A dappled grey day

Last sunday evening, Julip Originals held another of their special Spares nights.
A batch of one-of-a-kind handmade models are photographed and posted online, with their prices, and as soon as the posts are unlocked on the designated date, the first collector to reply with a 'Buy!' comment claims the Julip. Each person is restricted to buying one horse, pony or donkey only - otherwise those with the fasted internet or deepest pockets would have much more chance of buying whatever they wanted.
One per collector means lots more happy customers getting an exciting parcel, so it's a fair and welcome rule, even if it does make for some heart-wrenching decisions about which posts to ignore in the hope of trying for your absolute favourites. This is especially stressful when the horses you like best of all are due toward the end of the evening, then you have to sit on your hands and leave any number of beautiful Julips you'd be delighted and proud to own, holding on for something which won't be unlocked til later on - something you still might not win the race to get!
This was the case for me this time round, with the two Julips I most wanted to try for, being late in the run. My top pick was the latter one of the pair, but knowing his flashy colour and popular mould would make him extraordinarily sought-after, I decided to try for my slightly-second-favourite on the way past, one I couldn't just let go without even trying, even though it would mean leaving the other horse for someone else.
With rising heart rate I waited, waited, refreshed the page, and as soon as I saw the topic was unlocked, sent in my 'Buy' comment, and waited to see how many had beaten me to him...

But my luck was in, my reply top of the list, and the Julip was mine!

He arrived earlier in the week, and now I've had chance to get his photographs taken, out in the glorious spring sunshine.

Look at that beautiful dappling! I love the way it fades in and out, darkest on the shoulders and quarters, blending into a nearly white face and back - a proper rocking-horse dappled grey. 

I think, though, what made me want this horse so badly wasn't just his colour, but his face. The farm cob mould has such a long, noble, handsome face - a serious but gentle kind of horse, who'd be a total gentleman to ride and look after, and appreciate a good pat and treat for his polite behaviour.

Despite having accumulated quite a lot of Farm Cobs (including their close relative the adapted Feathered Cob mould), I've somehow never bought a grey one til now! There's some moulds which just don't seem to crop up in certain colours very often, but I think they're a wonderful combination.

Look at that glorious mane! 

I considered, while he was on his way, the possibility doing him up with a running plait and folded-up short tail braid, decorated with the traditional ribbons and flights, to show him as a percheron. But certain horses just seem to call for long flowing hair, and this was one of them, so he's just had a light trim to feather out the ends of the mane, give him a forelock, and stop his tail trailing on the ground.

He could still be a percheron in my herd, many real draft horses are allowed to grow a full long tail if their owners don't show (or only show in ridden classes), but he wouldn't be correctly turned out for model showing now I've decided to leave him unbraided.

Poor boy looks a bit damp here, like he's been caught in a summer downpour! I use a can of human hair-styling mousse (bought specially for the Julips!) to tame the fluff to a better texture, and I think it needs a second run of the comb through now it's dry, just to break up the hair a little bit.

His mane and tail are carefully made up with a mix of white and dark hairs, a lovely detail to make him more realistic when using plain white would've been so much quicker and easier. It's these little touches which make Julips so individual and lovely to own.

You might've spotted in the last couple of pictures, but here's a better shot - he's already gained a headcollar and leadrope of his own since he arrived here. I picked a couple of colours which looked good against his pale colouring, and used the fancy leather-ended straps a lot of the more expensive headcollars are made with these days. 

I don't really like all the (mainly useless) fashions in the real equestrian world, and try not to go along with them in my model-making either, but this one's not too bad cos there's at least a practical reason for the leather bits being there, rather than decoration for the sake of trends which must be followed to show you're posh/rich/flashy and in with the right kind of horsey set, heh

He's made a friend in my herd already : my previous Spares Night purchase, Holly Blue the dartmoor pony. The chances of getting two Julips the same colour in a row are miniscule, with how difficult it is to even grab a spare in the first place, and each batch being made up from a wide variety of colours. I promise this wasn't done on purpose, but the co-incidence did make me laugh when I realised what I'd done!

One thing he doesn't have yet, as you may have noticed reading all the way through his introduction post, is a name!

Some Julips are easy to think of something for; either a moment of inspiration, or a name which has long been on the notepad and they seem a perfect fit to take. This chap doesn't seem to want any of the names I have here waiting for a horse to suit, nor has anything sprung to mind while I waited for him to arrive, or even once I'd got him in my hands.

We'll have to wait and see what some pondering can produce!