Tack

Teeny Saddle

Kristian BeverlyLeave a comment

Up until today the smallest saddle I’d made was pebbles scale. Apparently I never posted a finished picture of it here, so here’s that.

I was asked if I could make a tiny saddle set. I couldn’t think of any reason why I couldn’t so I said yes.
I finished it this morning. It’s for the size between Pebbles and Stablemate. So 1/30ish scale? It only needs stirrups and for the stirrup leathers to be trimmed.

It’s made with all of the pieces of my traditional pattern. Some parts were simplified to reduce bulk.   I would say that half of the creating time was spent playing with reducing my pattern. I expected to have to remake pieces when I started putting it together, but it all went together pretty easily.

It fits my mini Hazel.

I’m very happy with this. I used silver paint for the nailhead to keep it in scale. Here it is with a 1/9th scale saddle. This was a fun challenge to do!

2018 Goals

Kristian BeverlyLeave a comment

It’s the first day of the year. It’s off to a good start since I finished a nameplate halter.

Nichelle of Desktop Stables posted about hobby goals. Which got me thinking and reflecting about my year and what I want to accomplish in 2018. I have some annual resolutions plus some new ones.

1. Blog More

This is an annual goal. 2017 was my lowest blogging year in terms of posting. It’s not that I stayed holed up in my room for 300+ days, but yeah.  So I still need to finish some backlog posts! I also finished my junior year at Penn State and am now half way through my senior year.

2. Give Back

I love this hobby so one of my 2018 things I’d like to do is give back more. At Breyerfest two of the most common questions I was asked was about where to get supplies and where to go to find out about hobby gatherings. On facebook I often see questions about performance.  So I’m hoping to write more how-to things to help beginners trying to get into the hobby. Or people wanting to try out other parts of showing *cough performance cough.* So hopefully by 2019 I’ll have posted or started a performance showing series (would any bloggers/hobbyists like to collaborate on some topics? I’m always open to ideas!).

4. Make Better Tack

My usual hobby goal is to progress in my tack making. I made huge strides in tack making for 2017 and would like to continue on that curve. There’s a huge difference between my saddles at the beginning of 2017 versus the end of 2017. My nameplate halters have gotten better and so have my bridles. Hopefully in 2018 I can make solid boot patterns too.

Left is the end of 2017, right is the beginning

5. Make Videos

I made one video in 2017, but I really enjoyed the process of it. My goal is to make more of them. They just take a whole lot more time to edit and shoot than a blog post. 🙂

6. Read More

Outside of the hobby, I love to read but since starting college the number of books I’ve read yearly has dwindled. It makes sense and all but still. It went from 100+ a year to about half. In 2018 my goal is to read more.  My favorite book I read in 2017 was The Hate U Give  by Angie Thomas. It came out in February and has been on the bestseller list since. 
In March I saw that Angie Thomas would be in New Jersey, so I drove to New Jersey to hear her talk and sign my book. She was my favorite author to meet in 2017. 🙂

7. Show More

I stopped by a few shows in 2017 to hang out and visit. I showed once, and it was a blast. So my goal is to show at more than one in 2018.
The hobby is a fun place, but whenever drama happens it’s much louder and more widely spread than positive things. So let’s try to make 2018 a positive community year.  Happy New Year!
Do you have any goals for the new year?

Step Forward

Kristian BeverlyLeave a comment

Right before Breyerfest I decided to buy some new leather. It’d been a while since I’d last had some thin calf leather and after searching I’d finally found some. The seller is located and is called The Hide House. I highly recommend them. I have more than enough calf leather now and it’s smooth and thin. I received the hide and it’s been sitting since I’d bought it.

Until last weekend. I dyed a piece and had been slowly but surely cutting out pieces. 
I finished putting it together Monday night. I changed up how I do the knee rolls and am pleased with that adjustment.
It went together smoother than the last saddle but upon looking (and staring at it) I see some changes I need to make for the next one.  Sometimes you make things and can’t pinpoint what looks off and then it hits you. My biggest issue for my current saddle pattern is the pommel,skirt, and twist section. The panels I just need to thicken some since before covering them they always look thicker than they really are. 
But still, I do like this saddle. It’s an improvement over the last one.