These were the first Clydesdales EVER. The bay Clydesdale has been
done a million times since these guys, but they started out with
some originality. Today it is hard to imagine bay
clydies being interesting, but this stallion definitely is !
Drum Major is really a beauty with his black shading and his unique
facial marking (And even the cute white spots on his hind legs!)
He is truly a standout and has tonnes more character than most
of the clydes that have been produced since.
The mare is Molly (Why does it seem like there are too many
GCs with that name..?) and I've never seen her in person, so I don't
know if she has any interesting markings like her man does.
I sure wouldn't mind having a Drum Major in my collection...
Photo Credit: Many thanks go to Neena, for
donating this photo of one of the most handsome Clydesdale
stallions.
The Quarter Horses
Only a couple of the horses from this year matched in
color, and these (thankfully) didn't. They are quite rare,
though, which is a shame due to the stallion, "Coronado,"
being an absolute Must Have. He is a light
palomino with orange shading and white hair, and he has a
lovely "extra," white socks on his three legs. This is a great touch
because his color is so pale that you might have expected an Empire
suit to step in and say,
"He's too light to have white socks! What's the point when you can
hardly see them ? I'm not paying
for that." And that would be a shame, because it's the socks that
give Coronado his character. He looks something like the 2002
Palomino mare, "Ice Sculpture," but this blanched type of palomino is
pretty uncommon among GCs and makes him very special indeed. He is
also really handsome for having bold black shading on his ears and
muzzle, and his single dark hoof makes him very unique among the
palominos.
Supposedly, there is another cantering stallion in Pal to show up in
2003, but I'd suspect he will not be as lovely as Coronado.
The mare, "Sugar Blaze," is like a lighter version of
the olive buckskin Lusitano mare from a couple years earlier. She
is pretty but not as deeply shaded, and without the long hair she
is not as special.
She would have been absolutely gorgeous with a nice dark grulla
head and white blaze, but what are ya gonna do...
(Left) Quarter Horse Mare "Sugar Blaze,"
Neena's mare, shown as "Sugar High."
(Center) Quarter Horse Stallion "Coronado,"
tacked
in the great tradition of 1997, with a blue detailed saddle and
studded bridle.
(Right) Quarter Horse Stallion "Coronado,"
My stallion showing his black shading and white socks; what a beauty
!
Photo Credit: Many thanks go to Neena, for
donating the left and center photos of the two Quarter horses.
Spanish Barb Horses
These are some of the better lookers from this group, and both
are early representatives of their respective molds. "Sienna
Silk" was the third Arabian Mare; the first two were the
Mail Order mare, Kamira,
and the Family Set mare, Sweet
Vidalia. This was the first time the mold was used in the
regular Mare collection, (And it's interesting that the Arabian
breed is not represented in this '97 group) and the resulting
horse is one of the most beautiful to be had ! She is molded in a
grayed, dove brown that is not unlike Smooth Move from '98. It's
such a lovely shade for being uncommon, but she is also enhanced by
lots of dark brown shading and dark gray around
her muzzle and eyes. Her hair is like, well... SILK ! And her mold
and markings truly earn her the "Best of '97" award from me. I am
very proud to own this beauty, and she is possibly my favorite
Grand Champion of all time.
"Senor Speedy," was only the second Barb Stallion ever,
after Snow Mane last year. These two are a rare couple and
very attractive, especially with their randomized white socks.
This was 1997, a good time for personalized markings, and the
hoof color even agrees with them. The tack matches their
coloration very well, also. If you have Sienna Silk, count
yourself lucky!
(Left) Spanish Barb Mare "Sienna Silk,"
from my collection. Beauty beyond description!
(Right) Spanish Barb Stallion "Senor Speedy,"
in his
original saddle and bridle.
Photo Credit: Kudos go to Neena,
who generously donated this photo of "Senor Speedy" !
Akhal - Teke Horses
This liver chestnut mare, "Red Gold," looks a lot like
Dixie Lady from the '96 group, and the Trotting pose is less
than flattering on her. This '97 bunch really could have used
some pintos or dappled horses or something, because these two look
very similar in color to the Spanish Barb mare, Sienna Silk.
Still, the Show Stallion "Bronze Baron," looks handsome
in that dark, reddish brown, and he is the only chestnut
(to date) in this mold. He is a very impressive horse with his high
hind socks and rich coloration, a classic chestnut anyone would
leap at the chance to own.
I get the feeling they named these two
the way they did, to ensure that the foal could be named "Red
Baron." (Only in the world of Grand Champions can the foals exist
before the parents.)
Akhal - Teke Stallion "Bronze Baron,"
in his original tack (I think..?) and I wish they would make more
colorful,
matching stuff like this; the light blue is such a nice accent.
Photo Credit: Many thanks go to Neena, for
volunteering this beautiful photo of Bronze Baron!
The Trakehners
Probably the most original pair in mold and coat color,
mare, "Over Easy," and stallion, "Perfect Match,"
are very hard to find nowadays. The stallion is especially
beautiful with his darker gray shading and white markings,
while the mare is the only "white" prancing mare in existence.
(Their foal is beautiful.) These were both debut horses
for their molds, and the first time of many that they would be
coupled together by breed. They later appeared in chestnut and
dark brown, and they came full circle in 2001, both appearing in
gray again as Lipizzaners. The stallion does look kind of like
a first draft of Senor Valadore.
(Left) Trakehner Mare "Over Easy," from
a package photo. (Right)
Trakehner Stallion, "Perfect Match."
Photo Credit: Thanks go to Neena for
donation of this photo of Perfect Match in his original tack !
Tennessee Walker Horses
Here, the Clunky Mare had to be used again, due to Empire
having only 5 different mare molds. (Don't ask me why they selected
this one for re-use. I bet people would cheer for a second Arabian
Mare, or even a Prancing Mare, showing up in this group.) This is
a shame because the Clunky Mare has been seen in chestnut (and
palomino) way too many times, and this would have been a good
opportunity to add some black to this year's collection. To this
day (2002) the Clunker has never been molded in black, and the
Gaited Stallion has just once, and only then on a parade horse.
(There were no black horses the following year either, 1998.) So
these two, "Lady Trooper," and "Memphis Pride,"
show up in somewhat boring palomino-ish/chestnut instead of the more
needed and
appealing black. (The Foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking
Horse was black, too!) Ok. Done ranting. I'll leave
them alone.
