For those of you unfamiliar with the Model Horse hobby, this is a brief introduction to it. 

For years, plastic horses have been available from Breyer and similar manufacturers, and china horses were available from Beswick and other factories. The last 5-10 years has seen a boom in interest in model horses, and dramatic improvement in the quality of Model Horses produced - mainly through the introduction of polyurethane resin and more artists sculpting. Now, the hobby is an international multi-million pound hobby, that has something to offer everyone. You can still purchase horses from Breyer, though the quality and variety is now much improved. 

There are now hundreds of artists offering their sculpting and painting skills, ensuring there is a huge number of truly unique horses out there. 

What do we do with these Model Horses you may ask? Well, the answer is again very varied. Some of us are content to display our horses in our home, and admire them on a regular basis. Others of us enjoy the competition that can be found in Showing. No, we do not trot around a ring carrying our beloved Model Horses in our arms for inspection! There are 2 main methods of showing now widely used. One is Photo Showing and one is Live Showing. As their names suggest, one involves photographing your Model Horse (a skill in itself!) and entering it via post or internet into a show where it will be judged against similar horses, and the other option, Live Showing, means that you pack up your models and attend a show held in a hall where your Model Horse will be judged "in the flesh" on a table. Live Shows are a great way to meet other people in the hobby, inspect their collections and usually buy and/or sell a Model Horse or two. 

I hold a number of Live Shows at a Hall near where I live each year, which have proved to be very popular. All profits raised from every show go towards an equine charity. In 2006 we raised money for The Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary, Redwings Horse Sanctuary and the Bransby Home of Rest for Horses. There is a raffle at each show, which is usually made up of generously donated items, and raises most of the money for the charities.

2007 LIVE SHOWS - We held a show on June 2nd, which raised £35.26 R.D.A. (Riding for the Disabled Association). The next show is confirmed for Saturday September 22nd to be held in Gloucester and will be raising money for the I.L.P.H. (International League for the Protection of Horses).

Photos below of some previous live shows.

Above, you will see that some people enjoy indulging in "Performance" set ups with their models, where they use incredibly realistic tack, riders and props to re-create real-life equine performance activities.

USEFUL MODEL HORSE HOBBY LINKS

HORSING AROUND www.horsingaround.com UK company, but ships international. Model Horses painted and unpainted, in resin and china, plus props and artist supplies.

ANIMAL ARTISTRY www.animalartistry.co.uk UK company, but ships international. Model Horses painted and unpainted, in resin and china, plus props and artist supplies.

MHSP www.modelhorsesalespages.com International website, exclusively selling Model Horses and associated items.

MEPSA http://mepsa1.tripod.com/mepsa.htm Model Equine Photo Showers Association. Great sight for help and tips for photo showing.

RESINS BY RANDY www.resinsbyrandy.com American company, selling unpainted and painted resins.

UTTERLY HORSES www.utterlyhorses.com UK company retailing huge variety of models, including Breyers, Northlights, resins both painted and unpainted, Painted Ponies and many more. Also a magazine, and a forum for chatting.

MHU www.model-horses.co.uk/ Model Horses Unlimited - a regular magazine that is great for keeping up to date on UK live and photo shows, and general model horse info/news/chat.

EQUINE RESIN DIRECTORY www.equineresindirectory.com A fantastic website to find resins by name, scale, breed, sculptor, and galleries of painted pieces. Why not add photos of you own resins?

TACK WITHOUT A DOUBT www.tackwithoutadoubt.homestead.com/saleslist.html Model Horse tack by Jessica Friedman, USA. Really amazing lifelike tack of all types.

There are probably loads more websites I could link here - if you have one you think is good, or would like to have your own website linked here, just drop me an e-mail!