Picture
Me in 2001 with my first NAN cookie.
This is a sister post to my friend Jamie Stine's blog post listing her hobby goals because we both work best when we're hyper-focused.  That's how I won my first cookie.  I know, I won't shut up about that, but here's the full story which I don't think I've ever told.  I shown halter almost exclusively for about ten years.  Around that time I had purchased and painted the Amarna "Scherazade" resin, Black Aria, which for the time was doing decently in halter.  Carrie Sapp had a spare costume and doll done by Cary Nelson and on a whim we put it on her.  Aria got 2nd in the class and was NAN qualified.  Now I had to give Carrie her costume back, which put me in a bind.  In the 80s I always made stuff for the models and enjoyed crafting and sewing, but due to being a poor kid I was discouraged by my early efforts in performance.  Older, more stubborn, and financially independent, I wanted to give this NAN thing a go. So I got the idea to do a more traditional costume, and I was lucky to have a good reference book of Arabian horses around the world.  The Syrian section had a neat photo of two horses parked in front of a tent, so I created the costume from scratch from those pictures.   I had a picture in my head of how the setup was going to look like and focused on every detail.  I also created the tent, and "ruin" that is in the background.  I enlisted my Arabic co-worker, Khaled Jaber, for consultation.  He also got a good laugh at the show ring costumes that I shown him online.:)  And over the next six months I worked on the whole presentation.  When it debuted at NAN, it was one of the few (maybe the only one?  my memory can't recall) authentic costumes on the table.  They are common now, but at the time the type that was favored/winning were the hugely tasseled show ring costumes (look at early Nelson and Marston costumes) with elaborate setups involving palm trees, camels, slave girls, etc.  (These also amused my Arabic co-worker no end.  He'd look at them and go "what!?")  Personally, I do like show ring costumes, but I prefer them to be shown in a show ring and not in a movie set!  I was hoping for a top ten.  When they announced Black Aria was the Champion in Arabian Costume I went nuts, and my lovely Region 5 friends went nuts with me!  I also got a lot of compliments from folks who liked seeing an authentic setup, and Judy Renee Pope and Elizabeth Bouras gave me the thumbs up not only for the horse and scene but naming the model after a Danzig album.  Afterwards, we saw the rise of the authentic costume, although I wonder if I caused it or if folks were just ready for a change. 

So the shocker here was that Ms. Halter shower here got into performance by winning a Grand at NAN!  But it took the next seven years for me to acquire the tack, and tentatively test the waters with an entry here and there.  I still consider myself a newbie due to the level of competition at Region 5. 

So flashforward to today:  My original gameplan for NAN 2012 was full of stars and unicorns...that is completely unrealistic.  I wanted to qualify and make NAN-level setups for about every major class.  The list of dolls alone that I needed was about the size of a football team.  So, taking "quality over quantity," which is Christie Partee's motto, lets get realistic.  Stuff that has qualified:
  • TUS Bohr (Deputed Duke) in dressage
  • Braunenmantle (Cloud 9) in dressage
  • TUS Albert (Cleveland Bay) in Hunter and Huntseat
  • Libria (CM Strapless) in Hunter and Huntseat
  • Faye Valentine (Bet Your Blue Boons) in Working Cow Horse and Reining
  • Planetary (Stone ASB) in Saddleseat
Stuff I'd like to qualify:
  • Planetary (Stone ASB) in Fine Harness
  • Die Schwimmenbad Pireten (Mon Gamin) in jumping
  • Something in Arabian costume - cause I just love costume
  • some cm in saddleseat - because I'll already have the tack and rider for the OF class
  • The new Rose Reiner CM by Prosser who is on it's way (squee!)
  • A western pleasure entry, just because I have the tack and I want to throw my hat in
Stuff I need:
  • dressage rider - have a resin one that I'm going to finish
  • huntseat rider
  • a more polished Handy Hunter jump setup
  • dressage rails and letters - I destroyed my rails from NAN 2010.  Need a less fragile option.
  • calf going the right lead - despite it's qualification in working cow horse, the horse and calf were on opposite leads. 
  • working western rider
  • signs for wall - I have a plain arena wall that could be dressed up.  Also needs to be fixed so it can stand.
  • saddleseat rider - body will be sent to Joan Yount, sculpting the head
  • saddleseat browband - the one I have is ok, but it starting to peel
  • an arabian costume & rider to fit a Khemosabi resin

 


Comments

drsteggy
12/01/2011 07:38

That's an excellent list of performance choices. does it REALLY matter if the calf is on the wrong lead? The only critter with control over that is the calf itself, and I don't know that if it wasn't anticipating a turn in one direction or the other it would necessarily be on the same lead as the horse. It wouldn't bother me if I were judging (though I most definitely won't be!) but I know things are not necessarily the same everywhere and you'll have 3 people evaluating the set up at NAN.

Reply
Alicia Vogel
12/02/2011 14:43

You know, that's a good question. I should research and look up some contacts I know in the actual working western show world.

Reply
Chrisite Partee
12/03/2011 14:06

It really doesn't matter what head the cow is on for WCH. Really. Look at pics online! Unless the cow and horse are both in a turn, then the cow's lead is irrelevant.

And yes, "quality over quantity" is always a good motto. ;-)

Reply
Alicia Vogel
12/04/2011 09:09

Thanks Christie. I was just going by what the one judge said. Saves me some money trying to find another calf!

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