Just Stallions

“Being enclosed in an intimate space and on view to the public became a metaphor for the bond we share, and to which we had made a lifelong commitment just one week before. It didn’t feel like us against the world, but rather us in the world, indivisibly together. All too common are the tragic events in life that make you aware of the bonds that connect you to friends and lovers. Rarer are the happy occasions in which relationships are instantiated.”

-from The Search Was the Thing written by Brian Sholis

A completely different take on One Million Years by On Kawara.

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Breyer horses are the gold standard of model horses. Each one is beautifully hand-crafted and life-like, and touched in the production process by often as many as 20 different artists and artisans. For the horse-lover, Breyer model horses are horse toy. In fact, they are beyond toys.

Breyer horse models are made to-scale and, except in the case of some of their special runs or fantasy horses, are made to look as realistic as possible. The company also sells an utterly vast variety of models in different breeds, colors, and collector sets. Due to their amazing quality and realism, Breyer models are as popular today as they were when they were created in 1950 and have a huge following among children and adults alike. Indeed, Breyer horses have become so renowned that there are whole Breyer model horse shows for model horse collectors.

In an attempt to keep their huge collection of model horses fresh and exciting, every year Breyer not only produces some brand new models but also retires a few. The retired Breyer models of course become instantly worth far more money for those who have them, and you can readily find a few of them on sale at eBay or at online model horse auction sites. Many models change hands through re-sale and auctions, also. But many hold on to their retired models and relish collecting as many as they can.

Amazingly, Breyer never set out to create collectors’ items or even toys. The Breyer Molding Company was a plastics manufacturer in Chicago, Illinois. In 1950, it was commissioned by the drug store chain F.W. Woolworth’s to make a model horse to adorn a mantelpiece clock. This model #57 Western Horse was so well-made that people began contacting Breyer and Woolworth’s to see if they could buy JUST the horse. A living legend was born.

The collections that Breyer offers include:

* The Traditional Breyer collection makes up the world’s most asked for horses since 1950 group. These are all hand-painted and each one is slightly one of a kind and realistic. These are sculpted in 1:9 scale.

* The SPECIAL RUNS consists of Breyer horses commissioned by a select group of retailers. These rarer models are collectors’ dreams. The United States Equestrian Team Foundation the Tractor Supply Company are among the customer and Olympic equine athletes equine film stars such as Spirit are among the models.

* The CLASSICS are specially designed for authentic and imaginative play for younger collectors; they give them realistic horses and superior collectibility. These are sculpted to 1:12 scale.

* The WIND DANCERS are butterfly fantasy horses, and each one is made to embody a different one of the four winds. Breyer says they are “”fun, spirited, and gossamer-winged, with brushable manes and tails. Their ethereal wings flutter in the breeze as they float on the gentle winds of the earth, bringing adventure and excitement to those who believe.

Breyer also creates other accessories especially targeted at younger collectors.

Horses seem to always be a staple in toy stores. Chances are at least some of them are made by Breyer, one of the best known model horse manufacturers in the world. Breyer is famous for to-scale, authentic collectible horses. They also make special editions, and routinely retire several models every year.

Children and adults alike love and collect Breyer horses. Most will collect the special editions or those models that are produced to honor a particular horse… one of the recent honorees was Barbaro, the Thoroughbred who injured himself during the second leg of the Triple Crown and later had to be put down due to complications. Other collectors concentrate on particular breeds (i.e. Arab, Warmblood, Quarter Horse) or colors (i.e. black, bay, palomino). It is getting more common to see the rarer breeds represented as well, such as the Trakehner, the Friesian or the Hanoverian.

The Breyer horses are created in a variety of sizes and scale. The Breyer Collection is the largest size, and is sculpted in a 1:9 scale. The Classic is done in a 1:12 scale, while the Paddock Pals are a bit smaller, being sculpted in a 1:24 scale. Stablemates used to be the smallest Breyer horses at 1:32 scale, but now the Mini Whinnies are even smaller. All sizes are fully detailed and come in a variety of colors and breeds. Some also are available with accessories.

Showing of Breyer Horses has become a popular past time. Shows include Photo Shows and Performance Shows, with some live and some by photo only. With Photo Shows the collector presents their horses decked out for the target class – i.e. western pleasure or English Equitation. Performance classes require the appropriate tack be on the model, and sometimes a rider is also included. Some areas host live shows as well. Exhibitors bring their models to the show to be judged right there and then. Winners receive ribbons and sometimes trophies for their models. Show models are sometimes repainted or even repositioned to make them more unique. Breyer is a favorite to use since they are already so realistic and come in so many different positions.

Whether you decide to show your Breyer model horse or not, collecting them can be great fun. Every year new models are released, and others are retired. Some go up in value quite a bit, especially if they are in good condition.

Of course, children like to play with Breyer horses, too. They can spend hours playing with them, designing pastures, or utilizing the many accessories that are available, such as stables, fences, barn tools and realistic Western and English tack to put on the horses.

No matter what your age, if you love horses, you’ll enjoy Breyer model horses. Whether you collect a hundred or only a few, they are a fun way to enjoy the beauty of horses.

A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!
-William Shakespeare

Industry is a better horse to ride than genius.
-Walter Lippmann

Over, under, or through.
-Three-day eventing exhortation on how to get to the other side of a cross-country obstacle

I never play horseshoes because mother taught us not to throw our clothes around.
– “talking horse” of the 1960’s TV series

When I hear somebody talk about a horse or a cow being stupid, I figure it’s a sure sign that animal has outfoxed them.
-Tom Dorance

A horse is worth more than riches.
-Spanish Proverb

Stable thinking is the ability to say “neigh”.
-Source Unknown

A camel is a horse designed by a committee
-Sir Alec Issigonis

There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse.
-R S Surtees

There is no need of spurs when a horse is running away.
-Publicus Syrus

All King Edward’s Horses Canter Many Big Fences.
-Mnemonic for the A-K-E-H-C-M-B-F letters around a dressage arena

Steeds, steeds, what steeds! Has the whirlwind a home in your manes?
-Nikolay Gogol

The problem is very likely connected to his last run and it’s a hell of a blow [on an injury to a horse]
– Nigel Twiston-Davies

The first horse to drink doesn’t get dirty water.
-Nigerian Proverb

I heard a neigh. Oh, such a brisk and melodious neigh is was. My very heart leaped with the sound.
-Nathaniel Hawthorne

Folk songs? They’re all folk songs – I never heard a horse sing.
-Louis “Satchimo” Armstrong

Half of the failures in life arise from pulling in one’s horse as he is leaping.
-Julius and Augustus Hare

You can lead a horse to water, but if you can get him to roll over and float on his back, then you got something!
-Joe E. Lewis

I love the horse from hoof to head. From head to hoof to mane. I love the horse as I have said- From head to hoof and back again.
-James Whitcomb Riley

It’s difficult to water a horse that won’t lower its head.
-Finnish Proverb

You can lead a horse to water…if you got a horse.
-English Proverb

Horses are something to dream about…and to wish for; fun to watch…and to make friends with; nice to pat… and great to hug: and, oh, what a joy to ride!
-Dorothy Henderson Pinch

Certain comic effects can be acheived by a brand-new rider, especially a man who dresses like a fashion model and rides like a tailor.
-C. J. J. Mullen

A lovely horse is always an experience… It is an emotional experience of the kind that is spoiled by words.
-Beryl Markham

A cowboy is man with guts and a horse.
-Attributed to Will James

An exhibitor went up to a horse show judge to complain about being placed below someone who made some sort of mistake, such as being on the wrong lead. The judge’s explanation: “The other guy did it better wrong than you did it right.”
-Anonymous

You can tell a gelding, you can ask a mare, but you must discuss it with a stallion.
-Anonymous

Speak kindly to your little horse,
And soothe him when he wheezes,
Or he may turn his back on you,
And kick you where he pleases.
-Anonymous

When the horse dies, dismount.
-Anonymous

That horse wasn’t built to tread the earth,
He took natural to the air,
And every time he went aloft,
He tried to leave me there.
Horses do think. Not very deeply, perhaps, but enough to get you into a lot of trouble.
-Patricia Jacobson and Marcia Hayes

It’s hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.
– Adlai E Stevenson

It’s what you learn after you know it all that’s important.
-Legendary Californian rider and trainer Jimmy Williams

But a horse is a labor of love as well as a responsibility, an aesthetic as well as a dynamic pleasure, something to contemplate as well as to ride.
-Sarah Montague

… When I looked at life from the saddle and was as near to heaven as it was possible to be.
-Frances, Countess of Warwick

There is nothing in which a horse’s power is better revealed than in a neat, clean stop.
-Michel De Montaigne

You can’t control a young horse unless you control yourself.
-Lincoln Steffens

Every time you ride, you’re either teaching or un-teaching your horse.
-Gordon Wright

In what other sport do you put on leather boots, stretch-fabric breeches, a shirt and tie, a wool jacket, a velvet-covered cap, and leather gloves, and then go out and ride?
-A. London Wolf

Anyone who is concerned about his dignity would be well advised to keep away from horses.
-Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh