Versatility results... oh my!

The results of Drovers 1st Versatility Weekend came out today - did not expect that. DWH had a winner every day and little more too - so did not expect that. The hours spent on 43 entry pics... I'd say they were worth it.

It took a few days...

Entering into 3rd community event took quite a bit longer than the first two. But this was kinda expected though, since the event in question is Drovers 1st Versatility Weekend at SFS forum - three separate days, 3+4+3 entry pics for each horse entered, went with 4+4+5 horses, so had 3x4+4x4+3x5=43 entry pics to do...

Setting things up for the photo shoot, taking the pics, choosing ones to use and then editing them before posting entries separately for each day kept me busy from Wednesday afternoon till late last night (or early today :P). While I didn't work 24/7 on the entries, getting them all sorted did take several hours, so hopefully the effort was worth it! Entries close tomorrow, so should find out how it goes next week. Fingers crossed! ;D

And because there's always someone who's curious, but perhaps little on the lazy side to look for the results of my efforts at SFS, just use read more for easy way out. ;)

Sneak peek to DWH - winter edition

Thread at SFS Western Eventing is still valid

Couldn't help this, since changing season is matter of only a few clicks (with cheats). So here's winter edition to DWH sneak peek... enjoy!

Have a guess...

Did you guess? If your choice was "Seasons", you were right, lol. Seasons seems to be the thing everyone's going about this week, so why not me too? ;D

Since I obviously had to check out and test Seasons with real playing, finishing the setting up of DWH was in bit of a hold. Enthusiasm is still doing quite well, but had to see seasons in action and all the new stuff in "master game" first (check out Seasons) and then also make sure that the custom lighting, that I can't live without anymore, would work with the new weather/seasons changing stuff (test Seasons). All done now and will actually go back to setting up DWH, believe it or not!

So yeah, this means that the new stuff has been checked out, with shortest setting available - lol - and it's fine. To be honest for me there's not really more than the weather/seasons, the new activities associated with that get kinda dull over time. Probably main reason why there's nothing stopping me to work on DWH so soon. ;D Even more so, because the custom lighting with shadows works just fine. Thank god for that, it makes things so much more pretty. <3

Did I take some pictures? Yes I did and I'll show some. These are from "testarea" type game/save. Only relation to these equine community endeavors is Mike&Howie duo, well "prototypes" of them, that make appearance.

So here you go, some outcome pics of testing Seasons + Outdoor Lighting Tweaks v2.1 (tweaked).

It's gif time

Cleaned up DWH screenshots folder a bit last night and just had to make these gifs from few shots taken way back in July.

This is so fitting to Howie's personality - "Do something or I will!" :D

Stretching is important or something within those lines... ;D

Just gotta love this kind of things the idle randomness of sims produces!

Sneak peek to DWH

Thread at SFS Western Eventing

Couldn't help this when the pics taken last night were so perfect for it! Most of yesterday went into setting up that second barn and writing stuff for the DWH site. Spiked enthusiasm does wonders! ;D

In case you don't want to head to SFS for the teaser pics then use read more...

2nd time lucky indeed!

Bits N Pieces aka Sheena went and won the pleasure class entered! Sure there was only 4 entries and half of those mine, but still it feels pretty damn great! Howie has to seriously watch out now, because his throne as a favorite is now very, very close to be equally shared or even overthrown. ;D

AQH mare Bits N Pieces & Kathleen Dunn, 1st place
North Shore Stables Western Pleasure show November 2012

Rest of the entry shots are in previous post, so won't repost them right after just doing it.

Oh, other entry for the class, i.e. Windy, took 3rd place. So not too bad on that account either. All this gives quite a boost to enthusiasm over DWH and getting it ready for launch... might very well happen this month if this goes on. No promises though, since things might fade back to little less enthusiastic quite easily...

So right now things look good for DWH, let's hope this goes on!

2nd time lucky?

As promised after the nice start in community events last week (Not quite a winner..) - finished while ago posting entries to another community show for this month. While being at SFS Western Eventing again, this time the event is western pleasure show. Which actually doesn't change that much of the process from last time, well, except that this time no arena building was needed. ;)

So yeah, chose who to enter and then out to the arena (= teleport ♥) to do posing it was. Did the thing in two parts, since wanted to make sure that at least one entry was in, if something else would come up. Nothing really did come up, but had a little break between the two entries anyway. :D

We have a breakthrough

Title is kinda true, there's been quite major development with DWH - the still unpublished site has now pretty much ready to go main page! Yes, this is major development considering that the main page as been nothing more than "Welcome to Dunn Western Horses! Some words and such here..." since July. So when only thing left to do now is replacing "Coming soon" banner with actual banner, it is huge development! ;D

Considering that the DWH site as a whole is mostly just in need of actual pics instead of "Coming soon" stand ins, finishing touches to horse profiles and a few notes turned into sentences, the possibility of November launch might not be so far fetched after all.

We'll see, what happens. Keep your fingers crossed for my enthusiasm not to fade out too soon...

Sulky!

There's now download available for a sulky at Equus-Sims forum! Aaaaah, I need standardbreds now!

There was earlier sort of reveal about me being harness racing person at heart before anything else within horse sports/activities (It takes time..). Doing this amongst the community wasn't really viable before, without enormous amount of editing work anyway, so I went with the closest thing - thoroughbreds and racing. But thoroughbreds are just a dream for me - I don't get closer to it than playing games, reading news, watching videos and so on. Harness racing is real, these days it's not more than staying on the map about news and occasional visits to the track on race days with camera, but it's still more real. It's the thing with horses I did for years and will always follow from the sidelines to some extent, always.

Now it would be viable... but I'm way too into what I've got coming up to give up with them. Third stable? Standardbreds and thoroughbreds under same set up? Either one could work, but they also have problems... Setting things up for another stable would certainly bump the joining into anything to unsealable future, unless doing it quite a while after what's in the works now is done. Putting trotters in the mix of TBs and showjumpers... well, the whole concept of Greenfield would need some adjustment, if to be done... has only the major thing against it that I don't really see how to make it more that slightly plausible, I'd like more than that. Third stable occupying same area (= same save) than Greenfield, might be more workable, but don't know... Only sure thing is that DWH will happen as it is, since can't combine anything to it and still keep it western, lol.

I guess the point of all this is, that I'm loving the suddenly presented viability of harness racing, but making it part of my endeavors will be on hold for now. How long is now going to last, can't really say... might very well be just as long as DWH is done... or till Greenfield is also properly set up... or more... or less...

Yeah, let's go with "standardbreds happen one of these days", shall we? That more or less covers all possibilities. ;D

Not quite a winner...

Career in the community show ring started pretty well; there was five chances to be placed for 20+ entrants and one of those that placed was mine! Out of the two entries of mine, How Do Ya Do It was pleasing enough for the judge to put the DWH favorite in 2nd place. Of course having both on top5 would have been awesome, but this is quite awesome too nonetheless. I haven't gone so wrong with the looks of Howie and that's great news - it's not just me who sees him as a very nice AQH! Winner is one fine looking AQH as well, so no hard feelings about 2nd place. ;)

AQH stallion How Do Ya Do It, 2nd place
Riverview Lite Ranch 2012 October western halter show

Rest of the entry shots are in previous post, so won't repost them right after just doing it.

Anyways, feeling quite accomplished right now and full of enthusiasm over DWH, so gotta take advantage and start up the game. If this carries over for a week or more, you'll see November launch. Still, wouldn't get too exited about that though, these enthusiastic moments of mine tend to die out quite fast... But you'll see some more community show entries this month for sure! ;D

First show entry is official

It's done, I posted the two entries to Riverview Lite Ranch 2012 October western halter show at SFS Western Eventing forum. Can't wait to see how it turns out result wise, hopefully not too bad, since I've become quite fond of DWH after it became the focus of publishing efforts. It would be great to have successful 1st appearance amongst the community.

This also means that DWH's existence is now more or less official - can't back out of it anymore! Well, wasn't even planning to do such thing. The entries brought up some interest for the place, which leads to conclusion, that it probably wouldn't be so bad idea to try and make it completely official (= publishable) as soon as possible... Current goal is to aim for this month, quite doable, if I find some site content writing inspiration lurking somewhere. But to be on the safe side, it's better to go with the backup goal of aiming for publishing before 2012 ends. Time will tell what happens...

Anyways, here are the shots posted for the first community show ever entered, just so that you don't have to go for looking them in case you're curious about them. ;)

DWH is live ... sort of

Wandered to SFS Western Eventing forum yesterday and just for fun went through what kind of shows are offered. Simply out of interest to future showing of DWH's horses, which are mostly labeled to being primarily cutting & reining. So goal was to see has there been or is there events suitable DWH lineup. Answer is more or less yes, but this doesn't end there...

SFS is from all that I've noticed nice community that's somewhat separate from Equus-Sims and has its focus more or less in western. Good news for any western buff with sim equines, no doubt of that. But all this is just a lead in, cause the point of all this rambling is that SFS events have this nice thing of being open for everyone. If you have something to enter, you're welcome to do so, it doesn't matter what the status of your stable is, everyone's welcome. Yeah, I'm liking this place! Just in case you didn't get that... ;) So yeah, as said I went through what was on offer and western halter show was still open for entries.. Now, DWH isn't in full motion quite yet, but there's foundation horses, family set up, the ranch grounds - including training arena... plausible for halter show, sure. Real show arena of course more professional, but hey, not exactly a problem - doesn't take long to make one!

So yeah, I went ahead to making half of "Dequine Horse Park" to achieve professional arena. It'll be multiple arena facility, but since only one is needed... the rest can wait. ;D After the arena and enough of its surroundings was done, there was no reason not to go ahead and start taking screenshots - goal being entering the halter show!

And here we are, first finished entry shot for first participation in community event is below.

AQH stallion How Do Ya Do It & Michael Dunn, finished shot