It's Friday, I'm a Guest Judge! Performance Workmanship by Lauren Byun

 It's time for another guest judging clinic, and we're really expanding outside of our typical breed and collectability niche this month. NAMHSA announced in February that performance workmanship was a new division eligible to earn NAN cards. I'm not much of a performance shower, but I was intrigued by the new division and how to judge it, and I felt other people would be curious too! NAMHSA does have an archived webinar on the subject, but as a person who prefers the written word, I reached out to NAMHSA President Lauren Byun to create a guest judging clinic to point out what aspiring performance workmanship judges should look for.  

Performance Workmanship

by Lauren Byun

NAMHSA’s new Performance Workmanship division has brought up a ton of great questions on how to judge performance from this perspective! I’m here to give a demonstration of how I would do so for a class of Western Pleasure Saddles. My name is Lauren Byun and I’ve been in the model horse hobby, focusing on performance for… well lets just say I’m counting now by decades rather than years now, lol. I’ve been a tack maker, a vehicle and prop maker, a painter and sculptor. My work has placed, won, and champed at such notable shows as BreyerFest Live, North American Nationals, and even the BreyerFest Best Customs Contest. I’ve also judged performance for more than 20 years (also at NAN and BFL), and had the privilege to learn and show alongside some of our hobby’s biggest names.

I’m running through this class as I would in a live show, so I’m not looking at the quality of lighting, angles, etc. that I would in a photo show. To be fair, I’m also only judging on what I can see here, I’m not guessing on other sides or views.

Big thanks to the members of the Model Horse Performance Shower’s Facebook group who provided a ton of demo photos for me to choose from. All of these were randomly grabbed and anonymized, so I have no idea who the owner or artist is of any of them. In a live show, this is exactly how we should have it as well! Just like a CM or AR workmanship division, do not provide any artist or owner information, to prevent any unintentional bias in judging.

That brings us to: what DO you document in performance workmanship? Just like in AR or CM Workmanship, document the REAL item your entry is modeled after. You might choose to use a picture of the whole item, or even just a portion that matches your entry well. For example, I might whip up something simple like this for entry D in this class.

 

One important thing to remember in Performance Workmanship: we are not judging the horse. The horse is essentially just a display stand, and is not required! Whether it’s a body quality OF, an expensive resin, or a wooden stand has absolutely no bearing on the placing. The only time the horse might matter is if the saddle is wildly out of scale to the horse being used for display. If you’re running into that as a shower - just put your saddle on a display stand instead and list the scale that your saddle best fits on your documentation.

We’re also not judging adjustment or breed appropriateness in this class. That means I’m not looking at if the girth is tight, whether the saddle is positioned correctly on the horse, or whether the tack style suits that particular breed or type of horse. All those should be considered in your regular performance classes. This is strictly about the workmanship and realism of the tack, prop, or doll itself.

Because this is specifically a saddle class in this example, I’m also not evaluating pads or other tack pieces. Some shows may instead offer “Western Set” classes where the entire setup is judged together, but today we’re focusing only on the saddle. A quick reminder to show holders: the recommended class list is flexible! You can combine or split divisions however works best for your show, and judges can always split classes further if entry numbers justify it.

Since we get this question a lot: performance workmanship classes can not be double judged from your regular performance division! In order to see and properly judge the tack, there can not be a rider in the saddle or other pieces of tack obstructing the item you’re trying to view. Judging should also not be unintentionally influenced by how the item is used in relation to other items. We’re judging strictly the quality and craftsmanship of the item labeled for that class, be it a saddle, a cow, a carriage, or a rider.

So lets get to it! Here are our 4 entries:

Entry A

Entry B

Entry C

Entry D

Find Lauren's placings and explanations under the jump!

Conga Time! Mini Croi

Croi is one of those molds where I collect the Stablemates mold but not so much the Traditional sized one. I have the Sable Island Pony, and I have a handful on my want list, but I only need ALL of the minis. Currently, I'm only missing the purple clearware from the Gems of the Ocean set. 

Mini Croi is pretty equally divided into realistic...

...and unrealistic colors.

My favorite on the mold is Müller, from the 2022 Best of BreyerFest set. My copy went top 10 at NAN 2024 - her show name is Slow Disco!

This girl is the chase from the Chasing Rainbows blind bag. I was fortunate enough to pull her at a store. Her show name is Smol Gay Bean. 

I bought the blue Dahlia from a friend while at her house the night before a show. For this reason, her show name is No Self Control. 

Dear Breyer, More unicorns in realistic horse colors please. Love, Macie

Honestly I just like this girl because someone once said this set looked like Trix Yogurt and it reminds me of my childhood every time I see her. 

Regular Runs (Unrealistic)
Bottom Row (L-R): Chasing Rainbows Blind Bag Purple, Chasing Rainbows Blind Bag Rainbow Chase
Middle Row (L-R): Sparkling Splendor Deluxe Set/Mystery Unicorn Foal Surprise, Unicorn Swirl Set
Top Row (L-R): Both are from Mystery Unicorn Foal Surprise sets

Regular Runs (Realistic) L-R: 70th Anniversary Blind Bag, Mystery Horse Surprise Series 4, Deluxe Horse Collection

BreyerFest Special Runs (L-R): Arran, Müller

Other Special Runs: 
Bottom Row: Stablemates Club Dahlia (all four)
Top Row: Festive Filigree

It's Friday, I'm a Judge! Mini Collectability #6

Welcome back to another Friday judging clinic! We're in mini collectability land again today, which as we all know is my personal favorite place to be. 

As always, my personal judging history and credentials can be found on my About Me page. 

This week, we're looking at a class of regular run Stablemate models. Like Kelly's guest judging post, these are all models with tie-ins to other properties, be it an event, an estate, or a franchise. Let's look at our class!

Horse A: Saddle Club 4-Piece Set - Regular Run 2008-2011

Horse B: Bandit - Regular Run 2010-2012 - Elvis Collection

Horse C: World Equestrian Games: Reining - Regular Run 2010 

How would you pin these three? How much do you weigh the popularity of the molds against the popularity of the licensed property they're attached to? How much is condition a factor? When you're ready, you can find my placings under the jump. ↓

Show Report: Big Orange Bash 2026

🧡 Big Orange Bash 2026🧡

So, this ended up being a bit of an unusual show for me (and this is also why this blog post is coming out a day later than usual). When I volunteered to judge, I had every intention of showing - BOB is a two-day show, with OF Halter and CM/AR Performance on Saturday and CM/AR Halter and OF Performance on Sunday. It's nice because I can concentrate fully on showing one day and fully judging the other, since I only collect and show OF halter horses. I had plans of bringing a full string of both OF Breyer and OF Mini, trying some new ponies out before BreyerFest, and replacing some of the NAN cards I used for my NAN entry. 

The thing is late May and early June is a time of the year where I have a little bit of a mental struggle - mostly depression and anxiety flare ups. Combine that with attending seven other shows this spring, several projects due at work, and an off-site work training the day before I was scheduled to leave for Knoxville, and you have the recipe for one burnt out meltdown (which is what happened). I felt stressed and overwhelmed every time I started show prep, and I finalized my show string the Wednesday before the show - which left me with a single day to put together everything. My brain said no, and I listened to it. 

Having a cat in the AirBnb made the whole trip so much more relaxing

I had still volunteered to judge, and I had plans to carpool to Knoxville with Sarah, so at 4am on Friday I threw clothes into a bag and drove south. My anxiety wasn't being triggered by going to the show, just actually showing, and I'm not one to flake out on a commitment last minute - it's not fair to the showers, and it's especially not fair to the host who would have to scramble to find a replacement. 

The drive down was lovely, although we left Ohio stupid early - we had plans to meet up with our friends Angela and Cindy in Kentucky for lunch, since we would cross paths with them. We met at Angela's favorite chain restaurant, Slim Chickens, known for their jar desserts. We had a wonderful lunch, and then continued on down to Tennessee. 

We had a large group in the AirBnb - in addition to me, Sarah, Angela, and Cindy, we also had our friends Jordan, Kelly and Ken. It was a full house, but a fun one! Jordan also had her cat Marshmallow with her, which made the AirBnb feel a little more like home. I always miss my cats something fierce when I'm traveling. We ate at Olive Garden once the whole crew was safely in town, and then chatted at the AirBnb until it was time to get some rest before the show. 

A dream judging team
Photo courtesy SelectArcane

Even though I didn't bring anything for myself to show, I still ended up with models to run. Kelly was judging Saturday, so I ran her mini string for her. It was honestly the most relaxed I've been at a show for a while. I even had time to snack between classes, and drink enough water! Not only that, but I had so much time to catch up with my friends at the show in between classes. It was nice to get to talk to my southern Region 7 friends, since I usually only get to see them at a handful of shows a year. After the show, we went to the fabulous Mexican place we went to last year, and I got the vegetable quesadilla I got the last time (it was as good as I remembered!). 

We interviewed as a group for SelectArcane's Globe Trotter video
Photo courtesy Sheila B.

Sunday was judging day. I was judging Custom Traditional with Jordan (I was on Workmanship, she was on Breed). It's always nice to judge with a friend, because you're often on the same wavelength with when to call classes and how quickly you're moving. It made for some fun memories too - our ring was slightly out of the eyeline of the announcers, so we were often waiting a little extra for our class calls - cue us waving and dancing to get attention! On one occasion, I made it through a full rotation of the Macarena before we were noticed. 

Like at Are You Kitten Me, the YouTuber SelectArcane was at the show filming for her Globe Trotter series. This time, with the extra time I had from not showing, I gave an interview with my friends. It may have been slightly chaotic with the four of us in a single interview, but I think we gave Andrea some good footage to work with. A group of us went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, and we introduced Andrea (a Canadian) to the concept of a Midwest goodbye as we chatted in the parking lot after dinner. I think that fourth goodbye without actually trying to leave may have broken her brain a little! 🤣

A trip south is incomplete without a stop at Buc-ee's
Photo courtesy Sarah P.

With an eight-plus hour drive back home, it would be madness to attempt to leave Sunday night, so on Monday morning (at a slightly more reasonable time than we did Friday!). We stopped at Buc-ee's on our way home to load up on snacks, and made it back to Ohio at a reasonable 5:30pm. 

Overall, the trip was a much-needed mental reset, and a reminder to listen to the limits your body needs - physically as well as mentally! I could have pushed myself to pack a few models to bring, but it would have caused additional stress. With the exception of this blog post and a small project for the NAMHSA booth at BreyerFest, I'm taking a mental break from plastic ponies this week (tomorrow's post was pre-written and scheduled in advance). I have lots to do before July, but I need to make sure my brain is back to normal before diving back into NAN and BreyerFest prep.  

Monthly Round Up! May Additions

May was a light month for additions! Between paying off my Hope N Glory and the Phar Lap you'll hear about below, my pony money budget was practically non-existent. I did pick up a Chips set from Stone, but they haven't made it here yet, so you'll probably see them in next month's post. 

Eating up my budget this month was a minor grail of mine. For some reason, while I like the Lonesome Glory mold, the ones that tend to call to me are the rare and expensive ones (Debonair and Nola I have my eyes on you!) Phar Lap is one I've had my eye on for a while, so when I noticed my friend Shannon had hers for sale at Presley Palooza, I asked how much she wanted for him. Thankfully, she was willing to take time pays and was willing to hold him until I could make my first payment. I picked him up at Rainbow Rave Live, and just paid him off last week. 

Also picked up at Rainbow Rave Live was this Love and Hope set. I've been meaning to pick up a set since all rainbow ponies have a place in my house and my Pride display. The Breyer division at Rainbow Rave had boxed models as prizes for overalls, so I came home with them. 

There wasn't much I needed from the BreyerFest Warehouse sale...except this pin from BreyerFest 2023. I idly collect the pins, with a specific focus on the BreyerFest ones from years I've attended. Usually the pins are restocked throughout the weekend, and I don't have a problem picking one up on Saturday or Sunday when I make it through the store line (obviously since I show on Friday I never make it there the first day!) BreyerFest 2023 was the exception - they sold out of stock on Friday and never restocked later in the weekend. I'm glad to finally have one! 

Happy Pride Month!

 Happy Pride everyone! Remember to make the hobby a safe and welcoming space for everyone this month and every month! 

Stablemate Sunday: 2004 JCPenney Parade of Breeds

 It's another Stablemate Sunday on the blog! This month, I thought we'd take a look at one of my favorite Special Run sets of all time - the 2004 JCPenney Parade of Breeds set. It's going to be a long one today, so let's get straight into it! 

While JCPenney had several holiday sets prior to 2004, this was the first year it was given the name "Parade of Breeds." The sets would continue to have this designation until the sets ceased in 2011. This was also the only Parade of Breeds set that included the G1 molds - the license with Hagen-Renaker would expire after this year and the molds in existing sets would be replaced. Because of this, several of the models in this set are highly sought after. In particular, the G1 Draft, both G1 Arabians, and the G1 Thoroughbred Mare are the four most people want from the set.  

My personal favorite from this set is without a doubt the gray Thoroughbred Mare. I'm going to keep this brief, because this girl has her own Collection Spotlight post. She was definitely the first model I tracked down from the set, way back when I got back into the hobby in college. She shows for me under the name A Clear Day, and she has a stack of NAN cards and rosettes to her name. 

The second model I tracked down from this set should not be a surprise - it's the G2 Thoroughbred Mare. At some point I'll get around to doing a conga time post for this mold, as I believe I have all of the obtainables, and if not I'm missing less than a handful. The one included in this set is a lovely matte black tobiano. 

The next model in the set is on the G1 Saddlebred mold. Her color is reminiscent of the old-style red roans Breyer used to do, but she is more of a modern take on the color. She is definitely on the desirable end of the spectrum on this set, but because her color is less realistic, I'd put her below the other G1s in the set. I think I picked her up sometime in 2022 or 2023? I know she showed for me in 2023, so I had her before then. Her show name is Best Believe (yes, it's a Taylor Swift lyric). 

Next we have another of the more popular models in the set - the G1 Arabian Mare in this scrumptious dun overo. I picked this little lady up in 2024 at Rainbow Rave from my friend Kelly M. It's funny because Kelly actually got her from my OTHER friend Kenzie, who realized it when she ran my mini string for me at Rainbow Rave 2025. It's very Sisterhood of the Traveling Model Horse. She's got some rubs and isn't perfect (which is how Kenzie recognized her) but she does show for me occasionally under the name That's That Me Espresso (I love my pop girls). Eventually I'll be searching for a more LSQ upgrade, but for now I'm happy to keep the one I have (and honestly she'll probably stay even if I do upgrade her!)

At this point, my friend Heather B. contacted me asking who I was looking for from the 2004 set. She had accumulated multiples in her quest to find the chalky G1 Arabian Stallion, and was trying to offload her extras. I gave her the list of models I still needed, and we agreed upon a price for them. I picked up everyone (with two exceptions) at BreyerFest 2024. We'll start off with the G2 Saddlebred, done in a lovely matte gray. I love the detail in her blue and white striped ribbons. I've taken her to one, maybe two shows? She usually gets pushed aside in favor of my Emmy and Mini Third Times a Charm. Her show name is Antifragile after one of my favorite nail polishes (any other Mooncat hobbyists?)

Without a doubt, this is the most sought-after model in the set. The G1 Draft is done in this lovely matte reddish roan sabino. The G1 Draft is arguably the G1 mold with the most diehard fanbase, with several sought after runs thanks to the Riegseckers set and the Fanfare Snowflake drafts. Even for a G1 mold, he was used pretty infrequently, often with several gap years in between releases, and prior to the mold's reintroduction in 2014 this release was one of only two post-2000s realistic colorways on the model. The draft has been a staple in my show string since I bought him, and has racked up an impressive number of collectability NAN cards. His show name is Coincidence (another Sabrina song!)

You can tell that I picked most of this set up around the time Sabrina Carpenter dropped an album. The next horse is the G2 Andalusian in a shaded matte flaxen chestnut. He's quite nice, but I've only shown him once - Breyer has come out with so many nice Spanish molds since 1999 that it's hard for him to be competitive. When he showed, his name was Isn't That Sweet, which as I'm looking at the lyrics to Espresso is not correct, but oh well! 

The next horse in this set is the G2 Warmblood in a bay Appaloosa pattern. I think it's more of a leopard versus an extended blanket. He's quite nice, with very detailed eyes and eye whites. Despite this, he's never shown as it's not a mold I particularly care for (although to be honest I'm not thrilled by any of the current Warmblood molds in the Stablemates line - Breyer we've had three new Arabian molds in Stablemates Club, give us a nice Warmblood please!)

The second to last model I obtained in this set is the roan G1 Arabian Stallion, who is one of the most sought after models. He was the last of the ones I originally bought from Heather B. in 2024, although she lost track of her extra copies and I didn't pick him up from her until BreyerFest 2025. He's such a striking model, and I'm glad to have him. I know there's a chalky variation of this model that I'd love to get my grubby little hands on one day, but for now I'm glad to have this guy as a permanent member of the show string. He shows for me under the name Multiple Pocket Options. 

Finally, we have the G2 Rearing Arabian done in a matte bay tobiano. He may look familiar to those who read my monthly additions posts. I was working on taking the photos for this post in March, convinced I had all of the models in the set. Cue my surprise when I did not have a copy of this guy (curse you Tseminole Wind for looking so similar!) Since I had received over half of the set from Heather B. and her multiples, I sent her a quick message asking if she had any duplicates of this guy (and of course she did). I don't have any plans to show him at this time, but he'll definitely get a fun little name referencing the situation if I do!

Who is your favorite horse from this set? I'm partial to all of the G1s, but the Thoroughbred Mare is without a doubt the top of the list for me.