Show Report: Are You Kitten Me Live 2026

🐱Are You Kitten Me Live 2026🐱

This past weekend, I attended one of my favorite shows of the year - Are You Kitten Me Live. I've attended Kitten since 2023, and I always have a blast. The show is a benefit for a local PA cat rescue called Wayward Whiskers, and the attendees show up and put together a really fabulous raffle every year - I think this year the raffle had over 150 items? It's incredible. 

A fun part of Kitten that I've missed out on has been the meet-up at the Cattfeinated Cat Cafe the Friday night before the show. The cafe is run by Wayward Whiskers, and adoptable cats are in rooms at the cafe. This year, I was determined to make it to the cat cafe, so I hustled after getting off work and made it for the last 45 minutes of the meetup. All the kitties were so sweet, but my two would never forgive me if I brought home a third cat! 

One of the sweet kitties available for adoption, with my peach lemonade from the cafe

After the cat cafe, I headed out with some friends for dinner. My friend Sarah and I were shocked to hear that our out of town friends had never heard of Eat'n Park. For those who aren't from the Pennsylvania/northeast Ohio area, Eat'n Park is a cultural institution of a restaurant chain, most famous for its smiley cookies. We had such a fun time at dinner, and our waitress said we were her favorite table and that we made her night. 

An essential smiley cookie group photo!

The show started bright and early the next day - I ended up at the show hall at 4:45am to help the hostesses with set-up (most of them were there earlier but I needed Dunkin to function!) It was nice getting there early, and having plenty of time to get my table set up once I had helped the hostesses with the various morning tasks they had, but I definitely felt the morning wake up call for a few days after the show! (I'm writing this on Wednesday and I think I've finally recovered). 

I spent a decent chunk of time during set up blowing these up by hand...the painters tape holding it to the wall lasted about as long as it took to take this photo

The thing about the Kitten show is it is on par with the BreyerFest Open Show as far as competition goes - any ribbon at this show is a major accomplishment. The classes are that big and the horses are that nice. So while I didn't get any sectional champions this year, I came home with the most NAN cards I've EVER come home from this show with, and that's an accomplishment I'm proud of. I'm even more proud that despite being the last division to start judging (Kitten has a small amount of rings, so not all divisions start at once), I still finished on time and didn't hold the show up (and my classes weren't small either!) It was a very good day in horse show land! 😊

The fabulous hostesses, judges, and show staff! Photo courtesy Select Arcane

As always, post-show Mexican was a blast with the usual crew. I love getting to decompress with good food, good laughs, and plastic pony talk before driving home after a show. The next day, the hostesses announced the total that had been raised for Wayward Whiskers - a whopping $13,200 for the kitties. I love how people show up and contribute for a great cause! That's some horse girl power right there! 

The squad with our matching model horse show T-shirts: Iced Coffee, No Sleep

The NAN Qualifiers:

Surreptitious Gloss Deal - OF Breyer ASB

Diamond of the Season - OF Breyer Longears/Other Equids

String Quartet - OF Breyer Other Pure/Part Draft

Honing Your Power - OF Breyer Stock Foals

Love Kernels - OF Breyer Mini Part Arabian

One Less Temptress - OF Breyer Mini North American Gaited Breeds

A Clear Day - OF Breyer Mini TB/STB

Claire, It's French! - OF Breyer Mini All Warmblood Breeds

Sunset and Vine - OF Breyer Mini All Warmblood Breeds

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - OF Breyer Mini Coaching/Carriage/Other Sport Breeds

Total Eclipse - OF Breyer Mini Solid Stock Breeds

Not Mine to Lose - OF Breyer Mini Modern Show and Heavy Draft Breeds

Moments of Gold - OF Breyer Mini Riding Pony and Traditional Pony Breeds

Denial is a River - OF Breyer Mini Other Pure/Part Breeds and Other Equids

Golden Child - OF Breyer Mini Foals

I Don't Collect These - OF Stone Mini Spanish Breeds (no Mustang)

Zero Sugar - OF Stone Mini All Warmblood Breeds

It's Friday, I'm a Guest Judge! Breed: North American Draft by Cindy Evans-Yates

In this month's guest judging clinic, we're dipping our toes into breed judging! I asked my friend Cindy if she'd be willing to write up a breed judging clinic, and she agreed! While I've judged with her and know she's capable of judging any breed class, I know her specialty lies in draft breeds, so I put together a draft class for her at her request. 

North American Draft 

by Cindy Evans-Yates

My name is Cindy Evans-Yates and I've been in the hobby since 2001 when my family first got the internet. Not long after, I started painting and customizing Breyers and discovered model horse shows. I've been judging at shows for about 20 years now, and a lot more lately since I re-entered the hobby around 2011 when I moved to Kentucky. One of my first jobs in Kentucky was at the Kentucky Horse Park working in Horse Drawn Tours alongside the Belgian, Percheron, Suffolk, Clydesdale, and Shire teams. As a bigger lady, I've always been a huge fan of drafts and draft crosses, so it was a great fit! I worked at the Kentucky Horse Park off and on for the better part of a decade and got to meet so many different kinds of breeds, so I have a lot of hands-on experience that I look back on when I'm customizing or judging.

Today we have a lovely class of North American Spotted Drafts! The NASDHA (North American Spotted Draft Horse Association, established in 1995) have some fairly simple rules for its breed standard: individuals needs to be draft in type, specifically most like a Percheron, Belgian, Shire, or Clydesdale, and have an obvious Pinto pattern including but not limited to Tobiano, Overo, or Tovero.

Of course, our understanding of Pinto patterns has changed over the last 30+ years when the Association began in 1995. Overo in the mid-nineties meant anything other than Tobiano, usually referring to Frame Overo (where white patches on the sides of the body and face are common but rarely ever over the spine), but sometimes it included other white spotting patterns like Splash White or "Sabino" which is now generally a catch-all term for a pattern that adds white to the legs and face. The actual testable Sabino pattern is called Sabino-1, and is usually most famously seen in Tennessee Walkers, having lots of white and roan patches when only one copy of the gene is present, but will result in a nearly or completely white Horse with two genes. Thankfully, unlike Frame Overo, it is not lethal in its homozygous form. Tovero usually means Tobiano combined with another Pinto pattern.

Because NASDs outcross to other breeds (usually Paint Horses) for their Pinto markings, they too can have any pattern (or color!) that practically any other available breed has. Because they need to cross back in a 2nd generation to get more draft type, double-dilutes and more colorful options are much more rare or impossible, at least until several generations down the line when high-percentage draft mixes might meet up again. Because of this, you're most likely to see the same base color as your beginning draft breed, and the most popular draft horses in the US tend to be Percherons and Belgians, so usually they will either be black or chestnut, and "clean-legged" (not as much feather, or hair, on the lower legs, but may still has some hair on the fetlocks and such; only if they've been show-clipped will you see zero feather). You will also normally see Tobiano-based pintos as it's bold, easy to test for, and doesn't cause any issues or surprises even when there's two copies. Does this mean a Palomino Frame Overo with full feather shouldn't win over a Black Tobiano with clean legs? No, but it is nice to know what's more likely or common to be seen in the breed.

As in real life, conformation should be weighed more than color or hair, and in models, anatomy and accuracy are generally going to be your main tiebreakers, which is why it's important to familiarize yourself with the base breeds and how pinto patterns behave. It's otherwise a fairly versatile "breed" whose purpose is to create a good, working draft horse while having some extra flash with color. You shouldn't need to worry about the lighter breeds who contributed the Pinto patterns, though if some influence from them is detectable, it's not necessarily considered wrong and may even show a glimmer of believability as real horses will likely show these tendencies. It really only takes 3/4 Draft blood to look almost full-blooded again, but do keep in mind the goal is still to look like one of the base Draft breeds in type. If it shows qualities of both contributing breeds, particularly in lighter build, bone, or refinement, it may be best to call it a half-draft, sporthorse, or heavy hunter type.

Now, with that all out of the way, let's judge our class!

North American Spotted Draft stallion

Horse A: Augustus

North American Spotted Draft stallion

Horse B: G1 Draft

North American Spotted Draft gelding

Horse C: Georg

Cindy's placings can be found under the jump. ↓

Show Report: BVG Live! 2026

🩵🩷 BVG Live! 2026 🩷🩵

This past weekend, I returned to BVG Live, held in Jackson, Michigan. The show is sponsored by the Breyer Value Guide website, and is held annually in April. I've attended this show once before, in 2023, but I had conflicts in 2024 and 2025 that prevented me from coming back again until this year. It's a lovely show, with a nicely broken down class list that splits traditional and classic Breyers based on run type: Regular Run, Special Run, and BreyerFest Special Run, just like BreyerFest does. Additionally, none of the Breyer classes are double judged for collectability, that is split out into its own division. This makes the class sizes much more manageable for the judges!

I actually ended up with a rare organizational mistake this year - I totally forgot my collectability documentation! Luckily, because the classes were double judged and I was only showing two horses in the actual collectability section, I really only needed to jot down the type of run each horse was on their card, and only for the traditionals since all the minis showed together. If I had to forget my collectability doc, this was definitely the show to do it! 

Part of the draw for attending BVG Live this year was that all of the judging spots were filled, and I wouldn't have to judge. This meant I could get more of my own models out on the table without worrying about my judging commitments. Another part of the draw was getting to see some of my Canadian model horse friends - one is very good at persuasion! I had also fully planned on making the trek to Michigan by myself, but then roughly two weeks before the show my friend Amanda (of Riker's Den) posted in a group chat that she was also looking for a show this spring where she wasn't judging. The conversation went a little something like: 

Me: You should come to BVG with me 

Amanda: When and where

Me: Two weeks, in Michigan 

Amanda: Sold 

We are very easily persuaded! So I swung by her house on my way Friday night, we loaded her ponies in my car, and off we went to Michigan! Our hotel was across the street from a Culvers, so we hustled to get there in time for dessert, since neither of us took additional time off work to make the trip. 

The show went well! A couple of horses got their second NAN card (which qualifies them for NAN to me personally), and I even came home with a rosette for a reserve sectional. The classes were tough, and I got quite a few lower placings, so I'm happy with how the herd did. I was more excited to cheer on my friends, who had a few horses go overall reserve champion! After the show we headed to Olive Garden with our Canadian friends for dinner, which was such a fun time. I know I say it every time, but the sense of community around the model horse hobby is one of the things I value most about it. 

Speaking of, I'd be remiss to not shout out a good hobby deed I found myself a part of. My wonderful friend Heather B. contacted me a few months ago asking if I'd be going to BVG this year. At this point, I was still on the fence. She was looking for someone to be part of a driving leg to transport a few large chinas from a seller to a buyer. The chinas were huge, and neither wanted them to ship lest they get damaged. Heather was part of the chain to get them there, and was looking for someone to get them to Michigan. A few weeks later, I told Heather I'd be going to BVG and could take the chinas with me. Heather picked them up from the seller, met me the Thursday before BVG for dinner and hobby talk to drop off the chinas, and I loaded them in my car the next day. I passed them off to friends at BVG who were the next leg, and they dropped them off with the buyer the next day. It was really fulfilling to see how this hobby rallies to help each other. 

Overall, I had a wonderful time at BVG Live. I'd definitely like to go back again, but we'll see how the schedule works out next year! 

The Champions and NAN Qualifiers:

Hansel - OF BreyerFest Special Run Draft Type Foals

Key to My Skies - OF BreyerFest Special Run Pony Type Foals

Shake It Out - OF Breyer Mini Appaloosa Stallions and Geldings

Little Bird - OF Breyer Mini Paint Stallions and Geldings

My Tears Ricochet - OF Breyer Mini North American Warmbloods

Alone in My Tower - OF Breyer Regular Run Stock Breed Foals

Summer Stain - OF BreyerFest Special Run Thoroughbred Stallions & Geldings

Orpheus - OF Breyer Mini Solid Stock Foals

Shangri-La - OF Breyer Mini Gaited and Spanish Foals

Be My NY - OF BreyerFest Special Run Sport and WB Foals

Unhinged - OF Breyer Mini Stock Section Reserve Champ

It's Friday, I'm a Judge! Breed: Andalusian/Lusitano

It's a mini breed judging clinic this week! I wanted to do something fun, so I pulled some models that may look familiar! My very first post was a mini collectability class with the premise of the class being double judged for breed. As we close out our third cycle of the judging clinics, I wanted to return to the other side of that class and judge it based on breed. I thought it would be interesting to illustrate how placings can change in a single class depending on what it is judged for. 

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

This week, we're looking at an Andalusian/Lusitano breed class. This is a pretty typical breed class found on a standard class list. Some shows might split them out, but typically they're shown together. Andalusians and Lusitanos are pretty similar, as both hail from the Iberian peninsula. Andalusians are from Spain, while Lusitanos are from Portugal. Let's look at the breed standards for both so we know what we're looking for. 

Andalusian:

• Baroque style - noble and proud look with compact and elegant body 
• Straight or slightly convex profile, nicely shaped ears and slightly arched and muscular neck
• Long sloping and muscular shoulders, round and slightly sloping croup 

Standard taken from Rousseau, Élise. Horses of the World. Princeton University Press, 2017, p 94. 

Lusitano:

• Noble head with convex profile, wide forehead, and large eyes 
• Arched and high set neck, deep chest, long and muscular shoulders
• Short back, sloping croup, small feet, low set tail 

Standard taken from Rousseau, Élise. Horses of the World. Princeton University Press, 2017, p 82. 

Andalusian stallion

Horse A: G3 Rearing Andalusian

Lusitano stallion

Horse B: Cantering Andalusian

Andalusian stallion

Horse C: Mini Alborozo

Evaluate each horse against their assigned breed standard. Make sure you're paying attention to which is a Lusitano and which is an Andalusian! When you have your placings in mind, mine are under the jump. ↓

Monthly Round Up! March Additions

 March brought show season back with the River City Classic two weeks ago, and with that my plastic pony acquisitions went up. I have a tendency to buy from friends who I see regularly, and rather than shipping them I agree to pick them up when I see them next to save on the shipping cost. 

I started off March by visiting one of the local dealers to check out the 2026 offerings. It was a bit of good fortune -  I have family who live 15 minutes from one of the major Breyer dealers, and I would be visiting them anyways. A perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. I picked up four of the new 2026 single Stablemates. I'll be snagging the Warmblood and the Thoroughbred at some point, but I didn't like the eyes on the Thoroughbreds they had in stock, and the Warmblood will just be a conga filler, so she doesn't need to be perfect. 

When the Valentine's and Villaintines sale was announced at Stone, I looked at the Chips that would be available (because of course I did!) I ended up eyeing two Chips that I absolutely loved. My philosophy with my Stone collection is that I have either absolutely love the model or it needs to fill a spot in my Mini Stone show string, simply because of the cost of the models. My first choice for the sale was a stunning dapple gray Cutting chip, but by the time the page showed him to me he was snapped up. Luckily my second choice was Cherry Soda, and he was still available! I chose to give him a glossy finish because all bays look better glossed. 

We all know I'm a Cleveland Bay fan. When I saw Beau' N Arrow was a BreyerFest Limited Edition last year, I knew there was a good chance he'd be glossed for Breyer Midwest. I thought about (finally!) attending this year, but the cost of the flight to Kansas deterred me (it's a NAN year, I have to save for that entry fee!). I knew I'd have friends attending who wouldn't want theirs, and I also had a friend attending who could pick him up at the event and hold him for me until we saw each other! I made a quick post on my Facebook wall, and within an hour I had one prepaid, and a handoff planned and coordinated for the event. I picked him up at River City, and I'm so glad to have him in my collection! 

My friend Kelly M. is one of those friends who will hold onto items for months for me until we see each other in person - I have a spot on one of her shelves known affectionately as "the pile." I see Kelly a few times a year - for all that she's stupid far from me, she's on the right coast and we're often able to meet in the middle at shows. This time I picked up my Calista (who she snagged for me in fall of 2024 and kept forgetting to bring with the rest of my things) and the last few Tractor Supply blind bags I was missing (she makes it to more TSCs than I do). I think I still have things in my pile that we both forgot about, so look for that in a few months when I see Kelly again! 

This was an unexpected addition! I conga the Paso Fino a bit more casually, so when he was announced as the latest in the Exotic Destinations series, I put in my entries on my two accounts, but didn't ask for my friends to enter on my behalf. And yet, in the first round of picks, who should get an email but little ole me? He's absolutely gorgeous, and I gave him a little pinto friend to ride along so he'd be double boxed. Maybe now I should put more effort into finally tracking down a matte Cancion! 

Two Stones in one post! I wasn't sure he'd arrive in time for this post, but he met my expectations. I actually wasn't planning on another Stone for a bit, and then the March GemStones collection was announced. I was planning on picking up a Tegan piece the next time she painted for Stone, and here was my opportunity! I was ready to buy right when they dropped and came away with my first choice - Schmutz, a darling chestnut Morgan Chip. He's so nicely done, and I love when I can get pieces by my artist friends in OF, particularly as a person who doesn't collect customs or artist resins! 

Stablemate Sunday: April Fools Blind Bag Series 1

Happy Stablemate Sunday everyone! It's nearly April, so let's prepare for the day of fools. Breyer has often played April Fools pranks on their social media pages. In 2024, they turned that prank into blind bags. This set featured recreations of Breyer's most notoriously bad paint jobs from their history (mostly the 90s). The original models were attempts at innovating color to be more realistic, but often were not executed well. 

These blind bags were not super popular, and they were available on the website for a while. The price probably had to do with it - they were the same price as the other specialty holiday blind bags at $25 each. This is kind of a tough sell for colorways that weren't liked the first time around, although there are people (like me!) who liked them for the novelty. That being said, they must have sold enough to justify the second set in 2025. We'll know soon enough if we'll get a third set for 2026! 

First up, let's look at Cloud. Marking the first use of the Stablemate scale Swaps mold since the original licensing agreement expired in the mid-2000s, Cloud is a miniature version of the 1995-1996 Classic Cloud, done on the Classic scale version of the Swaps mold. I'd actually say the blind bag version pulls off the color better. The Classic scale Cloud's dapples are more patchy, while this guy is more akin to a light handed resist dapple. I was just glad to see Swaps in use again! 

On the mini Zafirah mold, we have Cinnamon, who is probably the most (in)famous of the Breyer 90s paint jobs. Whenever I see people complaining about the currently quality of Breyer models, I like to remind them of Cinnamon and her pinking shears blanket. Her Ritz cracker Appaloosa blanket. I went back through my records and she was the only one I didn't receive in my initial order - I had doubles of the Overo Stock Horse instead. I must have done a straight trade with one of my friends for her, but for the life of me I can't remember who! 

On the Twist mold, we have another particularly infamous 90s Breyer paint job: the green Sham from the 1994 Arabian Stallion and Foal set. In theory, this color was supposed to be bay going gray. Unfortunately, the whole run ended up this shade of green, with the odd circle every so often for dapples. You know I'm a Sham lover, but I'm definitely putting off adding the original to my herd! For now, this fellow will do!  

The final model in this set was the Overo Paint on the G4 Stock Horse, as a miniature of the 1979 Overo Paint on Stud Spider. Compared to the others in the set, the original paint job on this guy is not the worst! The finishwork on the blind bag version incorporates intentional overspray on the pinto markings. He'd be almost show worthy if it wasn't there - almost. 

The thing I like most about these sets is Breyer's ability to essentially poke fun at themselves, and own the cringe from their past. Are there any infamous Breyer paint jobs you'd like to see if they bring these back for a third year? Personally, I'm partial to the polka dot leopard appaloosas, like the Riddle Passing Through Times on Hobo, or the original Pony of the Americas run!