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The Horsemasters by Don Stanford

This horse story is based on real life, in particular, the daily chores of caring for horses at a riding school in Great Britain. I never read this title as a child, but discovered it recently and loved it!

1957 Funk & Wagnalls first edition hardcover
1957 Funk and Wagnalls first edition

The majority of horse books for children and young adults tend to glamorize horse ownership. There are exceptions, of course, but few books really dig into the sheer work that owning a horse entails and this is what I loved here. Details like feeding the horse on time, keeping it groomed, cleaning its stall, its tack and treating its ailments are often only casually mentioned or completely ignored in other books. But it’s just these tidbits that bring home what owning a horse might be like.

Basing his fictional tale on the very real Porlock Vale Equestrian Centre in Great Britain, Mr. Stanford gives us chapter after chapter of mucking out, cleaning yards, grooming, treating horse ailments, having falls and other riding incidents, and creates a wonderfully entertaining read from the everyday life of a student!

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Blog updates and sales tactics . . .

Resources update

The resources page now lists assorted model horse Facebook groups, some clinky oriented, some more general hobby. Some other links have been updated or fixed.

I’ve added the new email list CeramicAnimalCollectors that will replace Breakables when Yahoogroups closes on December 15th.

I’ve also listed the brand new PonyBytes online showing site, this looks like a super way for showholders to hold online shows!

Sales tactics

On sales, while I do plan to continue using the Horse Book Auction Facebook page, I may list some titles here first as a perk for blog subscribers. Paul Brown illustrated books come to mind, perhaps also popular Dorothy Lyons or Patsey Gray titles. The Horse Books- For Sale Facebook page could also be utilized.

For figurines, listing stays the same for now, here first, then elsewhere. But that is subject to change if it proves cumbersome.

There could be exceptions. Yesterday I sold a mini unpainted resin because I saw a Facebook post in search of just that piece! I wasn’t expecting it, but there ya go! I need to de-clutter my house, in case I must do spine surgery. So, if an easy sale presents, so be it.

Going into the cold months, I’m not expecting to do a lot with figurine sales, perhaps a few smaller items. The current plan is to concentrate on whipping my bookshelves into shape as I read through titles!

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My spine on steroids . . . a tailbone tale

After two months of physical therapy in summer of 2019, my doctor wanted to get an MRI on my lower back. The results came in late October of the same year.

“The good news is that your spine is stable and you probably won’t wake up paralyzed some morning.”

My doctor’s first words, verbatim.

As I’d been worrying about that little matter, that was somewhat of a relief to hear!

“The bad news is you have degenerative disk disease with one disk virtually obliterated, another in bad shape, a bulging disk, spinal stenosis and multiple pinched nerves. You’re in for it.”

His next words or close enough . . .
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Farewell, Yahoogroups!

I know I haven’t posted in over a year, but more on the why of that later.

Meanwhile, the end of an era is coming. Yahoogroups, host to a variety of model horse email lists, is closing its doors on December 15, 2020.

If you are a member of a Yahoogroup, you may wish to check and see if the group is migrating or closing down. And if you are a list owner, it is time to decide if you wish to preserve your list.

For those looking for hobby connections via email, some of the email lists have moved to Groups.io though not always with the same name.

It appears that most hobby interaction online has long gone the Facebook route. I’m not entirely happy about that, but as I do have an account, I can pop in and out to see what’s up in the hobby as I’m able.

My resources page has been updated and links to all Yahoogroups have been removed.