The British Model Equine Championship Show has been the Annual feature in the Uk for many years.  Up until LEMs started in 2009 it was the only Championship show in the UK each year.  Models qualify throughout the year to be shown at the BMECs and I was approached to provide the awards for the 2010 feature.

The show required two medallions; a smaller one to be given as awards to the winner of each class and as a gift to the judges, and a larger one to be given to the section champions.

As the BMECs is, obviously, British, I chose to take a Native breed from each of the Isles (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales) for each medallion.  Inspired by a visit to Dartmoor earlier in the year, and the fact that the BMECs logo is a Pony, I chose to take the logo Pony and add it to the smaller medallion along with a Rose to symbolise England.  I chose Wales next, purely as I am half-Welsh myself, and created the medallion with a Welsh Section D, or Welsh Cob for the larger model.  More details on each of the pair are below.

BMECs 2010 Small Medallion
Awarded to Class Winners and Judges

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This medallion measures approximately 1.5" across.
The pony is known as "MEC", it is the logo for the BMECs (previously known as the MECs hence the pony's name) and closely resembles a Dartmoor Pony.  Dartmoor is in the South of England, and to celebrate the British Championship Show I felt it apt to use a Native breed along with a flower to further represent the country.

The colours

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I used this sweet little medallion to try out some new colour schemes and found this new "Wine Gum" style worked very well with the small size of the model.  I had lots of fun experimenting with the different colours and shades and although not all of these colours were used for the show, I think each and every colour worked well with the model.

Medallions for BMECs

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This photo shows the final colours issued for the show.  The colours were awarded for each section; Artist Resin, Original Finish, Custom, Craft/Toy/Foundation and Commercial Resin and China.
The show had a Black, Green and Gold Colour Scheme and the Red and Blue were added as they are traditionally associated with Model Horse Show Ribbons, White copies were also given as prizes so that they could be painted up.

At the Show

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Here is a lovely model, called "Sanskrit" by the sculpting artist, painted by UK Finishwork Artist Amanda Greaves.  The mini medallions were issued  in Black, Green or Gold organza bags and were very well received.  During the show each winner was also given a raffle ticket and at lunchtime tickets were drawn and the winners could choose from the remaining copies, including some non-standard colours.

BMECs 2010 Large Medallion
Awarded to Section Champions

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This medallion measures approximately 3.5" across.  The horse is a Welsh Section D, also known as a Welsh Cob.
I chose not to add an inscription or flower to this medallion so that, should the winner like to sell it at a later date, it would be more appealing as a sales model as details such as dates and events are only meaningful to those that won the model originally.  The model pictured is cast in cold-cast aluminium (polished).

The Size Difference

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As you can see, the two medallions are quite different in size!  This is the only photo I took showing both models in comparison, here you can see just how large the bigger medallion is, a much better size for painting up so most copies were issued in pure white polyurethane resin (the same resin used for most model horse editions).

Medallions for BMECs

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Here you can see the white copies of the model that were given out at the show.  There were 15 in total at MECs 2010, but this model may be re-issued for the 2011 show as it was such a small run for 2010.
I made a couple of experimental casts including the Nickel copy pictured above.  If the medallion is reused in 2011 it is likely to be produced in a variety of colours and materials including cold cast metals.

At the Show

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Here is the Champion model in the Commercial Resin and China section.  This little Donkey won the heart of all the judges who unanimously agreed it was a winner!

I can't leave anything alone, me!

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Working with resin inevitably leads to the odd experiment, this little card topper was made when I found I had a little extra cold-cast Nickel mix left over from another model.  I poured just enough to fill the horse and field and then allowed it to cure.  I could have poured a background to make it a split-finish model, but liked the idea of using it to decorate a card or box.  I took it to the BMECs show as a curiosity, where it was immediately snapped up.  Could be an idea for a BMECs 2011 variation, maybe!