Breyer Horse Holiday: Jewel The Holiday Horse

The crisp air is blowing through and frost is on ground, the seasons are changing and the holidays are rolling in. As happens every year, Breyer has rolled out an entire line of beautiful Breyers that can make their way into your home this holiday season, including, Jewel, the official holiday horse of 2010!

This fantastic warmblood is a nice change from the typical holiday horse featuring a beautiful buckskin coat, in the past the favorite color of Breyer holiday horses has been a shade of grey. This stunning buckskin color is very deep and vibrant and his black mane and tail create a stark contrast that makes him truly pop! This model is done on the Show Jumping Warmblood mold that has seen many different colors but never one like this! This mold also features two mold variations, one with a braided mane and tail and one with a loose mane and tail. Jewel is featured on the loose mane and tail version giving him a sense of being wild and free!

His name isn’t Jewel for nothing, his beautiful costume is adored with jewels all over. This stunning outfit begins with a bejeweled bridle that is covered nearly entirely with rhinestones. The reins are beaded with white and crystal beads that cascade through his mane as well. Large tear drop crystals hang from the strings of beads that trail down his neck and mane. His costume is something of holiday delight. With and elegant scroll shape, his green and red costume is truly a sight to be seen. With golden embroidery throughout the entirety of the costume, Jewel is the king of the party. His green costume is lined with thick golden trim that features jeweled crystals appliqued on. Even the green fabric is emblazoned with crystal jewels throughout the embroidery. The seat of the costume is red and bright with a rolled saddle horn and golden and jeweled accents. The same jewels that create the reins trail down in strands covering the tail of the horse creating an amazing sparkle! A festive golden base finishes off Jewel and with that he’s ready to gallop into your home.

Visit Golden Oak Stables today for all your holiday needs and bring home a bit of the season today!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Collecting: Keeping your models clean!

It doesn’t matter if you have one horse or a thousand, your collection tends to collect dust! You also might find that your horses will collect dirt in other ways, or you purchase a model second hand and it didn’t come to you as clean as a new horse might.  If this has ever happened to you, there’s no need to be apprehensive; cleaning a model is simple and easy to do!

Dusting is probably the biggest need that you’ll ever have in caring for your collection. There is no real harm in leaving dust on your collection, but it certainly looks nicer, especially on glossy models, to have them dust free. Depending on your collection size, this can be a daunting task. One choice is to put the horses in a cabinet behind glass. The glass will keep them virtually dust free as well as providing some protection from every day.

For those ponies you can’t put behind glass, dusting is necessary. Do not use any polishes or cleaners on your models. Furniture spray is going to change the finish of your model, which is a bad idea. It was once acceptable to polish your models with this, which creates a glossier finish which was desirable for live showing. This is highly discouraged today and not acceptable for showing or resale. It is a good idea to stay away from this. One of the simplest ways to dust your models is using the canned air normally used for electronics. This way you won’t have to move any of your models or put them back! You can also use commonly used methods to dust your horses like a feather duster or a clean cloth.

Washing them is much more simple. For models that might have a little dirt on them, a few drops of dishwashing soap added to a few cups of water will make a good soap mixture and can be used on a rag to wipe off any dirt. For models that might have a little more dirt or perhaps some paint added on after the model left the factory, Lestoil is a cleaning solution that will take nearly anything off a model and leave the original finish. Use a highly diluted solution and soak your model for an hour or so and repeat if necessary.

Plastic models might not have the same upkeep as their real life counterparts, but they still require a little cleaning now and again. With the tips above though, this can be a simple and easy task. Good luck!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Collecting: Getting Creative Around The House!

What does your stable look like? You probably have a myriad of horses, maybe a barn, some saddles and things like that, right? Well you can fill that stable with things around your home that will make your horses happy as can be! Its not only that, there are things all over your house that you can use for your Breyers!

In the stable yard you might be surprised to know that you can find lots of things that with a little creativity make great items for your models! One of my favorites is the bag that you find whole garlic in, this little mesh bag can be tied up to make a fantastically realistic hay net! If you’d like to fill that net, shredded small animal bedding can double as not only feed but also as bedding for your horse.

For you western buffs, you can take an old soup can (or three!), remove the labels and paint them up to make barrels for your favorite western games. These are in perfect scale for most Traditional horses and can even be used in live shows competitively! If you’ve got a model with a taste for speed, a carefully cut pipe cleaner can be bent over the noseband of a bridle to make a padded nose band for those racing events, or you can make an easy shipping halter too! Just make sure not to leave any sharp edges, they can scratch you model!

If you have an eye for photography, a simple blue cloth can be used as a beautiful backdrop to create some stunning images! Pair this with a bit of dirt on a hard surface and you’ll have a photo ready to win in any photoshow! Remember to use even lighting, sitting a model by a window will help you get some sun, but just make sure it isn’t direct light!

Speaking of light, do you have a model that isn’t quite as bright as it could be? Even the yellowest model can be fixed with something we all have right at our fingertips, sunlight! Sitting a model in a bright window can brighten a model up in a matter of days, weeks or months depending on the model and the intensity of the sunlight. Keep an eye on your model though, colors can fade along with the yellow in the sunlight.

Head on over to Golden Oak Stables to fill your stable with all the models and accessories you might need, and then get creative!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Holiday: 2010 Ornaments

If you are like me, I get excited for the holiday season and the decorating that comes with it. One of my favorite holiday traditions is putting up my Christmas tree and decorating it with ornaments. Each year I decorate my tree with my cherished ornaments including some of my favorites, my Breyer ornaments! Each year Breyer releases a new group of ornaments produced only for a few months each year; collectible as they are beautiful, these are a wonderful collection to begin or to sustain from Golden Oak Stables!

Jewel is reproduced in a miniature form for the 2010 Stirrup Ornament. This is a popular and favorite among collectors and can be found on many trees. Cantering through a silver stirrup, Jewel is an exact replica of his larger counterpart and brightens up any tree. It not only features the year on the stirrup itself but it also has a clear jewel hanging above Jewel!

A classic to be cherished is the Golden Memories Keepsake Box Ornament. This ornament is a beautiful laying mare in palomino pinto. Opening up to feature an adorable little keepsake box to hold your memories or special trinkets, this will become a favorite for years to come.

Whimsical and classic, the 2010 Whimsical Glass Globe Ornament is a touch of vintage flare. Inside the blown glass globe is an appaloosa foal poking around a fireplace on Christmas Eve.

One of the most popular series to collect is the Beautiful Breeds Ornament. This year Breyer has given us an adorable Welsh Pony that wears a pair of red bows perfect for the holiday season!

11th in the series, the Carousel Ornament comes this year in a beautiful chestnut with blue tack in various shades. This beautiful horse has a whimsy and classic feel and will bring that to any tree!

The Glass Blown Ornament for 2010 is stunning to say the least. This buckskin horse wrapped in an evergreen wreath features not only a maroon blow on the wreath but also a red ribbon to hang on your tree.

Last, but certainly not least is the 2010 Artist Signature Ornament. This year it features the work of Sue Sifton, one of Breyer’s premier artists and has artwork from her on both sides as well as snowflakes cascading down the ornament.

One of the most exciting ways to bring the holidays and your hobby together, the 2010 Breyer Ornaments are sure to please and amaze, visit Golden Oak Stables today for more ways to brighten up your holidays with Breyer!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Calling All Collectors! What Do You Know About Breyer Horses?

What do you know about Breyers? Would you like to share your knowledge with others? Golden Oak Stables has an opportunity for you!

Calling all collectors! Golden Oak Stables is looking for you to share your  knowledge with others! Customizers, Tack Makers, Collectors and Breyer Lovers alike, we are looking for you!

Get out your pen and paper, put your nose to the grindstone,  and write an article for Stable News. Articles of any subject relating to Breyers are acceptable and encouraged, from collecting information to customizing, tack making to live showing, no subject is off topic. This is your chance to share your knowledge with others and see your writing on the Stable News blog which reaches hundreds of viewers each day!

There are a few criteria to follow when creating and submitting your article:

1. Articles must be sent to Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com
2. Articles should be approximately 400-500 words long.
3. Publication will be at the sole discretion of Golden Oak Stables.
4. Submission does not ensure publication.
5. Articles may be edited for grammar and spelling if necessary.
6. Photos are permitted and encouraged in many cases; please email them with your submission.
7. Any photos must be original photographs taken by you.
8. All submissions must be original works of writing.

So get your pens ready and your word processor turned on and start writing! Golden Oak Stables is looking for YOU!
~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Showing: Are You Ready For The Winner’s Circle?

Bringing home the blue ribbon is exciting, and bringing home a champion rosette is even more exciting. Model horse showing is a way to get the exciting action of horse showing in a smaller package! Showing with your Breyers is just as competitive and exciting, its also just as fun!

Have you been campaigning your favorite Breyer this year? Do you have one that has won big? Breyer is calling for all model horse showers to send in their big winnings to be in Just About Horses’ “Winner’s Circle”. This section of the magazine features Breyer horse shower’s winnings and their stories of success!

Tell Your Model Horse Show Story to Winner’s Circle!
If you are doing well showing your models at model horse shows, you could be an inspiration to someone who’s just starting out! We are looking for junior and adult competitors to feature in Winner’s Circle in Just About Horses magazine. Send us information about yours…elf (name, address, age, phone number) the show where you did well (including your classes), and a picture of your winning entry. You can look at Winners’ Circle in your Just About Horses magazine, and follow the format to provide information. The image must be a jpeg attachment, 300dpi, 4” by 6”. Send us the information right away with a phone number to editor@reevesintl.com and you may find yourself featured in the Winners’ Circle!

So if you’ve got a big winner in your stable send in your photo to JAH at editor@reevesintl.com! If you don’t have a big winner yet, why not find a show in your area? Shows are finishing up for 2010 but 2011 is bound to be full of Breyer horse shows all over the country! If you are in the New England area there are 5 Golden Oak Stables events planned for next year! Two novice shows will take place along with two open, NAN Qualifying (Pending), shows and workshop day!

TENTATIVE 2011 SCHEDULE
March 26, 2011: Saddle Up for Spring Youth/Novice Model Horse Show
April 30, 2011: Open Model Horse Show
June 25, 2011: Workshops
August 27, 2011: Youth/Novice Model Horse Show
October 22, 2011: New England Fall Live Model Horse Show

So send those winners in to JAH and you might just end up in the Winners Circle! If your stable doesn’t have any big winners yet, start planning for next year, you won’t regret it!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Collecting: Who is your Favorite?

What makes a Breyer special? The attention to detail? The stunning realism? The variety of breeds? All of these things make Breyer different and special from every other model horse out there, but is there one in your collection that stands out? One that warms your heart when you think about it?

We all have a special horse or two in our collection that creates an emotion, one or two that reminds us of a special time or a special memory. Many of us fondly remember our first Breyer. Was your first handed down to you from a parent, friend or family member? Many collectors have found their way into the hobby through a friend or family member and often models are handed down from one to another. These models obviously find a special place in the heart of the collectors and its easy to see why.

What about that special horse that you’ve pined over for years upon years? Perhaps a rare model that you been waiting to find? What about that model that you imagined under your Christmas tree or begged for as a birthday gift? That rare and coveted model often finds a place in the heart of the collector after the chase. The chase is one of the most exciting parts of collecting, collecting all the horses of your dreams can often be difficult and sometimes a bit frustrating, but it makes the prize that much sweeter.

Many collectors find ways of remembering special events through their models. On vacation, bringing home a model is a fun way to remember a special trip. A trip to the beach and a model to remember, or bringing home a race horse from your trip to the Kentucky Derby is a poignant way to  both collect and remember your trip!

So what is your favorite model? What makes it special? My favorite model is a bit of all of the above categories. On my first trip to Breyerfest in 1994 I purchased one horse: a model by the name of Gem Twist, a famous show jumper. I pined over him for quite some time. As time went on we had some wonderful times galloping around my carpet corral and now each time I look at him I’m filled with great memories of my collection and from my first trip to Breyerfest.

So what makes your favorite model special?

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Real Life Breyer Horses: Zenyatta Gets Ready to Make History!

There have been many great race horses in the world, from Man O’War who won nearly every race he ran in and sired hundreds of champions, to Secretariat that won the Belmont by an astonishing 31 lengths capturing the 1973 Triple Crown.  But one horse is at the top of everyone’s mind coming into this weekend’s Breeders Cup races: Zenyatta.

This mare with a huge stature and an even bigger winning record is setting the world on fire. Unheard of for a mare, Zenyatta has won every race she’s raced in, 19 total, and will go for number 20 on Saturday. Saturday will also be a day of bittersweet joy for Zenyatta lovers, as this will be her last race before going off to breeding to create new champions! Attempting to go 20 for 20 is nearly unheard of, especially in such prolific races, and even then, Zenyatta is a mare racing among the boys! No mare has ever achieved what she has, and no stallion for that matter either!

She races Saturday in the Breeders Cup Classic which is considered to be the most prestigious race in the United States. This race takes place at Churchill Downs on Saturday, November 6th and puts Zenyatta against the best of the country. This will not be an easily won race! Former Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird will be headed out the gate and the very strong Quality Road will be there too. Those are just a couple of from the thick field that Zenyatta will have to contend with to make her record 20 for 20, but if anyone could do it, this Super Mare could!

You can have your very own Super Mare, Zenyatta from Golden Oak Stables. Breyer has created this beautiful and stunning mare in her iconic “jig” dancing her way to the starting gate. She’s full of spunk and vigor and ready to race into the winners circle of your stables.

Check your local listings to watch Zenyatta this weekend, and hold your own Zenyatta close as she crosses the finish line! We’ll all be rooting for you Zenyatta!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com