My Breyer Stablemates: G1 Drafter and another Appaloosa

Breyer figures are sculpted by reputated sculptors of equine models. Britains horse were sculpted by talented sculptors that were not specifically dedicated to horses and they are part of a farm series, the horses, not the sculptors. Their materials and production methods are completely different, our Kristie knew a lot about it but she is not active on forum anymore.
I am sure Susanne will help you with colors but you couldn't start with a more difficult question. Palominos and Flaxen chestnuts are very hard to distinguish, they look almost the same even with real horses. Sometimes only a DNA test can tell. If it was not enough, I also don't know why your last horse is called a Chestnut Appaloosa once as far as I know, an Appaloosa has always a spotted pattern even if it is over a chestnut base color. We can't tell an Appaloosa through its conformation once it is a color breed. Oh, too confuse for me, I think both Rogers need help.

Yes, horse colours are very confusing for me. I wondered whether Breyer always makes their horses in colours that are possible for the breed or whether they also use non-existing colours (OK, I know they make pink and purple horses). But a chestnut Appaloosa appears to be possible although this one doesn't have a flaxen mane and tail: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This third model is also a beauty, and interesting to read your views on Britains vs Breyer horses, and I definitely agree with what you say, each has their own unique style! I just love the movement in this model, Breyers are always so eye-catching!

Appaloosa is a color breed, but not all horses of the Appaloosa breed will exhibit Appy patterning. It is generally considered a rather minor fault, after all the definition of the breed IS the pattern, but owners/breeders didn't want to disqualify otherwise quality animals because they don't have any of the patterns. The breed is almost straight Quarter Horse genetics anyhow in practice. Same is true for the Paint breed in the US, really just Quarter Horses that hopefully exhibit pinto patterning. The Quarter Horse breed only allows so much white also, so QH foals that are born with too much white on the face or above the knees are instead registered as Paints.

Chestnut with flaxen mane and/or tail and palomino can look almost identical, though the genes are different. That Paso is dark for a palomino, but it is possible. In real life, a flaxen mane/tail would probably show a few darker hairs at the base, and have a little darker pigment than in a palomino.

Breyer has often made models in colors not found in a given breed (i.e. palomino Arabians) or age group (grey/white foals) as well as fantasy colors.

Thank you, that is very informative. Perhaps I should try to find Breyers that have the right colours for the breed. Would a horse expert be able to recognise what breeds the Breyer sculpts are, or are they not that accurate? And would a horse expert be able to see the difference between most horse breeds or are they often so close that only the horse's ancestry can tell them what the breed is? I can hardly see the difference between a Shetland pony and a thoroughbred, so I have no idea.

By the way, I have quite a few snow white Britains horses.

rogerpgvg wrote:

Thank you, that is very informative. Perhaps I should try to find Breyers that have the right colours for the breed. Would a horse expert be able to recognise what breeds the Breyer sculpts are, or are they not that accurate? And would a horse expert be able to see the difference between most horse breeds or are they often so close that only the horse's ancestry can tell them what the breed is? I can hardly see the difference between a Shetland pony and a thoroughbred, so I have no idea.

By the way, I have quite a few snow white Britains horses.

Roger, if you want to use your figures to learn more about breeds, it is much easier if you start with more traditional colors for each breed. I don't believe that even experts can identify your Appaloosa but if your choice was this color everyone could know what it is. However, I think you should get what you like to keep your collecting joy.
Some breeds are too close, for example, even Kelly, Susanne or other more horse versed collectors, can't probably tell an Andalusian from a Lusitano. Even Shires and Clydesdales are hard to tell although these two have differences that can be noticed if the figures are accurate. I am sure you can tell a Thoroughbred from a Shetland,, even I can tell it. For example, I find many warmblood breeds very hard to identify but there are some breeds of horses easy to tell like Arabians, Fjords, Icelandics, Gypsy Vanners, Friesians, Dartmoors, Akhal-tekes, etc.

Congrats on another beauty!

For the most part, Breyers sculpts are very nice, and in many cases a breed could be told- but like Croger said, many breeds have similar type, and this is before you throw in cross breeds. Crossbreeding in horses is much more accepted than in say dogs, some breeders only produce crossbreeds. And sometimes with color breeds, the horse can be of any breed or mix as long as it has the color/pattern. Also, breeding trends may lead one breed to a strong resemblance to another, and strains within a breed may be markedly different. But in a fair percentage of Breyers, a breed might be at least tentatively assigned.

Thank you. So far I have chosen the sculpts that I like most and then found the colour that I like best for that sculpt. But I have started to realise that I usually end up with a shade of brown. It may be a useful strategy to select colours that are most typical for the breed so that I get more colour variation.

My next Breyer is their standing stock horse (2019-2020, sculpt 2006). Wikipedia tells me that stock horses aren't a breed, but can refer to a variety of breeds that are used for work on a ranch. I think it is a very elegant horse and I like the colour (bay) a lot:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Stock horses often have well developed hindquarters and this one definitely has:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

It is the largest of my Breyers so far with a hip height of 5.5 cm, which is 176 cm in 1:32 scale. Certainly a very large horse.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

In the meantime, a couple of others have already arrived, but I haven't managed to take photos yet.

Roger I wish I had all the Stablemates but because there are so many I have begun to narrow mine down to the Paints/Pintos,Appaloosas,Duns and Roans and the Draught horses.Lovely new model that you have decided to get.Palominos and light chestnut with flaxen mane and tail can be hard to tell apart but its definitely not a chestnut Appaloosa!Here are a few more colour variations of the model.
Also here with a Native American rider[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Also if you were looking to get a new model the maybe look out for the Stablemate mule.I don't have very many as they are quite hard to get.I would think they are Mammoth Jack Mules by the way they are built.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

What a beauty, so majestic and with such a wonderful colour! Breyer horses really are treasures!

Another wonderful model and here he is in other colours!
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks for showing me some more! I think prefer the single-coloured horses rather than pintos or spotted horses. Having said that, I don't have any pintos or spotted horses, so it is quite possible that I like them when I have them. It is often difficult to get a good impression of a figure from photos. Your rightmost Appaloosa does look very good. My Britains and Hausser Elastolins are also all single-coloured, so I can definitely use some more variation. Many dilemmas for a Breyer collector!

Taos wrote:

Palominos and light chestnut with flaxen mane and tail can be hard to tell apart but its definitely not a chestnut Appaloosa!

Do you mean it isn't chestnut or doesn't look like an Appaloosa?

I'll look out for the mule, it looks great.

Doesn't look like an Appaloosa.Appaloosa horses also have other characteristics and not just a spotted coat.As Kelly has pointed out not all spotted horses are Appaloosas and not all Appaloosas are spotted!

So the sculpt doesn't look like an Appaloosa or is it just the colour that is wrong for an Appaloosa? Sorry, still confused .

You're right, this last horse is a very beautiful one and with a classic pose that do not shock too much with your Britains. Here is a good example of a horse whose breed is hard to tell. However, it seems this mold is used also as an American Quarter Horse, the stock type, of course. It fits also with the size of the model once they are really tall horses.

Your chestnut looks like a flaxen chestnut Quarter Horse to me, which could possibly be an Appaloosa without any Appy characteristics. Besides the spots (in a variety of distinct patterns), Appaloosa characteristics include mottled skin and striped hooves. Many of the original Appaloosas also had sparse manes and tails (rat tails).

Your bay definitely looks like a Quarter Horse to me. The huge fanny is strongly bred for. 'Stock horse' generally means a Quarter Horse, related breed (i.e. Appys/Paints), mix with those breeds, or a grade horse that generally looks to be of that type. We had Arabs that were working ranch horses, but they wouldn't be considered stock horse type. It has nothing to do with their skills, use or abilities, just physical type.

Beautiful growing collection! I myself have found I am partial to the horses of a different color, appaloosas, paints/pintos, roans etc. 

Those mules are so great Taylor! I need some myself but haven't come across any yet.

I would agree with Kelly totally with regards to the chestnut Appaloosa and the bay horse as well!

Thank you, I am learning a lot!

The poses of my horses (Breyers and others) are all quite similar, either standing, walking or running, so I thought I should get something a bit different. I bought this Mystery Foal Surprise box (2015-17):
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Besides the fact that the box had a good price, I mainly got it for the horse that Breyer calls “Reining”, a horse that is slipping while it is trying to stop (sculpt 2010). Perhaps not the most beautiful or elegant sculpt (rather embarrassing for the horse), but quite a unique pose, certainly in my horse stables:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I don’t know what breed it is, but he (it’s a stallion) is large. Perhaps a quarter horse as well? Apart from the pose, the grullo colour is new for me too. I have to say that I was deceived by Breyer’s marketing pictures, which show a much whiter horse:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Anyhow, it doesn’t matter too much; I am happy with the colour it has.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

It is strange that Breyer doesn’t have any lying (except foals) or feeding Stablemates. And not just Breyer, other companies also rarely make them. OK, horses can sleep while standing, but they do sometimes lie down, don’t they? They certainly have to eat. Are these poses considered too humble for the noble horse?

The other horse in the box is definitely a quarter horse because it is called the “loping quarter horse” (sculpt 2013). All my other Breyers have a soft satin shine, which doesn’t stand out amongst my other models. But this quarter horse is painted in a much glossier way. Not only that, she (it’s a mare) has kind of a golden shine. I said that I like shiny things, but this is a bit too much for me.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

She looks surprisingly elegant in my photos, but she has a huge bum. Well, what can she do about it, she was bred to look like that:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Together, the reining horse and loping quarter horse have a foal, hidden in the horse box. The idea is that the genetics of the grullo reining horse and the bay quarter horse predict the foal’s colour. What colour is it? To be revealed next time …

I love the poses of these horses- really interesting and a 5th and 6th beauty for your collection!