Customize Your Model Horse

The Horse Information lives Here! ©
The #1 Horse Industry Information Advertising Directory! Contact Ann to include your company.

Learn How to Customize Your Model Horse

Customize your model horse.

by Tamra Stringer e-modelhorses.com

Every horse enthusiast adores model horses. Customized horses are works of art for investors to treasure, for collectors to show off at model horse shows, or for the horse enthusiast to display at home. Any time an ‘original finish’ model horse is repositioned, repainted, or haired, it becomes a customized model horse. Customizing model horses add a realistic appearance to the model. This is also a great way to personalize the model horse to look just like your own horse at home!

adding hair to your model One of the model horse industry’s well known artists is Faye Cohen. Since 1998, she has been customizing model horses. When asking Faye if customizing model horses is something beginners can learn out of a book or if it just takes a lot of practice, she replied, “A little of both. With the help of a book I taught myself. But it took a lot of practice to get good at it.” Faye suggests if you would like to learn how to create your own custom models to get a good book such as Color Formulas & Techniques by Carol Willams, a few plastic bodies, and start practicing.

realistic horse model You don’t necessarily have to be artistic to create custom models. “It certainly helps,” Faye says, “But I’m sure with lots of practice, you could develop the skill!” To start off your first customizing model horse project, you can buy models with broken legs to practice on, as they are less expensive. You can find many broken and worn model horses on Ebay.com.

As you advance, you will want to choose horses that are conformationally correct so you can keep your custom models as realistic as possible.

Throughout the model horse industry, Faye Cohen is known as the “Queen of Mohair”. She loves
the look of a mohair mane and tail, and her ‘hairing’ technique is second to none. Her customized models’ mane and tails are very detailed and precise. Any collector can almost pick out any model horse that Faye has customized because of the realistic appearance of the models mohair mane and tail. Here we have Faye Cohen’s secret recipe for the basic Mohair assembly on your model horse. Now beginners can try their hand at adding a mohair mane and tail to their own model horse. Find a few broken models and remember… practice makes perfect.

Materials Needed:
1) One to two feet mohair shank in color of choice
2) Aleene's Tacky Glue
3) Embroidery scissors
4) Children's small pointed scissors
5) Round Tooth Picks
6) Tooth brush, or eyebrow brush, or gun cleaning brush
7) Mousse without alcohol, extra hold
8) Spray Gel without alcohol, extra hold
Starting with a painted model that has had trench drilled in neck and tail trimmed down to size of a horse's tail bone.
1) Start with end of tail and work up. Measure a piece of mohair from end to ground or to where you want tail to end. Cut with embroidery scissors.
2) Apply glue to cut end and saturate the hair with glue. Cut straight across with children's small scissors.
3) Apply more glue and apply mohair around end of tail bone.
4) Keep cutting pieces of mohair and cutting as above piece by piece until almost at the base of the tail. Each piece of mohair should get progressively shorter as you work your way up.
5) Last area around base of tail will be three pieces. Middle one cut in a "V" shape and apply to base of tail.
6) Two side pieces cut at an angle and apply on each side to meet the middle piece.
7) Press completely haired tail with fingers up and down, and let dry about one hour.
8) Start hairing mane at the withers. Starting with the shortest piece and working up to longer as you go along the crest of the neck.
9) Cut each piece about 1 inch wide with embroidery scissors. Mash the glue into the mohair well. Cut strait across with children's scissors. Apply a little more glue on the edge of hair and push piece into the trench with round tooth picks.
10) Keep working your way up the crest of the neck until you reach where you want the bridle path to begin.
11) Cut three small pieces of mohair for the forelock - trimming them off after applying glue.
12) Place the first pieces just below the ears on the forehead. Next two pieces follow behind till right behind the ears.
13) Take a small amount of mohair and cut into fine tiny pieces with the embroidery scissors.
14) Apply glue to the bridle path area - then apply the finely cut pieces to the strip of glue and press down.
15) Allow to dry about 1 hour.
16) After glue on mane and tail has dried at least an hour gently brush out and trim as desired.
17) Apply mousse on mane & forelock till it is wet and style as desired.
18) Depending on style of tail apply either mousse or spray gel to tail and style as desired.
19) Allow to completely dry.
20) Trim off excess hair and clean off excess mousse.

E-ModelHorses offers a large variety of conformationally correct model horses for
customization, limited editions for collecting, and horses for play. We welcome any questions and inquiries you might have on the world of model horses.

Contact: E-Model Horses
41190 Road G
Mancos, Colorado 81328
Phone: 970-533-7772
Email: service@e-modelhorses.com
Website: www.e-modelhorses.com

Send This Article To A Friend!
Your Name:
Your Email:
Your Friends Name:
Your Friends Email:
A Message For Your Friend:
Opt-In to the Inforhorse Newsletter

Have a Product or Service that would benefit Horse Owners? Contact Ann

Home, Articles, Academic Schools, Arena Maintenance, Animal Communicators, Barn and Accessories,
Barn Equipment and Tractors, Blankets Books and Videos, Breeders, Camping Gear, Career Schools, Carts and Buggies, Clinicians, Clothing, Dogs and Puppies, Horse Fencing, Fine Art & Furniture, For Sale, Fly Control, Foal Care, Footings, Gifts, Health and Nutrituon, Hoof and Leg, Horse Rehabilitation Farms, Horse Insurance, John Lyons Certified, Lawyers, Leather Care, Links, Health , Horse Property, Photography, Portable Stalls Areanas and Roundpens, Richard Shrake, Riding Schools, Schools, Services for Horses, Shipping, Skin and Coat, Software, Specialty Trainers, Summer Camps, Tack, Trainers, Trainer Educational, Trailers, Treats and Snacks, Truck Accessories, Trucks, Vacations, Western Lifestyle