The Curious Compendium 2023 Tour Finale: Frenchies!

Thanks Katy! Papo figures are harder to come by in stores in the US, unless you get them online. And at least lately, horses haven't been my purchasing priority, hence why I have none (yet ).

Arabians!
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This is the breed that is most commonly quoted as being THE earliest ever (depending on how you look at details, this point can be argued); it has been recorded as being 5,000 years old and the first breed to be domesticated. Coming from the middle east they are desert adapted horses and are highly prized by the native locals there. This is a rather small breed in general with a delicate and light build. They have been hugely popular in the development of numerous other breeds across history and across the world! Their temperament is docile and curious; they have a bad rap for being a fiery hot tempered breed, but just like with any domestic animal this is something that crops up with poor breeding (not taking animals' temperament into account). They ARE highly intelligent though and because of this they can be easily trained to new things but can also be stubborn. There are several types of Arabians today (given their history and spreading popularity); the Crabet from England, the Egyptian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and the rare Shagya. Three distinctive Arabian studs are the responsible parties for the modern Thoroughbred; the Darley stud was born in Syria in 1700 and 95% of all males can trace their Y chromosome to him, the Godolphin stud born in Yemen around 1724 and is found in many of the great dam (female) lines, and the Byerley Turk whom may be Hungarian, Turkish, or English in origin and was born sometime around 1680 and also contributed heavily to breed development. If anyone is interested, these three sires have been HEAVILY studied both historically and genetically and there is lots of great reading about them and other breed developments.

Very interesting, I didn't know the three great sires of the breed at all. Arabians inevitably have a special place in a collection of horses, given everything they represent in the history of their domestication. I have to admit, though, that I'm not very fond of very graceful breeds; I have a penchant for hardier breeds or drafts. It doesn't matter though, as up to now I've only owned two Przewalski's.
However, in your collection my favourites are CollectA 88475 Arabian Mare Golden Chestnut, and Safari 151505 Arabian Mare.

Beautiful horse collection! My most favorite of them is the Collecta Tinker Stallion

Thank you both!

@Kiki, I also generally prefer draft breeds overall but the influence and the history that comes from the Arabian also intrigues me. I am equally sorry and glad to hear that I was able to inspire a fee more horses for the herd... My apologies anf congratulations my friend!

Akhal-teke, Abaco barb, Barb, Pintabian cross, and the Peruvian paso.
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Akhal-tekes were developed in Turkmenistan and have been favorite mounts for cavalries and racing for 3,000 years. They are a very rare breed today with only 7,000 animals globally. Surprising perhaps, especially given their very unique appearance of a metallic like coat of hair. This is due to an internal hair structure being absent/translucent which then consequently bends and refracts light.

The Abaco barb is a now extinct breed of horse. It was native to Cuba and the last animal of its kind, Nunki, died in 2015. So named after its island home, Great Abaco Island, it likely was descended from forestry animals left to be feral during the 19th century.

The Barb (or berber), a very different horse from the above described, comes from Northern African countries like Morocco and Tunisia. They often are mistaken for arabians, though the two breeds look very different (they do share a lot of their traits though such as speed, stamina, and desert hardiness). This sadly, is another breed on the decline in popularity.

The Pintabian is a horse of modern experiment. Tobiano colored horses were crossed to purebred arabians and so forth, until you had an animal with the spotted pattern but nearly 100% arabian blood when tested. The breed name was first used in 1992 amd officially coined for the breed in 1995. There is a registry for them but they continue to be quite rare in numbers as well.

Lastly, the Peruvian Paso comes from Peru and are descended from Spanish stock. Because it has been isolated from all other breeds for the last 500 years it is the only naturally gaited horse that can gaurantee this trait gets passed to 100% of its offspring. Today its often considered as the most historically significant domestic breed because of its selective breeding. The gaited movements themselves are unique from all other gaited breeds; they just have a different way of moving that hasn't been replicated by others since. The breed is a true Peruvian national treasure.

There is a lot of history to the Arabians and Akhal-tekes. I didn't know.

Just curious: I think you don't own a horse, but if you could have one, which breed would you choose and why?

Thanks Roger, I'm glad I could present some new information for you!

That is a good question... hmm... If I were in a position to own a horse myself I would probably choose a draft breed like the percheron or a heavier riding horse like the American mustang. I love both of those breeds for their look and what they represent of the American West.

I don't have all the knowledge for owning a horse though, so even if I were in a position to have one I still feel like I have a lot to learn about keeping one before even buying one!

For anyone interested, I do watch a channel on YouTube for this very reason. Its called the CleverCowgirl, she lives in Montana, and she rescues at risk horses from auctions and rehabs them to be someone's riding horse with a job (i.e. she figures out if the horse would be good at cow cutting, dressage, trail riding etc.). I personally like her channel a lot and she mirrors a lot of my thinking with my dogs and their care. Her training methods are spectacular and include giving the animals (often young and abused individuals) time to mature mentally and gives them space to learn at their pace. She also discusses management of such animals like the science of feed (i.e. grass has different levels of sugar in the blades throughout the day and this can heavily affect animals with hoof issues like laminitis), as well as medical treatments and even just things you wouldn't think about like types of fencing risks to horses. For anyone curious about horses and care I would highly reccomend.

Lovely selection again.
I managed to acquire the Breyer version of the Abaco barb many years ago while on holidays in the USA.

Thank you Taylor, and congrats! That was a great catch while on holiday!

Mixed draft breeds: Belgian, Suffolk Punch, and Ardennes!
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Belgian drafts are another draft breed believed to be descendants of war mounts from medieval times. They are very large animals, standing 16-18 hh at the withers and weighing around 1,8000 to 2,400 lbs. They come in bay, chestnut, sorrel and roan coloration, and around the 19th century it became "fashionable" to dock their tails. The development of the tractor ended their popularity in agricultural work, and today they are most commonly used as show animals. I got to meet Radar the "giant horse" and a Guiness world record holder (2006-2009) back around 2009 or so. He stood at 19.3 and a half hh, and weifhed more than 2,400 lbs. He could drink 20 gallons of water a day, and eat 40 lbs of hay and 18 lbs of grain per day!

The Suffolk punch is England's oldest draft breed dating back to the 16th century. This breed's registry only allows them to be chestnut in color! They are considered iconic in their home country of Suffolk, but have reduced in popularity enormously over the years, risking extinction. They suffer from a number of genetic issues: at one time the breed was considered to have terrible conformation when it came to feet. Closer scrutiny and the implementation of special foot conformation classes at shows has improved this drastically. They also suffer from infertility problems and its taken scientific testing such as sperm sexing to try and improve numbers for the breeding population.

Lastly, the Ardennes is from this region in France and is amongst the oldest documented draft breeds known (dating as far as 2,000 years ago!). Used for agriculture and war- Julius Caesar is believed to be the first general to use them in the military. The breed can be bay, roan, chestnut, gray, and palomino. Black can occur but is not registerable. This breed is also amongst the shortest of draft types standing at 15.3-16hh and are considered "economical" to feed considering their strength for feed/size ratio.

Trakehner!
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This breed originates in 13th century Prussia and gets its name from the Trakehnen stud farm established in 1732. The breed underwent a rennaissance when the farm wanted to refine its already large and athletic horses- they crossed them with arabians and thoroughbreds in the 1800s. The breed itself, a very refined warmblood, has consequently been used to refine other European sport horses (as mentioned in those breed bios). They are popular in disciplined sports like dressage, but are also commonly used for leisure riding. They come in nearly any color to boot. Their temperament is more even than other warmblooded horses, another reason for their popularity. They have won several Olympic gold medals in their history and are best known for their even "floating trot" movements.

Wow very beautiful collection.

Thanks for the little history lesson about each breed, it gives the showcase even more charm.

I'm really surprised by the difference in size between the two Belgian models. Is it the Safari Ltd that's so small, or is it the CollectA that's too big?
As for the Ardennes, where is CollectA? Frankly, we can't go on like this!

Beautiful group again and also just seen so many Arabians,and strangely I have very few of this breed!!!

I have a Britains Suffolk Punch in bay .

Thank you everyone! 

@Kiki, the two brands for my Belgians are very different sizes. This range of horses from Safari run on the smaller side while CollectA's run on the larger side. Since these are two extremes for this breed's representation in toy form, it does look very odd.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], from what I have read, your Suffolk Punch from Britains isn't purebred then! They can only be chestnut- in fact the association in the UK for them spells it "chesnut".

Ok, sorry for the very delayed post- last night was really rough battling the insomnia so the daylight got away from me... Back to it! 

Mixed pony breeds: Connemara, Lewitzer, fallabella, German riding pony, Fell pony, and Dartmoors.
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The Connemara comes to us from lovely Ireland! Originally dun in color, it can be most colors nowadays such as bay, black, gray, etc. The breed is known for its strength despite its size and its surefootedness having developed from moorlands. Historically used in the UK for hauling jobs (seaweed harvest, rock removal, etc.) they are now easily used for pleasure riding, dressage, and jumping.

The lewitzer hails from Mecklemburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. They were developed during the 20th century and come from the Lewitz stud farm who bred for piebald and paint patterned ponies.The have many of the pony traits such as large eyes and forehead and long ears; they are also very people oriented and friendly and calm. They excell at lots of disciplines such as carriage work, dressage, jumping, and pleasure riding.

The fallabella is the world's smallest horse breed at about 8 hh/32 inches at the withers. Small horses were discovered in Buenos Aires by Patrick Newell, circa 1840. He began breeding them to be smaller and smaller and named the breed after his son-in-law Juan Falabella. They have very narrow hooves for a horse and come in nearly any coat pattern or color!

The German Riding Pony is generally described as a smaller size horse than a pony in terms of physique and breeding background. A young breed only conceived about 40 years ago, it was developed from using smaller breeds like arabians and English riding ponies such as Welsh ponies to create a smaller athletic animal. Often used for children to teach them about showing horses and caring for horses, they still excell at any and all disciplines they are trained in. 

The fell pony name comes from the Nordic word for "hill", describing their homeland. Believed to be developed from horses in the region between Scotland and Britain, these are native stock animals that date from before the Roman times. The can several colors, but its not acepted to be patterned in this breed. Its another all terrain and all discipline horse- it excells at hard work as well as riding tasks. The English monarch Queen Elizabeth II loved this breed and was riding them into her 90s! 

The dartmoor was bred from animals in the region of Devon, England. Having lived on the moors the breed is exceptionally hardy and hardworking- there are hoofprints from their ancestors that date back to 3,500 years ago! They are a breed that contributed immensely during the centuries leading up to the industrial age. Today they are popular riding ponies and have been popular with recent English monarchs to develop other breeds like the Polo pony.

And the post for tomorrow is going up a little earlier than usual.

Black Forest, Noriker, Jutland!
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The black forest horse hails from the black forest region of southern Germany. This breed is always chestnut also, but the coat can range from very pale to nearly black, paired with a flaxen mane and tail. They are medium sized horses standing at 14.3 to 16 hh and 1,250-1,400 pounds; they look like draft horses because they are bred from Wälderpferde stock- a type of heavy horse used for logging and forestry type jobs. The original stud book began in 1896, by 1977 there were only 160 or less breeding mares. They were not declared an endangered breed until 2007- this status continues today.

The noriker comes to us from the Austrian Alps around 2,000 years ago. They developed from crossing roman war horses with local Celtic breeds. The original name was the Pinzgauer but it changed to Noriker in the early 19th century. Another all around breed; they excell at anything you may need! Surefooted for trail riding, sensitive enough for driving, strong enough for carriages and farm work. They come in lots of colors- 90% of them bay or black, the remaining 10% can be leopard spotted or roan.

The Jutland is from Denmark and descends from war horses of the middle ages. The Jutland peninsula was its original home and is its namesake. As an endangered breed today there are only around 1,000 left. They are often used for farmwork but also have some history as the breed to pull beer wagons for the Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen.

Beautiful selection of models again and some uncommon horse breeds.
Rogerpgvg-I didn't know that Britains made a bay Suffolk Punch.All my models are various shades of chestnut.

So many nice horses!

I love CollectA's Arabian mare. She looks somewhat fierce but also very elegant. Schleich's Akhal-Teke foal is very adorable and I love their Pintabian family too.
It's very sad that the Barb is so underrepresented even if it was a breed that heavily influenced many modern European breeds.
I love CollectA's Belgian mare and Safari's stallion could nearly pass as her foal with his tucked tail.
Mojo's Suffolk mare and foal are very sweet as well just as Schleich's Ardennes.
So many wonderful ponies!
Schleich's Fell Ponies are high up on my wishlist. The mare looks like a miniature Friesian. And Bullyland's Lewitzer mare is a nice model as well even though I probably prefer her in her current colouring.
The poor Jutland is probably one of the most underrepresented drafts. There's not a single model of them on the current market which is really sad. Schleich's Noriker looks very sweet and I really like this model.

Thank you everyone!

Fjord horses!
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Instead of posting duplicate information here I will direct you to my latest ATB articles on them. The gelding has the usual breed info, the mare is just a review of the model itself for the same reason. That should cover it for tonight (and holy moly there's only a few more days of horses befotr this category wraps up).

Schleich Gelding

Schleich Mare

After this post there are only about 4 presentations left for this category.

Przewalski horses!
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This is just about as primitive as horses get. Genetic testing has proven that these are actually descendents of the first domesticated horses, rather than being remnants of the very last truly wild horses. The oldest record of them dates to 20,000 BCE and the first written record is from a Tibetan monk around 900 CE. They were rediscovered by Colonel Nikolai Przhevalsky in 1878. These are fairly small bodied and compact, covered in muscles designed to help defend itself or flee from predators. The breed went extinct sometime in the 1960s; it is now considered endangered after reintroduction programs succeeded in transplanting populations. All of today's living animals descend from only 12 individuals.The first cloned foal came to us in 2020; Kurt's genetic line comes from a stallion that passed in 1998 and is hailed az a breakthrough to assist in genetic diversity. One of the most unique populations in the world lives in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in the Ukraine. In 1998 about 33-35 horses were let loose here hoping that they would be successful- and they have. The population has swing widely due to a variety of factors (human poaching being a big issue at one time), but they have maintained a healthy population and continue to breed.

I only own the Blancherie Frères and the old Schleich. So far I've been unconvinced by the CollectA and Safari Ltd, but your photo makes them more attractive.

Yeah, wildlife again