Red Roan Belgian

While the Belgian is not my favorite, it is a vintage mold, and when it's painted in the old red roan colorway...  Well, look who came home with me!

 Breyer Belgian, red roan, no number, 1984 Special Run for Horses International, $100, 1/2019, Julie Acer, Olive Branch, MS

 Red roan is one of my favorite vintage colors and he looks great in it!

Turnout Blanket

This turnout blanket has been available for a couple of years and was just discontinued. Breyer had it on sale, so I bought it.

Turnout Set, #2064, 2016 - 2018, $10, 1/2019, Breyer

2018 Vintage Club Stablemate Rosemary

The Vintage Club Stablemate Saddlebred arrived today -  at last!

 In the past years of the club, they have been sent to members well before New Year's Day.

VC SM Rosemary, #712243, free, 2018 only, Breyer, 1/2019

I love the vintage color strawberry roan, and think Breyer did a nice job on this piece. Her braids are painted in Breyer's colors - nice touch, Breyer!

The vintage blister package is a neat touch, too! Little Rosemary (sweet name) is staying in her box; I like it too much to destroy it by opening her.

Apart from the lack of communication about the delay in sending it out (Breyer still has not said a word as to why there was a delay), I am very, very happy with this piece. 

Breyer USDF Blanket - Completed Set

This is a hard to find blanket, but I finally tracked one down for my collection on eBay. Seller's photo.)

Breyer USDF blanket, #2600, 2008-2010, $22, eBay, Sue Lehman, 6734 N. Farris, Fresno, CA. 93711

There are six of these blankets and I think I now have them all. I have the USDF, AQHA World Show, BreyerFest, Devon Horse Show, American Royal, and the NRHA blankets That's six - I did it!

Alabaster Running Foal

I just got this nice alabaster Running Foal off eBay. (Pictures from eBay sale.)

 Alabaster Running Foal, #130, 1961-1973, $17, eBay, 1/2019, GameGurusPlanet, Tuscon, AZ.

The foal's nose and ears looked pink to me in the seller's photos, and I was disappointed to discover that they were not - I actually bought this one over another for that very reason. But, it is a very early version because it has the pared off hind hoof (done for stability) so that's a plus.

Still, I am happy with it and am now on the hunt for the alabaster Running Mare!

Kelvin Circus Ponies

Look what I just found - two new circus ponies to add to my collection!

They're bone china and made by Kelvin, a Japanese company that (clearly) did knockoffs of the Hagen Renaker circus ponies. I paid $19 ppd for the set, and found them on MH$P. The seller is April Powell from New York.

Hagen Renaker did not do a rearing one, but this copy has the harness (complete with heart), the white body color with the black mane and tail, and the red pipe cleaner plume of the Hagen Renaker Circus Ponies.

In this case, the plume is a pipe cleaner folded in half, not a single piece like Hagen Renaker's. There is a little crazing in their finish, too, not uncommon for older china pieces (including Hagen Renakers.)

This one mimics Hagen Renaker's Head Up Circus Pony.

On both ponies, the mane and tail have white in them, possibly for depth and detail or maybe just because of sloppy painting. I lean toward the latter because the hooves and harnesses also have white streaks in them.

Here is a comparison of the Kelvin to a Shiken (Japan) copy and the original Hagen Renaker Circus Pony. Note the Kelvin is larger in scale, too. Check out those hooves - all the copies in my collection have black hooves. Was it due to the cost of gold paint?

You can also tell that the copies are bone china (see that stark white color?) while the Hagen Renaker has a creamier color due to the slip that was used to make it.

As I said, Hagen Renaker did not make a rearing Circus Pony, but Shiken did. The Kelvin is on the left and the Shiken on the right.

I have eight various circus pony copies in my collection, and not one of them is a copy of Hagen Renaker's Head Down Circus Pony. I wonder if they're out there?

While I don't care much for the idea of one company taking another's product, making a few minor changes, and then marketing it as their own, it was (and remains) a common occurrence. But I have to admit, I find all the copies charming, and I really, really like these two.

RubberNedz Circus Pony

Last August Catriona Harris posted a photo of her new RubberNedz Circus Pony from Donna Chaney.

I gasped in amazement - I had no idea that Donna was making RubberNedz into circus ponies! Immediately I contacted Donna and inquired about having her make one for me.

Mine arrived yesterday and I am over the moon about him.

 RubberNedz Circus Pony on the Talus mold, ($187.50/148 pounds.)

I asked her to do a bay with four varied socks, a white blaze with pink and white on the nose, and orange feathers and I got everything I asked for. There are even two orange crystals for bridle rosettes!

At that cost, this will likely be my only RubberNedz, but I sure do like him.