Chicken Ripple (the Greater) - A Diamond In the Rough

Pocos Scooter Bar

In my early communications with J. Sharon Batteate, the foremost authority on brindled horses, she informed me about this stallion called Pocos Scooter Bar.  I had just sent her a picture of my first remade model horse I had created from an image of her mare Brenda Batty Atty.  She wrote back and sent me an image of this guy and a little pedigree information.  According to her notes he never reproduced his colour and was gelded. 


The horse I had created was Chicken Ripple.  He was to be the first of many brindles in my quest to not only make a splash in the hobby, but to champion that which I knew if I created and believed in hard enough it would exist.

Chicken Ripple's name came from the last line of the Neil Diamond song, "Porcupine Pie," from the 1972 album, Moods (http://www.amazon.com/Moods-Neil-Diamond/dp/B000002PBI) details for those interested in my creative process - or who want to hear part of the song.  When I was little, I loved Neil Diamond.  I still enjoy his music.  The name Chicken Ripple just seemed to fit the little horse I was creating.  Sometimes things just fall into place.

Chicken Ripple (the original) was an old plastic (cellulose acetate) SM G1 Quarter Horse Stallion from the Maureen Love/Breyer Animal Creations mash up back in the 1970s.  I had had this body for quite some time and armed with my first issues of The Hobby Horse News and the Model Horse Gazette I was ready to start doing business!  I was given a dremel as a gift and I ordered the pre-requisite brick of Carbone's Epoxy, and I was off and cutting. 

Chicken Ripple (I)

Rehairing was a big thing at that time and I tried my hand at the braided doll hair and failed miserably.  Still, it was a good exercise.  My painting was pathetic at best as I had only my school acrylics - having not yet discovered the airbrush - but yet I plowed along. 
 
Chicken Ripple (the original) was no beauty, but I did take him to my first live show in Sioux Falls, SD hosted by long time model horse enthusiast, Thea Ryan, if memory serves me correctly it was Siouxland Live.  Deb Carlson, another long time model horse enthusiast was judging the Novice performance classes.  Some kind soul loaned me some tack so I could show Ripple in performance against Rita Menard.  Oh those were the days!  My first show and Ripple ended up with a Champion in Western, a Reserve in English and an Overall Reserve in Novice Performance.  Not bad for a crappy little remake by a total n00b.

Chicken Ripple (II)

Still not satisfied with my creation, I tried to remake my remake.  I took off the hair I was never satisfied with and added a sculpted mane and tail and a new paint job.  I was never really satisfied with this version either, but I have left him as is.  At this point I was more interested in developing his pedigree than his flagging show career.  



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Fast forward to 2010 and the rebirth of a former champion.  Chicken Ripple (the Greater) was reborn.  Some years before I had obtained a Black Horse Ranch Hunter with the intention of making it into a show horse.  The first step was to resculpt the braided mane to one that was loose for a Quarter Horse look and g'nads.  This gender neutral body was going to be a big bad boy!  That done, the body sat dormant for years before I was suddenly bitten by the bug to recreate Chicken Ripple. The usual prepping:  priming, sanding, priming, sanding, priming, sanding until I was ready to start with the paint job.  In the subsequent two decades since Ripple's initial creation I had not only learned more about painting - airbrushing to be specific, pasteling, coloured pencil and most importantly: understanding the pattern of brindle.  In addition I learned more about the genetic mechanism of dun factor and how that can play into patterns of brindle. 

Chicken Ripple (III)

When the time came to finally get down to brass tacks and make some decisions on Ripple's final look I decided I wanted to capture Pocos Scooter Bar in all his unusual glory, from his brownish grulla coat to the weird slipped sock on his right hind leg - with a twist.  Chicken Ripple (the Greater) had to have blue eyes...he insisted.  I love blue eyes, I love to look at them, I love to paint them, I love blue eyes on horses, dogs, men... <wink wink>  So we were off and running.

I started with a light mauvey tan for a base coat with layers of rose in the thin skin areas, I slowly built up the grulla coat with layers of "living black" which is a custom mix of Ceramcoat Dark Chocolate and Licorice in equal parts.  A little mauve or light tan will lighten this to a lovely soft greyish grulla colour.   I continued to block in different areas according to the Colour Formula Guide from Rio Rondo's Carol Williams until I had him just the way I wanted, then came the prismacolour pencils and I started the dun factor brindling and other primitive markings including those on the legs and face.  The leg barring, face, mane and tail as well as his undercarriage were all augmented with "living black" to build up the skin/hair colour to the right depth of darkness.

aka Chicken Ripple "the Greater"

Many layers of paint, pastel, pencil, sealer later the finished horse came to life.  He is not an exact portrait, but he is a lovingly replicated homage to a horse that without which I would have never considered thinking outside the box.  Chicken Ripple is the father of a line of brindled offspring who are scattered to all the winds.  His daughter Tastes Like Chicken (featured in another post) is still a part of my showstring and is a recent recreation herself.

Years of change, developing skills and a final satisfaction with my work, Chicken Ripple is finally come into his own and is here to stay.  Short of touch ups in the years to come from a career as a show horse, I can say that I am pleased with my first creation and NOW he is a keeper.

Peach Out Apricots.

Morg