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
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| My overall champions from the 2025 show season |
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:
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| Total entries for each show per division |
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| Total number of placings across all divisions shown in |
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| The final NAN card count of 2025 |
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!
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
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