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. 

Glossary of Terms (LSQ, LSP,  NAN-qualified, PSQ, etc): 

The model horse hobby loves a good acronym, particularly when it comes to model horse showing. Before we break down what makes LSQ, first we need to define what LSQ is. 

• LSQ: This stands for live show quality. LSQ is a subjective term meaning a horse is nice enough to show at a live model horse show. The horse will be relatively flaw-free. LSQ means different things to different people, and one person's LSQ may not be another's. 
• LSP: This stands for live show proven. This horse has placed at a live show. Keep in mind, some shows are smaller than others - a horse can place at a live show and it may have been the only horse in the class. 
• NAN: This stands for North American Nationals. NAN is the national qualifying championship organized by the North American Model Horse Show Association (NAMHSA). At NAN qualifying shows, the first and second placing horses earn NAN cards in either breed halter, non-breed halter, or workmanship. The card qualifies the horse to show at NAN. 
• PSQ: This stands for photo show quality. This is a horse that may have flaws that cannot be seen in photos, or on the offside of the horse. 
• OF: Stands for original finish. These models are unaltered, factory finish. OF models can have repairs so long as they are within factory finish - things like straightening a bent leg, touching up small rubs, or repairing broken limbs. 
• CM: This stands for custom. Custom models are altered factory models - this can range from finish changes (frowned upon), complete repaint, repositioning legs, all the way up to completely resculpting the entire model. In extreme custom cases, you may not even be able to tell what the model started as. 
• AR: Stands for artist resin. These are models that are sculpted and cast usually by independent artists out of resin. The blanks are then painted. These are not factory models. 

Seams: Where is the Line?

A seam is the part of a model horse where two halves meet. Seams are inevitable in original finish model horses, particularly in the more mass-produced models, such as Breyers. There are some molds where the seam is common - like in Cosimo's mane above. On older factory-produced models, seams could be much worse. Some were so sharp you could cut yourself, others looked like they had been grinded down to the point of looking like tire tracks. I'd consider a model with sharper seams more of a flaw against the same model that has better sanded seams. But usually, all models from the same time period, or of the same mold will have similar looking seams. In this case, you can't count this as a flaw - if every model has it, it's part of the mold. Personally, I'd place the model with correct ABCs with a common visible seam over the model with no visible seam who is a conformational disaster.  

A seam split

Seam splits tend to occur over time - often with temperature changes or pressure on the seam. Often times whole runs will be affected - braided Shannondell is known for it (see my guy above), the Stone Half-Passing Warmblood is notorious for it, and I've seen several YOLOs from this past BreyerFest developing them. Knowledgeable judges are aware of what molds develop them, and where, and will check those spots when judging the class. If a model has a seam split, it's best to just keep them home. 

What is Stuck to Me?? Lint and Goobers: 

Even Stones aren't immune from factory flaws

A fact about painting and sealing - wet paint is sticky. Dust, fingerprints, lint, all things that can bump into a drying model and stick to it. Dust and lint tend to be minor - and very common in OF models painted in a factory. It's just the nature of the setting. Even customs and artists resins are not immune. Like seams, it's inevitable that a model will probably get something small stuck to it. In most cases, these are the flaws circled in the Facebook posts complaining and asking if they should return the model. Remember, if you have to circle it in a photo, there's little chance a judge is going to see it on the table.  

Fingerprints are a different story - they're usually larger and more noticeable than dust or lint in the finish. I would not show a horse with that flaw, and I would consider it a returnable issue. 

Finishwork Problems: Rubs, Pinpricks, and Overspray, Oh My! 

Of the issues with finishwork, rubs are probably the most common. There are degrees of rubs - the Classic Arab Mare in the photo above has some box rubs. As these rubs are only on her off side, she's still PSQ, and I'd have no hesitations putting her in a photo show. I would not show her in a live show without touching up these rubs. Other minor rubs shouldn't keep a horse from a show career - things like ear rubs can be easily touched up before the class - many showers keeps eyeliner, colored pencils, or markers in their show kits for this purpose. 

Some factory flaws do keep me from showing a model - my Hames has this mark in his plastic

It goes without saying that major rubs are a flaw that can keep a horse off a show table. Pinprick rubs should not. Like dust and lint, these are often not easily discernable to the human eye, and can easily be overlooked. I know I personally have had horses place, champ, and go NAN top ten with minor pinprick rubs. 

This is particularly true with older models in collectability classes - chalkys and old dapple grays tend to have very fragile paint jobs, but a chalky will still pin, as would say, a mildly rubbed resist dapple Proud Arabian Mare with her hand tied halter and box. Condition can be a factor in collectability, but it does eventually get to a point where the rarity of the piece can outweigh the model's condition.  

Overspray to me is a minor thing, more of a tiebreaker - unless it's particularly bad, you're going to have to look very closely to even see it. My gray Winnifred has some overspray in her mapping, but it's not going to stop me from showing her - and although she arrived too late this year to make it to a show, I doubt it will keep her from placing. 

What's Wrong With My Legs? Tales of Extremity Woes:

Sometimes, model's legs are not always where they are supposed to be. Particularly with OF models, legs can get warped in transport, pegs from stands get broken off in feet, and things just get...wonky. It's always acceptable to lay a tippy model down on the table (though this does give the judge permission to pick it up to examine the other side). I sometimes do this with models that tend to be tippy even if they're stable, just because I'd rather be safe than sorry if a table gets bumped. As a judge, I don't hold this against the model. 

That being said, some leg warping can be the deciding factor between two models. With the two foals in the photo above, I'd absolutely pin the foal with all four feet on the ground above the foal with one foot hovering above the air. That doesn't mean the foal on the left will never pin - there are absolutely judges who will forgive that foot for the sake of her being a more correct mold on the table, or a more collectible model. And as always, it comes down to what else is on the table. 

There are problems with extremities that are major flaws, such as breaks and very obvious repairs. Horses with broken legs and ears are not LSQ. Horses with poorly repaired breaks will not show as well. That doesn't mean horses who have had breaks cannot show - with a top repair artist, models can be restored to LSQ. There is a line - the repairs should be indistinguishable from the original work.  

The Butt Wrinkles Saga:

In 2019, Breyer released the Hamilton mold through their Premier Collection. Upon receiving their copies, some hobbyists noticed interesting lines on Hamilton's derriere. A few vocal hobbyists declared these "butt wrinkles" to be terrible gouges, and a major flaw. Except...they weren't. They were just how muscles move on a horse in the midst of a rack. Muscles on a sculpture behaving as they would on a real horse is not a flaw. Now, muscles not behaving as they would on a real horse is a problem, but it's not a flaw, and those horses could still have a place in a collectability class, or in a weaker breed class even. 

In the Mind of the Judge:

So, we've looked into the various types of factory and aftermarket flaws you can find on a model horse. Now, as a judge, I'm here to explain why most of the time these flaws simply don't matter. To put it most bluntly - we simply do not have the time to go over every model in the class with a magnifying glass hunting for flaws. We do not want to be at the show hall until 10pm. Usually a judge has about 10 minutes to look at a class. Sometimes, OF Breyer classes can have upwards of 50 models in a class. Personally for me as a judge, I usually have my top contenders whittled down after my first pass of the table. For breed, it's a broad look - which sculpts present are viable both anatomically and as the breed they are assigned? For collectability, which models stand out as the most collectible (this is usually a much easier task in double-judged classes versus straight collectability classes). For workmanship, what horses stand out in the quality of the work done? Once the top contenders are selected, it's pretty quick to place them on a second or third pass. Usually for me, minor flaws do not even make it into my consideration when judging. It's something that is used as a nitpicky tie breaker if I'm stuck between two equally fantastic models. 

    

        No one has time to examine every horse closely in a class like this

Minor flaws in original finish models are generally out of the control of the shower, so I'm more willing to give them a pass. Things that can be controlled, like breed assignments and dust are things I'm going to weigh more heavily than a flaw I know an entire run has. Think of the mane seams on the Fireheart and Cosimo molds - if the entire run has it, it's not a flaw. I'm less forgiving of these on customs and artists resins - sanding seams and fixing issues are an essential part of the prep work that goes into customizing. 

Essentially, major flaws are things that should keep a model off a show table - major rubs, seam splits, broken limbs and ears. Minor flaws, especially ones on the offside of a model that the judge has to see from the opposite side of a table are easily and often overlooked in the short time a judge has to look at a class. In a smaller class size, judges may have more time to look over a model. In larger classes, the judging process is much quicker - a judge will mentally have their top horses, and if the others don't make it past that initial first cut, they probably will not get a closer look. There simply isn't the time for that. 

LSQ is a subjective term. One person's standards are not necessarily another person's. For me, as a judge, as a shower, as a collector, minor flaws won't stop me from pinning or showing a horse.