How to make a realistic model horse setup

Hi! I apologise for my inactive blogging, and for not posting any of my photos on my blog but I will post some soon. I am going to do a quick tutorial on what you need for a successful model horse performance setup.

1. A base

A base is important for extra realism, and will earn you extra marks. For arena jumping use a sandy surface, and for barrel racing and dressage as well. For grass jumping and cross country make sure you have a grass surface or a muddy like surface.

2. Props

What would a barrel racing setup be without barrels? What would a show jumping setup be without show jumps? You need props for your setup. Get reference pictures off the internet of what your prop should look like and try to recreate that in miniature scale. Try and be as accurate as you can; the more realistic it is, the more likely you are to get placed.

3. Tack

Tack is very important. It needs to be the right kind for the class; a western saddle for western classes; and different types of English saddle for each discipline. You wouldn't jump with a dressage or a western saddle, so why should your model horse? It is just a waste of time trying to cut corners. Go down to every last detail- even eventing grease on your horse's legs in your cross country setup. For boots, make sure you have the correct kind - you wouldn't have open front boots for cross country.

4. Rider

Make sure the rider is positioned correctly with the position of the horse. If the horse is out of control, have the rider sitting back and holding tightly to the reins, with their heels down. If the horse is jumping, put the rider in their jumping position. Shorten and lengthen the stirrups on the saddle according to the discipline to make the setup look even more realistic. Make sure the rider is correctly dressed for the class they are doing, use reference pictures to help you.

5. Horse

Ensure the horse is correctly positioned away from the prop. If it is a jump and the horse is jumping, check what angle it is jumping at and what looks most realistic according to your reference pictures. If a horse looks like it is jumping too big, raise the jump or use a different horse. Don't use a walking horse for a jumping setup, use a bold looking cantering horse who has their ears pricked forwards - take Flexible or Newsworthy for an example.

If I've missed anything let me know! Bye!