At the conclusion of this year's Breyerfest, I can say for certain that this hobby is healthy and ain't going anywhere any time soon! There were more people this year on Friday opening day than there were last year for sure. Each year, the line to enter Breyerfest gets a little longer as more young people enter the hobby. Most of the store specials were sold out by the end of the day Saturday, and Wells sold out by Friday night. It was brutal this weekend though with 95 degree heat and high humidity that almost had an older lady almost pass out from heat exhaustion while standing in the store line, then pouring rain for half the day on Saturday. By the end of the day on Saturday, I was ready to go home. I visited the Clarion one last time where I snagged a couple good deals, then headed home and have been packing up models all day today. I did want to note that after 2021, I dreaded another variation year when a few people that don't use social media became upset that I shipped them variations. They accused me of sending them the wrong models and this led to a lot of returns. However, with how smoothly everything went this year, I have talked to my husband and we have thus decided that we will not be restricting pickups next year as was previously announced. The variations this year pounced upon us unexpectedly, and we made it through with 100% success this time thanks to the help of the wild cards, so we have decided to continue offering them to the public for 2024. However, we have decided to no longer offer store specials (aka limited editions) simply because those are now available online. Only event stablemates, the celebration horse and special runs that require an All Access ticket will be offered. I would like to thank y'all from the bottom of my heart for another year, and hope that next year goes just as great! The 2024 theme has been announced and it sounds like a good one: It sounds like they're planning on a rescue horse theme or possibly rags to riches stories of long shots (like Mine That Bird) which absolutely appeals to my fluttering heart. Curious to see what they will do with this theme. One final note I'd like to add is the passing of Funny Cide, the Kentucky Derby winner that has been housed at the Kentucky Horse Park for years. He died today at Breyerfest from complications due to colic. I saw him yesterday and admit that he looked a bit tired, but I didn't take a picture. However, I did take a picture of him in 2019 after I fed him a carrot, and also saw him during American Pharoah's loss in the Travers Stakes at Old Friends at Cabin Creek when we were up in Saratoga, New York. Rest in peace, Funny Cide. I had to update this post after some confusion, as I wrote it super early in the morning when I was tired, so I hope I clarified everything. If you're not already on my newsletter list, I highly recommend signing up. I barely send emails except for when I offer sales in my store or around Breyerfest releases, so I won't be cluttering your inbox with SPAM, I promise :)
I do a surprise speculation every year using criteria that I've discovered Breyer has used for past surprise models and has seemed very effective in prediction, as I've been correct with 2 of the last 3 Breyerfest mold speculations when narrowing it down to three or less molds. I was correct with Giselle for 2020 and the Cleveland Bay from last year. I was completely wrong about Dundee in 2021, but I'm still under the assumption that Breyer just threw that highly popular mold in the mix because they knew we collectors wouldn't be at the KHP in person to mug each other to get all the colors. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Anyways, the following criteria has applied to most or all previous Breyerfests: *The mold must be one that was used within the past 3 years but can NOT be released the year of Breyerfest. For example, all of the new 2023 regular runs aren't likely to be surprises. Fireheart (spring 2023 Collector Club SR) won't, nor will the Cantering Warmblood (holiday horse), Susecion (spring flagship release) or Ashquar (Halloween). I also don't see Georg or the Gypsy Vanner used, even though they fit the theme, because mini Georg is being used as a Stablemate Club SR and the GV is an event stablemate. *Premier Club or Moody molds are most commonly used, however for the Premier Club molds, they must be older than 3 years and with Moody molds be no older than 20 years old. *The mold must fit the theme. Not necessarily the theme of the surprise, but the theme of Breyerfest that year. In other words, it may not be a breed that typically pulls a stagecoach, but it'll be a driving breed. *It is usually a live auction model from the year before. I say usually because there was two years when it didn't: in 2019 with the Moody Andalusian Stallion and again in 2021 with Dundee, unless you count the glossy Carter from the silent auction. *It is never a pony, animal or vintage mold. Could this possibly change? Well, since they used a mare and foal set for the first time in two back-to-back Breyerfests, perhaps they'll be changing more than we think. *It is never a mold used previously as a surprise model but can be a mold used as a previous Breyerfest model, either a special run, limited edition, raffle model, etc. So who could it be? Usually this early in the year, I have a few ideas. I apologize if this is so long, but my surprise guess is very detailed. I put a lot of thought into it. These were the live auction molds used last year and my reasons why they won't be the surprise model if applicable: -Shannondell (already a special run for BF 23) -Andalusian Stallion (already was a BF surprise) -Fighting Stallion (vintage) -Latigo (already was a BF surprise model) -Valegro (unlikely since they already have a Warmblood as a special run) -Icelandic Horse (pony sized mold) -Missouri Fox Trotter (considered vintage now as he's over 20 years old) -Firefly/Hawkeye (regular runs this year) -Esprit (already was a BF surprise model) -Bristol (already a special run for BF 23) -Fireheart (is a Collector Club SR this year) -Cantering Warmblood (being used as the holiday horse later this year) -Hamilton -Astrid (pony sized mold) -Silver (considered vintage now as he's over 20 years old) -Vintage Arabian (name says it all) -Gypsy Vanner (used as an event stablemate this year so likely not) -Nokota (already was a BF surprise model) -Sherman Morgan (vintage) #1 - Hamilton, or his older version the American Saddlebred Stallion. There has to be a reason Hamilton wasn't offered as a choice for the celebration horse, when his mold would've fit Bravour almost perfectly, and that there wasn't a single Saddlebred in a driving themed Breyerfest lineup. Is it really just because Breyer didn't want to use such a popular mold as a freebie? I would normally say Hamilton would be too popular for Breyerfest, however considering that all the molds this year veer on the popular side, he is currently sitting at my number one choice. While he's already had several releases in the 4 short years he's been in the Breyerfest line, there are plenty more colors he could be in. He hasn't been used in regular bay as an obtainable model, nor grey, blood red chestnut, buckskin, black pinto, roan... the list is endless. #2 - American Saddlebred Stallion. If Hamilton is NOT used, I wouldn't doubt if they substitute with the American Saddlebred Stallion because they tend to use a lot of Moody molds as surprise models. Why am I so set on a Saddlebred being in this theme? Saddlebreds drive and they've used just about every other driving breed except this breed. #3 - Goffert. I hesitated a bit about putting this guy on my list, so I'll put him down as #3. This is because of his stand (Breyer has only made a surprise with a stand once with Smarty Jones) and the fact that they've already used a draft horse for the surprise last year, so would they do it again? I guess they could considering that they're different types of drafters. The Cleveland Bay is more a warmblood whereas Goffert has heavily feathered feet. Surprisingly there aren't any Friesians at all in a driving theme, and since Breyer has made Vermeer an auction model, I doubt they'd use him, nor would they likely use the vintage Friesian mold because... well... vintage. Goffert is also a Moody mold that still has a few years left before he turns 20 years old. However, he hasn't been produced as a regular run in 3 years though, which is pushing the limit. Who else could it be that was NOT a live auction horse last year or a driving breed? These are in honorable mention: Honorable mention - Forever Saige. Why in the world would I put Forever Saige above Fireheart? Well, since Fireheart is still fairly new and hot, and is being used as the Collector Club spring special run this year, I unfortunately don't see Fireheart as the surprise this year. However, his girlfriend Forever Saige might, especially since I found out that mustangs were often used as stagecoach horses and what does a stagecoach remind you of? The American West. What does the American West remind you of? Mustangs. It's fitting and Forever Saige needs some new coats on her, having been very lightly used since her release in 2015. Honorable mention - Ruffian: When I think "stagecoach" I think speed and Ruffian outstretched running her heart out comes to mind. She fits all the above criteria, she is within 20 years old and she is on the popular side. We could use quite a few colors on the Ruffian mold actually, and it wouldn't hurt to use her as a surprise. However, the reason she isn't further up the list is simply because of her stand. Tomorrow, we will be making the 2 hour trek from our home in south central Kentucky to Lexington. I still remember the first time I ever went to Breyerfest. That memory of being so full of excitement that it brought tears to my eyes when entering the park and seeing the thousands of people from all over the country that flock to this event all in the name of our hobby is absolutely amazing to me. You can probably find a license plate from every state in the parking lot. I've even met some people from Europe, and made many lifelong friends along the way. Seeing the smiles on the faces of first timers, usually children but you'd be surprised to find out how many adults are there for the first time as well, is unmatched by anything. No matter how many times I go to Breyerfest, my inner child is always released when I go into the Breyer store for limited editions and other goodies I may find. While I do love doing pickups for y'all, if you ever get the chance to go in person, please do. There is absolutely nothing like it in the world. There is no way I can explain it to you in words. You must see it for yourself. I hope to share my experiences through my blog in pictures I take so all of you at home can watch from a distance. I know a favorite that people from afar like to see is the Collector Club tent, where Breyer often has several sneak peeks and reveals for upcoming models. Breyer has already shown a couple new reveals via email today: Adonis, the second release of the Premier Club, and Tuxedo, the optional 5th release for the Vintage Club. I'm curious to see how tall he's going to be (my shelves in my house aren't very tall and this is why I don't collect the Silver mold) but the fact that he's a buckskin is already making me lean more towards keeping him. The reason I love Heather Puleo art so much is because she does her research on bloodlines in a breed and isn't shy about flashy colors. This guy is a historical Lipizzan from the Conversano line performing the courbette. Heather even adds that he's in his prime, meaning a 15 year old stallion. Tuxedo will for sure be available for sale and will come with one of three sock variations. In addition to seeing all the Collector Club reveals, any variations amongst special runs will be shown as well if I end up with any, or a written description of any discovered variations if I don't. In addition, I have posted some models for sale in my store from Breyerfests of the past, so take a quick look if you're looking to add something to your herd :)
Let's drive forward to Breyerfest Driving Forward and the reveal of the 2024 theme on Sunday night! The live auction models for Breyerfest just keep getting better and better, as Breyer revealed the last of them today. None of them ended up being any of my top three surprise guesses, so I'm going to collectively take a breath and say that there is a chance for one of them to still be the surprise. Without further ado, I will introduce them, and also add another surprise at the end of this post. Read on! Lot #16 is a star dapple sooty palomino on the Strapless mold, the same that regular run Full Moon Rising (who is now currently available on backorder on Breyer's website by the way for August shipping) is on. Recognize the dappling technique that was introduced for the first time through the Premier Club last year with Anamar? Me thinks in a few years once Breyer perfects this that this might be the new dappling taking over the fishscale dappling of old. Ironicaly I have Ruffian as a possible honorable mention for the surprise because of the lack of Thoroughbreds in the lineup, unless they're considering Altynai a Thoroughbred. This beautiful mapped wild bay overo is done on another Thoroughbred mold, Lonesome Glory, who was already a surprise in the past. I don't collect the Semi Rearing Mustang mold, but if I did, this color would be hard to resist. I'm always up for the modern colors on vintage molds, I think it makes them pop. The blue eyes on this guy, mapped white tobiano markings and a grullo coat is a pretty combination. I don't know what Breyer was trying to do to the mare's face (reminds me of a giraffe in a way) but wow, is this pair stunning! I'm loving the mapped leopard appaloosa spots, and it says they're both pearly as well. This glossy metallic blue overo pegasus is on the Newsworthy mold. Since I'm not big on mythical ponies, he doesn't catch my fancy, although his wings are pretty, and I'm sure he'll make a stunning addition to someone's collection. Now, I will reveal my own surprises, the horses that were not shown on Breyer's blog: As per usual with each year, the Saturday raffle model will be in the live auction. His name is Quadriga and he is an unobtainable in the Fireheart conga (except, of course, to those who win him) in a stunning buckskin frame overo with mapped markings. The Sunday raffle model Hippodrome will also be available in the live auction. Surprisingly, they've used it on the Paso Fino mold, which had just been released a week ago and is already an unobtainable conga with this guy. He looks so similar to the horses in the Assassin's Creed game series that it is hard to think otherwise that this is where Breyer got his coloring from. I actually teetered on Georg being the surprise this year to the point where I almost put him on my list, however with him being a Breyerfest limited edition just last year, and being a Breyerfest special run already a couple years before that, I figured he needed a break. Now that he is in the live auction - in a stunning dapple black similar to Lafayette I may add - I highly doubt he'll be the surprise after all. Described as a glossy "bright chestnut" sabino on the German Riding Pony mold, I can only imagine that means he is metallic, as Breyer has been doing that a lot lately. They did it both with Speos and with the new Fireheart regular run, Mojave. One of my favorite molds in my personal collection with one of my favorite patterns to boot, I'd love to have this mare and foal for myself, but alas I'd have to win the lottery to afford them. They are a stunning pair of dapple buckskin splash pintos. Anamar in a glossy dapple golden palomino coat. Why Breyer insists on doing the simplest colors on this guy this year is beyond me. I'd personally love to see him done as an Abaco Barb, which I realize are technically extinct, but he represents old style portraits and Breyer has made an Abaco Barb once years ago so I don't see why they can't use a similar pinto pattern with this mold. The old style star dappling pattern returns on this beautiful Proud Arabian Mare. This color is so realistic on this gal she would look almost life-like in a grassy mountain background. I would love to see a similar color make it into the Premier Club one of these days.
If you'd like to see more pictures of these beauties, or even bid on one yourself, you can do so here. Good luck to those who will be trying for a OOAK! I will list all the upcoming Breyerfest special runs and limited editions here for those of you who want to keep updated. As far as what will be available for online ticket holders and what will not has yet to be announced, but it may possibly be like last year where online ticket holders will have the chance to purchase a random special run model selected by Breyer, or there was talk that they may do a preference list for the leftovers. It's all just rumors right now but it will be posted here once that information is verified. Special RunsFirst up is Speos. Who doesn't love a fiery red chestnut? This color looks superb on this mold, and it wouldn't surprise me if he's the matte/glossy split. Can you imagine how rich gloss would make him look? Drool! It sounds like this horse will only be available to in person ticket holders only, as they mention VIP and All Access ticket holders will get a chance to purchase, but not online ticket holders. I'm guessing they think that this guy is going to be the Stein of last year, the super popular model that will sell out. Named after the Turkish word for a specific type of covered wagon, Araba is the second special run revealed. It looks like Breyer is using all three Premier Club molds from last year as runs and not any unobtainables, unlike the Altynai mold, Fields of Heather, that was a raffle model the year after his Premier Club release. Araba is a gorgeous black sabino, and I may actually consider adding this mold to my herd after all on a colorway such as this even though I didn't favor the mold on its original color. This gal will be available to both in person attendees and online. The sneak peek Breyer revealed was a bit telling, as many guessed that it was Brighty's fur, and they were correct. Meet Peanutine the animal mold of Breyerfest 2023. While I don't personally collect Breyer's non-horse molds, including donkeys and mules, this little guy is probably the flashiest Breyer has made on this mold so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing him in person even I don't keep him for myself. He is only available to in person attendees. Say whaaaa? Tell me it isn't true! Breyer broke the tradition of never using a mare and foal set in back-to-back years, but here it is... Surrey and Axle on the Lady Phase mold! If they need to come home with you, they will be listed on my Breyerfest Pickups page. Here is the much anticipated decorator model, and it's a good one! This is Nemea who portrays a mural of a chariot racer with a Greek design in black and gold. Seeing Dejavu? If so, you're not alone! A similar model was made as a OOAK for Breyerfest some years back on the Marwari mold. Putting him on Altynai was a good choice since he has plenty of room being such a long boi for a mural. This guy will be priced slightly higher since Breyer doesn't make as many of the decos as the other special runs. Many folks online were shouting "where are the drafts?" at this point because, well, with having a driving theme it seems only fitting that they would throw a few gentle giants in there. In my opinion, the last two themes were so draft heavy that I was kind of expecting them to not use so many this year, but I couldn't see them using this theme without doing at least one. It finally came, in the form of Wells on the Shannondell mold in a lightly used silver dapple black color. Breyer seems to really be using the popular molds this year, as they've added another special run to the lineup on the fan favorite mold, Bristol, in the form of Jump & Drive (yes, that's the name of the model) who is a glossy sooty buckskin with blue eyes. I don't know about you, but I'm loving all these molds being used so far. We were assured by Breyer that this is the final special run, and again they chose yet another highly popular mold, and one of my personal favorites... Emma! I couldn't see them not use this gal for a driving theme, however I was slightly hoping she was the surprise. Oh, well. I have a few other guesses up my sleeve, of which I'll post about once Breyer completes their reveals. We'll be seeing her instead as Scurry who is a red bay tobiano. Will she "scurry" into your collection? Limited EditionsThe limited editions offered in the store at Breyerfest are almost always portrayed after real horses. First up for the limited runs is Via Lattea, an Italian trotting mare that was once a racehorse herself but is now a broodmare, passing on her unique genes that cause her foals to be born snowy white in color. Not surprisingly she is done on the Constantia mold. I cannot tell if she is pearly or just chalky matte but I'm sure we'll find out at Breyerfest! She will be available to all ticket holders, even online holders. I've been waiting for Breyer to do a blood bay on the Morgan Stallion - aka Troubadour - mold since, after all, bay is the most common color in Morgan horses. Well, HD Harkness will be that bay, and he is a limited edition for Breyerfest this year. He will be available to all ticket holders, including online, however as always if you'd prefer your model to be hand picked, feel free to order one from me. For some reason, I figured Othello would be used for this theme. Even though a heavy draft and not a light weight carriage horse, which is what you think of when you think of driving horses, this year had to have a draft included. 'Tis FVA Grand Design "Tilly" to fulfill that need as far as the limited editions go. She (yes, she bits for the first time on Othello) is a gorgeous bay sabino Drum Horse with a silvery mane and tail. The online exclusive limited edition is Studebaker. She is a beautiful palomino pinto on the Shagya Arabian mold. I will not be offering this one for sale since anyone can purchase her with an online ticket, even stablemate access, but she is $75 if you want her. We're going to see the return of the Fairfax mold with the limited edition Classics, Delft, who is designed to look like a vintage porcelain plate. The crystal for this year is Phaeton and is a miniature of Calliope. Unfortunately if you're a crystal collector, I do not sell these guys due to their fragility. However, if you want one, I highly suggest buying an online stablemate access ticket, as she will be available in the online store. The Best of Breyerfest series 4 has miniatures of one of my all time favorite Breyerfest events, Denim and Diamonds. They include mini mes of models Honky Tonk, Music Row, Opry, Minnie Pearl and Walk of Fame. I think all of these turned out amazing and I'm looking forward to adding them to my stablemate collection! Breyer went out with a bang, revealing this drop dead gorgeous bay varnish roan appaloosa Django named Buggy. Another need for my conga, I'll be looking to get this guy for my personal collection, but note that he is only available online therefore I won't be preselling this dude. Plushie collectors will be happy to see adorable little Sulky with his racing silks. These guys keep getting cuter and cuter. I was half tempted to purchase Strudel last year with his lederhosen, but I refrained. This year, I might cave. I love everything horse racing. If this year follows suit to all the other years, we should still have one more reveal before Breyerfest tickets go on sale on February 1st... the collectible single stablemate. Let's hope we see the reveal soon!
Anyone seen the newest sneak peek on the Breyerfest blog? Surely looks like the deco this time, in a possibly Wedgewood blue filigree color. I'm not even going to try to guess the mold on this one so I'll just add whoever it is on Monday to my special runs post when the full reveal comes out. In the meantime, Breyer gave us some food for thought to keep us preoccupied until Monday with the name of the surprise horse. It is officially *dun dun dun dun* *round of applause* the... The most popular vote as to who it might be across the model horse hobby is Hamilton, and he was also originally my top three on my guess post from a few days ago. If you read that, I decided to take it down for now, as shortly after I posted it, Breyer showed the limited edition HD Harkness on the Morgan Stallion mold, a mold I toyed with on the post. I'll put it back up later with a more accurate speculation once all the molds for the special runs and limited editions have been shown.
Anyways, a little stagecoach history. Being more of a rider than a driver of horses myself, I'm learning a lot from this theme because I've never really known the types of vehicles that horses pulled. The stagecoach apparently, to put it in modern terms, was a bit like the Greyhound bus of today. Fancy, pricey, often hauling elite customers from place to place, sometimes really long distances. It was pulled by more than a team of horses, usually four or six horses at a time. They were also used to carry mail so you can even compare them to the UPS of today. Those of you who play Red Dead Redemption 2 have seen them being pulled by draft horses, and a quick Google search says the same... they were pulled by either Percherons or Shires. However, hobbyists and real horse people that are into driving disciplines disagree. They claim that stagecoaches needed fast, lighter framed horses that could cover distances in a shorter amount of time. Stock horses were the most popular, but apparently mustangs and racehorses could also fit the bill. I'll go more into this when I repost my surprise speculation, but guesses range from Wyatt to Ruffian to as far fetched as Old Timer (even though a vintage mold has never been used before... will we see that tradition broken this year as they did with back-to-back mare and foal releases?) but I have a pretty good idea of who we may see. Again, that'll be posted as soon as we see all of the Breyerfest releases before I spill the beans. Well, this is different. There were not only one, but TWO sneak peeks on the Breyerfest blog yesterday. I'm really surprised that they've broken the tradition of using a mare and foal every other year, because this year Lady Phase and the vintage Standing Stock Horse Foal will be making an appearance. Whether Breyer considers them to be the annual vintage mold, or whether they're just the mare and foal set has yet to be found out, but I'm excited for them nonetheless since Lady Phase is the only vintage mold I collect. Their picture is below the sneak peeks: Ok, while we're on the subject of Breyerfest, I've been getting flooded with questions after finding out that a big name dealer isn't doing pickups this year, so if you're new here I just want to say welcome! Hope you're here to stay! I also wanted to post an answer to a very popular question that I will NOT be doing a waitlist this year. I had one last year and people were upset that they didn't get pulled from it because they thought the waitlist was guaranteed, so to avoid confusion, I won't be doing a waitlist at all. Instead, any extras I get will be posted most likely in late June/early July once I receive my ticket books (provided they're doing things the same way this year) when I know how many extras of each model I was selected for, at an announced date/time. I will post exactly when I'll be posting extra models both on my blog and in an email to my subscribers, so keep a watch if you're looking for something specific.
I also wanted to mention that I'm doing the celebration horse a bit differently this year. If you don't want to purchase a special run from me, but do want the celebration model, you can purchase him in my store for only $35 plus shipping. However, if you purchase two or more special runs from me (NOT including limited editions or event stablemates) I will add a celebration model to your order for FREE provided you pay shipping cost. If you don't want the celebration horse, let me know and I won't add him to your total shipping calculated out in July, but if you do, then I'll just add the weight to your total before I ship your package. Usually it'll only up the price a few bucks, depending upon how far away you live from Kentucky. I thought this would be a nice gesture since you would get the celebration model with the purchase of two special run tickets anyways if you bought them from Breyer. We've had yet more reveals already this week - and it's only the beginning of the week - that I'm starting to become a bit overwhelmed with the blog posts. Ugh! Breyer! Anyways, before I get to the really good stuff, we have three regular run limited edition reveals. First up is the holiday 2023 horse Highlander who has a cute reindeer costume in a stunning silver buckskin color on the Cantering Warmblood mold. Next up is Spectre who is the 2023 Halloween horse. Done in an orange and purple with glow in the dark ghosts and bubbly spots (like coming out of a cauldron brew) this guy looks promising, and he's on Ashquar to boot! The spring flagship release is one that I think all of us are going to want. Mariposa and Flor are a mare and foal set done on two all time favorite molds. Considering the fact that I was not collecting yet during the original Susecion and Le Fire craze, these molds have been elusive to my collection except for the unicorn pair, Diadem and Alcor. It seems like most of the flagship stores are already holding them for customers so my chances of finding this set appear to be slim as well. Since they are in plain bay, I guess I won't be too upset if I can't track them down, as personally I would've preferred a flashier colorway. Could you imagine if they ever made Susecion into the surprise model for Breyerfest like they did with Giselle when they separated her from Gilen? Yikes! Now, for the reveal we've all been waiting for and who is the title of this post, is Speos the first Breyerfest special run of 2023 to be revealed. He is meant to portray an Egyptian chariot horse on the new Amazigh mold in a fiery chestnut color with a white blaze. I don't know what it is about solid chestnuts that I like so much, but I like him! That was quick. I wasn't expecting Breyer to reveal the special runs so quickly but since they did, I've posted the event stablemates to my Breyerfest Pickup page for pre-order as promised. Shipping for the stablemates this year is FREE whether you order just one or all four. I will post a limited number of the special runs the day they are revealed. If Breyer is still doing Breyerfest the same way they did last year, I may post more later, but definitely visit my blog daily if you're interested in purchasing Breyerfest models for pickup. I will be adding a post soon listing all of this year's special runs, as I do every year, and will update as more are released.
Well, guys, I'm surprised Breyer has decided to reveal the event stablemates first this year, but here they are. They are an exciting lineup and Breyer did the unique thing of making their names out of traditional driving terms. First up is Navigator. The Navigator is the person who stands behind the driver in a four horse hitch and "nagivates" the course. Breyer portrayed their Navigator on the American Saddlebred mold in a glossy chestnut tobiano. The next model is Wheeler. He is the horse that is in the pulling position closest to the wheels of the wagon. Breyer's version of a wheeler is a glossy dapple bay Dartmoor Pony on the new Haflinger mold. The Teamster is the name of the driver of a wagon being pulled by a team of drafters. Breyer has portrayed the teamster as a pearly golden champagne on the lightly used Irish Draught mold. Last, but not least since we still have the traditionals yet to be revealed, is Whip, or the driver of a coach or carriage. Breyer chose the sassy Gypsy Vanner mold for this, in a stunning bay roan sabino. This is by far my favorite of all the stablemates!
If you're interested in adding one (or more) of these little guys to your collection but won't be able to attend Breyerfest in person, they will be posted on my Breyerfest Pickups page once the traditional models have been revealed. Stay tuned! We all love to see this eye candy, although the majority of us will never own one, myself included since they're now allowing online bidding at Breyerfest, as well as in person bidding. I understand though that this will help inflate prices to sky high, record prices that will raise more money for their selected charities. Whether you plan to bid or not, here is the list of live auction lots (I'll add more as Breyer reveals them) so we can all drool over them while at the same time finding out who is not going to be the surprise horse this year! Shannondell! A big, big surprise guess is officially eliminated (I speculated it wouldn't be Shannondell because of Cardinal being released just last winter but didn't want to give those who guessed Shannondell their hopes up) with this stunning boy, a beautiful bay leopard appaloosa with peacock spotting. I can definitely see this guy going up there in price. This one hurts a bit not to be able to add to my collection, as the Andalusian Stallion is one of my non-Premier Club molds that I conga. With his beautiful dapple sooty palomino coat, I'm loving this one. I like how his mane/tail are blonde rather than the old man grey or silvering in the mane/tail that they like to make on many of their sooty palominos. A beautiful glossy bay tobiano Fighting Stallion with his cat track markings and most likely mapping, this guy would be the perfect sire for the Robin and Nestling pair. Latigo honestly wasn't a mold I cared for at first (too skinny for what I like to see in a stock horse) however I've somehow over the years managed to end up with a small conga of him, and have honestly always wanted him in a solid dapple grey. One day, hopefully, as he looks amazing in this star dapple grey! I understand that a lot of these live auction models are Breyer testing out new colors, and this is a first for this one. Supposed to be a dark chestnut but with black legs? Possibly more of a brown than a chestnut to me, but this is what Breyer has him listed as. I guess that eliminates Valegro as a possibility for the surprise model (some people speculated him for this Warmblood heavy theme) since he's in the live auction. I love how Breyer made this guy a "sun faded bay pinto" because this is a color I've been dying for it to pop up in Breyers. In Stones they have a sunburnt bay, and I've been hoping Breyer would make their own version of it one day. This guy has some neat mapping too! While I wasn't expecting the Icelandic myself, several others were guessing him since drafters, Warmbloods and ponies are taking over the German theme. A bit of a surprise to see the return of this mold, but the Missouri Fox Trotter is making an appearance as a chalky shaded dun. While I'm not sure how the color really looks on a Missouri Fox Trotter (a better choice would have been a mold like Fireheart) I'm loving his striped hooves and the realistic leg barring. The Firefly and Hawkeye molds return as a unique pair. A sunbleached (again, thank you Breyer for finally toying with the sun bleaching) dark bay frame overo with blue eyes and her buckskin foal. I still laugh at the tired looking old mare and the spunky foal in contrast. If that doesn't represent motherhood, I don't know what does. Esprit has been making quite a return lately, with just being used as the patriotic model last year and as Apollo for Breyerfest 2021. He is making yet another return at Breyerfest this year in the form of this guy, a red bay tobiano. As he was already used as a Breyerfest surprise model, he won't be a surprise again. Welp... this eliminates Bristol officially as the surprise. Although not on my top 3 list mostly due to her being a Breyerfest model last year, I was secretly wishing for her as a potential surprise for this year due to Germany being well known for their Warmblood horses. I guess it wasn't her year. Soon, hopefully. She is being done as a leopard appaloosa in Germany's flag colors. We're seeing Fireheart also show up as an auction model after seeing him already used as special run, Stein. This guy is a few spot appaloosa with Indian war paint. While I do love models with Indian war paint, Breyer likes to put it on models with a lot of white (the Vintage Club Foundation Stallion "Nonoma" for example) however when they used it with Spirit and the buckskin appaloosa regular run made 2013-2015 I added both of those to my personal collection. This horse was most likely a variation of the celebration horse, Dani, from last year's Breyerfest that for whatever reason didn't make it to production. She has a beautiful rainbow interference finish. All of you who guessed Hamilton as the surprise horse this year... unfortunately I think this throws him out. Although he wasn't one of my top three, I'm secretly a bit disappointed too because, after selling off my Hamilton collection last year, I decided to get them back and I would love to see more colors on this mold. However he is in the live auction as a lush dappled dark bay with a high gloss finish. This gal is probably my favorite live auction piece! I love roans and this red roan pintaloosa is irresistible! Also, check out that new mane! Is this a hint that Rapunzel may be the 50/50 mane split with this new mane type being the other potential half? We can only hope... All hail the return of Silver on a beautiful silvery pegasus! It's been ages since we've seen a pegasus at Breyerfest so fantasy lovers will be incredibly happy with this piece! The shimmery coral blue returns with this mare and foal set! Does this mean that the Vintage Club mare/foal set won't be this pair? If so that'll narrow it down a bit. Or perhaps this was a sample for that set? Hopefully we'll be finding out soon! This mold was another popular guess for the surprise horse, although I was hesitant to put him at the top of my list due to him being released as both Sjoerd and Kingfisher. However people were speculating that since he was released only as the modified version meant they could have still used his original draft version, but I'm pretty sure this eliminates him. He is being used in the auction instead as a glossy honey bay with blue/black points. This beautiful black sabino Nokota is a beauty that whoever wins will behold. Obviously since Nokota was used as a surprise previously he couldn't be used again but it is nice to see the return of this mold, and a beautiful color to boot! I'm not sure how I feel about the partial roached mane, though. Roached manes have always been a make it or break it for me in models. I sold off my Smarty Jones "Santiago" and decided against "Turnbridge Wells" because of their roached manes. I'm not sure what color Breyer was trying to make here but I kind of like it! He is listed as "dapple grey" on the auction but page he looks like he also has a frame overo middle with appaloosa spots? I'm assuming this was a test color, perhaps for Brahms? Perhaps he was left unfinished which explains the enormous amount of unpainted area. Or could he be a fading roan? Who knows?
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