A Platinum Jubilee special

Just a quick blog post to mark the Platinum Jubilee on this long weekend.

While I don't have the Breyer portrait of the pony owned and ridden by Queen Elizabeth herself (Carltonlima Emma, the Fell), I do have three models of horses from the Household Cavalry, which have played such an important role in the celebrations this week, and many many ceremonies throughout her long reign.

First up, 2003's limited edition release from Breyer, titled "A Life Guard of the Queen's Household Cavalry' and sold in a presentation box. I had this set as a present from my mum the following year, for my 21st birthday! 

I hadn't got a good photo - I think I had trouble finding a background big enough for a mounted scene way back when I got this pair - so I took them out in the sun this morning for a brand new up to date shot. 

After all this time, the set still looks almost as good as new, a little dusty here and there but nothing that couldn't be sorted out with a bit of attention, and the trooper has misplaced his gloves - I must still have them somewhere, but I can't find which of the safe storage places they've ended up in!

The next two aren't official releases, but my own efforts : horses in home-made tack and riders in home-made uniforms.

In 2009 I made this portrait of Spartacus, one of the Household Cavalry's most famous drum horses, and a very special Julip in my collection.

He's extra beloved because I painted him myself, at one of Julip Horses' open days in Cattistock. The reference photo there on the table is one I took myself, the first time I saw him perform in person, at a country show in the 1990s.

I planned ahead and made all his tack and dressed his rider in advance to take with me, then on the second day of the event he entered the live show, and won his class, bringing home a little gold trophy all of his own - it still sits next to him on the shelf, alongside his drums.

The following year, I had chance to see the real Spartacus again, not only performing for the public, but also a backstage visit meet him up close and give him a bit of fuss and a chat - and yes, I did tell him I'd painted him! 

Here's some photos of him doing the whole 'meeting his fans' thing, chilling in his double-sized drum horse stable, as well as a couple 'on duty' later in the day.
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The second cavalry Julip for my collection was less of a patch-by-patch portrait, but a simple black spare in the Thoroughbred mould, which I named after a cavalry horse Gandermack, and dressed to look the part. 

He isn't a direct copy of the real individual (she was a mare, with no white markings, and never played the laying down part the musical ride - I just loved her name!), but is a tribute to the Household Cavalry in general. I even had some tips from an army friend who rode in the musical ride on how to make the uniform more accurate!

I only realised this week that I didn't have a photo of the complete set with trooper mounted, so I took them outside for a new shot specially in time for the Jubilee.

I even gave him a British flag to hold for the occasion (and then had to wait til the wind wasn't wrapping it round his face for the photograph!)