Collection Spotlight: Paddy

Happy belated Saint Patrick's Day! This week's collection spotlight is almost intentionally on theme! As I've mentioned, I like to ask my friends who I should talk about. My friend Angela picked Paddy, and at the time I was planning my February and March posts. It worked out that the March Collection Spotlight would fall right after the holiday. True serendipity! 

Paddy was a Collector Club Web Special in 2012. At that point, I was on a break in the hobby, so I had no idea this guy existed until a couple years later. As with most of the Collector Club Web Specials, Paddy was available through a random drawing. 

There were 222 Paddys produced. In addition, there was one buckskin variation produced as a "Pot O' Gold." I don't recall ever seeing him in person, and IDYB only has the promotional photo of him on the website. I'd never be able to afford him, but I'd love to see what he looks like in hand!

The regular version of Paddy is brown with a hunter clip with shamrocks, a blaze, right front coronet, and a right hind stocking. The amount of shading on him is phenomenal. The hunter clip does look very stark against him, but it's one of those cases where paint (especially on an original finish model) cannot accurately represent what it looks like in real life. 

I want to say Paddy was one of the last ones I tracked down for my Cleveland Bay conga before the Rotating Draft Surprise had me screaming, crying and throwing up (it was very much an "RIP my obtainables complete conga" moment). My ages old Cleveland Bay Conga Time post says that the WEG signing model was the last one I needed and that I tracked him down in 2021. So I'm thinking I must have bought Paddy in 2020, which sounds right. It was definitely pandemic times. 

When I bought him, he came with a single ribbon from a live show. While he doesn't get out very often for me, I show him under the name "Lucko Thee Irish" and he has at least one NAN card in collectability under that name. If anything, I think that name helps date when I bought him - he was definitely named with Megan Thee Stallion in mind, and WAP was released in 2020. 

We'll end with a little close up on his stenciled shamrocks. For how intricate the design is, the masking is really well done! It is a little blurry on some spots, but for the most part the shamrocks are nice and crisp. He's definitely an underrated favorite of my collection. 

It's Friday, I'm a Guest Judge! Stone Collectability by Mel Grant

When I started thinking about guest judges and topics they could cover, Mel was one of the first people I thought of, for Stones in particular. I've co-judged with Mel many times, and she has a wonderful approach to judging, with the knowledge to back up her placings. Mel is also a fellow blogger! You can find them over at Mel's Model Horse Collection. 

Stone Collectability

by Mel Grant

Hi! My name is Melissa (Mel) Grant and I’m honored to have been invited by Macie to be your guest judge for March.

Before we get into the meat and potatoes, here’s a bit about my history in the hobby. I was introduced to model horses when I met my best friend in 1990, and my parents got me my first Breyers for Christmas that year. I added the first Stone to my collection around the year 2000. In June 2010, at a Breyer Fun Day at a local dealer, I met a few hobbyists who would become some of my closest friends, and attended my first two live shows later that year. My friends eventually convinced me to give judging a try, so I shadowed for the first time in early 2017 and judged at my first show in November that year. I was so nervous, but the show hostesses were amazing and I had a blast. Since then, I’ve judged at multiple shows a year, including SE Ohio, Southwest PA Classic, Rainbow Rave Live, Finger Lakes Live, Lake Erie Live, and Steel City Live. I also co-host Are You Kitten Me Live every spring, which raises money for a local cat rescue, Wayward Whiskers. My favorite divisions to judge are Breyer and Stone collectibility, though you might also see me judging OF breed from time to time, especially for minis. For today’s post, I picked Stone collectibility, which can be complex for a number of reasons.

Collectibility judging is exactly what it says on the tin - what’s the most collectible thing on the table?

Typically that’s defined by using the following criteria: age, rarity, desirability, and condition. With Breyer judging, sometimes that leads to a straightforward 1-6 in the class; other times it can get tricky, such as comparing “old and rare” vs. “new and rare.”

Stone Collectibility judging can still be done competently using the same criteria above - age, rarity, desirability, and condition. However, Stones are very different from Breyer in that almost everything from 2005 and on has been either an extremely small run or a one-of-a kind (OOAK). How do you judge based on age and rarity when everything on the table is, by definition, fairly new and also rare?

When I’m judging Stone Collectibility, I start with age and rarity, but that usually doesn’t get me very far, so I get to desirability and condition fairly quickly. For desirability, it’s important to know which Stone molds are most popular, both currently and historically. Volo and Pimento are the “latest new thing” and are riding that wave of popularity right now, particularly Pimento; the Andalusian, Mule, Bunny, and Cob tend to disappear the fastest at both online and in-person sales events; and of the older molds, the Arabian and ISH have longstanding popularity. Less desired molds are the Performance Horse, Original Morgan, Rearing Horse, Sport Horse, and Western Pleasure Horse. 

It’s also important to know which older pieces, though more plentiful in quantity, are highly sought-after (Seeker is a great example) and thus might be considered more collectible than a lower-quantity piece, even one on a more desirable mold.

I also heavily factor workmanship into the desirability element, though others may not. With Factory Customized pieces, I hold them to the same standard as if I were judging custom workmanship - for any parts of the model that were moved, is the bone structure and musculature correct? Were extra details added to make it more realistic or to make it more closely represent a certain breed, such as veining, teeth, bulked up or slimmed down musculature, leg feathers, etc.? How well-executed and detailed is the paint job? If the model has an added finish, how evenly was that applied, does the added finish add to the desirability, and does it make the model stand out? Are there noticeable paint flaws? [Note: having painted a Stone myself at the factory in 2019 during the Paint Your Own event, I will absolutely, 100% ignore minor lint in the finish as a judge. Stone’s painting setup is great, but it’s impossible for their environment to be dust-free. I cleaned lint off my piece between every single layer of paint, and he still managed to sneak through the process with some lint. Large hairs or giant clumps of lint? Sure, I’d knock a model down for that. But little pieces of lint here or there? Not even a factor for me.]

It’s also interesting to note that for their Stone Horse Country Fair show this coming May, Stone has moved to judging their OF models by workmanship. From the show packet: “Note that we are not judging on collectability – but rather workmanship of the original finish piece. This includes prepping of the body for paint, lack of visible seams, correct masking placement, overspray, detail of the paint work, detail and accuracy of customization, etc.” I completely agree with this approach.

By heavily factoring in workmanship, I usually have my placings before I get to condition, but if I have to get that nit-picky, I’m looking for rubs or scratches, gloss scuffs/uneven or pebbled glossing/drips in the gloss, large pieces of hair or lint, and seam issues, especially on the Half-Passing Warmblood, who was notorious for splits.

In many shows in my region, classes are double-judged for both breed and collectibility, so I often see a wide variety of Stones in those classes - older, larger runs that might work better as a breed horse (especially since many FCMs aren’t conformationally correct), Design-A-Horses (DAHs), small-quantity event runs (e.g. Stone Horse Country Fair, Moonlight Madness), OOAKs, and usually, a fair number of highly customized Best Offer models. Those classes are easier for me personally to judge - while there’s a lot to consider given the variety, there are usually some models that stand out right away.

Other shows split out breed and collectibility into separate divisions. At these shows, the Stone classes tend to be grouped by type and run size - Best Offers, OOAKs, runs of 2-30, runs of 31-99, runs of 100+, FCM DAHs, non-FCM DAHs, decorators (sometimes further split by holiday or color), fantasy, etc. Sometimes the sections are split even further by scale. This is done to try to keep like with like.

I am a modest Stone collector, with just over 80 models in my collection. Most of those are older, higher-quantity runs or DAHs, so while I would love to give a clinic on judging OOAKs or Best Offers, I just don’t really have those in my collection, and the ones I do tend to be Shiny Bay Things. So today, we’ll pretend that we’re at a show that has split out collectibility classes from breed classes, and we’ll be pinning a non-FCM DAH class.

Here are the three models:

Photo courtesy Mel G

Horse A: This is a non-customized Heavy Draft (Bunny) body in glossy gray with black points. She has dapples and minimal white markings. She was designed and purchased in 2021.

Photo courtesy Mel G

Horse B: This is a non-customized Arabian Stallion body in glossy chestnut-going-gray with dapples and minimal white markings. He was designed and purchased in 2015.

Photo courtesy Mel G

Horse C: This is a non-customized short-mane, long-tail Ideal Stock Horse (ISH) in glossy bay roan extreme tobiano. He was designed and purchased in 2020.

How would you place these three models?

Find Mel's placings under the jump. ↓

Conga Time! G5 Standing Friesian

It's conga time again! This time, we're looking at my Standing Friesian conga, aka Django.

I feel like I say this every time I highlight a conga, but I love this mold so much! They're in a little funky place on the shelf, so I have my main show models easily accessible.  

Please notice the Buggys on the end - again, easily accessible for showing! 

The original Django! The 2016 Stablemate Club was promoted on the strength of him and the reuse of the G1 Quarter Horse Mare and it got me based on that. His ears are a little smooshed, but it hasn't hindered him in shows, both live and photo. His show name is Masquerade Reveller. 

Ellington is gorgeous, and one of my favorites on the mold. His color is so well-executed, and he has racked up NAN cards for me. He shows under the name Drive You Home.  

My show variation of the Walmart bay is named Whole Place Shimmer, partially because of his heavy gold shading. He also has a stack of NAN cards in breed, and he's wildly different than my other bay. 

My most decorated show model is definitely Shotgun Lover, who went top ten at NAN in 2024. Super impressive considering that class was not split out by size! He showed against the traditionals too. Not bad for a $4 regular run!  

The one everyone wants - gold variation Buggy! Thanks to a friend, I managed to track this guy down for my collection. 

The Regular Runs: (L-R: Friesian Cross, Copper Chase #1, Blind Bag Appaloosa, Copper Chase #2, Brilliance Gift Set)

A last minute addition to the Regular Runs! The new Friesian.

Variations of the Walmart four horse set

Club Exclusives (L-R: Django, Hendrick, Ellington)

Holiday Blind Bags (L-R: Merry and Bright, Mini Apparition)

BreyerFest Exclusives (L-R: Buggy, Navya, Gold Buggy, Kochab)

It's Friday, I'm a Judge! Breed: Paint

 Welcome back to another Friday judging clinic! We're looking at a traditional breed class today. I'm in a bit of a stock horse mood, so let's take a look at a Paint class. 

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

Before we can judge the class, we have to know what we're looking for. The breed standard according to the American Paint Horse Association is as follows (taken from the 2025 Rule Book, pages 96-97):

• The ideal standard is a balanced and structurally correct horse of stock type
• Attractive head, refined throat latch, well-proportioned trim neck
• Long sloping shoulder, deep heart girth, short strong back, long hip and croup
• Straight, structurally correct legs

Let's take a look at our class today. 

Paint mare

Horse A: Roxy

Paint stallion

Horse B: Geronimo

Paint mare

Horse C: Bobby Jo

Take a moment, look at each entry. How well do they align with the breed standard? What makes one entry stronger than another? When you're ready, my placings are under the jump. ↓

Monthly Round Up! February Additions

February somehow brought less horses than January! It's one of the release months for the Stablemates Club, and with two micro runs in that club I sprung for a second membership this year. I also finished paying off my long term time payment, so I'll have a little extra hobby money going forward this year. Of course, a lot of that will go into my BreyerFest budget! 

Say hello to my long-term time payment! I put out an ISO for this guy last fall, and have slowly been paying him off since. I made my last payment at the beginning of February, and the seller shipped him immediately! I am so thrilled to add this guy to the collection, but I'm definitely taking a break from longer term time pays until after BreyerFest. I've got saving to do!

As mentioned above, I have two Stablemates Club memberships this year. The first release in the Club was Arroyo and Baja. I think the colors on this set are fantastic, and have such a lovely depth to them! The stallion and foal both will end up in my show string at some point this year I think. I picked the set on the left to be my keeper, and the other set will end up as a show donation, as I don't need two of these! 

I did have another Breyer order this month, to support them for their participation in National Shutdown Day, but I just stocked up on Classic/Freedom Scale pony pouches since they fit both Classics scale adults and Traditional scale foals. I also picked up the 75th Anniversary mug on clearance! The certified tea drinker in me loves a good mug.  

And since I mentioned it, I'd like it to be known that my values align with Breyer's. Hate has no place on this blog, or in this hobby. 

It's Friday, I'm a Guest Judge! OF China Collectability by Heather Bochonok

It's the second guest post on the blog! This month, I asked my friend Heather to talk about a less well-known division - Chinas. 

OF China Collectability

by Heather Bochonok

Hey everyone! My name is Heather (Bochonok) Moore - Macie invited me to write a post on her blog, and I’m so excited to introduce everyone to the land of clinkies! Just to tell you a little bit about myself, I’m a co-host for NAMHSA MSOTY ‘23 and ‘24 (and Runner-Up ‘25!) Are You Kitten Me Live. I like to judge as often as I can at local shows, including Island Time Live, Steel City Live, and Happy Kamper Classic. I participate in and enjoy judging photo shows, and have been a judge for Breyer’s Boot Camp Photo Show for the last few years. I’ve been collecting since I was 7 years old (looking at you, Skipster’s Chief!), and while I still do very much enjoy collecting my Breyers - Chinas definitely hold a special place in my little model horse loving heart. My real horse experience goes back further than my collecting - my best friend Cocoa (a very handsome Morgan cross) blessed me with 24 years of companionship before passing away at the ripe old age of 30 in 2021. During that time I also owned a literal dream horse - my Friesian Heritage Horse Aramus. I am so thankful for all of the years I spent alongside real horses, and hope to find myself on that path again in the future. I sure do miss it! Nowadays you’ll find me surrounded by one of my several rescue kitties - I love my babies so much!

 For those of you unfamiliar with the clinky side of collecting, we consider many different mediums to be shown in these divisions. Bone China (Horsing Around, Animal Artistry, and other European makes), Earthenware (Hagen Renaker, Pour Horse), and Cold Cast Porcelain/OF Resin (Breyer). Some makers offer pieces in various mediums (for example, Thomas Bainbridge Studios offers both Bone China and Earthenware pieces). While this is important knowledge, we do not really classify our models based on composition for China showing - even at large shows like Breakables at BreyerFest.

Today we’re going to talk about Original Finish China Collectibility. Most shows will break Chinas into Original Finish - a run of identical (within artistic reason) models - or Custom Glazed (a unique or OOAK finish on a model). Original Finish pieces are judged on Collectibility (similar to Breyers!), while Custom Glazed are judged on Workmanship (similar to CM and AR!). Larger shows like Breakables will create detailed classlists based on regions - for example, Americanware and Europeanware divisions. There will also be divisions that are based on run numbers (Small Production/Test) - similar to Limited Run and OOAK classlists you would see for plastics.

 So let’s get to it. Today our class consists of three very different pieces:

Photo courtesy Heather B

Horse A - Thomas Bainbridge Studios OF Dapple Grey Leonardo - Edition Size 30, 6 Artist Proofs, 24 Numbered Pieces. There are 6 OF Dapple Greys with a variety of gloss/satin finish and flowing/braided tails. This particular piece is 1/4 glossed and 1/4 with flowing tail.

Photo courtesy Heather B

Horse B - Hagen Renaker San Marcos Large Zilla Test from the BHR Collection

Photo courtesy Heather B

Horse C - Breyer 2001 Volunteer Model The Poet (100 Made)

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

Live Show Secrets: How and When to Use Documentation (It's Not a Book Report)

We're back with another entry in the Live Show Secrets series! We're looking at documentation a little further in depth this week. I did touch briefly on creating documentation in the Breyer collectability post, but there's more to documentation than just collectability. I've noticed documentation is a frequent question in the model horse Facebook groups - what needs documentation? When is documentation not needed? Where do I start with making documentation? 

Well, let's pull the curtain back and examine this! As a reminder, I'm a frequent model horse shower (averaging ten shows per year since 2023) who has received special documentation awards at more than one show for the quality of my documentation. I also am part of the admin team for the Model Horse Documentation Creation Facebook group, so I'm well-versed in giving documentation advice. 

What is Documentation? 

There are two kinds of documentation used for halter classes at model horse shows: breed documentation and collectability documentation. There is usually documentation used for performance classes as well, but that is not yet a division I've shown in personally, so I won't be speaking about it today.  

• Breed documentation: Identifies a breed's particular characteristics, like breed standard, accepted colors, and in some cases location of origin and history
• Collectability documentation: Identifies what a model is, when it was produced, and what makes it collectible

When Do I Need to Have Documentation? 

An eternal question: when should I have documentation? As I have mentioned in other blog posts, if you want your horse judged for collectability, they must have collectability documentation. There's no question about it. Breed documentation is a little more fluid, but there are a few rules of thumb to follow if you're confused. Generally, you do not need breed documentation for every horse. As judges, we should know the breed standards for the common breeds, and therefore don't need the breed standard documented in front of us. There is this misconception I've seen that showers need to prove the effort they've put into their show string with documentation for every horse. This just is not true. Model horse showing is not a book report, judges are not placing your horse based on the quality of your documentation - they are judging your horse based on the horse itself. In many cases, documenting a common breed just takes up space on the table, and as a judge, I usually won't even look at documentation for a common breed in a common color. 

So, what are my general rules for documentation? Let's break it down: 

• Collectability documentation: Yes. A horse must have collectability documentation to be judged on collectability. 
• Common breed in a common color: No. Your judge should already know this information. 
• Common breed in an uncommon color: Probably. In most cases, you should document an uncommon color in a common breed. There are some less common colors that your judge may be aware of, but it doesn't hurt to document them anyway. 
• Uncommon breed: Yes. Judges are expected to know the breed standards for the common breeds, but you can't expect them to know every breed. Less common breeds should have documentation. 

The easiest way to make a distinction between a common breed and an uncommon breed is whether or not the breed has a specific class. Things like your Arabians, Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, etc. have specific classes dedicated to their entries, and therefore they don't need breed documentation unless they're in an uncommon color. 

I tend to make my uncommon colors on common breeds documentation as bare bones as possible - usually just a photo of a registered horse, including their name, and citing the source where I found it.

That being said, this information applies only to open/NAN qualifying divisions at shows. If you are showing in youth or novice, it's likely you will have rules requiring breed documentation for everything - in this case, it's a learning experience. The information is not for the judges, it's a learning opportunity for the novice shower.

It is also worth noting that as of 2026, breed documentation for common breeds is not allowed at the BreyerFest Open Show. Personally, having shown at the Open Show since 2023, I find this to be a welcome change - with the amount of entries, this change will save so much space on the table. The breed list citing what breeds are allowed to be documented isn't out yet at the time of this blog post, but I look forward to seeing it! 

BreyerFest Open Show 2024 - look at how much of this table is JUST documentation. 

What Information Should My Documentation Have?

We've looked at what documentation is, and when we should document. Now it's time to look at what information should be included in our documentation. 

Collectability documentation should have:

• The model's name/model number
• The year(s) it was produced
• How it was obtainable (Regular Run, Web Special, BreyerFest Special Run, etc.)
• The run number if known 
• Is it a variation? (chalky, pearly, etc.)
• Is there something else that makes it special? (Signature, sample, etc.)
• The source for your information (such as Identify Your Breyer or Breyer Horse Ref)
• Optional additions are the sculptor, mold number, and a photo of the model

Breed documentation should have:

• The physical characteristics of the breed (ideally straight from the breed standard)
• Accepted colors
• A photo of the breed
• The source for your information
• Optional additions are the location of origin for the breed and what the breed was bred for

You want to keep the information brief - especially with breed documentation. I've touched on this in my LSQ blog post, but judges do not have time to read a book's worth of information. Ideally, a judge gets through six classes in an hour to keep on pace - that's a class every ten minutes, including loading times. Keep your documentation to a few bullet points of relevant information - we really don't have time for more than that. 

How Do I Find Quality Sources for My Information? 

Okay, now we know what should be on our documentation. Now, how do we know what sources are credible? It's a little harder nowadays with the proliferation of AI. But there are ways to ensure your information is credible. 

Your first step when creating breed documentation should be searching for the actual registry website of the breed. Usually, the registry will have a breed standard handy, as well as photos of the breed and voila! Your search is complete. 

It's not always that easy. Some breeds are more obscure and don't have a website for the registry. Sometimes the registry website isn't in English (or your native language). In this case, your next step should be turning to a breed book. I have three I keep in my collection, and I'd recommend any of the three: 

• International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds by Bonnie Hendricks (ISBN: 978-0-8061-3884-8)
• The Official Horse Breeds Standards Guide by Fran Lynghaug (ISBN: 978-0-7603-3804-9)
• Horses of the World by Élise Rousseu (ISBN: 978-0-691-16720-6)

Wikipedia is a good jumping off point in breed research, but it's not a source I'd choose to cite or rely on for my documentation. It can give you an overview, but use the citations on the page to glean where the information came from, and evaluate the source. Often, Wikipedia will directly link you to the breed standard or registry website and you can use that as your primary source. 

When it comes to photos, I implore you to check and double check the photo. Pinterest is not a reliable source if you can't find the original image - much like Wikipedia, anyone can say anything about the image. For photos, like with my information, I look on the registry's website or Facebook page first. If I can't find something suitable, I move on to the websites and Facebook pages for farms that breed/show that breed. Ideally, I find the name and gender of the horse in question and I make sure to add that to my documentation. If I still can't find a photo (which is common in some of the more feral breeds) I go to photographers or government travel websites - anything official is good! My last resort are Facebook groups and online sales pages, but beware here, as it's easy for crossbreed and color misinformation to be spread as horses change hands. Always aim for your photo to be of a registered horse when possible. 

 

Lesli Kathman wrote a blog post on accuracy in documentation which implores showers to check the accuracy of the information they put in their documentation. I highly recommend reading it, as it shows just how easy it can be to be led astray in research. Lesli also keeps a page on her blog with references for painting, but they work well as reliable sources for photos and information. 

AI is not a reliable source, and often makes things up (it's called hallucinations). An easy way to filter out AI in your search is simply to add a -ai at the end of your search query. 

The most important thing to remember is if you make a mistake in your research, don't take it personally. Accept the mistake, learn from it, and change it for next time. Your entries will be better for it. 

How Do I Create Documentation? 

Documentation seems intimidating to make, especially when you're just starting out. The good news is you don't need to make it complicated! Handwritten documentation is perfectly acceptable, especially for collectability. I've also used it as breed documentation in a pinch when adding a horse to my show string last minute, although personally I don't like to use it for breed (I prefer having an easily referenced photo, but that's just my preference.) 

For those comfortable using a computer, my friend Sarah has a wonderful webinar on creating documentation. She's also the main admin behind the documentation Facebook grouped linked at the beginning of this post. Both the webinar and the Facebook group are excellent places to get advice on actually making documentation. Sarah's webinar walks you through making documentation step by step in a few different programs. I highly recommend watching it if you're new to making documentation, or even if you want to upgrade the documentation you already have. 

One thing I'd like to touch on is to be mindful of the size of your documentation. As we know, space can be a premium in classes, and your documentation should only have a few bullet points of relevant information anyways. With that in mind, I'd recommend your documentation be no more than 4"x6" at most in order to be considerate to your fellow showers. Additionally, if the class is especially large, consider setting your horse on top of its documentation to make room for the other entries. 

If documentation is especially intimidating to you, there are people in the hobby who create templates you can purchase. Personally, I don't do this, as my eye often finds these templates waste a lot of space, but I'm never going to knock someone who chooses to use them. If that is what makes the process easiest for you, by all means use a template. 

It has at times been encouraged for showers to bring a breed book to use as documentation. Fortunately, more shows are moving away from that and explicitly disallow breed books being used as documentation. It goes back to the same table space issue - breed books take up a lot of it. You're better off using your breed book as a reference and rewriting the information in a separate documentation. In a pinch, I do keep a pocket sized breed book in my show tote for quick reference, but I rarely need to use it at a show.

I've also noticed people pulling their documentation up on their phones and leaving their phones on the table. As a judge, I'd like to politely ask showers not to do this. Phones go everywhere with us, and carry a plethora of germs - I don't want to touch a phone to see your documentation, be it through scrolling to read it or waking the phone back up because it went to sleep in the time between the entry being put on the table and me judging the class. Not to mention the privacy concerns, if a personal notification were to pop up on the screen while I was looking at the phone. If the choice is between documentation on a phone or handwritten documentation, I'd much rather see the handwritten version. 

My pocket-sized breed book I keep in my show tote.
For those looking for a copy, the ISBN is 978-1-58017-650-7

One final thing - use the resources you have at your disposal! Consider checking out your local library. It's likely their computers will have Microsoft Office installed, and if not they definitely have access to the internet so you can use Google Docs or Canva instead. Not to mention, they should have public printing, either for free or low cost (at my own library the first ten pages a day print for free). You don't necessarily have to spend money on fancy software. 

Can I Buy Documentation? 

Short answer: No, you cannot buy documentation. 

Long answer: No, do not buy pre-made documentation. It is highly unlikely that the person selling documentation has the rights to use the images and information on them for profit. If you remember my post about plagiarism in the hobby, that's copyright infringement. It's not worth it, and you'll retain the information better if you create the cards yourself. That's why you did homework in school. If creating documentation is hard for you, there are options, as I've listed above. You'll feel more pride when your horses win with documentation you've created yourself. 

In summary, documentation doesn't have to be scary. You don't need breed documentation on every horse you bring. Your breed documentation doesn't need to be long - a few brief and relevant bullet points will suffice! If using a computer is hard, handwritten documentation is perfectly fine. Make sure to double and triple check the citations you use, but don't sweat it if you make a mistake - just fix it for next time! This hobby is meant to be for fun, and you'll learn most by doing. If you need help, there are plenty of resources for you to use to make your documentation, as long as you aren't afraid to ask. My blog comments are always open, and you can find me in the Documentation Facebook group as well. 

I also focused more heavily on the creation and finding sources for breed documentation in this post. If you have questions on collectability documentation, I highly recommend you check out my post on collectability entries linked at the beginning of this post.