Every year for Breyerfest, I get excited about the special runs, the celebration horse, but a small sentimental part of me is always excited about the prize models, specifically the Children/Youth ones. While they are just glossy versions of regular run models, the climax to months of research and preparing all takes place within a span of a couple of hours. I wonder who’ll win them this year and the back story to them.
My first Breyerfest was also my very first model horse show.

I went with my fellow horse crazy friend Madison. Since I had no idea really what I was doing, I was ecstatic when my newly bought Sundance won a second place ribbon and got placed into the championship ring with more experienced showers. I didn’t win a champion, but it was well worth it. I learned a ton about model horses and saw so many drool worthy horses. Real and model.

As the years went by, I got better( including with photography). Seriously, I have no pictures from my first Breyerfest. I most likely was still using one of those disposable ones, and believe me, I sucked at using even that!

My second year of showing (used 5 minute apoxie and nail polish).

Last big unrealistic custom I did, 2 years ago.

My first prize model was won with my Stage Mom model. And my glossy Rachel Alexandra is a permanent member of my herd.

The next year, the ill fated Buckbeak won me a Ravel.

As shocking as this will sound, I was my usual unorganized self the final time I could show in the Children/Youth Show. I hadn’t felt like even thinking about Breyerfest because the night before we were leaving, I had to put my rabbit asleep who I’d had at the time for the majority of my life. So I’d force-threw myself into finishing things and told myself to mourn when I got home.

I started showing and did better than ever.One of my favorite models won a champion for me in performance.

Then my endurance setup that I’d made won too and got a champion with that.

 And for overalls, I was called again! I got three glossies that day, and the energy and backstory to all of them will leave two forever with me. I may joke about wishing to be sixteen again so that I could show at Breyerfest again, but I would never really want to trade the laughter, tears, wonderful experiences I had showing. Which brings to today.

Today was my last day of high school. I cleared out my locker for the final time after taking my final exam. Most people tell me that I’ll miss high school. I won’t miss high school as a whole and I’d never ever would want to repeat it. The moments I’ve experienced I wouldn’t ever be able to repeat, no matter if I went back to high school for the rest of eternity (isn’t that a horrifying thought?).I’ll miss the moments, the happy smiles, the usual disagreements, but the eventual-ness of  my class being a class. I looked around in the empty classroom at the empty desks that’d never again be filled with my classmates. We were the new ghosts, a new group of graduates that would become a memory and picture. High school will be committed to pictures of people we’ll pull out of boxes stuffed with old yearbooks years from now, and  will vaguely remember big moments. Some faces will be forgotten. But I look to the future, filled with my memories and things I’ve learned that have made me into the person I am today. So I can’t wait to start my new school life, and my blooming model horse one.