagerly awaited each journal. Every hobbyist subscribed - it was THE connector for all of us, to each other and to the hobby.(No internet back then, and long distance phone calls were costly!) Linda and I used to correspond back and forth, too.
Linda remembered me, but was too shy for a picture. (I wasn't surprised.) We had a good chat and she gave me her phone number. She still lives with her parents, although they are elderly and need her to care for them. She also operates an antique shop - that's her card in the picture.
I wrapped up the day by chatting with Beth Dickinson for over an hour, continuing our conversation from the previous day at Breakables.
Overall, day two in Kentucky went well. I am tired, but it is a happy tired. Old friends coupled with horses, both real and model, make for a good day.
