Breyer Horse Collecting: Horses And Halloween

The spookiest of all holidays is among us and witches and ghouls are abound. What does this have to do with Breyer collecting? Everything of course! You can have a little bit of spooky fun with your Breyer horses and Golden Oak Stables. All you need is a little creativity!

One of the most exciting parts of Halloween are the costumes, and it’s no surprise that real horse owners have long since gotten into the spirit of Halloween with their horses. The question is, what’s stopping Breyer collectors from doing the same? Creating a costume for your Breyer can be just as fun as crafting one for yourself and you can even use it after Halloween has passed. Many photo and live  shows have costume classes that your creation can be entered in! So, there’s not only the chance for some spooky fun, but there’s also a chance at a blue ribbon! Materials like felt, embroidery thread and even the same materials that you use for your own costume are good starters for your model costume. What can you create?

Another fun way to celebrate the holiday is by decorating your stable or collection with a fall or Halloween theme. This can truly bring the spirit of the season to your collection, and switch things up a bit. Some collectors create seasonal scenes that their horses can be photographed on for fun and competition! Things like Halloween decorations can be creatively used, but be careful to stay in scale with your models, some may be far too large. Also, things from outside like branches and dried leaves can be creatively used to give your photos a spooky and realistic touch! Don’t forget the fake cobwebs, those always make things that much more frightful. Once you’re done, snap away and share the results!

With a bit of creativity you can share the fun of the season with your Breyer horses, and not just Halloween, all seasons! With a bit of craft and a lot of fun, you can bring every season and holiday to your collection!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse New Releases: Are You Ready For 2014?

Excitement is in the air as Breyer releases the first of what will be many new horses for 2014! Horses big and small have made their way into Golden Oak Stables and are almost ready to make their way into your stable. As we await their official arrival, let’s take a closer look at the new horses for 2014!

Making their way in first is the 2014 Horse Of The Year!  This year, a metallic palomino Appendix Quarter Horse takes the spot as the Horse Of The Year. Amelia, as she has been named, is a cross between a Thoroughbred and a Quarter Horse, giving her the title of an Appendix Quarter Horse.  This beautiful gal is sure to get anyone excited wherever she goes!

New in the Traditional lineup is a stunning deep bay Peruvian Paso, RCH Ventarrones! He brings the beauty and uniqueness of this South American horse breed to collectors. There’s also a star of the endurance world coming to the stable, OT Sara Moinet RSI!  This stunning liver chestnut Arabian mare has become a star in the Endurance world in just a few short years. This mare has it all, and brings her tenacity to collectors all over the world. If you’re looking for something a little smaller, Magic and Hamlet might be your answer. These two miniature horses are small in size but huge in personality! These two miniature horses have more than looks going for them, they travel and visit the sick and elderly as trained therapy horses!

In the classics world there’s two new book sets from the famous author Pippa Funnell, The Event Horse and The Dream Horse. These book sets feature a novel and a portrait classic scale Breyer horse for you to create your own adventures with! There’s also new sets of mares and foals in the classic stable that will have us all making room for momma and baby.  There is an Appaloosa mare and foal,  a Dartmoor mare and foal and lastly a Morgan mare and foal all ready to head into your stable!  There’s also a New Arrival set that will have us all excited for spring!

With such exciting horses already, there’s no telling what 2014 will continue to bring, the real question is, where will you start?

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Accessories: Transporting In Style

When you think of transporting your Breyers, you might think of moving with them or taking them to a show, but what a bout just for fun? Golden Oak Stables brings you an accessory that will not only add fun to your stable, but realism too!

The ultimate accessory for any Breyer Collector or any horse lover is a way to transport their horses to and from. Breyer has created the perfect way to bring your horses to a show, another barn or just around your own stable, the Dually Truck and Trailer Set! This set bring realism to a new definition in the model horse world creating a near perfect miniature of the trucks and trailers you would find at any stable!

The truck is a beautiful burgundy Dually with all of the bells and whistles. It’s large extended cab is perfect for hauling hay, tack or just a few riders around the farm. It’s accented in silver chrome which gives it a slick look and horse decals on each door make it clear what kind of work this truck’s in! The fun doesn’t stop there, the hood, doors, hitch and tailgate are all working parts letting your truck do all it’s meant to on your farm!

The two horse trailer is just as realistic as it’s powerhouse of a truck. This white trailer has been accented in red, blue and chrome making it the perfect match for the truck, down to the logos that both of them carry. The trailer opens from the rear to load two horses into divided stalls with floormats and chain rails that make it seem ever so real! A front door allows your riders to feed and check on the horses and the rear dutch doors make loading and unloading a breeze!

There’s no better way than this to bring a new, fun accessory to your stable, and there’s no more stylish way to travel!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Collecting: Old Molds and New Molds

Collectors have a myriad of different terms that are used for many things in the hobby. There’s abbreviations, codes, terms and more that have made their way into the model horse collecting vocabulary. One of those terms has evolved over time to mean something new for the newest generation of collectors, New Mold and Old Mold. Do you know what they mean?

In the early days of Breyer collecting there was very little variation in the molds produced by Breyer. Any collector that was active before the 1990’s can tell you that there weren’t many models, and the colors didn’t change very often. During that time, it was a huge surprise for collectors when a new color was released and even more so when a new mold was released! This changed in the 1990’s with new technology and changes in collecting. New molds became available and became more frequent for collectors. New molds had once only been released once in a blue moon, but now collectors were able to add at least one, if not several new molds to their collection each year! This also was the time when Breyer brought new sculptors to collectors, many of which were talented hobby artists and collectors themselves.

With the latest generation of collectors, this time period has become the era that separates new molds from old molds. Old molds are generally thought of as sometimes having vintage qualities while new molds have one of an artistic touch. Both are still used often today and both are still loved and collected by collectors all over the world. Breyer has had fun with some older molds lately, releasing horses like the Western Pony with a vintage feel and the Appaloosa Performance Horse with a super realistic and updated paint job, giving him a stunning new look.

Do you prefer one over the other? Or is your collection a mix? Pay attention to the next horse you pick out from Golden Oak Stables to see what you collect most!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Collecting: 2013 Retired List

Breyers can’t stay in production forever, or else there wouldn’t be room for new Breyers to add to our stable. Each year, Breyer releases the Retired List with horses that are sadly making their way out of the stable and making room for other horses to gallop on in to Golden Oak Stables.

1434 CH Sprinkles – Champion Pinto American Saddlebred
1436 Spirit of the West
1441 Rocky Mountain Horse
1459 ASPCA Benefit Model Gift Set
1467 Cedric – Olympic Show Jumper
1473 TS Black Tie Affair – Pinto Half-Arabian
1480 Mistral Hojris – Dressage Champion
1483 Highland Pony
1484 Heartland High Tech – Hackney Pony
1486 Shetland Pony
1487 Clydesdale Mare and Foal
1491 Vintage Spotted Western Pony – Limited to 2013
1705 Pinto Sporthorse
10320 Elvis Presley’s Bear

Classic
6139 Samirah’s Ride Horse and Book Set
6146 Chico Horse and Book Set
61063 Shipping Set 6 pc Asst
61066 Doll and Accessories 6 pc Asst
61080 Gift Set 6 pc Asst
62030 Classics Horse & Foal 6 pc Asst
62031 Grey Thoroughbred & Foal
62032 Appaloosa & Foal
62033 Bay Warmblood & Foal
62113 2013 Horse of the Year – Mariah, Morab

Stablemates

5933 Country Wagon
5950 Petting Zoo
5951 Play Mat
5951DISP Play Mat Display

The 2013 retired list has many favorite on it, including Olympian Cedric, Hartland High Tech and CH Sprinkles! These models have become fast favorites for collectors and lovers of their real life counterparts. There’s also some surprises on there, like the Pinto Sport Horse who has only seen a short time in the Breyer stable. There’s also quite a few retired classic models including three mare and foal sets and the Horse Of The Year, Mariah.

This all may seem like a lot, but don’t fret, it happens every year, and come January there will be a group of new horses to add to your collection. In between now and then,  you don’t want to miss your chance to add the soon to be retired models to your collection. Make a list, check it twice and be sure to find those models quickly because once they are gone, they’re gone for good. So, what do you need to grab before it’s gone?

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Collecting: How Do You Pick Your Next Horse?

One of the most difficult things for any collector to do is to pick out a new addition to their collection. No matter what the hobby, choosing what to add next is difficult for collectors all over the world!

Many collectors face the same dilemma when picking out a new horse for their collection, which one do I pick? With all of the beautiful horses from Golden Oak Stables, there’s no wonder why it’s so hard! Never the less, most of us can’t have every single Breyer, and we must pick what we add to our collection carefully.

It’s hard to figure out where to start when you have to narrow it down, but one easy thing to look for is, will I be able to get it in the future? Sometimes we don’t know this, but retired, discontinued and limited edition models only have so much time on their hands and do disappear after sometimes only a short period of time, so these often come to the top of collectors want lists.

If the models you are looking at aren’t limited or retired, then you might have a more difficult job on your hands. Looking at the horses on your wish list, collectors need to choose what models work best for their stable, or that they feel most strongly about. There’s been more than one time when I’ve fallen in love with a model unexpectedly, and they didn’t fit into my collection, but they made it to the top of my wish list anyways! Picking horses that you love to add to your collection will always assure you have a collection that means something special to you!

It may seem like a fun task to pick new horses for your collection, and bringing a new horse to the stable is always a good time, but with a little thought and planning you can have the collection of your dreams!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse New Releases: RCMP Musical Ride

One of the most iconic images of Canada that any horse lover will recognize is that of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. These mounted officers have long captured the wonder of their audiences all over the world! Now, Golden Oak Stables brings you a new addition to the stable with a Canadian flair!

Formed in 1920, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are arguably the most easily identifiable officers for so many. Their iconic red jackets and hats are a symbol of the Canadian way  of life and the beloved mounted police. The Musical Ride is a classic staple of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In this stunning performance, 32 horses and riders perform the classical cavalry drills that have been a part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for so many years. The Musical Ride performs all over the world, enchanting spectators with the talent and ability of these offices, both human and equine!

Breyer has created a horse celebrating these amazing horses and riders that perform the Musical Ride for so many. The RCMP Musical Ride is a stunning horse created on the mold of another Canadian superstar, Big Ben! The RCMP Musical Ride has been painted in the dark bay/black color that all of the horses of the musical ride are giving them uniformity and making the performance even more stunning! He is also featured with four bright whites and a large, bold star. He has one last touch that makes him stand out like no other. He wears a beautiful maple leaf on his hip. The real horses of the Musical Ride wear these leaves on their hips created by a stencil and wet brush, the resemblance is unreal!

You can bring a bit of Canadian history and nostalgia to your stable with this stunning new addition to the Breyer lineup. There’s no reason not to have a little Canadian pride when you look at the horses of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Collecting: Starting Your Breyer Tack Collection

Everyone’s collection takes a path that is different than the next, each is as unique as the collector themselves! Many collectors though, start off collecting horses and then some start adding things like tack and accessories to their collections. This is true for model horses showers too! If you’ve been waiting to add some tack to your collection, Golden Oak Stables has two sets that are perfect for giving your tack room a start or helping you to put your first performance entry into the show ring!

The Lets Go Riding Western Set is the perfect introductory set for the Western lover in all of us. This set includes everything you need to hit the trail or start working on the ranch. The set starts off with a palomino pinto stock horse that will brighten up your stable. Next is a lovely blonde cowgirl that will have your ranch working hard as she rides and works cattle. They come together with a western saddle, saddle pad and bridle that will get you started with all kinds of fun on the ranch!

The Lets Go Riding English Set is a magnificent way to start anyone in the saddle. It starts off with a beautiful chestnut Morgan mare with a kind and gentle demeanor. Her rider is a brunette who is dressed for a casual day of schooling and lessons. They come with their own set of tack including an English bridle, saddle and saddlepad. This pair is ready to teach a lesson or go for a fun and casual ride around the barn!

But that’s not where the fun stops, these sets open up a whole world of creativity for collectors. You can bring your own creativity to these sets to make them what you want! Add props, accessories and more to make a fabulous setup that is worthy of real life, or maybe even that coveted blue ribbon! Where will you start?

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Collecting: A World Of Talents

Talents range the gamut of the world, but all of us have something special about us that makes us unique. What’s fun about collecting Breyers is that so many of us have talents that we can use to create wonderful things for our Breyers!

Many collectors get curious once they start collecting about what they might be able to do for themselves. Crafts are a fun past time for so many and many hobbyists find pleasure in creating miniatures for their horses. Things like halters, hay nets, barns and stables are all things that can be created with just a little creativity and passion! These fun miniatures can bring a new life to your Breyer collection and realism to your stable.

Customizing is a popular activity for many Breyer collectors. With so many kits available from Golden Oak Stables, there’s no reason to not give it a try! Everyone starts off shaky, even the most talented of artists, but with some passion and determination you might just create a champion of your own.  With a variety of different mediums and scales, play around with customizing until you find out what works for you!

One talent you might not think of that can be fun for collecting is sewing. There are so many things you can do with a sewing machine, and it doesn’t stop with Breyer collecting. Seamstresses can make things like blankets for your horses to keep warm with, but they can also make things like protective pouches to carry your models to and from shows or for storage. For the seamstress that is ready to try her hand at miniature making, miniature doll clothing is a way to bring your sewing skills to your hobby, and a new wardrobe to your riders!

Everyone starts off slow, but determination can get you so far! What talents do you have? Everyone has something that they can share with the model horse hobby, what’s your talent?

 

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com