Breyer Horses Club

[ChompGod]

So are you guys able to tell if a model would do very well with showing? I wanna get into that kind of scene but my collection is.. Lacking to say the least. I believe the model I have is called Stud Spider-

You can show with pretty much any model as long as it's LSQ, meaning it has no noticeable shiny marks or scratches C:

[APH Italy]

So are you guys able to tell if a model would do very well with showing? I wanna get into that kind of scene but my collection is.. Lacking to say the least. I believe the model I have is called Stud Spider-

You can show with pretty much any model as long as it's LSQ, meaning it has no noticeable shiny marks or scratches C:

Sweet, I'll have to check it out. Hopefully I'll be able to make it to breyerfest this year.

[ChompGod]

So are you guys able to tell if a model would do very well with showing? I wanna get into that kind of scene but my collection is.. Lacking to say the least. I believe the model I have is called Stud Spider-

You can show with pretty much any model as long as it's LSQ, meaning it has no noticeable shiny marks or scratches C:

Sweet, I'll have to check it out. Hopefully I'll be able to make it to breyerfest this year.

Hope I get to see you there (: !!

[EmberWolf]

There is a lot more than just scratches or shiny marks that horses can be docked points for. I might be able to help out, although it's harder to tell from pictures. Some general guidelines for deciding if a horse is Live Show Quality, or LSQ, or not that I follow are-

-No wear and tear, meaning no scratches, rubs, breaks, etc. Some things you can fix up a little bit before a show. For example with a model like Stud Spider, who is mostly black, if he has a very small ear tip rub, you can probably use a black marker to cover that spot. This can't be obvious, but is allowed at most shows if unnoticeable. Another way to fix up models is if they have black or other colored scuff marks on their white markings, ONLY IF THE MARKINGS HAVE BEEN MASKED, NOT PAINTED ON, you can use a very small amount of acetone (nail polish remover, acetone-free nail polish remover works as well) on a cotton swab and it normally clears those right up. Remember, it'll also take off the actual paint very easily, so you have to be very careful with it and use as little as possible so it doesn't run or drip

-No obvious seam lines. Some models have pretty obvious seam lines- where the two halves of the model were connected during production, as well as extra pieces of plastic as a result of parts of production that are supposed to be removed by sanding. These will not do very well in show. You want a model that is as smooth as possible. Most seam lines can be visible on the back, belly, hooves/legs, and mane, tail, etc.. Earlier models are actually pretty good about seam lines because they did not have as many details that production workers have to be careful of sanding down. This is one that is very hit-and-miss in models, but definitely a contributing factor

-Clean masking. If the horse has white markings, like Stud Spider's appaloosa blanket, it is very likely the markings were made by a mask. That is, when the model was being painted/airbrushed, parts of the model were covered beforehand and the rest painted. Once it was finished being painted, they'd take the masking off and reveal where the model was still white. Not all masking is put on perfectly, and there may be small gaps where overspray occurs. Overspray happens when a bit of the airbrushed paint gets underneath the mask, so the lines of the markings are not "clean"- they are faded and not as sharp. Older models are very prone to this, but models nowadays also get some spots with a bit of overspray. Crisp markings are your friend. This also definitely includes horses with lighter colored manes and tails- the best show models don't have any of the mane and tail color overlapping onto the neck/back/legs.

-Good coloring/shading. Some models have pretty bland shading. That is, there is not much of a difference in all their coloring- they look flat in color. Horses with shading airbrushed in all the right places are more appealing in the show ring. This is harder for more darker colored horses, but for horses that aren't, you want a realistic looking horse, including in the shading. If it looks all to be mostly one color it's not as appealing as a horse that varies in shade like a real horse would. This can be very hit and miss since all Breyers are hand painted. Dappling is another good example. Some dappled horses have barely any dappling at all, or really ugly dappling- such as "fish scales" that look like fish scales due to the way they were airbrushed on. Here is an example of a horse without much dappling, and one with a lot, and one with what I'd personally consider fish scales. All of them are the same type of model, Argyle. As far as I've seen, judges seem to like more extensive dappling.

-No warping/bent legs/etc.. I had a difficult time this year getting my Silver molds ready for show because they are very prone to having bent tails, so that when standing, the tail wont sit flat on the table. I had to scratch one from my roster because of this. Legs are the same- sometimes they are bent out at a weird angle so that all hooves that should be on the table aren't flat on the table- one might be tilted a little. This can be fixed to some extent, using either hot water or a hair dryer, to heat up the plastic of the leg/tail so that it softens enough to be bent into place. However, thicker pieces, such as a Silver mold's tail, are harder to bend without the risk of breaking. This is important in shows. Judges are looking at them as if they are real horses, and if a real horse had a bent leg, you'd be pretty concerned about it and dock points for bad conformation!

There's a lot of factors that contribute to an LSQ horse, but those are just some that I've found to be the most important. It's also a judge's preference. Just remember that, depending on what class your horse is going in, they might be going up against horses of the exact same model, so the one that looks the most realistic or clean and well made is probably the one that is going to win.

[Kagome963]

Look who my mate bought me. My beloved is feeding my addiction and spoiling me rotten. Lol

[EmberWolf]

Alright... the lady with all the Breyers texted me again the other day saying she found more models in storage that were now for sale. Couldn't help myself but go back again and see what she had. Didn't have nearly as much as she did before, so she's been clearing them out pretty well, but I did pick up some more horses (whoops again). This time-

Cigar
Hollywood Gold
Two Missouri Fox Trotters (One is the original, the other is Iron Metal Chief)
and another Stone ISH

Also picked up an older Clydesdale family (the bay stallion, mare, and foal) for a family friend (who actually was the original person to get me into Breyers back when I was like 6 years old).

Haul-

(can also see a bit of the G1 stablemates in the background that I didn't show from last time)

She had a bunch more she was trying to push onto me but I had to end it with these. Can't justify getting anymore!

[ChompGod]

Snip

What others did she have? ovo

[ShireX]

@Lye (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong): I think you also have to be careful about entering your model in the correct class, if it's a breed class. I know that sounds like a "duh" statement, but from what I've heard the judges will be pretty harsh in saying "well, this is a x breed class and this looks more like a x breed cross, or a y breed, so I'm docking points or disqualifying this model," you know? JAH used to have a lot of good tips for showing (I haven't gotten in it years) so perhaps check that out.

[EmberWolf]

@DemureDemon- She still had probably 5 or 6 Western Pleasure Horse Stones, as well as 3 rearing Stones. A fair amount of older Breyers still, too much to list, but mostly models made in the late 90s. A couple of five gaters, including the original (imo ugly) type of red roan coloring, an older Misty, a couple of Misty's Twilight molds, a Morgan, Amber & Ashley foal set, Stud Spider w/ box, original Jumping Horse w/ box (older style box, pretty cool), Medicine Hat jumping horse (can't remember actual name), Big Ben, and a bunch of others. She also had the older black clydesdale stallion and mare, no foal with though, though. And she still has more in storage she's not selling she said... I can't imagine. She also had a running mare and foal lamp! It was not for sale unfortunately.

@Star Trekker- Yes! It is a BIG part of it. I had such a hard time trying to decide breeds for all my BF show horses. First of all, each breed falls into a class, and you can only have two horses per class. So if you already have two horses in that class you might have to try and think of a different breed for another horse that would have fallen into that class, and it has to make sense. The person I was showing with and I sat with breed books and google open, looking at as many pictures of each breed we considered for our horses. It has to look like the conformation of a breed standard horse of that breed, or a cross of two breeds. Color genetics also matter- if you think the horse you have looks exactly like a certain breed, but the color of that horse isn't actually found in that breed, the judges will probably know! I never knew it was that complicated until I did it, but yes- that's a big part of it. You also have to consider what your horse is probably going to go up against in its class, will it be a bunch of the same model if everyone else chooses the same breed for it? Or will it be totally out of place with a bunch of horses of a different model?

I put down my Red Rock mare (midwest distrb. limited model on the Lady Phase mold, it's a red roan) as a Chilean/Azteca cross, so it fell into the Spanish/Iberian cross breed class, and she was surrounded by Alborozos and other beautiful models in the show ring... as soon as I saw that, even if I really liked the finish on my mare, I knew she didn't stand a chance.

Sorry this is rambly again. I learned a lot about showing this year, I used to think it was so simple lol

[Kecko]

Guess what?? I just went to a Discount store and went to look at the games. There, among the games, was Breyers Camilla! I started pawing through the boxes and found two I didn't recognize. I wound up buying all three and now I have the all of the Camilla horses! The three of them cost $60 altogether!