Table portraits 1.

Here comes the second bunch in the photo bunch/table portrait series... I wish I could just call all of these "table portraits", but how could I when they aren't always taken on a table? Yea. I will split some bigger photo piles into a couple posts. 

So this bunch was taken somewhere in the late October 2019.  I of course can no longer remember what I was trying to achieve with this situation, but at least I had a gorgeous Breyer horse on the table and he had an overly complex bridle on his head. I wanted to photograph it just because. 

I kind of think a Valegro model doesn't deserve any negativity, but then again, no horse does. I happen to be a pessimist and I know way too much about the rotten eggs which are going on in the equestrian world, and that is what I often draw and miniaturize. And the Valegro mold simply has a fitting expression for scenes which include weird tack or poor riding. Enough said? 

The bridle seen in these photos is a mess which I have decided to name "fightmore", because to me it looks like something an impatient, abusive and selfish rider could want to put on their horse, instead of taking their time and effort to get along with the horse and to become a better rider... And in fact, unfortunately, we have seen photo evidence of these bridles existing, and often the rider has wanted to take a shortcut... I definitely call it a fightmore, but some call it hackabit. Maybe there are even more names for this monstrosity?

Though, in theory it is possible for a fightmore to be humane. It's just a normal bridle with a bit, a hackamore, and two pairs of reins. It can't do harm just sitting on the horse and nobody yanking from the reins, could it? I am sure, in theory it is technically possible that a good rider knows how to use one gently.

Well, even a properly adjusted noseband can cause harm. So can any bit. And so can any hackamore. I think this is a dilemma which can't be solved with just decisions like "this tool is yes" and "this tool is nope". I do not have a real horse life and I lack the experience to really know how to comment on these things, but I try to use my common sense and empathy. Horses can smell your feelings, and I'm sure they also smell if a rider doesn't care about their wellbeing. Pfff. 

I sometimes feel like I don't know what I should think or how should I explain it when I publish these horror bridles. Why do I make them? I couldn't like to cram that much stuff on any animal just to give it some exercise. (A harness, a reflective vest, a collar and a LED collar seemed too much at some point when we had our dog... I can't even imagine how some horse people can cope with all the strap adjusting every time they exercise their horses, since especially trotters often have very complex tack.) 

I also don't think it looks good if a horse is totally covered in tack... But for some reason I like to draw and miniaturize exactly that. Maybe it's the detailing which the model horse hobby is so crazy about? It must be that. I also simply like to design the complex mechanisms of hackamore shanks and related, and then try to make them in miniature. It must be that! Some people in this world make scary horror bits which, I have understood, are just pure art and not meant for actual use. And what else is the model horse crafting about than art? In the hobby we see a lot of tack which nobody uses with real horses.

What a rant. But that is what my rotten egg stories and drawings and - seemingly - mini crafts often are about. Plus, I want to say, I think it is important for people to add some explanation to why their photos or crafts look like what they look like. To add a backstory for it. The saying "let the viewer interpret it how they want" does not apply to my works, because I often want to say something specific with these. I do NOT want to take the risk that someone could severely misinterpret especially these rotten egg works. 

The second bunch will also be about a fightmore!

Weird halter

I know I once made this, but I didn't photograph it until now. I simply forgot the whole tack piece... And yet less I remember how it should be used!

Yea, trust that the little horse expert is strong enough to hold a huge thoroughbred.

This is one of those moments when you know your invention is unbelievable, because you should have instructions of it's usage and fitting...

This thingy was a weird halter (or "halter") with chain noseband, tongue-buckled crownpiece, cheekpieces and... Weird rings. No throatlatch or anything else who could be normal parts of a halter, because this was meant to be used with pressure! Some kind of force halter.

I also had made a whole separate strap to attach bits, and also fitting bits belong to the set. I know I meant it originally that the bit strap can be attached to the halter to make them... to be some kind of multi-use halter/bridle, BUT of course I really don't remember how I set this first time.

Anyway, I photographed it now on the same horse who was the one I made the tack to fit.


I know that the chain is too long when set like in these second photos. I remember that something depended from the large ring, without it that setting could not have been possible... Well, I surely go to play with this a lot later, when I am OK with it, but right now I wanted to photograph how the thingy is meant to fit when it's simply set.

In those the chain goes from the front rings to the hind ones, having a place of throatlatch - and hooks meet there. So when you pull from the rope, it's throat what feels the biggest pressure; and scrag, too. Noseband just makes sure the whole thingy works, although I imagine the chain noseband to be yet worse force tool than just a strap to keep the halter in a halter's shape. 

Then I added the bits, and bit strap; I don't bother to call it bridles nor crownpiece/cheekpiece -mix, because, well, it's just a strap with two buckles.

Rope and reins seen in the photos do not belong to the same set; reins I got from other bridles and the rope was made just for photographs like that, to be a good, easily used rope.

I think the set looks nicer this way, with more straps and messy metal parts. It just shows what horse poeple (some who claim they are horse lovers, although I think they're just sport lovers) are ready to do to make themselves feel skilled and safe while their horse just is tied, forced to be a sport machine.

Todays I don't feel that I am a photographer, just look at these damn bad pics...

Yet closeup of the bits. I always want to see how people make bits, and I am interested to see how they work, no matter how cruel the tool is. Knowing that just makes sure we know how to make them in mini scale.

For some reason, almost no one of my weirdest bits work as I planned them to do...Mostly it comes from too long curbchain or the fact that Remu (that horse) just has too short mouth.

Really, never photograph anything small this way... Never.

I always take these "show" photos of my horses when I try to photograph their tack.

I photographed what the bits look when reins are pulled, and while not.Not a surprise that the effect seen isn't really how it should be, but hey, plastic mouth doesn't allow it to look realistic.

My newer doll (one of them) shows an arm there!

I apologize the possible mess and confusion in my blogtexts, bad photos and weird English. I haven't been comfortable with my texts lately, but I try to get rid of that; if I never dare to publish anything, I never know how readable they are. And what comes to photos, I often take 'quick' photos and less often, when I want to focus properly to my photographing, I take the better camera and soften it's flash and so on. But that good job takes often too much brains, and I do it only when I feek good enough to.

So, mostly I try to apologize the horrific photos I throw here.