Model Horse gathering combines camping, photography, shows and clinics in a mountain retreat setting

Pack up all the model horse gear you can carry and bring it to the forest. For three days, model horse enthusiasts will have roughly a square mile of land and an entire building devoted to themselves and their equine sculptures. Renowned tack maker and performance professional Jennifer Bray Buxton will spend the weekend at Chilao School.

Models in the Mountains 2015 is an excellent opportunity to meet some of the most well known people in the model horse hobby in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.

You don’t need show experience to come....the only requirement is that oft-misunderstood love bordering on obsession for horse-shaped objects.

Three days of indoor and outdoor photography opportunities. Camping. A halter show on Saturday and a performance show on Sunday. Prizes. Shopping. A diorama making contest. A silent auction item donated by Breyer (Reeves International)...and one of the best known tack makers in the hobby, Jenifer Bray Buxton, holding a performance clinic and judging both shows. Stay for a day, or stay for the weekend. Models in the Mountains 2015 has a little something for every model horse enthusiast.

Model horse hobbyists of all skill and experience levels are welcome to Models in the Mountains 2015. A first time event, MIM 2015 is a retreat for the serious - and the novice - model horse collector and shower. And if you have a herd of equines but didn’t even know there was such a thing as showing model horses...be sure to come. You’ll be in for a real treat.

Jennifer will be judging the halter show on Saturday, May 16 at Chilao School, nestled in the heart of the Angeles National Forest. On Sunday, Jennifer will lend her expertise to a performance show and clinic, giving feedback and suggestions to participants and judging their entries for correctness, accuracy and appeal. And there’s more to that than you might suspect. Model horses in a show environment are expected to faithfully represent their larger, living counterparts.

Tent and motorhome camping is available, both at Meadow Campground and at Chilao School, just a quarter mile apart from each other. Guests are encouraged “to bring every model horse-related thing you can carry - props, horses, companion animals, cameras, lights, tack, riders, fences and other elements” for the many photo opportunities the weekend will provide. Weather permitting, there will be between four and six outdoor photography stations boasting fabulous views. Why? Because photo showing is another way that model horse collectors compete with each other. Driving and honing the creative spirit, photo showing continues to evolve into a more and more refined art form, and there will be plenty of opportunities to master the craft at MIM.

There may even be a sixteen foot tipi set upon Meadow Campground that can be used for both camping and as a photo backdrop.  

Registration information, directions, the class list for Saturday and Sunday and more information can be found on the official MIM website:

http://modelsinthemountains.weebly.com

Models in the Mountains also has a Facebook page, and an event page on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/modelsinthemountains2015

https://www.facebook.com/events/840902085921516/

Chilao School is located in the heart of the Angeles National Forest, and two miles from the famous Newcombs Ranch Bar and Restaurant.
To reach Chilao School, DO NOT USE GOOGLE. Follow written directions, and look for signs on the road. From Sunland Tujunga take Oro Vista which become Big Tujunga Canyon to Upper Big Tujunga Canyon, turn right and proceed nine miles to Angeles Crest Highway, where you will turn left and proceed about eight more miles to Chilao School (look for Redbird/Chilao School signs).
From the Antelope Valley/14 freeway, exit Angeles Forest Highway. Proceed over the top of the mountain and down into a valley past Mill Creek campground. Turn left onto Upper Big Tujunga Canyon (look for Redbird signs). Take Upper Big Tujunga Canyon for 9 miles to Angeles Crest Highway. Turn left. Proceed 6 more miles to Chilao Road/Chilao Campground. Follow signs through campground to Chilao School.
From the Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley area, take the 210 freeway to Angeles Crest Highway/Highway 2 exit. Turn north, up hill, away from the city, toward the mountains. If you immediately come to Foothill Boulevard you turned the wrong way. Go up the highway 26 miles to Chilao Road. Turn left into Chilao Campground. Follow signs to Chilao School.