| The Free Site | vBuddy - make friends, share photos, blogs, have fun | Cheap Web Hosting - starting at $5 |
I don't know much about these guys because I don't have either
of them, but I did look up Jutland, and it is in Denmark. One
of the outstanding qualities of this pair of horses is that they
are not BAY. They also have a lot of deep
shading on them, and are differentiated from most GC Drafts
in not having white markings on their legs and faces. The
color fades from dark, chestnut orange to yellowish toward
the hooves, and they have gray muzzles and hooves
and blonde hair. This is one of those nice cases where the original
mold color has been dressed up enough to disguise it, and this
makes the horse look like more than just a toy - very polished and
attractive. If I were into draft horses, I would be after these guys,
if only because they are unique. 
These are both attractive horses, despite being chestnuts
(a common color). They are really bright, though!
My digicam has a hard time with this glaring red/orange; I think
these are Silver Medal in brightness, right behind the
Warmbloods of 1998. They are decent looking, though, not the
neon pink/orange of that icky mare, Duchess...
throwback as well to another cantering stallion, Thunderstorm from
the 1995 group. They are both chestnuts with like markings save one
detail, the sock on the left hind leg. 
they are the first chestnuts to have this, though it's common on
real horses. There are only two GCs with the name 'Molly,' but
it feels like there are a lot more. The 'brae' gets
donated to the foal "Fitzbrae," though he is often referred to
(erroneously) as "Fritzbae."
Oh, this is a beautiful pair of pintos! Starting with the mare,
"Melody," who has dual colors in her mane and tail.
(I love that!) The stallion does not have this, but they are similar
in their coloring otherwise. Melody's markings are more
spotty and rounded than the Stallion's (His are quite realistic!),
but she is really a beauty! Melody is
also a debut horse, the first mare to have been
molded in the Gaited Stallion pose. 
this couple, too, as the mare has a classic tobiano pattern,
and
the stallion is beautiful in overo. (I love overos, myself. I like
bold facial markings.) I think this is the first husband and
wife to show such distinct patterns. (You can see my mare there
has a funny patch of pink shading on her neck, but nowhere else!) 
2000 was a splendid year for these Spirits of the American West.
The Grand Champion line had never quite depicted them with the
right wild flair until this couple showed up. Both are in
a buckskin ensemble, an appropriate coat color when one conjures
up the old west and imagines wild
horses galloping across the deserts and prairies.
Too bad they do not have dun striping, but the tails are bicolored
with white, giving these
horses a touch of the natural variation and gene mixing that
so personifies mustangs, and they have the bold blazes and socks
that are classic for the Old West genre. Both are also in
nice poses-- The Rearing Stallion is ideal for the guy, as he looks
almost alive, going through these
motions to challenge another stallion, flailing his hooves and
prepararing to do battle over his herd.
His name, too, "Flaming Glory," is such a
triumphant expression of the life of these animals in the wild.
Unfortunately, 2000 was the year of The Bastardization
(If that's a word) of
The Arabian Mare. That means The Morons at Empire had to screw
up the mold in the same way they did some others this year, by
thickening all
the extremities. The result is that Nikita from last year
is the final Arab mare to have the delicate hooves and small muzzle
that so fit the breed. "Shadow Mist" here still has her
dished face and short back, but below the elbows, she's all PONY on
these thick, squatty legs ! It's just a terrible shame (And I'm not
even done complaining about it! I complain about it more in 2002 !)
and makes you wonder what is wrong with people, and how they get
into the positions of authority that make these things possible. 
The Quarter horses this year are doing one of the many things they
do best -- Western arena stunts. And they are in a classic western
color: Palomino with socks and facial markings. (There is some
kind of unwritten rule that every Palomino has to have facial
markings. Certainly, he must if he wants to work in Hollywood.)
These are orangey Pals, though. This pair of horses shows the
most differentiation in color pattern for the genders of this
year, as the Stallion has four socks and the mare only has two.
But, in typical Grand Champion style, both of these are named
after something that is golden or yellow in color. The Mare is
"Butterscotch" and the Stallion is "Liquid Gold" (You might
expect the foal of these two to be named "Liquid I Can't Believe
It's Not Butter," but no, it's "Goldilocks.") and they are in
relatively new poses. The Mare is cutting and the Stallion is
debuting a brand new pose, The Sliding Stop Stallion...
and proving that it's one of those poses that looks funny
without tack. This is a nice pair, but nothing to write
home about. There are many horses that exist in this color,
and I am surprised that Empire decided to include a second
pair of yellowish horses with a strong Western theme in this
year's release. Next to those stunning Mustangs, these Quarter
horses seem a little weak.
