Snow

This week, on instagram I did a few days of intense posting around the thema "Snow"!
With Christmas around the corner, what a better choice than "snow" for this month thema?
 

I love snowy days so much...
Do you like that as much as me?

 
All the white shootings:

-LAST CALL FOR SNOW (2016-2017) - Poursollet/Jarrie/Sappey, France.
https://andreamofspots.blogspot.fr/2017/05/last-call-for-snow.html

-MIDNIGHT RIDE (2019) - Selonnet, France.
https://andreamofspots.blogspot.com/2020/01/midnight-ride.html

-BIG BIG SKY (2020) - French Alps, France.
https://andreamofspots.blogspot.com/2020/02/big-big-sky.html

-BLIZZARD CHASE (2020) - Selonnet, France.
https://andreamofspots.blogspot.com/2022/02/black-white.html

-SMOKE & MIROR (2020) - Selonnet, France.
https://andreamofspots.blogspot.com/2022/02/smoke-mirror.html

-LATE SUCCESS (2020) - Selonnet, France.
https://andreamofspots.blogspot.com/2022/03/last-year-winter-fun-photoshow-got-a.html

 

Wich one do you like best? Would you like to see more Snow?
Will do another recap on another thema next month for sure!

Shirtless Torso Calendar 3 (a wonderfull recap)

Yep now you kind of "know it" there was a first... then a second... and you cannot said "never two without a third"...

And just like that my friend Cléclème and I did it again!

Autumn Colours

This week, on instagram I did a few days of intense posting around the thema "Autumn Colours"!
A brief but vibrant time of year that I love with all my heart! Autumn really is my favorite season on all aspects...

Do you like that as much as me?

Here's some of the shootings involved:

-the LIGHT the MARE and the HEAVY (2017) - French Alps.
https://andreamofspots.blogspot.fr/2017/11/the-light-mare-heavy.html

-ACRES WILD (2017) - Rustrel Provençal Colorado, France.
https://andreamofspots.blogspot.fr/2017/11/acres-wild.html

-FALL'S SUNSET, AND WINTER AT DAWN (2017) - Pontis/Selonnet, France.
https://andreamofspots.blogspot.fr/2018/01/falls-sunset-and-winter-at-dawn.html

Wich one do you like best? Would you like to see more Autumn Colours?
Will do another recap on another thema next month for sure!

Mountain Lions

 

 

Safari!

Halloween

This week, on instagram I did a few days of intense posting around the thema "Halloween"!
With a highlight on one of the most difficult shooting I ever did at the Dieweg Graveyard, wich is one of my favorite known place! I topped it with a bunch of Amira dressed for Halloween in 2016.

Do you like that as much as me?

 

The shooting, that still holds a special place in my heart:

-MEET YOU AT THE GRAVEYARD (2018) - Dieweg Graveyard (Bruxelles) & Brugge's Graveyard
http://andreamofspots.blogspot.com/2018/10/meet-you-at-graveyard.html

 Horses dressed for Halloween, long time ago...

Will do another recap on another thema next month for sure!

the Mood Board - Choosing your horse portrait!

Yesterday I posted the portrait Sue Kern did for me of my gelding, Excalibur.
The search was difficult because it's not that easy to found a sculpture that looks like him. So, as far I did with Amira for her portraits, I choose on a "mood board". So I searched for a resin that have an attitude and body langage that reminded me of my pony.

I also wanted a Eberl resin, painted by Sue to match my Amira portrait n°2. So the two resins would kinda belong together.
If I see Amira galloping freely with energy in a field when I close my eyes, I see more Excalibur "showing off" in front of other horses (or sleeping in a corner, wich is less epic).

Of course, the best of the best, for both my horses would be to have original sculptures, I really wish this dream can come true one day or another, but waiting for that opportunity I'm really glad with how I managed to run thoses portraits on the closest look.

 See the "mood board"

For me that trotting lipizzaner, if you close your eyes on the lenght of the head, is pretty close. The body is really the same, the attitude too. Sue did a more fitting tail and reworked the head a bit.

Also, thoses two portraits were never introduced to their equine counterpart...

Now it's done! - And I like that!

And you, how would you choose a model for a portrait?

Excalibur

Excalibur

Artist Resin Custom (paintjob&modifications by Sue Kern) on "Trotting Lipizzaner": OOAK. Customised and painted in 2022 and sculpted by Brigitte Eberl.
Colour: Bay, Pintaloosa // Breed: Appaloosa x Saddle horse (with piebald factor)

Gender: Gelding.

Moonshine

Moonshine
Breyer Premiere OF (designed by Tammy Myrold) on "Forever Sage" mold. Released in 2015 and sculpted by Kristina Lucas Francis.
Colour: Grulla, Blanket Pattern // Breed: Mustang.
Gender: Mare.

Friends at home, the final recap.

So this summer, three of my hobby friends came at home!
I've spoken about the Live Show we did before, I posted some of the shootings we did together and I started to talk about our pony rides with my latest post about Excalibur...

So what else didn't I have mentionned? the fact they have met Amira, because she's the real star!

Amira who was perfectly fine, as always. She shared a field with an old retired lipizzaner mare (as my actual stable is one that breed lipizzans) this summer.

The fact that we took a galop in the fields with Excalibur, even if I wasn't comfortable with that idea because the pony buck a lot. But he was kinda stellar, despite a few tentatives.

Maybe I am a bit too worryied but my friends were happy...

 

 

Should I even say appy?

 

That morning ride was followed by a trail together in the afternoon, wich was also an exercice for me as Excalibur is difficult to handle with other horses. He feel like he's competing against them and try to take the lead on me... wich is really not somethin' I appreciate and need to be worked.
Most of the trails I've done with other horses have been a nightmare.

He surprisingly behaved well, I felt he was electrised but he was listenning to me. I was a bit relieved to be honest. Maybe our gallops in the field on the morning helped.

With other horses around, cows were more easy to handle. Good point on the group therapy :')

Because there's a lot of cows everywhere in the mountains...

After a long ride, we started the return. A water spot is always welcome, Excalibur loves it and always splashe and splashe and... he never stop, I had to get him out of it.

When we started to gallop, he immediatly started by a jump and a buck and I had to stop him. It's really difficult to gallop him with other horses, he instaneously take the bit to the theeths and jump in the air/bucks. That attitude cracks my nerves to be honest.
I had to get first to properly gallop him, and let the others enjoy a soft ride.

You can enjoy the smooth gallop too...

Once back, we asked for extra pictures as that's not everyday that you can do this with your hobby friends ;) - Great memories!

In the end I'm very glad about this week, a great way to motivate both in the hobby and in my riding!

Thank you girls!

Pony vs Mare