I was re-reading your comments MD regarding how quickly you paint figures -and how you found your first horse more time consuming - and this got me to reflecting on how I felt when I first did a horse.
Now our paint mediums are quite different. I use Humbrol - and mostly gloss - never acrylics. Takes much longer tp paint with mine - 'cos of drying times. BUT I can empathise with you - as I used to dread painting horses. Didn't know where to start - BUT NOW - easy-peasy. In fact - I paint horses really quickly now - as I have a methodology. I split the horse into two parts now.
First - the back end - tail and up to the saddle. When finished - usually in one go - or maybe two at the most - I can varnish this part. Next day - the front end - then varnish that. I can hold the back end, you see - to paint the front end! No fear of smudging or rubbing paint off. The rider comes last of all if cast-in - and is much easier to paint - as I can hold either end of the completed horse. If he isn't cast in I can paint seperately, as a normal figure. Maybe try out that way????
Whatever - I wouldn't mind betting that you do your next one in half the time - as you will have learned so much from your first one - which looks just fine to me.
Nice casting that Andrea, by the way - but towards the expensive end of the market. Nice job too. johnnybach