Entry for the Dixie Stables summer 2011 costume contest.

This is a very “quick and dirty” costume, with almost no handmade or new-to-me components, but it’s because we picked the costume to go with the horse and not the other way around! This is Joey (“In My Father’s Eyes”), the American Saddlebred featured previously in “Colonial Christmas”. He’s a little notorious around the barn for being quirky, stubborn, and very much having a mind of his own, and he can be difficult for less-experienced riders to handle – however, one thing he does excel at is being a costume horse, and I’m lucky to have him for that!

Because he can be so much of a punk, we decided our theme would be exactly that – and because I’m an adorable goth girl who already has a closet full of suitable clothes, there wasn’t really a need for me to spend time and money when I could just be myself, the same as Joey! So everything you see on me, is me, down to the collar, cuffs, and sparkly black nails.

To get Joey properly outfitted, I used my “horse sheet” pattern to cut a “jacket” from black broadcloth. The jacket was then accented with silver D-rings and dangling chain. His collar is a black leather and silver eyelet belt picked up at Goodwill, and we’re both topped off with a bright blue streak of the synthetic hair I use when I’m making custom My Little Ponies. We also painted his feet with black hoof polish (actually a horse shown standard!), then dusted them with silver glitter through a simply-patterned stencil. Both the glitter and the polish will wear off over time, and aren’t harmful to the horses in any way.