As an alternative to the annual Julip live show when we could buy brand new one-off Julips in person, the company now runs a photoshow, along with a big Spares Night with lots of horses prepared specially to sell online, on the weekend the show would've been held, toward the end of September each year.
There's strict one-per-customer and first-bid-claims-the-horse rules, but there's always more people than there are horses to go round, so there's a huge amount of competition for every model, as we each to try to be first on the ones we like best.
This year, I thought I'd been unlucky on two in a row, with someone else getting in before me both times. But while I was waiting for more chances as the evening progressed, a couple of friends pointed out that they thought I had got one - I checked and it turned out that the person who beat me retracted their bid, leaving me as the 'winner' after all, and I did get to buy the exact horse I'd tried for first!
Here he is straight from the wrapping, with his mane and tail all fluffy. With just a little mousse to tame it he would've looked fine, and I was really tempted to do exactly that and leave it, but that keeps on happening : I have ideas for plaiting a new Julip I'm waiting for, then can't go through with it cos the loose mane is so nice. So I decided to at least try this time!
After all, I could always undo it if it didn't look like I hoped, and cos the style I had in mind didn't need any cutting, or gluing, the long hair would all still be in there - there's nothing stopping me unpicking the braid in years to come if I ever do decide to go back to loose again.
And here he is! I think it looks fine, just like I'd hoped and the braids are really firm and tight so they lie nicely on the neck, and shouldn't ever start coming undone. The bows are silk ribbon I had left over from another project, it's very fine and thin, and looks less plasticky against the natural hair than synthetic satin ribbon.
The tail went curly on it's own, all I did was comb it through, add some mouse to stop the flyaway fluffiness, and left it it dry.
This is my first time seeing this mould in person, it was sculpted as a Lipizzaner and that meant I never really thought about the possibility of wanting it in any colour other than grey! I think it makes a lovely historical/Iberian horse, and would even work as a dressage warmblood. The face shape is lovely too, very kind and gentle-looking.
I knew he wasn't going to stay as a Lipizzaner cos of his dun colouring, but it took me a while to decide whether he'd be the Spanish PRE (Andalusian), or the Portuguese Lusitano. In the end I decided to go for Lusitano, as he isn't quite so chunky in the neck as a typical PRE stallion. I haven't entirely settled on a name yet but I'm considering Próspero or Valério; I think the latter suits him better, and I already have a Prospero without the accent.
Here's the other side, you can see how his forelock's tucked to one side, I tied it to the mane braid to keep it from hanging down in front of him, in real life they're usually tucked into the bridle or halter.
I was planning to make a bridle, but I got halfway then had all sorts of issues! My glue wouldn't stick unless I held each join together for ages, the paperclip I'd found to make the bit cheeks with was too hard to bend properly, the beaded tassel idea I'd got for the browband wouldn't work when I tried it, and I couldn't even touch the horse to try for size cos his mousse wasn't dry yet - so that hasn't happened!
As well as horses, ponies, and donkeys, the Spares concept also applies to the other, smaller animals which Julip make to go with their equine models, and we get the chance to buy all kinds of dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs, foxes, and even some domestic and wild birds.
New this for this year was the dachshund mould, just like the horses they're hand made in latex and each one is slightly different. Competition for the Dachshunds was fierce, so I was very pleased to manage to catch one of the very first batch made!
I've named him Henry, after one this colour I only met once - he started chasing me up the lane while I was biking home, and it took quite some effort and multiple attempts to return him cos he was so determined this cyclist had to be thoroughly chased off (in the end his owner's neighbour picked him up and held him til I was out of sight, so he wouldn't wriggle out under the fence again, and they were going to Henry-proof the gap once the owner got home!)
A second photo cos I made him a little collar. Even though all the dachshunds in the group were slightly different anyway (he has more brown than some, less than others, and little anxious eyebrows!) I always like to give my Julip dogs collars, just for a bit of extra individuality.
And finally, my second cockerel. I had plenty of hens, and two henhouses, so I decided it was time to add another cockerel, cos in real life once they think they have 'enough' girls each, they'll live happily without fighting. And this was the exact colour I had in mind, the bright multi-coloured sort, to contrast with my original grey one. So when he came up in the Spares I decided to ignore all the other chickens this time, and focus on trying for this one, so I was delighted to get him!
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