2025 Year End Retrospective

 Welcome to my first ever year-end retrospective on the blog. I'd like to reflect on the year I've had in the hobby and think about the goals I'd like to set for the incoming year. 

The Blog

One of the most noteworthy things I did in the hobby this year was restart this blog! As I've mentioned, I originally started this blog in 2022, but I burned myself out quickly and abandoned it within a month. I'm proud to say that I've stuck to the posting schedule I've created! 

I've been pleased by the reception to the judging clinics I've created. Unlike the majority of the post series on the blog, the judging clinics were something I dreamed up when restarting the blog. I'd always admired the Horse and Rider magazine conformation clinics, and I feel like translating them into the model horse hobby has been helpful not only for new and experienced showers, but for judges as well, including me! I maintain that I don't see myself as an authority on the subject - my placings are my opinion, and opinions are not objective. What I want to see happen is judges thinking critically about their placings, and the ability to articulate why they placed the class the way they did. I find that to be a more rewarding and valuable sentiment than "this is how I would place the class, and that's the only way this class can be placed." 

Overall, I'm mostly just glad I haven't burned myself out yet - it appears I've struck the balance between posting regularly enough to not lose interest and infrequently enough to not feel overwhelmed. I feel energized by the ideas I have in store for the blog, and I can't wait to put those into action! You'll find out more on that further down.  

2025 Show Season

My overall champions from the 2025 show season

This year, I showed at ten live shows by my count. I'm not going to list these out by name, but you can find every show I attended in my Show Reports series. I also stepped up in my judging this year - of the ten shows I attended, I judged at seven of them. It's worth noting that of the three I didn't judge for, one was the BreyerFest Open Show and one was the Stone Little Horse Show. As a contrast, I judged at three shows in 2024. I'd often heard it said that once hosts know you're willing to judge you tend to get asked, and that proved itself true. 

Because of the judging, and my healing broken arm, I was more mindful of the amount of models I was bringing to each show. Minis were doable - the tote I have for them is easily carried in one hand, and running a full string of them isn't hard when judging. I have a basket to carry them to the ring and a horse in every class, so it's pretty easy to swap horses out on the table. Trads were more difficult. I wasn't cleared to lift anything until well after BreyerFest, so if I wanted to show trads I needed someone else to lift my tote in and out of my car, and to help me pack them in the tote in the first place. I decided before the River City Classic that for the spring I'd run a small, select string of about thirty trads, and I wouldn't rotate the string between shows like I normally do. This way, they'd be in a single tote (so I would need minimal help) and I wouldn't have to unpack and repack between shows. Additionally, if I needed to ask a friend to take over the trads while I was judging, it wouldn't be too much of an ask. 

Now, I'm not as much of a statistics nerd as some of my hobby friends, but I certainly appreciate a good breakdown! So, my 2025 show season by the numbers:

Total entries for each show per division

Now, how did that pan out in placings? 

Total number of placings across all divisions shown in 

In what should be surprising to nobody, the majority of my placings this year were in Breyer Mini Collectability. It's definitely a part of my collection that I've cultivated over the years. Showing mostly minis this year assisted in this - minis had a full string at every show I attended, whereas traditionals were about a third of what I usually bring, if I brought them at all! 

The final NAN card count of 2025

I'm also pleased to note that I had a sectional placing at nine of the ten shows I entered this year - the only show where I did not have a sectional champion or reserve was the BreyerFest Open Show. I did have horses on the callback table, and that's good enough for me! Additionally, I had at least one division overall champion or reserve at five of the shows I attended this year - the River City Classic, Are You Kitten Me, Trails and Tails, the Big Orange Bash, and Steel City Live. 

It's been an incredible show year, despite the challenges. I'm already planning my shows for 2026, and have once again been asked to judge at a few. Before we know it, it'll be go time again! 

BreyerFest 2025

No retrospective is complete without mentioning the biggest model horse event of the year - BreyerFest, and all of the associated events surrounding it. This year, additional events included Equilocity and the Dappledown Soiree. Unfortunately, I ended up too busy to make it to either of these events, with the Open Show covering two days. I stayed in an AirBNB with my usual show crew, had late night pizza in the halls of the CHIN, and got to hang out with all of my favorite model horse people. 

2025 also marked the first year I participated in the Collector's Classes at the Open Show. It was such a fun experience, and receiving seventh in the Stablemates Collector's Class was a thrill. I'm already working on the idea for next year's entry! 

I was also pleased to have been asked by NAMHSA to volunteer at their information booth in the Covered arena, as well as making informational fliers and posters for the booth. As we know, I love providing education about the hobby and giving back to the hobby where I can. Working the NAMHSA booth allowed me to do both! 

2025 Collection Additions

Like my list of shows, my collection additions have been pretty well covered in my 2025 Top Five and my monthly round ups. But I don't think it hurts to state it again! 😊

One of the more unexpected aspects of my collecting journey this year was my foray into owning Stones! I started this year owning four Stone models, and I didn't expect to add many more. Then, I attended the Little Horse Show (partially because I wanted a Little Squidward). I have a tendency to take laps around the show hall if I'm only showing in one division and not judging (I like to keep busy!). Turns out this is dangerous when you collect minis and there are several available to purchase. I came home from the Little Horse Show having doubled my Stone collection, and as of the end of the year I now own 18 Stones including the Design-A-Horse I've ordered. With my space issues and budget, I think I'll be sticking to their minis, but if you had asked me a year ago I would not have expected the Stone collection to have grown so much. I look forward to what 2026 will bring. 

As for my Breyer collection, I added several pieces that I'm proud of. I started the year paying off a loose mane Shannondell from my friend Kelly M., so I was on a stricter budget for outside pony spending. That didn't stop me from adding some long searched for pieces to my collection! In the first half of the year I added the dapple gray Horses International Clydesdale Foal and a Chesapeake, the Chasing the Chesapeake Event model. I also was able to buy a Prague at cost thanks to a friend, as well as facilitating the sale and pickup of a glossy Marc of Charm through friends attending BreyerMidwest. 

This year marked my third year as a member of the Premier Club. I definitely mentioned it before on the blog, but this was without a doubt my favorite year in the club. Every release knocked it out of the park for me. I was expecting Cosimo to be my least favorite, as a person who loves ponies and has been waiting for a new mold, but I ended up absolutely loving him. Both variations of Rowan are absolutely darling, and as we know I ended up with the micro run variation of Winnifred. I was unsure about Isla from her preview in the Collector Club tent at BreyerFest, but once I actually had her in hand I appreciated her much more. 

I've been a member of the Stablemates Club since 2016, the very first year. This year was an okay year for me! I loved Madonna and Harbinger, and the other releases were nice. Alana has done well for me in the show ring in particular. The only one I was less enthused about was Spencer, and that's more just on the mold. His color was well-executed, and that makes up for it. 

2026 Goals: Looking Forward

We've looked backward, and as we'll be ringing in the New Year twelve hours from now, it's time to look forward to my hobby goals for 2026. Some goals may be smaller than others, because not every goal needs to be big! 

• The Blog (and other model horse social media)
• Continue to grow the Friday judging clinics, and begin rotating in guest judges for additional opinions 
• Work on ideas for the new Live Show Secrets series 
• Post more regularly on my model horse Instagram and the blog's Facebook page 
• Work on delivering content the hobby wants to see
• 2026 Show Season 
• Prepare for NAN 2026 - check who is qualified already and rotate them out in favor of horses I want to qualify 
• Finish catching up on my results backlog and filing ribbons and NAN cards 
• Continue the project to reformat my breed and collectability documentation
• BreyerFest 2026
• Work on my Collector's Class entry
• Take more photos with my friends! 
• Maybe an Open Show sectional champ or reserve? 
• The Collection
• Continue working on filling out your collection catalog & photographing the herd
• Get additional shelves up and reorganize the horse room 
• Obtain at least one more rare Stablemate and/or other long term grail 

On Faux-OFs and Plagiarism

Definition from Merriam-Webster

I cannot believe this is something that needs to be said, but it's an issue that has cropped up multiple times, perpetrated by multiple people recently. 

Customizing Breyers is okay. 

Customizing Breyers in a faux-OF style (leaving the whites bare plastic) is okay. 

The lone faux-OF in my collection

What is not okay is creating a direct copy of an existing Breyer model (particularly a rare model). It is never okay to sell that copy. 

It doesn't matter if that model is marketed as a custom. Five years down the road when it has passed through several hands, there's nothing to prove that this model isn't authentic, particularly if the model is unsigned.  

Not to mention, Breyer hired an artist to design that pattern. It's ripping off active hobby artists for personal gain. 

Not "inspired by" another artist. 

Not creating a unique pattern. 

Directly copying another artist's work. 

It's unethical and it's gross. It's plagiarism. 

This hobby has a long memory and a habit of keeping receipts, and this is the type of behavior that will ruin a reputation for years. 

There are ethical ways to customize - remove existing logos, sign and date your work, don't do exact copies of existing designs (from making an exact 1:1 copy down to copying the pattern), and when the entire hobby tells you it's a bad look, maybe listen to them? Just a thought. 

Additionally, all customs are one of a kind by nature. Advertising a faux-OF as an OOAK can be confusing to non-hobbyists, who may not realize the difference between an original finish model and a faux-OF custom. It may not have been meant to be misleading intentionally, but like with creating direct copies, intention matters little when the model is sold several years down the road.

(This sentiment also applies to glossing and mattifying OF models, FYI. The preferred ethical measure is "please do not do this, but if you do PLEASE sign it underneath the sealant") 

https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-definitions.html

Another concept that has come up recently is 3-D printing resins that are either existing or modified Breyer and Stone sculptures. This goes even farther into copyright infringement than faux-OFs do. This is behavior that will get you a cease-and-desist notice, if not outright sued. 

It's a known fact in this hobby that Breyer was not allowed to use the Proud Arabian Mare and Foal molds for several years after they were deemed to be too close of copies of Hagen-Renaker's Large Zara and Large Zilla. They have only been able to use Hagen-Renaker sculpts since through a licensing agreement with the company - they are paying for the rights to cast the molds in plastic. Note that the new shrunken version of Large Zara introduced in the Stablemates Club has both the Breyer logo and the Hagen-Renaker logo on her belly. It's also a known fact in this hobby that casting resins based on extreme resculpts of original finish molds must be approved by the company first, even if the sculpture no longer bears ANY resemblance to the original. 

Madonna's belly, with Breyer and Hagen-Renaker logos

I don't want to see anyone get sued, and I equally do not want to see anyone get misled, whether intentionally or not, into buying something that they think is a rare original finish model that is nothing more than a copy. It's simple enough to avoid - don't make something that is an intentional copy of something someone else made. 

Stablemate Sunday: Vintage Club 2012-2016

I had plans for this month's Stablemate Sunday, and then I couldn't find one of the horses who was meant to feature. That's what I get for putting molds I don't like as much in storage and then not labeling totes! So, that topic is tabled for now. By popular demand (a Facebook poll) the lovely readers of this blog decided they'd like to see Vintage Club Stablemates featured. Because there's quite a few of these guys, I broke them up a little bit. This month, we'll be looking at the bonus Stablemates for the first five years of the Vintage Club - 2012 through 2016. 

Unlike the Premier Club, which had its first bonus Stablemate in 2014, the Vintage Club has had a bonus Stablemate since the first year of the Club. All of the models featured today are a run of 500, as the Vintage Club is the only Club Breyer offers with a membership cap. The Vintage Club releases pay homage to the older eras of Breyer - with vintage colors on vintage molds, vintage colors on modern molds, and sometimes putting modern colors on vintage molds. The bonus Stablemates in the beginning of the Club mostly were vintage colors on modern molds, since Breyer did not have the rights to the G1 molds. This changed in 2014, but even still Breyer has continued to use a mix of vintage and modern molds for the bonus Stablemate. 

The first bonus Stablemate in the Vintage Club was Eagle on the G2 Arabian mold. His color is reminiscent of the #99 Appaloosa Performance Horse. I love the little halos he has on his spots! My guy has not shown with me, but he did come with NAN cards from his previous owner. 

Jackson was the second Vintage Club bonus Stablemate. He was released in 2013, and is a vintage gray Appaloosa on the G2 Warmblood Jumper mold. This color was seen most on the Family Arabians, though there are some Proud Arabian Mares and Foals who were released in it. I bought my Jackson and Eagle from the same person, and like Eagle, Jackson has NAN cards, but I have not shown him personally. Maybe next year I should rotate them in! 

Of the five models we're looking at today, Sonny was the hardest Vintage Club Stablemate for me to track down (although there are others who took longer - more on them when it's their turn!). Sonny was the 2014 bonus Stablemate, a gold florentine G1 Draft Horse, in his first release since 2004. Sonny also featured a first for the bonus Stablemates, as he had his very own blue ribbon sticker. 

Bravo was the 2015 bonus Stablemate, done as a glossy alabaster on the G3 Rearing Andalusian mold. Like Sonny, Bravo has a blue ribbon sticker. I want to say I think he was one of the first Vintage Club Stablemates I tracked down? My model horse Instagram says I acquired him in 2018, so I think so! He's still really nice, with lovely soft gray shading. 

The bonus Stablemate in 2016 was Riptide. Like Sonny and Bravo, he continues the trend of the blue ribbon sticker. Riptide is on the G4 Rivet mold, in the #175 Indian Pony colorway with war paint. I actually like this execution of the color better than the blind bag version from 2020.  

It's Friday, I'm a Judge! Mini Collectability #3

I can't believe we've completed another full cycle of our Friday judging clinics! We are back to mini collectability in our cycle today. I've really enjoyed this series this year, and it seems you readers have too! These posts are by far the most popular on the blog. I hope they help you, as I feel they help me become more articulate in breaking down my logic of placing a class. I'm looking forward to continuing this series next year, and I have plans of introducing guest judges on the off weeks. Exciting things are coming! 

As per usual, my credentials can be found on my About Me page. 

This week, we'll be evaluating a Breyer Mini Quarter Horse class for collectability. 

The Entries: 

Horse A: World Equestrian Games Stablemates Shadowbox - World Equestrian Games Exclusive - 2010 - Unknown amount made - #9128

Horse B: Junior Rider and English Saddle Set - Regular Run - 2005 - #5210

Horse C: Stablemates Stable Set - Regular Run - 1976-1978, 1979-1980 - #3085

Take a moment, evaluate the models shown, and decide your placings. When you're ready, my placings can be found under the jump!

2025 Top Five

Welcome to my top five acquisitions of 2025! It was a good year for the collection, with some longtime grails achieved, and some things I didn't expect! In no particular order:

Top of the list of things I didn't expect - gray Winnifred straight from Breyer - so last minute she snuck onto this list and knocked someone else off

Longtime grail - loose mane Shannondell, bought on time pays from my dear friend Kelly M. 

Appaloosa Valerio, completing my Valerio set

The 2004 JCPenney Parade of Breeds G1 Arabian Stallion, courtesy of Heather B.

One of my luckiest eBay lot finds - a no stamp dapple gray G1 ASB, who has been cleaning up in the show ring

The full top five lineup - I made out pretty good this year!

Live Show Secrets: What Makes LSQ? (And Why It's Not What You Think)

 I've noticed in this hobby, we have a tendency to expect perfection. I see it from all walks of collector - casuals to hardcore showers. Tiny flaws are nitpicked to death, returns are demanded when a model doesn't meet the standard set in one's head. 

And I'm here to say - it's mostly bull. 

There are of course, flaws that are genuinely returnable - broken pieces, noticeable scratches, big things essentially. Tiny things, less so. Poor dappling and shading are not returnable reasons, nor are flaws that are nearly indiscernible to the human eye or a camera lens. A good general rule of thumb is if you have to circle the flaw in the photo, it's probably not returnable. 

But in most cases, you cannot and should not expect perfection from mass-produced factory models. It's an impossible goal! This doesn't just apply to Breyers - it's across the board, applicable to Stones, Schleich, CollectAs, WIAs. Even with customs and artist resins, you can't expect 100% perfection. Spend any amount of time talking with hobby artists or existing in the customizing and finishwork groups and you'll see they have to reach a point in prep work where it's good enough - perfection is not a reachable goal. 

So then, what makes a model live show quality if every model is expected to have some level of flaws? Let me debunk it for you! 

If you've been following the blog for a while, you may know my credentials from my judging clinics, but for those new here I'll list them again. My name is Macie and I've been collecting since 2008. My collection focuses on OF Breyer. I've been around horses in some capacity since roughly 2001. I was in 4-H for seven years, showed in IHSA in college, and was a working student at an eventing barn. I've photo shown model horses on and off since 2015, and have been live showing since 2022. I have had multiple overall champions in breed and collectability in both OF Breyer and OF Mini divisions. I started judging in a small capacity in 2022, and since fall 2024 I have judged at several shows, including Are You Kitten Me, the Happy Kamper Classic, the Big Orange Bash, and the River City Classic. I have also volunteered for NAN in 2022 and 2024, and did additional volunteer work for NAMHSA for BreyerFest 2025.

Find the information under the jump - keep in mind, as an OF collector, this will be written slanted in that direction. Customs and artist resins may be held to a different standard. 

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

Happy Friday! It's time for another judging clinic. We're back in the land of mini breed today. Like with our last breed judging clinic, we're stepping out of a class for a single breed and instead evaluating several breed assignments against each other. 

As per usual, my credentials can be found on my About Me page. 

This week, we'll be examining an American Gaited mini breed class. This could encompass several breeds, such as the American Saddlebred, the Tennessee Walking Horse, the Rocky Mountain Horse, and the Spotted Saddle Horse, among others. It's entirely possible depending on a show's class list that some of these breeds could be split into their own classes (particularly ASBs and TWHs) but for the purpose of this judging clinic we'll be lumping them together. 

The Entries: 

Saddlebred mare

Saddlebred: 

• Well-shaped head with large expressive eyes and gracefully shaped ears set close together, long arched neck with a fine clean throatlatch, deep and sloping shoulders
• Strong and level back, level croup, tail carried proudly 
•  Front legs set well forward under the shoulder, hind legs vertical from point of buttock to the back edge of the cannon bone
• All colors acceptable: chestnut, bay, brown and black are most common, with gray, roan, palomino and pinto occurring

Information courtesy the American Saddlebred Horse & Breeders Association https://www.saddlebred.com/aboutthebreed

Horse A: G1 Saddlebred

Tennessee Walking Horse mare

Tennessee Walking Horse:

• Definitive head with small well-placed ears, long sloping shoulder, long sloping hip
• Fairly short back, short strong coupling, bottom line longer than top line 

Information courtesy the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' & Exhibitors' Association https://twhbea.com/the-breed/conformation/ 

Horse B: G3 Tennessee Walking Horse

Saddlebred mare

Saddlebred: 

• Well-shaped head with large expressive eyes and gracefully shaped ears set close together, long arched neck with a fine clean throatlatch, deep and sloping shoulders
• Strong and level back, level croup, tail carried proudly 
•  Front legs set well forward under the shoulder, hind legs vertical from point of buttock to the back edge of the cannon bone
• All colors acceptable: chestnut, bay, brown and black are most common, with gray, roan, palomino and pinto occurring

Information courtesy the American Saddlebred Horse & Breeders Association https://www.saddlebred.com/aboutthebreed

Horse C: G2 American Saddlebred

Take a minute, look over the documentation, and decide how you would place this class. When you're ready, my placings can be found under the jump. ↓

Conga Time! G1 Thoroughbred Mare

 It's my birthday! As a celebration, we're taking a closer look at one of my favorite Breyer molds - the G1 Thoroughbred Mare. 

The Thoroughbred Mare mold captured my heart early - I was first exposed to it through a knockoff horse set, probably purchased at a craft store for one of my birthday parties, long before I knew about Breyers.

Like, all G1 molds, I have a tendency to compulsively buy them when I see them - this has lead to this conga having a ton of duplicates!

Despite the compulsive buying, I realized when I made this post that I'm missing more than I thought I was! I guess it's a good thing - it gives me something less outrageously expensive to look for next year! 

I've also been working on my collection catalog off and on for the last few years - I have a huge collection, so it takes a lot of time between recording the models and taking and labeling photos. This conga has stalled the G1 tab of the spreadsheet because with all the duplicates I wasn't sure what I actually had! I took advantage of having the whole conga out to take individual photos. Progress will commence once again! 

A selection of my favorites!

I don't believe this girl is anything special - I just think her leg shading is both weird and cool. I got her from eBay earlier this year. I'm fairly confident she's #5026, so she's grouped with them for the purposes of this post, but she could equally be an early #5141. 

I was SO EXCITED when she was used for the 2017 Stablemates Club. Coco is a lovely bay sabino. I'd love to see Breyer bring her out more often - they've used Native Dancer twice, give this lady time to shine! 

I just love this mold in modern colors - this is the Hidalgo Mustang Set from Blockbuster. Like her sister A Clear Day, she was one of the earliest models I wanted to track down when I seriously re-entered the hobby in college. 

This girl may be familiar to those who follow my Show Reports - this is my NIB copy of #5028. She was a gift from one of my dearest hobby friends Kelly M., who named her for me - Eras Tour! 

You know her, you love her, she's the focus of her own Collection Spotlight - it's the 2004 JCP Holiday Catalog, known in my collection as A Clear Day.

#5028 Variations

#5030 Variations - the mare on the left is a no stamp

#5026 Variations

1990s Regular Runs - #5140 at the top, three variations of #5141 at the bottom

#5183 Variations

90s Special Runs - 1998 Sears Holiday Catalog on the left, 1995 JCP Holiday Catalog on the right

The Modern Era Girls - 2004 JCP Parade of Breeds, Blockbuster Hidalgo Set, Stablemates Club Coco

My two NIB girls - #5183 on the left, #5028 on the right

A shrinky! She's a very proportional one, but set her next to any of her sisters and she's significantly tinier.