Back at it Again: Hoofbeats by the Beach 2024 Recap

Long time no see, eh? It's definitely been a minute. But, hey, it's not like I could stay away from the hobby too long... So, I went to a show on Saturday! Sea to Bay has been my go-to show for awhile, and when I saw they were doing an offshoot minis-only show that fit my schedule, I had to hop on it. 

The day started bright and early, leaving the house before sunrise (04:46, to be exact). I managed to snap this picture of what actually turned out to be a really pretty sunrise, which I got to watch unfold as I approached [show hall at random Methodist church I've never heard of]. 

#nofilter, as the kids say

At the show, I didn't actually show many models and, unfortunately, had to head out early, but I figured I'd go through some of what I did get to put on the table: 

First up were ARs/customs, and a few of my etchies made appearances, like this gal: 

And this guy might or might not have been pulled out because I didn't otherwise have anyone in Other/Mixed 

Mostly a test piece of mine

As you can kind of see in the above background, there were some serious paint jobs (and some drastics) making appearances last Saturday!

Unfinished, so very much a "why not, we ball" entry 

And, actually, she NAN'd in her previous show!

I think I might have a bit of an affinity for that pattern (maybe because it's easier LOL). 

Even brought out a few pieces I've acquired over the years from other artists, like this cutie: 

No placings from that division, but the competition was tough. That said, Original Finish - where I focused most of my attention, anyways - is my sweet spot. 

Moving on to OF, we first had Light Breed Foals - seven entries, two of which mine: 

I think one of the funniest parts of this show was how few of my models had

names going into it.  Case in point, the bay filly - her name? Spur of Zee Moment. 

Then Stock Breed Foals, where I had two of the nine entries (noticing a pattern?): 

Of course, I've (almost) always got documentation. Even when it's pretty unnecessary. That's really just a "me" thing, though, and totally not the norm.

A couple quick notes on my use of documentation in this class: 

1. You probably don't need it for models that follow the breed norms of common breeds, like the Appaloosa or Paint. 
2. If you're going to use it, make sure it matches the breed on your toe tag (cough cough, self - Paint Pony ≠ Paint Horse!)

Also, can we just take a second to think about how weird it is that we have to give models an age? I, personally, don't quite get that one, especially with foals. I'm not very familiar with equine development, so these foal ages were complete shots in the dark. 

I believe I only had one entry in the 15-model Arabian class: 

Let's just ignore the focus here... whoops - again 

Moving right along to Part Arab/NSH, where I had two models of the 13: 

Another model of mine got sixth, but the focus on the pic I got was suboptimal at best

Closing out with Other Light, a class of 15, in which I had two entries: 

(I also showed my mini All Glory, who got 3rd as a Morgan, but the camera
was, yet again, focused on the ribbon in front of the model... facepalm)

Pretty sure I showed him as a Barb, which was definitely a choice. Interestingly enough, I was tied between using him and a black Silky Sullivan but opted for him because my SS was toe tagless and I didn't have a pen - so I guess the decision was made for me. 

Also, for the Barb documentation, I've got to plug this awesome pocket-sized reference book. 

It's a great resource, and, in my opinion, you can probably get away with just plopping it on the show table as documentation (of course, it probably looks more professional to have dedicated documentation, but this works in a pinch, in my humble opinion - and I definitely use it)! 

Ultimately, I ended up heading out out earlier than I planned because I had to work that afternoon, but I wanted to make sure I at least got through light breeds. 

Quick side-note - mini performance is legit! I haven't tried it, but here are a few shots I got of some entries: 

The attention to detail is just nuts. And see the cool beach scene in the background? Yeah, here's a closeup, and it's even cooler than pictures do justice: 

There are even other models forlicking in the background behind this beautiful buckskin!

So, it goes without saying that the scene class was intense. Here's another super detailed entry: 

Also, bonus points for my rather ineffective angle choice here: 

Anyway, tangent over. All in all, here're my results from the half-day: 

So, as it turns out, I really missed showing and the hobby! I also realized that I didn't end up posting a Sea to Bay 2023 wrap-up (guess what? I tried my hand at performance!) - would y'all be interested in that? 

See 'ya on the flip!