Expectation vs Reality...

The idea for this blog post started out as one thing and has turned into another with two separate posts that are somewhat on the same subject:  Dolls.  Not just any doll, but a posable doll that is capable of sitting astride a model horse.  A lot of my blog posts require some kind of research and that's where things tend to start taking on a life of their own and this one is no exception.  Hopefully y'all will find it interesting enough to justify the two separate posts.

Okay.  So.  For many years, Breyer put out a fairly respectable-looking doll.

Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but for the most part, it was good enough.  They can't sit astride like an actual person, but that's not their fault.  They're not human and their little bodies just don't bend that way.  It's likely one of the reasons why people who show in performance don't use dolls.   Not using a doll in a performance class won't count against you, unless one is required, but using a poorly dressed or positioned one definitely can cost you a ribbon.  I'm not sure I've ever seen a show where a doll was required.  But anyway, for the most part it's easiest just to leave them out.  Just like your model doesn't *require* a halter in a halter class.

When I was younger, I had the Brenda Breyer shown in the first photo.  Not real sure what happened to her, but I know at some point her hair got shorter and one of her legs stopped bending, which made it even more difficult to use her in performance classes.  Back then anyway.  Nowadays a little creativity and the right class would make it no problem.  Anyway, for many years I went without any dolls.  I just didn't need them.  I rarely showed in performance because I didn't have the nice tack and it often took forever to get it on and off between classes.  I did commission an English saddle and Western saddle for one of my favorite models, but after moving a couple two or three times, the pieces got separated and some of it was damaged.  But tack is a different matter and we're talking about dolls here.  Well, I am.  I'm trying to, at least.  hahaha.  Yeah.  Now you know how my posts end up starting as one thing and end up being something else.

ANYWAY...a few years ago, for whatever reason, Breyer decided to redesign their line of dolls.  Remember those nice, normal-looking ones above?  Gone.  They were replaced with something that looks rather disproportionate (whew!  that's a big word) and kind of cartoonish...

EEEK!  Who wants that?  I certainly didn't.  So how come I now own 4?  Or maybe it's 5?  <hides>  The first one, though, was not my fault.  I was browsing Amazon and saw they had a Let's Go Riding set with a San Domingo model.

 Hmmm.  I could add to my SD conga plus get a normal-looking doll and a pretty neat tack set at the same time.  Sounds like a winning situation, right?  hahahaha.  Silly, Brenda.  You should know by now that what you see isn't always what you get.  I eagerly awaited my package and when it arrived I tore it open to reveal...

Freakishly big head and cartoonish features.  <sigh>  Even the clothing was different from the picture, although not a big difference.  It was very obviously not the same doll as the picture.  I was disappointed, but I suppose I knew it was a possibility.  She isn't a horrible doll.  She sits a pretty decent saddle...

But she looks better riding bareback...

She's pretty talented, I guess.  Not only is she bareback, but bridleless as well.  hahaha.  Look at that hair, though!  So unrealistic!  But her back is straight and she seems to be engaging her core enough to stay put.  Maybe that's why her heels are up rather than parallel to the ground like a proper Western rider.  I still don't know how I ended up with 4 or 5 Breyer dolls after this one, though.  What I really want is a decent-looking one, you know?

And here comes the good part of the post...The eye candy, if you will...

There's some girls out there who can do incredible things with dolls.  Now, I'm not talking Breyer dolls, they're pretty much a lost cause.  But there's a couple (or maybe just one) other doll makers out there that make it easier to customize one and are more flexible in the body.  Ann Fields is a genius with hers.  She makes them for all sorts of disciplines and has even customized an adult doll into a child sized one

Is that cool or what?  And then there's a girl I know from Instagram named Keri Parker (keriannparker on IG) who is also very talented.

She takes one head and with a little work (I'm sure more than a little), makes it look like an almost completely different face! The "After" is so much nicer than the original!  She makes their clothes. She does their hair nicely...

does different ethnicities...

And even tried her hand at a celebrity...I knew who it was the moment I saw him...

Keri does sell her dolls via her Instagram and Facebook pages, but since I don't show performance, I am "stuck" with bad Breyer dolls to play with due to cost.  Not that her dolls are super expensive.  They're worth every penny.

Be sure to look for more creations by Keri in a future blog post.  I'm still gathering stuff for that one, but it'll be soon, and in the meantime, check out her social media pages and if you're in the market for a doll for your performance classes, consider buying one of hers when she has them for sale.

So, question of the day...if you attend live shows, or even photo shows, and you show in performance, do you use dolls in your set-up?