Here we have two brand new molds that made their debut with the
Australian Brumby this year, a breed addressed for the the first
time by the Grand Champion line. The mare, Waltzing Matilda, is
in the cutting pose and came with a barrel.
(They want us to think it's a Barrel Racer, but the pose is
definitely cutting.) The stallion, Boomerang, is in the rearing
pose and comes with a stand that holds his hind feet.
These are cuties and must have sold pretty well, enough that they
are seen secondhand with
some regularity. They are unique in mold
and color, which is a cream base with brown dapples
and dark, auburn brown mane and tail. There is black shading on
the muzzles, wrists and hocks, and black hooves to match.
The coat pattern is neither here nor there: Too
organized to be leopard spot, and too randomized to
be called dapple. Their
accessories are likely different from the publicity photos, as
even the stallion's stand appears black in his package picture.
Both the names of these horses
originate with Australia. The Boomerang, obviously, is that elbow
shaped thingy that you throw and then it arcs around backward and
hits you in the forehead, rendering you unconscious.
"Waltzing Matilda" is an old folk poem that was written in the late
19th Century by an Australian named Banjo Paterson. It was later
converted to song, and has been remade in several different
versions by many musicians over the years.
All in all, pretty nice brumbies.
(Left) Brumby Mare "Waltzing Matilda" - My
horse in replacement tack.
(Right)
Brumby Stallion "Boomerang" - My horse, who is 'wild' for now but
will probably get tacked soon.
Criollo Horses
These are among the more interesting-pattered Grand Champions from this
year. They have chestnut and white coats with touches of black
behind their forefeet. The white color is misted underneath them
and along the sides, up the legs and blending into the orange. They
even have patches of white on their jaws, and a "blaze", which is
a misted strip on the front of the face.
The Criollo horse
originates in Argentina. It was the horse of the Conquistadors,
and some of them escaped or were abandoned centuries ago and
took to living wild on the Pampa, the South American
lowlands. They have since been re-bred with European horses and
are used for all kinds of work. They exist in hundreds of colors
and patterns, even stripey duns, pintos and roans. Their color
is a unique character of the breed, as it is not unusual to find
them with odd markings or white splashes here or there.
Empire's rendition of this breed is fairly accurate, as a Criollo
can be seen with faded, blending white on his legs and
undercarriage, but a few definite pinto patches would have given
these two just the right personality.
The "Bolero" is a Spanish
dance performed to guitar and castanets, and "Maraschino" is, of
course, the candy cherry that goes on ice cream sundaes.
Sometimes you
eat this cherry, but sometimes it's better to just sort of chew
on it to get the juice and then spit it out. Even though that's
gross, but sometimes that
cherry is just too much. The juice is the better part of it.
Actually
I really don't care for the texture of those cherries... Too
plasticky,
maybe?
Bolero
is molded in the "Arabian" (ha ha) Stallion pose, and Maraschino in
the
Classic Mare pose. The Classic Mare was something of a staple in
the late 90's, but Bolero was only the third horse ever to be
molded in the Arabian Stallion.
It's not that these guys are ugly. I think they're just boring.
They are not beyond customization, which says a lot about horses
that are seldom seen in a market saturated with '94s and '95s.
(Left) Criollo Mare, "Maraschino," in a
neat custom halter.
(Right) Criollo Stallion "Bolero" - My horse, touched up for
scratches.
Photo Credit: Kudos belong to Neena
for generously
donating this picture of the mare on the
left.
Shire Horses
More bays. This was the third set of draft horses that Empire
produced in the traditional GC line. The Stallion,
"Timpani Drum," and the mare, "Miss Maggie," are almost Xeroxes of
the '97 Clydies, with the exception of having wider blazes around
their muzzles and different color hair for the mare. Really
pitiful, too, because Empire should not have felt the need to
stick to common Clydesdale colors. (And yeah, bay is the most
common color for them, but they come in black, brown and chestnut
with roaning as well, so what gives?) These were marketed as Shires,
and my understanding is that the Shire Horse used to be called
the "English Black Horse"... And they are commonly seen in black,
and other NON-BAY colors... why not black with some white
blazes and socks?
And this was only the beginning. These same horses showed up
again in the 2001 standard run, and again (Twice more? Or are they
the same horses? I'm not sure) in the Clydesdale
Family Sets.
(Left) Shire Mare "Miss Maggie" from her
grainy brochure photo. (Right) Shire Stallion
"Timpani Drum," owned by Whimsy Stables.
Photo Credit: Kudos go to Neena
for donating this picture of her Shire Stallion!
Tersk Horses
Onto some better entries for this year... And these are some
good lookers! The Tersk horses are dark gray with white tinting
and have dapple-like spots all over. The spots are smaller than
average, and the shading has a slight reddish tint that makes these
guys something different and special.
The Tersk breed originated
in Russia recently (In the early 20th century) and is descended
from Arabian horses; it is bred for its remarkable endurance and
the ability to withstand winter temperatures. This is one that
Empire got exactly right, as the most common color is indeed
"gray with a silvery sheen," and they even gave them Russian
names (The stallion "Rasputin" and the mare "Nikita.") and
molded the mare in Arab. This is a gorgeous pair and they
certainly deserve to be on anyone's Most Wanted. Actually I think
these and the brumbies are the only truly popular horses from this
group. These are rare; I have
seen the stally for sale twice, (Both times he fetched $15-$20 US.)
and the mare just once.
(Left) Beautiful Tersk Mare "Nikita." The mare
owned
by Whimsy Stables, shown as "Seraya,"
in a great photo that shows her spots and shaded coat.
(Right) Tersk Stallion "Rasputin," in a photo
that shows the white face and legs.
Photo Credits: Thanks go to Neena
for providing this excellent photo of the mare, Nikita, and to
Janice for this nice, big picture of Rasputin, who I think
is even more rare.
Selle Francais Horses
This is an interesting pair in a color that I think was used for
some FNNs at some point, but has not been otherwise seen in the
Grand Champion classics.
It is like pale cream (almost white) with black points, and then with
white blended legs.
This is a convenient scheme because they do
not have any body shading, so when you get one secondhand, you can take
the citrus oil to them all you want and take off all the marks and
end up with a horse that
looks almost brand new.
I do like this color, but it's not the kind that holds your attention
for long. Some people find these guys boring or even "ugly," and
I guess I can understand that since they don't have much character,
lacking markings and such.
The mare,
"Bruchette," is the second standard horse to take the Cantering
Mare
pose that was introduced the previous year. The stallion,
"Waterloo,"
is approximately the fifth Cantering Stallion.
The Selle Francais is from France (where you can often find horse
meat packaged at the store next to beef and chicken) and excels
in dressage and show jumping. It has been bred down from Norman
horses, Arabians and Thoroughbreds, and is known for being
cooperative and eager to please. They are most commonly seen in bay
and chestnut, but many colors are found.
These guys were
appropriately sold with English tack, and probably one of them
would be a solid addition to any collection.
"Waterloo," is of course
named for the place of Napoleon's
famous defeat. Napoleon had many horses, but his most famous was
Marengo the gray Arabian stallion, whom he acquired while campaigning
in Egypt. Marengo was captured after the battle of Waterloo and
put to stud in England. He died in 1832 and his skeleton is
mounted at the National Army Museum in London. He was an Arabian
horse, as Napoleon preferred them over Thoroughbreds (plus, short
guys don't need big horses), but perhaps
he would have liked a Selle Francais if the breed had existed
back then. (Keep in mind, too, that Napoleon did not have time to
visit any Arabian
Stables during his brief but Excellent visit to San Dimas,
California in
1989.)
(Left) Selle Francais Mare "Bruchette,"
my mare - What a beauty!
(Right) Selle Francais Stallion
"Waterloo," a
perfect match to the mare.
The Hanoverians
This German breed makes
its first appearance in the Grand Champion ranks with these two
dark brown horses, Mare "Blythe Spirit," and Stallion "Ludwig." Both
That's right: they only look black in every photo you've
ever seen. They are actually dark brown with black hair,
white on their legs, and a strip of white misted onto their faces.
They have pink/peach hooves, and also a bright
, distinct spot of pink on their noses. Both
are in lively, prancy molds, the leggy, prancing mare and the high-stepping
stallion. As befits the
breed, they came with black, white and silver English tack, and
appear to be going through the motions of dressage.
These
Hanoverians are nice, but identical to each other. I find the solid
brown/no shading to be just ... kind of boring again.
(Left) Hanoverian Mare "Blythe Spirit,"
in her original saddle and
pad.
(Right) Hanoverian Stallion "Ludwig," and
a small picture showing
the misted white area on his face, and the curious pink snip marking.
Blythe has a similar arrangement.
