Tips for Purchasing a Model Horse

Purchasing your model horse is very similar to purchasing a live horse. Before purchasing your model there are many things to consider like brand, size, color, gender, and breed. Here are my tips on how to purchase your horse from different venues.

Purchasing from a store: Schleich

When buying a Schleich you want to make sure that the horse doesn't have any factory scuffs or marks on it's body. It can be very frustrating if you go home with your new horse and find marks on it.

Purchasing from a store: Breyer

Mini Whinnies,Stablemate,Classic,and Traditional Scale

When you are buying a Breyer from a store you want to make sure that the horse is free of major marks on it's body. You also want to confirm it is the correct size for your horses or stabling. For Breyer, there are five different sizes. I currently have four in my collection.

The smallest Breyers are Mini Whinnies which for an adult horse is only one inch tall, Stablemates are a bit bigger than Mini Whinnies standing at around 3 inches tall at the tips of the horse's ears. Classics stand much taller than Stablemates or Mini Whinnies, but shorter than the Traditional size model. They stand at around 6 inches tall from the top of the model's ear the the bottom of it's hoof. Traditional Breyers stand at about 10 inches tall, much taller than all the rest.

Purchasing from Ebay: Schleich

When you are purchasing a model from the Internet, ALWAYS make sure there is a photo of the entire model. It is not uncommon for sellers to show a picture of a specific part of the model and not mention that it is only that part of the model that they are selling. I can image that it would be extremely disappointing to be expecting a model and only end up with a piece of the horse.

You always want to look at pictures up close to make sure there are no visible marks on the horse's body. Always read the description of the model to make sure that you aren't overlooking something in the pictures or the listing. 

Purchasing from Ebay: Breyer

Ear Rubs on my Breyer Model Dreamer

When you are buying a Breyer model horse from Ebay, make sure there is a picture otherwise you may end up with a mangled mess of a horse that's missing a leg. If you have a certain size in mind make sure that it is the correct size for the amount of space for your horse. Look over the horse in the pictures and make sure it has all of it's legs and if it's ears are intact. It is not uncommon for a horse's ears to be missing or partially chipped off.

A few of my horses have what are called "ear rubs." which means some of the paint on the ears is partially missing, but not all gone. If you want to stay clear of ear rubs, you would be best off asking the seller if the horse's ears are missing any paint.  You also want to decide with a Breyer if you are buying a vintage or a newer generation horse. The classic scale is a personal favorite of mine.

Tips:

1. If a model is being purchased for a small child, I would suggest buying either a Schleich or a Traditional scale Breyer as they are the more sturdy of the bunch. I would not suggest buying Breyer foals,as their legs snap easily, making the horse almost useless unless you know how to fix the broken model's leg.
2. Schleich is the toughest brand of model horse out there. I have had them for many years and they have endured rough play and never broken.
3. Don't overlook the price of shipping and handling when considering bidding on a horse. Sometimes an inexpensively priced horse has a very high shipping cost.

Do you have any great tips for buying model horses? If you do, please leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear about your experience buying a horse!