Model Horse Sales Pages by Best Model Horses
Model Horse Sales Pages
Model horses from Peter Stone and Breyer. Featuring highly collectible resin horse models for sale. Information on collecting, showing, and customizing model horses.
History of Model Horses
Model horses are also called toy horses. They are replicas, done to scale, of actual horses. They are highly collectible, and can be enjoyed by all ages and both genders. My wife and I personally collect model horses from around the world.
The hobby of collecting model horses began in both the UK and North America at the same time. Collectors also do so in Sweden, Germany, and Australia. Model horses can be collected, and they an also be shown. The activities that model horse collectors can participate in vary, and there are quite a few.
Model horses are similar to model cars or model trains, except that the model horses do not need to be assembled. However, they can be altered to the liking of the collector.
The first model horses were mass produced in the UK in the 1920s. Roy Selwyn-Smith was the first to create 54 mm horses, called minis. In 1969, Pamela du Bolay brought out the Rydal models, which were airbrushed sculptures that were highly accurate. Each of them was created by an original artist.
Plastic model horses became popular from the late 1940s through the 1950s. In the US, they were made by Harland Collectibles and Breyer Animal Creations. This company produced horses, dogs, and cattle which were sculpted by Chris Hess, and were made out of a durable plastic.
In the 1990s, Peter Stone started a company to produce model horses. Stone Horses produces a wide range of specialty and limited edition horses, in decorator colors.
There are many model horse activities that you might find yourself a part of. The first is collecting. Many people collect hundreds of model horses. They are quite affordable, and can be collected easily, and therefore it is very easy to collect more than you would ever be able to have in a lifetime. Many collectors attempt to keep things calm by only collecting one type of breed of horse, or one scale of models, or even one type of mold. Most of the time, models are at about a 1:9 scale, but some of them are very small, about the size of mice. Most of the time, a particular model will be available for a number of years in a particular color. Therefore, the collector will attempt to get a model in that color before they are no longer available. Many collectors will attempt to get the same model in many different colors, which is called a "conga line". Other collectors simply collect the models that catch their eye, or ones that they like, without worrying about different models or colors. Some collectors try to snap up the pieces that they feel will be more expensive and valuable later on, but there is never any guarantee as to which models will become more expensive as time goes on. Many collectors do so online, with sites such as eBay, because they can have many different models to choose from and can find mint condition models. Mint collection horses are the most prized when collecting, but many find that flawed models will make nice display pieces.
Another model horse activity that you might want to take part in is customizing. Many people were not content with the way that the model were produced in the factory, so they decided to customize them by adding hair, removing or changing the tails, or even changing the position of the horse or the color of the horse. The earliest customizations are now considered to be rather crude considering the way that the models look today. Many times people would change the colors with spray paint or markers, and would add fake fur for manes and tails. They would move the legs by heating the plastic with hair dryers or candles, and then reposition them.
Customizing became so popular that by the 1970s artists began to be much more sophisticated about it. They began to use airbrushes, mohair tops, and even epoxy putty in order to re-sculpt the horses. There are currently many artists who make their livings by customizing horses, and some of the artists are very sought after. Many times a custom horse that is well made will sell for hundreds of dollars on online auction sites.
Model horse showing is also a popular thing to do when you collect model horses. There are two different ways to show your model horse. You can do so through photo showing, or through live showing.
Photo showing is the best way for people who do not live near other collectors to show their horses. There are class lists that are published, and if a person wishes to enter their horse they can take a photograph of it and enter the contest for a fee. The photographs are usually taken against a background or even performing a horse event. The vitals for the horse are recorded on the back of the photo, along with the classes that the person wishes to enter the horses in. The classes are recorded on a piece of tape which can be erased for the next class showing. Once all of the photos have been received, they are judged and results are sent by mail. There are sometimes ribbons or small prizes that are won for the best models or the best photograph.
Live showing is very much different. Often people travel quite far to attend these types of shows. Each person who is attending will either get their own table or will bring their own table. Then, a person enters their horses into the correct classes and the horses are judged. The judges are looking for the condition of the model and the correctness of it. Some shows also have a class that is "collectibility", which judges how collectible the horse really is.
