It's my pleasure to bring you... The Horse Source Blog!
Back in the Day™, when we used Weebly for the PPS website (which... seriously, who uses Weebly anymore? Yikes!) I had an on and off blog that was filled with everything from updates on new Breyer horses to... well... I think it was mainly updates on new Breyer horses.
Now that I've got a bit more time on my hands and a better platform, I think that maybe it would be fun to have a dedicated blog that I write in at least once per week. Consider it something that lets me update all of you with goings-on surrounding Paint Pony Studios, my artwork, upcoming model horse releases (whether they be Breyer, Stone, Copperfox, artist resins, etc,) video games, and maybe some non-horsey stuff that I find fascinating.
I'm also hoping that making this a once-weekly thing will also act as a "habit-tracker" of sorts.
Blog posts may not be super long, but starting in the new year, having a weekly catch-up with you all as the BreyerFest and other news rolls in sounds like fun to me!
What can members do?
As a site member, you can actually like, comment, share, and even get notifications when blog posts go live! I would love to read all your opinions and start some friendly discussion.
Please keep in mind the following rules when you comment:
No foul language! I'm definitely known to pepper in some spicy words every now and then, but let's keep them off the blog. Don't make me start a swear jar.
No hate speech. Self-explanatory.
Please treat everybody with respect.
I would pull the whole "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all," but I really think we're all better than that. If you have criticisms for what's being shared, please keep them constructive in some way. (i.e.-- If a model comes out that you don't like, let's not call it "ugly, hideous," or "the worst piece of plastic horseflesh ever created."
Every model is someone's favorite. Every custom is something that an artist poured their heart into. Please take other peoples' feelings into consideration.
Test it out! Make a comment! Introduce yourself!
I'll go ahead and introduce myself, too...
I'm Emma!
I've been a "crazy horse girl" ever since my parents plopped me onto a carnival pony ride when I was little. Biggest mistake of their lives. ;)
I was gifted Breyers as a little kid, the first ones I remember being the Dreamer and Goliath's Boy set, the San Domingo rerelease on the semi-rearing Mustang, and a Misty right from Chincoteague Island. Shortly after that followed the Pony Family gift set and a Traditional truck and trailer-- I was officially hooked, and had my own carpet herd!
I was also teaching myself to draw from an early age. And what did I draw? Well... if you guessed "horses," then you would be 100% correct! In elementary school, I was drawing and cutting out little paper horses that my friends and I would trade amongst ourselves, which was an absolute blast! (Some of my classmates from back then still have theirs ^^)
And when it comes to the real thing, I started in the United States Pony Club when I was about 7 or 8. I grew up riding anything and everything I could get my hands on, from the feistiest lesson ponies to the old plodders, and, boy, was that just the best experience. My first horse was a Haflinger gelding gifted to me by my great-grandmother... but we didn't get along great. Chippy was green, and I was green, and it didn't work out, so then came along Alex.
My little powerhouse Welsh-Saddlebred cross pony is still kicking it at 27 years old, enjoying retirement after roughly two decades of teaching kids and being my partner in crime. He taught me so much, and he never ever went easy on me. I almost threw in the towel after a whole year of him bolting at fences and making attempts to ditch me. But I stuck with it; I just knew that the end result would be worth it.
In high school, I outgrew my childhood pony and looked for something a little bigger... and a whole lot crazier. So, I landed myself with Jenna. Registered under the name "Kordena," Jenna was a 15-hand Trakehner mare sired by Donnerkeil. The rumor was that she'd flipped over backwards as a baby, hit her head, and the farm she was at practically gave her away. Nobody wanted to put in the time to ride her, and she'd broken the barn owner's daughter's ankle. It was love at first sight for me.
Stupidly athletic, but the craziest ride I'd ever been on, Jenna's abilities were nerfed by her horrid asthma. Unfortunately, we lost her at 20 years old in 2018.
I also can't forget to mention the goofiest of boys, the one and only Johnathon, who has been my saving grace ever since I lost Jenna. I was bound and determined that I wasn't going to buy another horse until after I graduated college, but this lap-dog of a Thoroughbred changed my plans.
In between real horses came the model horses. I started attending BreyerFest in 2010 and have gone every year since. I began painting, seriously picking up an airbrush when I was a sophomore in high school, which is when the Breyer dealership came into play and my art career took off. The Breyer dealership is a story for another time, I think, but yeah-- I was wheeling and dealing model horses at sweet sixteen. (While also making comic books and filling out college applications. Yeah, I don't often mention the fact that I have three published comic books. Somehow, its seems a little out of left field.)
In 2018, I also took a summer job with The Peter Stone Company, during which I revolutionized their Design-A-Horse program, creating the Horse Builders that let you view all your options before purchase. That eventually turned into a part-time, and then a full-time job-- designing t-shirts... and models... and the Classic Literature Series... and researching new paints for the paint room... and, and, etc, etc. I did a lot, to put it mildly. While I no longer work for Stone, it was such a valuable experience, and I'm excited to see what the future holds.
So, now that you know a little about me...
Go ahead and tell me a little about YOU, too!
How long have you been collecting? Do you show? Do you have real horses?
I'm so looking forward to getting some thoughts down "on paper" weekly and filling up this blog. I hope that you all will enjoy coming along for the ride with me!
-Emma