The Breyer SpotLight: Your Horse Model Market ResourceHi <
Personal Note: Time CrunchIt is almost the end of August and summer has flown by way too fast. Does it seem that way for you as well? Still loads of things going on and to try and get done before the kids get back into school…or here on the farm, before snow flies. We've been so busy that here it is Friday, and we normally send this ezine out on Thursdays! My husband and I are working hard at getting our Quarter Horses into shape and working on our marketing to find new homes for each of them. It's seems that it is always challenging to work with or between the weather systems that move through. To help us out with our “time crunch” Friend, Collector, Writer, and Quarter Horse person Diane Maccani has agreed to write a few articles for us. Diane has been involved with collecting Breyer Models for some time and has gone on to not only show her models but to organize shows as well. She has even started making costumes and tack for the models they show. So needless to say, I was very excited when she agreed to put together some tips for the Breyer SpotLight! This week is an introduction so that you can get to know Diane a bit, and then we will see what kind of cool tips she can share with us in the coming months. And don't be afraid to let us know if you have any questions for her; we will certainly let her know and ask her to answer them in the next issues of the Breyer SpotLight. Also, we have a new Featured Collector Of The Month! Yea!! Check out her information after the article. Without further ado, here's Diane…. Today’s Article: My Model Horse Adventure by Diane MaccaniMy husband can be credited with (or as he says blamed for) our start with Breyer horses. Many, many years ago he came home from a hunting trip with a Breyer horse and a Brenda Breyer rider doll for our daughters. Over the years, birthdays and Christmas added to their collection of Breyer animals. They were well played with and ended up chipped, rubbed, and scratched. They were loved by our two girls who grew up to be horsemen. The girls had great adventures with their Breyer horses. They showed at AQHA circuits on their American Quarter Horses, but at home with their Breyer horses, they could show many breeds at their 'mock' horse shows. As the girls got older, their horses were carted to 4-H meetings for use in demonstrations. Colors, parts of the horse, and conformation were all explained with the use of their Breyer horses. When the girls moved to their own homes, the Breyer horses were packed in boxes and moved too. They were unpacked when our grandchildren started arriving. Once again these horses had the job of teaching young horse lovers about horses. In September 2007, I was at a horse fair to promote my horse book series. The fair had a model horse show. I had heard about these shows, but I didn't know anything about them. I left a friend at my book-selling booth so I could check out the model show. It only had halter classes, was NAN sanctioned, and had 84 entries. By the time the show was over, I was hooked. Ideas were spinning in my head. Since I am a crafty-type person, I could imagine all kinds of fun with model horses. I got into model showing because it was something I could do with my family who are horsemen. Since we live in a pleasure area with mainly Quarter Horses, I thought it would be a fun way for the grandchildren to learn about different breeds, riding disciplines, events, and classes that we don't usually see. I don't intend to get into showing models big-time or on a national level. I don't see us ever going to the Nationals with our entries that have won NAN cards. I'll probably never make a really fancy tooled western saddle, but I enjoyed making a working saddle. I plan to keep learning about and showing model horses as long as my grandchildren want. My pleasure in model horses comes from thinking up scenes for performance classes and then making them as realistic as I can, so the grandkids can learn about the wonderful adventure of horses. Update: New Featured Collector of the Month Beth Hales!Beth credits her Grandfather for her passion for collecting Breyer Models. Now with her focus on mules and donkeys she is selling her entire Breyer's collection to some lucky collector! Read more about her story and her collection here: Until next time, enjoy Collecting! Bonnie |
