It all began in Chicago at a plastic injection molding company, a little imagination and creative thinking, Peter Stone, an artist named Chris Hess, Woolworth's and the omnipresent Western Horse #57. The company was known as "Breyer Molding Company" and the year was 1950.
In the early 1980's, when I started collecting Breyer horses they came in a cardboard box that was sealed with plastic wrap, the model itself was in a plastic bag and free to bounce around in the box. Sometimes when you would get them opened they would be rubbed or otherwise damaged sometimes even broken. On occasion you would have a different horse than what the box was labeled as. Sometimes you could be pleasantly surprised by what you got when the box was actually opened. This happened to me 2 times. The first time was a treat the second time the horse inside was one I already had.
After that type of packaging they changed to the clear box and attached the models to a high gloss yellow cardboard "stage" looking stand type packaging with zip ties, another disaster. The zip ties would rub the paint off the legs that were attached to the box side. Not only would the zip ties damage the paint on the legs but they held the model so tight to the backing that the yellow ink would rub onto the model as well. Many a gray had yellow spots on the high points of their sides. The only horses that were safe from the yellow box ink were the Family Arabians which at the time were day-glow yellow just like the box back. The clear plastic of these boxes was an improvement over the old card board box however because you could see the condition of the model, paint variations and you knew which horse you were getting for sure.
The clear box went through several modifications. The original design used a lot of cardboard and plastic. The plastic portion of the box was about 3/4 clear plastic with a cardboard back and the insert cardboard "stage" was about 1/4 Lb of paper product. The insert, where the model was attached to, had a high back and a "box" portion on the bottom to make the "stage". When the package was opened one would have to slide the "stage" section out of the plastic section, search the house for nail clippers or wire cutters to get the zip ties off and find a soft place to lay the whole set-up down so one could fight the zip ties and hopefully not damage the model any further. It was a process but with the heady sent of new Breyer filling your nose and the delight and feeling of accomplishment of saving enough lawn mowing money to buy a new horse, all was good in the world.
The current packaging is the best so far. The awful cutting zip ties have been replaced by plastic coated wires that are simply twisted on the back of the box and most of the models are held away from the packaging by specifically shaped plastic spacers. Bravo Breyer!
Breyer models have always been painted using airbrushes. Occasionally there were times when the artists used regular brushes to paint on detail items such as eye whites on some of the early models, bobs and ribbons for the drafters and the saddlebreeds main ribbon. In the late 70's and early 80's s the use of a paint brush fell into obscurity and was seldom used. Breyer introduced the Limited Edition series in 1987 with Percipitado Sin Par "Cips" the use of the mighty paint brush returned. He was the first Breyer to have the iris painted. His hooves were painted with the brush as were his inner nostrils and eye whites returned with this model. After Cips the paint brush made it's comeback at Breyer and we have loved it ever since.
Every
Maureen Love Calvert
FAS (Chris Hess), PAF (Chris Hess), PAM (Chris Hess)
Classics
Andalusian Family Foal, Andalusian Family Mare, Andalusian Family Stallion, Kelso, Man O’ War, Mustang Family Foal, Mustang Family Mare, Mustang Family Stallion, Quarter Horse Family Foal, Quarter Horse Family Mare, Quarter Horse Family Stallion, Silky Sullivan, Swaps, Terrang
Little Bits
Performing Misty
Stablemates
Arabian Mare, Arabian Stallion, Citation, Draft Horse, Morgan Mare, Morgan Stallion, Native Dancer, Quarter Horse Mare, Quarter Horse Stallion, Saddlebreed, Seabiscuit, Silky Sullivan, Swaps, Thoroughbred Lying Foal, Thoroughbred Mare, Thoroughbred Standing Foal
Kitty Cantrell
Aristocrat, Henry (Fjord)
Rowland Cheney
Classics
Mesteno Challenger, Mesteno Dawning, Mesteno Messenger, Mesteno Progeny, Mesteno’s Mother, Rojo
Francis Eustis
Roy
Suzann Fiedler
Ideal Quarter Horse
Jeanne Mellin Herrick
Friesian, John Henry, Misty’s Twilight, Pluto, Premier Arabian Mare, Roemer, Sherman Morgan
Chris Hess
Action Stock Horse Foal, Adios, Belgian, Black Beauty, Black Stallion, Cantering Welsh Pony, Clydesdale Foal, Clydesdale Mare, Clydesdale Stallion, El Pastor, FAF, FAM, FAS (Maureen Love Calvert), Fighting Stallion, Five Gaiter, Foundation Stallion, Fury Prancer, Galiceno, Grazing Foal, Grazing Mare, Haflinger, Halla, Hanoverian, Indian Pony, Justin Morgan, Lady Phase, Legionario, Lying Down Foal, Man O’ War, Misty, Morgan, Morganglanz, Mustang (Diablo), Old Timer, Pacer, Performance Horse, Phantom Wings, Phar Lap, Pony of the Americas, PAF (Maureen Love Calvert), PAM (Maureen Love Calvert), PAS, Quarter Horse Gelding, Quarter Horse Yearling, Running Foal, Running Mare, Running Stallion, San Domingo, Scratching Foal, Sea Star, Secretariat, Shetland Pony, Shire, Smoky, Stock Horse Foal, Stock Horse Mare, Stock Horse Stallion, Stormy, Stud Spider, Suckling Foal, Tennessee Walker, Thoroughbred Mare, Touch Of Class, Trakehner, Western Horse (Roger Williams), Western Pony (Roger Williams)
Classics
Black Beauty, Black Stallion, Bucking Bronco, Duchess, Ginger, Hobo, Jet Run, Johar, Keen, Lipizzan, Merrylegs, Might Tango, Polo Pony, Rearing Stallion, Ruffian, Sagr
Little Bits
American Saddlebreed, Arabian Stallion, Clydesdale, Morgan Stallion, Quarter Horse Stallion, Thoroughbred Stallion
Kathleen Moody
Big Ben, Gem Twist, Icelandic Horse, Shire Horse, Spanish Barb
Marvin Norin
Saddlebreed Weanling
Rich Rudish
Lady Roxana, Sham
Bob Scriver
Buckshot
Paul Tally Stoneburner
Khemosabi, Rugged Lark
Martha White
Llanarth True Briton
Roger Williams
Western Horse (Chris Hess), Western Pony (Chris Hess)
Grab a cup of coffee, espresso, hot chocolate or tea on these chilly nights and visit with the community. Feel free to engage in the Model horse banter or the Live horse chats. You will find tips and tricks of all sorts so please join and add your own findings.
Grab a cup of coffee, espresso, hot chocolate or tea on these chilly nights and visit with the community. Feel free to engage in the Model horse banter or the Live horse chats. You will find tips and tricks of all sorts so please join and add your own findings.
Grab a cup of coffee, espresso, hot chocolate or tea on these chilly nights and visit with the community. Feel free to engage in the Model horse banter or the Live horse chats. You will find tips and tricks of all sorts so please join and add your own findings.
Grab a cup of coffee, espresso, hot chocolate or tea on these chilly nights and visit with the community. Feel free to engage in the Model horse banter or the Live horse chats. You will find tips and tricks of all sorts so please join and add your own findings.