Model horse

While MHN remained largely in the original tradition of Julips, etc., TIA promoted realism through custom Breyers.

TIA changed its name to Model Horse International (MHI) to reflect its move away from purely Arabian interest, but the magazine folded around 1989.

During the 1960s, hobbyists such as Ellen Hitchins, Simone Smiljanic, and Marney Walerius began to organize photo shows.

One of the earliest known clubs was the IMHA, or International Model Horse Association, which was run by Hitchins and Smiljanic.

Many young hobbyists got their start after reading a short article about model horse collecting, which was published in the March 1969 issue of Western Horseman magazine.

Other companies such as Isis, Pegasus, and Otway, soon released their own lines of latex composition (the forerunner of resin) equines.

Hobby artist Donna Chaney, known for her porcelain figures, introduced a small number of latex equine molds known as RubberNedz in 2015.

The mission of this new enterprise is to produce accurate and high quality examples of British breeds which are underrepresented in the plastic arena dominated by USA-based companies.

In the late 1940s - early 1950s, Hartland Collectibles and Breyer Animal Creations (now a division of Reeves International) began producing realistic injection moulded plastic model horses.

Most of Breyer's original horses, dogs and cattle were sculpted by Chris Hess, though many artists have contributed to create a wide variety of breeds and poses.

Hartland Collectibles changed ownership many times throughout their history and suffered devastating flooding in 1986 and 1994 which damaged product and machinery.

Companies such Grand Champion, Blue Ribbon, Creata, and many others produce some form of model horse, but these are generally considered too toy-like to be of major interest to collectors.

The very first were castings taken from customized Breyers, issued by Black Horse Ranch owned by the late Karen Grimm.

Resin models - high-quality castings of an original artist's sculpture - are typically sold unpainted, ready to finish by the customer.

A resin can be an affordable way to own a favorite artist's work, with the price dependent on the rarity of the piece.

Due to the vast amount of model horses available, some hobbyists collect only one kind of breed, scale or particular mold.

While most model horses are sold as toys, some, like resins, are delicate, much more expensive and are not made for children.

Common plastic model horses may be bought from toy stores, tack shops, authorized dealers or other collectors.

However, in the late 1970s, British artists finally gained access to Breyers (which were not then commercially available in the UK), and began to rework them using more sophisticated techniques in a deliberate attempt to replicate the realism of the du Boulay Rydals.

Mohair is generally used, though some artists use glue-coated embroidery thread to great effect creating something between a sculpted and haired appearance.

A piece of tape is also placed on the back, on which the shower writes down the numbers of the classes in which the horse will be entered.

A showholder may place a horse based on quality of photo, accuracy of breed depiction, and condition.

More recently, photo shows posted on the Internet have eliminated the cost of postage and long wait for returns.

If a shower belongs to a club, they may record points earned from their horses' placings for year-end awards.

There are many clubs that hold periodic—often monthly—photo or online shows that allow members the opportunity to earn points for their horses that may be applied to end-of-the-year and cumulative awards.

The show and the qualification cards carry a lot of prestige in the hobby world - a model which is "NAN qualified" goes up in value.

Places may be awarded by pairing a model with a real participant whose luck it shares, or in the case of racing, with reference to a sophisticated handicapping system.

Knowledge of leather stamping, carving, dying, and sewing are all skills the model horse tackmaker uses in his or her craft.