old Europa!

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  last version from Scleich and old Bully (last picture)

Very beautiful and elegant!!

What a quiet and delicious moment Thank you Alain

Kikimalou wrote:

What a quiet and delicious moment

I agree!
Alain, can this swan float?

many thanks to you three Shanti, Christophe and Constantin!

 Constantin, this Schleich swan, unlike sharks from the same brand, doesn't float..

I think i know this place :) because i was sometimes there

widukind wrote:

I think i know this place :) because i was sometimes there

You're right, I think you know this pond very well!..  Thank you Andreas! :)

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 Sorraia horses, the portuguese tarpans! (Schleich 2021)

The Portugese Tarpan, great name and models! Congrats on the new additions.

I love these photos! Such beautiful backgrounds!

My eyes play tricks... especially in the 3rd photo the horses seem like they're hovering...

  Many thanks Paige, Jolie and Constantin!

spacelab wrote:

My eyes play tricks... especially in the 3rd photo the horses seem like they're hovering...  

The same for me

..  maybe the contrast between the light ground and the dark hooves.. and the lack of shadow in some pictures.. :)

Nevertheless I love this pic

It was fast, I have just suggested this model and here it is wonderfully pictured! I love also the Portuguese Tarpan name but I enjoy to call them zebros.

Of course! "zebros" it's its true name as "konik" for the polish tarpan but the important for me was to point the link with ancien european wild horse called "tarpan". :)

Actually the "zebros" were more a kind of onager, a wild ass rather than a horse. Zebras got its name fom them, after humans exterminated the zebros or encebros, not so many centuries ago.

.. but where did they live these"zebros"?.. in Portugal too?.. could  they have been the last Equus hydrontinuus, the european hemione?..
 
  it wouldn't be very surprising because the iberic peninsula remained a long time a kind of refuge for prehistoric species who had lived in the whoole Europa before. See Homo Neanderthalensis, Lynx pardina, maybe Panthera pardus and many others!.. :)

Pardofelis wrote:

Actually the "zebros" were more a kind of onager, a wild ass rather than a horse. Zebras got its name fom them, after humans exterminated the zebros or encebros, not so many centuries ago.

Correct Equus hydruntinus is the zebro and it is more like a donkey. however, traditionally, Sorraias were also known as zebros even if it is believed they are related with Tarpans (Equus ferus ferus). Portuguese gave the name to the African striped and horse like creatures when they explored the African coast with some incursions on land. At that time "Spanish" saylors were not allowed to navigate along the African coast. OK, except Northern coast but there aren't zebras there. I know the word cebro is also used in Spain, so there was no risk of using caballito rayado para las cebras.

Caracal wrote:

.. but where did they live these"zebros"?.. in Portugal too?.. could  they have been the last Equus hydrontinuus, the european hemione?..
 
  it wouldn't be very surprising because the iberic peninsula remained a long time a kind of refuge for prehistoric species who had lived in the whoole Europa before. See Homo Neanderthalensis, Lynx pardina, maybe Panthera pardus and many others!.. :)

Yes, Portugal and Spain. Iberrian fauna is and was always very interesting, I think pyrennees acted as a kind of giant wall.

Rogerio, correct me if I'm wrong, I'm just going on what I've read. The Sorraia went through a very serious bottleneck in the last century, and the landrace as present does not carry through all the traits it was historically known for. One of the most prominent but lost traits is what horsemen call primitive markings- or striping. One rarely sees on modern horsesmore than a faint zebra like striping on the legs and/or cross bar on the shoulders like a donkey, maybe rarely faint striping on the face called cobwebbing. Very rarely there may even be shadow striping on the neck and body. Apparently from historical records, Sorraias commonly had primitive markings, and had them to a degree rarely if ever seen in other horses. Makes calling them and the African equines 'zebros' make sense.

I'd like to see one of our talented horse painters give this Sorraia primitive markings.

good idea Pipsxich! :)

pipsxlch wrote:

Rogerio, correct me if I'm wrong, I'm just going on what I've read. The Sorraia went through a very serious bottleneck in the last century, and the landrace as present does not carry through all the traits it was historically known for. One of the most prominent but lost traits is what horsemen call primitive markings- or striping. One rarely sees on modern horsesmore than a faint zebra like striping on the legs and/or cross bar on the shoulders like a donkey, maybe rarely faint striping on the face called cobwebbing. Very rarely there may even be shadow striping on the neck and body. Apparently from historical records, Sorraias commonly had primitive markings, and had them to a degree rarely if ever seen in other horses. Makes calling them and the African equines 'zebros' make sense.

I'd like to see one of our talented horse painters give this Sorraia primitive markings.

Correct, they haven't changed since they were rediscovered in 1920. However, they all discend from a group of 10 horses, thus a serious bottleneck happened and it still faces some consanguinity problems.
Much probably, that group of horses found in 1920 was not anymore pure and a few crosses with other horses may have happened and contributing to a lower extent of their primitive markings. Though, Sorraias still preserve primitive markings like those you mentioned, probably not as conspicuous as their predecessors but they haven't lost it. About the specific kind of horse that originated the Sorraia, it is still under debat. They call the type 3, the Iberian horse and Tarpan is not exactly an Iberian horse. Apparently, the zebro is a better option because of its subconvex head profile typical of the horse of this region. They tell it because the horses painted in Ronda caves (South Spain) show this kind of horse with convex head and arched neck. Whatever it is, Sorraia was never a domestic horse.

pipsxlch wrote:

I'd like to see one of our talented horse painters give this Sorraia primitive markings.

I've just had a look through my body box of mini Breyers to see if I could be the one to offer up a different brand Sorraia custom to half-satisfy this request, but sadly I don't have any suitable moulds right now. I think the one known as Mirado would be the best match, but I can't get hold of one at the moment (Breyer's having shipping container issues, the UK haven't been sent any stock for months so anything which sold out earlier this year is staying sold out )

I love these photos, they look magnificent as a pair galloping through the forest, really realistic and definitely an improvement compared to previous Schleich horses! I love the way you have captured the lighting, it really brings out the best features of the horses!