What's In the Box? From Russia with Love

This is my unboxing and review of a Spanish style tack set made by Natalia Sal'nikova.

It's always exciting to get a package in the mail, especially when it's from the other side of the world. This tack set made by Natalia Sal'nikova, had to arrive in Moscow via train, then handed off to a family member (Thanks Natalia's sister) in order to make it over to Seattle in the United States.

This was my third tack set from the wickedly talented artists over there in Russia and this time I got to see some cool Russian stamps.

Shipping internationally can always be a stressful thing, you hope that your postage is enough, and that customs doesn't mess up carefully packed artwork. It was also a trade, so you are hoping everything goes without a hitch. Upon hearing the news that Natalia's sister got the package into the post, we both were a tad nervous watching the tracking updates as the package seemed to be held up at the customs agency but eventually made it's way out of Russia to the U.S.

The logistics of sending packages is very interesting, it's a coordinated effort to get airlines and ground transportation all aligned so your parcel can get from point A to point B. (Sometimes back to point A and back to customs ha ha)

This transaction all started when I saw this listing on The Book of Faces (Facebook) in the Model Horse Tack Space group.

As per usual I was a tad under funded so I offered a trade for resins because Seattle is FLIPPING EXPENSIVE!!! Plus I need to downsize the herd, as I just don't have the room, and my focus in the hobby is shifting to more of a niche focus.

After going through various resins I had, we settled on this guy. A customized Desperado, he was modified by the sculpting artist to have forward facing ears (which I always thought really changed the expression on this horse) and a swooshed forward tail.

I never could narrow down a color for him. So he sat for over a decade! But now I can't wait to see what becomes of him. I'm sure who ever she sends him to will do an awesome job.

Before I could get my tack he had to make it safe and sound to her sister's and he also had an interesting flight path which included Dubai.

Now that my end of the transaction was complete, and the Russian/U.S. mailing system did it's job, it's time to inspect the goods!

When it arrived here it was wrapped in the mailer bag from Russia (non padded). Visually these bags can look a little rough but don't worry, I've yet to have a single problem, I've even had one bag with holes...but thankfully Anna's package (the one with holes) was small and unharmed.

I also knew ahead of time the tack would come in an awesome custom box.

Upon opening the mailer I could breath easy knowing there was no damage. So, "What's in the Box," you say.

The top of the box has a nice laser burned logo for Natalia Sal'nikova. Inside was a cute little Thank You card that was handmade - check out the watercolor on the back