New Years Goals - Not Resolutions

Just wanted to post a bit on this last day of 2009. So many things have happened and changed for so many in the course of a year. And while everyone is feeling a bit of a crunch, maybe some more than others, I wanted to look at the bright side of 2009.

Think of all that we have learned in the past year, each one of us. Then we should ask ourselves how will we use that in 2010 to be better. Can you be a better planner, a better person, a better painter, or a better Collector? Whatever the case may be there is something that each of us can learn from the past year.

I do believe that we then have the responsibility to take what we learn and apply it - use it for not only our own betterment, but also for those around us. Whether it is your neighbor, your community, your family or even your animals or hobby, it is there to be used. So instead of making New Years resolutions that focus on problems, lets make New Years Goals that will make a positive impact on us and our world. Everyone has a lesson they have learned in 2009, how will you use yours to improve 2010?

Happy New Year & Decade Everyone!!

New Breyer Models Causing Stress!!

I can't believe I did that! I mean really, I just about emptied my one account to get this done! And I have NO guarantee of a return!! But oh those colors on the new Breyer Models are just... well... I just couldn't say "no"!

Okay, so here is what I did. I have been searching for the newest "secret" releases, of course once they are announced they are no longer a secret right? Yea, okay you got me. But I want to share the information with you on the newest models. So I've been looking. And looking.

Well today I get an email from a great store I have been buying from for several years. And low and behold, guess what? They have in their email the announcement of the newest models up for Pre-Oder!! Of course I had to check it out! And oh my, I do think Breyer is stepping up their game with this coming year.

Maybe you have seen the new "Pink Ribbon Horse" listed on eBay as a "pre-order". This is a VERY nice decorator done on the Andalusian Mold. Breyer will donate $1.00 from the sale of this Model to two Breast Cancer research organizations. Oh this one was very tempting; I put it on my wish list....

The next is "Espirit". I'm sure you've seen this one advertised on eBay as well as a pre-order. This is a brand new mold done by Kathleen Moody for the 2010 Alltech FEI Equestrian Games and boy is he nice as well! Great action and spirit shown on this new mold. I put this one on my wish list as well....

Then I found another one that I will talk about later. I found what I had been looking for - :-D the New 2010 Treasure Hunt Series!! Yeah!!! I am sooo excited about this release because they are using one of my very favorite molds "Othello"!!! This year is focused on the different seasons, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. You purchase Spring, Summer, and Fall and Winter will be a surprise.... And oh they are simply beautiful. Hah, so I ordered 2 sets! Yea, I know....

And to make up for that huge investment.... I will be listing a LOT of my models on eBay in our store. Some that have been on Breyer Horse Collectors like my Alborozo, never thought I would sell him, and a few other Vintage Breyers I've been collecting. That's okay though, I'm going to need the room for these big ones!

Hope you all have a Very Merry Christmas! And if you don't get the model you were looking for, let me know, gulp, I might just have it.

Catch up time for Breyer Models!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I looked at the date link on this particular blog and realized how long it's been since I've posted about Breyer Models. Oh my word!! I am sooooo sorry! It's not that I have forgotten about these wonderful little horses, it's just that I have truly been overwhelmed with work. I have been trying diligently to sell our Organic Wheat seed for Wheatgrass Juice as well as selling our real AQHA Horses. And all of it takes time...

Today I wanted to give you a few updates: First, remember that sweet little colt of our that everyone voted on name choices for? We gathered names all spring and picked the top six... Well, we received his registration back from the AQHA yesterday...... and Hot Shots registered name is..... "Face It Im A Star"! Thank you to who ever it was that offered that name in the "contest"... I have a feeling I remember who it was.

And Hot Shot is growing every single day, is still a sweet heart to the core, and is STILL trying to figure out what color he wants to be. He has developed white hair on the top sides of his tail... interesting.

Today I have also started listing Breyer Models for sale. There are many of them I wanted to get on the website with information but I just haven't had the time. They may be there in the future, just don't know when.

Talking about the website: We have also been working on creating information about customizing. Now I don't do any of that myself so I have asked for help from some others who do. There are several wonderful Collectors in Australia who have been fantastic in helping me with information. So, yes, I have been working on Breyer stuff as well, just not the blog...

I will let you know as soon as we have the new pages done. And if you have not yet signed up for the Breyer SpotLight... you have missed some GREAT articles on showing your models AND how to set up a show in your area.

Until next time: have a wonderful and very Happy Thanksgiving with those you love. We each really do have a lot to be thankful for all year through.

Blessings,
Bonnie

Your Breyer Model Arrives Broken.. Is It Insured??

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week thus far....

Today I felt I should address the issue of packaging and shipping Breyer Model Horses, all model horses as well as all fragile items. You see, even though I have worked for the Post Office, seems like forever ago now, and even though I keep telling Collectors the questions to ask, models are still shipped haphazardly. And I still receive Breyer Models wrapped in paper... rrrg

I have written some content on this on our website on the selling page, however, I do think this issue needs to be addressed and updated. You see, not too long ago the Postal Service decided that to help eliminate insurance fraud that was taking place, they would ONLY pay for insurance claims that met certain criteria.

And really it is pretty simple. Their specifications are:

Fragile items must be wrapped in bubble wrap and packaging peanuts, enough to ensure safe delivery.

Simple.

So what this means is that when a Seller sends out a fragile item, like a Breyer Model, wrapped in paper and it breaks, the insurance coverage is null and void. You wont' get a dime. Why? Because the Seller did not package it correctly. Simple.

Standards that should be used when packaging and shipping anything fragile like a Breyer Model are:

• Within your own country of origin use 3-4 inches of Bubble wrap on ALL sides of the Model.
  
• Outside the country of origin, use 4-6 inches of Bubble Wrap on ALL sides of the Model.
  
• Use packaging peanuts to fill in the open spaces.
• When you close the top of the box before taping it closed, gently shake it. If you hear ANY sound of movement then you DO NOT have enough packaging and need to redo.
  

Buyers should always request this to be done before making a purchase. You will pay for the insurance on the Model one way or another, whether in the shipping price or the Model price. So while you are paying for the coverage, doesn't it make sense to actually HAVE the coverage?? I think so!

And Sellers, build and protect your reputation and wrap the right way without being asked. Please? It really would save all of us time and head ache.

And here's a heads up for those not familiar with eBay policies. eBay now requires ALL Sellers to include insurance coverage on all items they are selling. It is no longer optional for the Buyer to ask for or not. Must be covered by the Seller. So you will likely see shipping charges going up. As long as insurance is paid for AND the Model is wrapped the right way, you should be fine.

If you are planning on making a purchase of a Breyer or other Model Horse sometime soon, send them the link to this blog and ask they follow these standards. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Here's to safe shipping of Model Horses everywhere!

~you can also find cheap packaging supplies on this page of our site~ Hey, we try to make it as easy as possible for you don't we??

Many blessings,
Bonnie
www.breyerhorsecollectors.com

Breyer Eye Whites - fasinating!

I am so excited!! I just received my new treasure! It is of course the book written by a wonderful life long Breyer Collector, the late Marney J. Walerius. And though Marney passed away some time ago, her wonderful collection of details and information about the early Breyer model production lives on. Thank you Marney!

This wonderful book is called: "Breyer Models - Reference and Insurance Guide". It is a rather small book when compared to the other guides being only 107 pages long. However, there is a great deal of detail and information within it's pages. Also very few pictures in comparison to the other guides and most of the ones that are presented are in black and white.

It will be a wonderful resource for me to gruel over in the evenings through out the coming winter. And as I find information that may be helpful, I'll be sure to pass it on to you.

The first bit of information I found was on the eye whites that were painted on the early models, namely from the 1950's through the 1960's. According to Marney, in the late 1960's quotas were raised per painter and the time to paint the eye whites was eliminated.

Then new limited runs were done or began in 1984 with the Just About Horses first release as the American Saddlebred Weanling. She also mentions the 1990 BreyerFest model Dr. Peaches. However the one detail that caught my attention is this:

Quote: "One fun variation occurred when some painters would paint the back of the eye white and in the same hand turn the model over and in error put the eye white in the front of the eye".

She does not state when exactly this occurred or on which models or the years, those details are a bit skechy. However, we can say for sure that this would be a variation of a model and may be a bit difficult to find.
So for myself, I know that I will pay close attention to ALL models from 1950 through the 1990's just to be on the safe side that I don't miss out on a rare one!

If anyone has a picture that they can share, or knows a bit more about the details of the eye whites; I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, enjoy your collection and keep imagining!

Have you seen these Breyer Models for sale?

I figured I had better sit down and catch up on things on-line. This Breyer Horse Collectors blog is one of them. There has simply been so many things happening, same story just different details.

However I thought that a few of you may be looking for some rare Breyer Models to purchase and just in case you have missed it; I figured I had better share with you the link to our Collector of the Month page. Now not all of the Breyer Models are for sale, however there are a few individuals who are selling, the latest COM is selling her entire collection!

This link: http://www.breyerhorsecollectors.com/breyer-collectors.html has a few of the Collectors listed and if you click on other links on the various pages, you'll find other Collectors from previous months AND last year.

If you see something you like or have questions about, contact them. And let them know that you found them on the Breyer Horse Collectors Blog! I would be very grateful... :-)

Have a great weekend everyone!
And enjoy Collecting!
Bonnie
www.breyerhorsecollectors.com

I need to sell my Breyer Collection, where do I start?

The days are getting shorter already, the leaves turning color, kids are back in school. And before you know it fall will be gone just as fast as summer. Are you a Breyer Collector with models you are wishing to sell? Not sure where to start? Well this blog is for you.

I have received many requests about where to sell and how to sell Breyer Models. And while the market is down... like so many other markets, there are things you can do to help boost your price. However, you should also keep in mind that this takes time.

It takes time to build your reputation, time to list, time to learn if you haven't done these things already. And this is why it is so important for you to start NOW. Start listing your cheapest models now while people are just getting back into their routines.

This will do two things for you: First it will help you build experience if you don't have any. Second it will get you in front of buyers so they get to know you and feel comfortable with you. Then by the time Thanksgiving hits they will know who you are and feel comfortable making a purchase with you.

And although eBay has the most traffic, there are other places as well. Take a look at all of them, Model Horse Sales pages, the Hay Net, and the Facebook Market Place. Yes, even Facebook has a place to sell everything and anything.

The nice thing about using Facebook is that you can post on your profile that you have listed your models. You can communicate back and forth directly with people who are interested. And lets face it: Facebook has a TON of traffic as well. I'm thinking that Facebook may be the next site to give eBay a serious run for their money...
And to make it easy for you.... here is the link: http://apps.facebook.com/marketplace

If you would like more information about selling your Breyer Models on line, we do have that as well. This past year we did a four part tele-seminar series concerning everything that goes into selling Breyer Models or anything on line. From pictures, to keywords, to the over all perspective of getting it done and a few tricks along the way.

You can find out more about that here:
http://www.breyerhorsecollectors.co/mastermind.html

Hope this helps get you started thinking about the biggest sales time of the year... remember, the sooner you start, the better prepared you will be. Wouldn't it be nice to have some extra cash for Christmas??

Have questions? Post them below, I will answer I promise.

Have you seen it?!

Another quick one today - sorry. I just have too many irons in the fire all at once.

How many of you get the "Just About Horses" magazine from Breyer? I'm sure there are a lot of people that have signed up for this, especially if they are die hard Collectors.

The reason for me asking is - what are your thoughts of the JAH model offerings in this last issue? Myself, I think I will pass on the grazing mare and foal. Yes, nice old nostalgic models and done in high gloss. But I'm sorry, they still don't have the "pizazz" that the other model release does; you know, the more expensive one.

The Grazing Mare and Foal, named Cream and Cocoa are limited to 1200 models made, and the fact that they are glossy and the foal is in the deep charcoal may help them out a bit. And they are more affordable than the other release, the set is priced at $80 plus shipping. We also have to remember that "glossies" usually sell higher; I'm sure because of visual impact.

I do have to say though, I'm not sure it was such good idea for Breyer to offer both of the releases in the same issue. Tough competition. But then again, maybe this is their way of testing their readers to see where the greatest interest is. Affordability or Collectability.

And the other release?

He is called "The Widow Maker" and is the FIRST Bull offered in the Connoisseur series. And he is impressive! He is painted by Karen Williams and is a very nice brown and white brindle rodeo bull. Fantastic paint job to say the least.

The model itself is a variation of the Spanish Fighting Bull with the horns cut short, apparently because he earned his name. This model is limited to 350 and does come with his COA. And if I should be lucky enough to win I will be sure to post pictures of him here as well as on the site.

I sent in my post card! Have you??

Drop me a line and let me know what you think....

Breyer Friesian Models

I finally have had a chance to sit down today and try and get caught up on postings. Soon summer will come to an end and I will no longer have the time to work outside like I am. Thus I am trying to make use of all the daylight I can.

Today I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you a little bit of insight about the Breyer Models and how they relate to the real horse they may be designed after. There are many of the Models that really are fictional, but there are others that are designed after the "real thing". We are most familiar with the newest ones such as "Roxy" from BreyerFest as well as "Alborozo" from 2008. The reason these come to mind so easily is because of all the publicity they have gotten.

However, there are others that should not be forgotten either. One of these is the Friesian Mold. Now this mold may not be considered the most attractive or the best version done of a live Friesian; it is smaller than the larger traditional size Models and lacks the action that a live Friesian normally has. That being said, some of them are still pretty popular around Christmas time when everyone is thinking "sleigh rides" through the snow. You can read a little more about the Friesian models on our website here.

The reason this one comes to mind for me is because I had the rare opportunity to ride a rather large Friesian Stallion a couple weeks ago. Yep, that's little ole me up there in the saddle of this huge 17.2 hand stud! (I still can't believe I did that!)

Now if you compare the picture of the model to the real Friesian, you can see some similarities. However, myself, I do believe the first Friesian Mold is a bit small to be realistic. But you can't forget the smaller size of Alborozo or Secretariat either. Maybe it is just the talent or temperament of the Artist who was sculpting the mold. Don't know.

As for the Friesian models, the newer Mold I feel is much more comparable to the the live horse than the older first mold. Even though Breyer has used the first mold for a variety of fairly valuable models such as Fire Magic, the 2005 BreyerFest Celebration Horse. Fire Magic is a rare Bay/Brown Friesian; rare because the purebred Friesian is normally always solid Black with no white or any other color.

The solid black is the only color allowed into the Friesian Registry and the only way to "get" any other color is by crossbreeding the Friesian with another breed such as Paints, Pintos, or Appaloosa's. You can find out more by going to www.royalknightfriesians.com where they stand Torben, the stallion I rode as well as Apollo. They also do crossbreeding for color and have some pictures for you to enjoy.

So I guess the point of this post is to help us all think about the details of the models, and how comparable they are to the actual breed they represent. I can tell you that the power and knee action on a Friesian is a great deal higher than that of a Quarter Horse! And it takes a bit of getting used to when you're sitting so high!

Until next time; enjoy your collecting!

Breyer Models For Sale

This is going to be a rather quick note with all we have going on. Sorry, there will be more soon I promise. Right now at this point my husband and I are getting ready for a Friesian Stud to spend a day or two with us, (big smile), cleaning up after a dandy storm and loads of other things.

However I did want to give all of your a heads up; we are gradually listing the Breyer Models for sale that we have had on the website. They will all be listed on eBay in the store: More Than Equine, or offered up for auction through MTE as well.

Each Breyer Model that is sold by us will come with a letter of verification that it is in fact the same Breyer Model used on our website Breyer Horse Collectors.

I am also working on information for you concerning the PAM and FAM Models. We have a couple of very interesting Proud Arabian Mares, the "Old Mold" versions that have lip liner. :-) Can't wait to get that page done! Once they are on the site, they will be listed for sale as well.

Oh, and I can't forget the really big one: the Music Box Fury Model I have. Yep. And his music box still works. He will of course get his own entire page with tons of info on the website. And then, you guessed it, he'll be sold as well.

As to when these will all be sold is uncertain. It depends on how much time I have to write and create content for the site. The best thing to do is to check into More Than Equine from time to time, best to do weekly, and stay in touch. If models are listed for auction they will all end on Thursday evenings. This may make it a bit easier for you.

That's it for now! In the mean time, enjoy your collecting!

Vintage Breyers and More

I'm sure many of you are enjoying BreyerFest right now, so there may not be many readers for today. However, because I am at home and not in Kentucky with the rest of you, I thought I would update this post for when you have a chance to take a look.

First, this link (BHC Vintage) will take you to the newest information page posted by one of our readers at Breyer Horse Collectors. In case you have missed it, this is the page where Collectors offer their own opinion and a photograph of their favorite Vintage Breyer Model.

There are so many stories, great pictures of some really hard to find Vintage Models, and much information that each have shared. Even if a person is a Beginning Collector this would be a great page to check out. You can find information to help you find that "hidden treasure" in your travels.

I also wanted to give you the run down on the Foal Naming Contest before I removed the poll. This information was sent out in the last Breyer SpotLight and now this blog needs up dated as well.

The order for the top six names selected for Hot Shot are:

• Face It Ima Star
• OLena's Mr Good Bar
• Heza Perfect Guy
• Face It Im Chocolate
• OLenas Zippo Star
• Ima Good Star

This is the order of the names that were most popular and the exact order as they will be sent to the AQHA. Once we receive the Official Registration form back from the American Quarter Horse Association, we will let everyone know the chosen name for Hot Shot. Please keep in mind; this may take some time as we will also be doing DNA testing as well. Also, the readers of the Breyer SpotLight will be the first to learn the new name.

Thank you to everyone who submitted such great names and idea's! ..... Now I am looking for someone to write the "Hot Shot chronicles" and his story.... any idea's???

Have a great week everyone!

Breyer Collectors Foal Naming Contest Coming to a close

It is already June 27th! I can't believe how fast time flies by these days.

We have had so many great suggestions for our Foal Naming Contest from Breyer Collectors and we want to thank each one of you for your input; the idea's have been great!

Now this is the next step before we can send the names into the AQHA for registration.

For the next two weeks we have a new poll open for you to vote on. I have started with the most popular first at the top of the list and gone down from there. (You can find this to the right side of this page.)

• The rules are, you vote once AND select your top six choices for a name. Or as close to six as you can.


• Then we will send that list in the July 16th Breyer SpotLight so you can see which ones have been picked. (I'm sure I will post them here as well.)


• This will be the list that is sent to the AQHA for approval. Once we receive the official registration papers back, we can make the big announcement.


• If you would like recognition for your suggestion, please send me and email or post here so that I have record of it BEFORE the poll closes.

Then we will announce your name as the Winner of the Foal Naming Contest here as well as in the Breyer SpotLight.

Polls will close on July 15th so don't wait. The announcement of the top six names will be given in the SpotLight issue that goes out on July 16th.

A bit of information on this sweet sweet colt:
I'm sure you have noticed in the photo he has his hind leg wrapped in neon pink.
Well, let me tell you what happened:
Several weeks ago during a thunderstorm he received an injury. A laceration of his left hock. This was discovered as we were moving mares and babies inside for protection from the storm. Immediately the vet was called and he was rushed off to see the Doctor the next morning.

Surgery and x-rays were done with many surface and sub-Q stitches. Troubles with stitching this type of area is that normally they don't stay, the tissue is too thin. Sure enough, they didn't hold. However, with flushing, washing, wrapping and bandaging this area every day for the past how many weeks, it is looking much better and is healing nicely.

However, now there is a sore that has developed on the opposite side. Rrrrr. He is scheduled to go back to the vet on Monday and we will see what happens from there.

There is one thing I have learned for sure; you will always find out what a horse is made of when you have to doctor them for any length of time. And this guy is GOLD!

He fusses a bit at getting shots yet, can't blame him; so do I. And he might get a bit tired of me flushing his sore areas for too long, but other than that he stands there and goes to sleep while my husband scratches him.

Now don't get me wrong; he does have energy and knows how to twist like a pretzel in mid air! I always wish I had my camera when he starts his "Airres Above the Ground". But when it is time for his lessons or to be doctored, he is super quiet and willing, ears always up and eyes always soft. Scratch his neck and he will follow you around like glue for hours! You simply can't ask for anything better than that.

So help me in finding the best name for this little guy - he deserves a great one because to me, he is already a champion.

Until next time; many Blessings to each of you.
PS: The picture show his true character, love and kisses while being schooled.

Some Breyer Research

It seems that I am falling into somewhat of a routine and a bit of a schedule with posting to this blog.
Finally.

As you can tell it hasn't been every day, more of a weekly thing that I can manage getting done.

We have been getting tons of rain lately, which is wonderful. However, it also creates a great deal more work outside with the horse pens and such. Trying to keep the foals out of mud is next to impossible. The cleaning takes hours!

Last night was just a bit scary, however, very impressive at the same time. We drove home from town after picking up supplies and watched anemones clouds develop directly in front of us, we passed under neath... The radio had tornado warnings on for our part of the county. Hmmmm.

We reached home and got everyone into the basement and prayed.

Well, the truth be told, prayer is powerful. We received some rain, no hail and no tornadoes. Praise God! Watching the power of these storms is so impressive as well as humbling. A great reminder of having everything in place when and where you need it at all times. Being ready and having a plan.

In the next few postings for Breyers, I hope to share some of my thoughts of the history of models, sculptures, and such. The Breyer SpotLight that is due out on the 18th will touch on some of the details of Chris Hess that I have just learned.

I do wish I would have had the chance to meet Mr. Hess in person, he passed away I believe in 1988. He had a tremendous impact on the Breyer history, along with many others of course. However, one of the things that makes Chris Hess stand out is the amount of time he spent with Breyer as well as the number of molds he sculpted for them.

I also found it quite interesting that he himself was not a "horse person". And yet he was able to provide the details that he did in so many of the molds and models that we still love today. Interesting indeed.

Well, I wish for you today, peace, happiness, and many more Breyer Models for your future.

Blessings!

PS: The above picture is of a Congress Family Arabian Foal, the mold being sculpted by Chris Hess and introduced in 1961. The above Congress Model has been authenticated.

Breyer Horse Collectors Foal Naming Contest

I thought I should post an updated picture of our "SpotLight" foal who is the one featured for our "Foal Naming Contest". We have had many submissions for names that are all sounding like great choices.

We will collect all the names and put it to a final vote within the next couple of weeks. So if you have an idea - send it to us by clicking the comment button below. Your suggestion will then be added to the group for the final voting.

Now as for the picture; this simply shows his typical personality. He is a love and follows us around like a puppy. We have been calling him "Hot Shot" for his barn name - the name that you will be voting on is for his AQHA Registered name.

And I'm not so sure he isn't going to turn into a faded black instead of staying the Bay color he was born with as he seems to be shedding out darker. Either way, he is easy on the eyes and he is a doll! I am going to try and get some videos for you to see his personality in action. Not sure if I can post them directly on here, or if I have to post a link. I will let you know.

So Breyer Collectors - let us know your choices for a name for this sweet colt. There are other suggestions on the right hand side of the page for you to vote on. Or if you would prefer, you can read some of the others in the original post by clicking "Comments".

Thank you everyone!

Keep Collecting.

Bonnie

What is your favorite model?

It seems as though it was only yesterday that I posted here last; when in fact it has been quite a while. How does time seem to slip away?

Have you ever found yourself in there? I have started to find myself thinking "wasn't last month January??" And still we have the same 24 hours available each day just like we always have....


Anyway, on with today's post.

I would assume that you are reading this post because you have some correlation with Breyer Model Horses. That should be fairly obvious.

Well, I would like to take the time to get to know YOU a little better. See I have a hard time talking about myself and what I like, and I truly desire to know more about the people who read this blog as well as The Breyer SpotLight.

So we'll start with an easy question: What is your favorite Breyer Model??

I have many of them; the Indian Pony, Othello, Wixom, just to name a few.

Now it's your turn. There is a space at the bottom of this post where it says "comment". Click on that link and type in your favorite Breyer Model and why. You don't even have to leave your name if you don't want too.

And don't forget; our foal naming contest is coming to a close soon so if you haven't posted your idea's yet, take a minute and do that as well.

Until next time - enjoy Collecting!

Blessings,

Bonnie

He's the one that started all of this.....

A quick note for all of you. We celebrated our oldest sons College Graduation this past weekend and I thought you might enjoy seeing a picture of the person responsible for getting me started on eBay.
He now has two Associate of Applied Science Degrees to his name and is moving forward to a great future. We are very proud of what he has done and the direction he is going. Thank you Daniel, for all your hard work!
As a reminder; just in case you have not yet voted on a name for our first new foal, the link is at the bottom of the previous post. Be sure to let us know your thoughts as we will be collecting the names for voting in just a couple of weeks. This is a Special Invite only for our Friends/Breyer Collectors.

Lots happening so stay tuned....

Foal Naming Contest is Here for Breyer Collectors

Sorry for the delay folks, I have been swamped. However, now it's time to get this page out to you so you can offer your suggestions for names!

The idea for all of this came about from one of our long time readers of the Breyer SpotLight. When I posted pictures of our new foal on Facebook - Celia asked about a contest to name him. So here we are.

Now there are a couple of things that I must explain about naming a Quarter Horse foal.

• First: we have to pick 6 choices in case any of them are already taken.
• Second: it is customary to try and work the name of the Sire/Grand Sire and Dam/Grand Dam into the foals name.

However, my husband and I have not always followed the custom. Such as when we named our AQHA Artful Investment Granddaughter last year. She is named "Red Legs Dancing". What can I say? It fits.

So with this guy, his sires name is:

• Face It Im Good and is a son of Zippos Mr. Good Bar.

and his dams name is:

• O'Lenas Fancy Freckle. We do request that the words Fancy and Freckle are NOT used in the foals name.

Other than that, it is open. I was thinking of naming him "A Breyer Inspiration". :-)

Oh, the other thing is that there is only 20 spaces available for the spelling of the name including spaces in between.

Now all you need to do is look at the bottom of this post and click where it says "comment" then leave your idea. In the next 4 weeks we will gather all of the names that have been offered and post them to a survey at the top of the page. Then everyone can vote on the most popular. From that we will find out what his new name(s) may be.

Thank you everyone! Have fun!

Having Fun with Pictures

Do you enjoy photography? I do. I used to take pictures of fantastic sunsets over Lake Superior. The colors are just incredible and then because of the water ~ you have twice the impact. It was so much fun.

Now I live far away from a water source such as the Great Lakes and have forgotten for a time about simply taking pictures. Well, I guess I have attempted to get some really good ones of the monstrous clouds that come in before a storm. Those are have a great deal of impact as well.

Today, and this past year actually, I have started to do more still life pictures and experimenting. I love taking pictures of the Breyer Models, finding ways to help their character come to the surface.

The picture at the top of this page is of a Spanish Fighting Bull. I was having so much fun basically "shooting in the dark".
Let me explain; the sun was going down, I did not have any lights on in the room because it was still light enough to see. On the camera screen I couldn't see anything, nothing. It was completely black even though it was turned on. So, I started testing to see what would happen using the flash. Not too bad. It would work.

Then I thought, "what if I tried it without flash". It was fascinating! The bull almost glowed red! Pretty cool. I have no idea what I will use them for, but hey, you never know what can happen. Any idea's??

Today I have been taking pictures of Roman Angels and fresh flowers from my garden. Yea, it helps to test other "subject matter" as well. It keeps your imagination awake and growing...

Do you have pictures of your Breyer Models you really enjoy?

Have Fun!

I think it's Friday

I think it's Friday today, not sure. It has been a crazy week this past week. As I posted before we had one foal born, (yea!) however, added to that has been a "family" week.

Our son Lee (pictured to the left) has been here to spend some time before he goes to Korea. He is one of the many that work to keep our freedom within the Air Force. So we have had many events with family who want to see Lee before he leaves for the next year.

We are still waiting on our next foal. Yep, Miss Kitty simply has not agreed to have it yet.

It was suggested to us that we run a "Foal Naming" contest for our first one that was born. Hmmmmm.........what are your thoughts?

This foal is a little sweet heart! And so happy, loves to be scratched, no problem having the halter put on and taken off. I introduced him to the clippers yesterday and he thought it was just part of life. Simply wonderful.

Now for Breyers: well I have been working on organizing my thoughts and information for the up coming classes. God willing I am not as nervous with these as I was with the first one!

And I am off to check on Kitty again and fix breakfast.

Have a wonderful day!

It's a Boy!!

He's here! Freckles had her first foal last night after dark. Then the weather started turning bad so we needed to move them inside.

He is a sweetheart!

Any idea's for a name? His sire is Face It Im Good by Zippos Mr. Goodbar and his dam is O'Lenas Fancy Freckle.

Maybe we'll simply name him
"A Breyer Inspiration"....

Quick Personal Note

Just wanted to post a quick note. As many of you know and have been asking, we have mares that are due to foal any time. Our gray mare, O'Lenas Fancy Freckle was due last week and Twist Easy Cat is due today.

Well, Freckles has started showing signs, finally, but still no foal. And Kitty, well she will have that baby when she is good and ready. And I best not look under her belly otherwise she says "Nope. Not today because you just peaked!" She has done that with her last two foals. (Kitty is the Sorrel mare in the middle in the above picture.)

I will post a couple pictures as soon as they are born and let everyone know.

And here is the cool thing: Freckles is gray, just like the "Gray Mustang Stallion" in the Treasure Hunt Series this year, and she is bred to a Bay Roan, not quite the same as the Red Roan Wixom mold, however, still Roan. What do you think the color of her foal will be? Will it match any of the color combinations from the Treasure Hunt Foals of 2009??

Time will tell.

If you would like to see additional pictures of our horses, go to http://www.stasserequine.com/

Leave you comments below, we can see how many color guess we get!

Talk with you soon. Blessings!

Bonnie

Were You There??

Wow! Were you on the call last night? The one about the Breyer Master Mind Group we are working on?

I was so nervous the entire day; I've never done anything like this before. It kind of reminded me of the first time showing a horse; your nerves are a wreck until you ride into the ring. Yea, kind of like that.

I really enjoyed talking with all the different people on the call. Getting to hear their voices and being able to speak to each other directly just makes it so much more personal. And the questions that everyone asked were really good! I was impressed.

By the end of the call I had more energy than when I started! It's almost as good as being in the same room filled with Breyer Collectors; we get to know each other on a deeper level and share insight with each other.

And I do have to say "Thank You" to each of you who took the time to participate. I truly means the world to me.

If you would like to check it out, there will be additional information on the site at this link:
http://www.breyerhorsecollectors.com/mastermind.html

Now, I must check on one of our mares who is getting really close to having her foal, maybe tonight! I'll post a picture or two for you when we get them...

Bonnie
www.breyerhorsecollectors.com

BreyerFest 2009 Models

Just to keep you updated and help you with the choices of Models you might be interested in for Breyerfest of 2009; take a look at the new post at this link:

http://www.breyerhorsecollectors.com/breyer-horses-blog.html#Breyerfest-2009-Special-Runs (look for the link to You Tube)

We received some inside information from a Friend and Collector who has also been one of our Featured Collectors of the Month. Now we don't know how many of each are being released, so you might want to keep your eyes open when you visit BreyerFest this year.

Good Luck and Happy Collecting!

Bonnie

http://www.breyerhorsecollectors.com/

Are you Game? Let's answer some questions

Have you filled out the survey yet? You know the one asking about a Tele-Seminar and Master Mind Group.If you haven't filled it out yet, this is the link: http://www.breyerhorsecollectors.com/breyer-horse-sellers-survey.html

With as busy as we all are, I started thinking, why not make this as easy as possible. So....

I am thinking it will simply be easier to answer questions live, over the phone, with everyone there at once. I already have the conference line set up, an idea of what needs to be covered, and some area's I would like to address that I see as concerns for each of you.

Now all I need from you is an idea of time. I have April 22nd open at about 7:00pm MST. The only cost is your long distance fee's and we can answer some of your questions for you, live, without waiting. That way you know what to expect and you will know if it is right for you or not.

Consider this your Special Invitation to our First Grand Event!

So, are you game?? Let me know by posting below and Thank You.

Blessings!

Bonnie

http://www.breyerhorsecollectors.com/

A Couple Benefits to Blogging Breyers

Have you thought about starting a Blog? Or maybe you already have - let us know who you are so we stay in touch.

The reason for the question is this; Blogs are fairly easy to do, they don't cost anything, they only take a bit of time, a little imagination, elbow grease, and there you go - you have a Blog. And a Blog can benefit a Collector in many ways.

Why would this have anything to do with Breyer Models? Well, let me tell you what I have seen. With a Blog, you can tell your story, your experience with Breyer Models, you can show pictures and give descriptions, and yes, you can even use your Blog to Sell Your Breyer Models.

Of course this leads to the question of who will know you are there? I mean you can have the best looking Blog on the planet with the rarest of rare Breyer Models to sell; but if no one knows about it, then it defeats the purpose.

So how do you get people to your blog? By telling them. Start with everyone you know, send them and invite, ask them to ask others. And then start "talking" to these visitors; and keep talking to them. Ask them again to spread the word about your Blog. Ask them what they are looking for when it comes to Breyer Models; get to know them.

Creating a Blog is one of the easiest ways for a person to get started building a reference tool with little to no experience. If you screw up; delete it and rewrite or change the layout and settings. One point I should make however; test out all of the templates that you think you may like before you start working on writing. That alone will save you time.

And do you see that white box down there? Right below this posting? Yea, that one. Write a comment and let me know your thoughts and questions and I will be sure to try and help. And don't forget to sign up for follow up emails when you are done writing your post. That is the only way will know the answer.

Glad you are here! Now tell me; how can I help??

Breyer Survey.....

I love Surveys! They give you such insight on others. Insight that can be used to help provide the useful information, tools, idea's or what have you, to be able to help.

And the latest survey from Breyer Horse Collectors is no different. We have all different levels of collectors from all different walks of life that are sharing their story. Now of course I am not going to share those stories on here, or any where for that matter; that is up to the individual Collector, not me.

I can tell you however, that we have highly thought of "professionals" to decorated students, to farm/ranch wives such as myself who are involved in the hobby of Collecting Model Horses. And so many have similar stories. Things such as "time". It takes time to sell and it doesn't matter what it is, it still takes time. And getting a good return for what you are selling is a challenge, especially right now. This is the same for everyone.

One of the biggest challenges however is the mind set. How do you think about selling? Why are you wanting to sell? Do you get a knot in your stomach when you think of selling? Why? Did you know that how you "think" can effect your return when you sell?

And what if I could tell you how to eliminate your competition? It can be done, even when you sell your Model Horses. How valuable would that be?

Oh there is so much more, but alas, I must go for now. I do hope you enjoy your day and God Bless!
Bonnie
www.breyerhorsecollectors.com

Geddie's Toys: Estimated Arrival for Spring Releases

Check out this great site for Breyer Models:
Geddie's Toys: Estimated Arrival for Spring Releases

Did you know that you are a Salesman?

I have some thoughts rolling around in my mind today that I wanted to share. It may be due to the fact I just got off a recorded tele-seminar that I listened to between Perry Marshall and Dan Kennedy. [if you Google each of them you will find out about the proven systems they teach when it comes to marketing and sales letters.]

Most of the call focused on sales letters being Salesmanship in print, business owners doing direct mailing of sales letters as well as emails and on-line marketing. It focused more on big business than the single small business owner that is struggling to make ends meet.

However, one point jumped out at me. Someone on the call asked a question thankfully about how to do a short add or classified. Yea! That's it! I listened closely and what I heard was very good. After all, eBay sales "letters" have to be short as do classifieds in the newspaper. You don't have readers that are willing to read through 18 pages of information before they make their choice. In 18 pages you could convince them, sure, but they wont stay there that long.

So you have to be able to do it right away. As soon as a person looks at your headline or title; what do they see? What do they think? Does it answer their questions? These are things you have to keep in mind.

Okay; the point that jumped: Dan Kennedy answered the question along these lines. He said that you need to ask yourself this question;

"If your Title had an 800 number attached to it, would anyone call?"

Ooooo what a good question. I hadn't thought of that before. And it really makes you think, to use your mind and see what you can come up with.

Now the next step is to apply this to things you sell on eBay. How can you set up the title for your auction with this in mind? The example used was one that has run for 50 years +/- a couple and is still making money today.

Very simple and to the point. "Corns gone in 8 days or your money back!"

It labels the problem, gives and answer with a time frame and removes risk.

Now it's time to do some testing.... :-) And have some fun! How can you use this proven idea and concept to sell your Breyer Models on eBay?

Will you join me?

Until next time,
Bonnie
www.breyerhorsecollectors.com

Breyer Model Horses up For Sale

I wanted to leave a quick note that we are starting to list a few of the Breyer Models we have for sale with More Than Equine on eBay~ http://www.morethanequine.com/

One of the Models that will be going up shortly is Rawhide, he is the 1995 Breyer Tour Model and is in Near Mint condition with a few shiny rubs on his left side and a small rub on his top lip as well as a few dark marks on his nose. I have not yet tried to remove them.

You can see his own information on Breyer Horse Collectors at: http://www.breyerhorsecollectors.com/breyer-mustang-appaloosa.html If you have any questions or would like additional pictures before he goes on eBay, just let me know.

My goal is for this blog to be a useful tool for Collectors to use. If you would like to set up a blog, let me know. I am certainly no expert at this point, but I am more than happy to share everything I have learned by creating and using these tools.

Thank you and have a great day!

Bonnie

Welcome to the Breyer Horse Collectors Blog

Thank you for checking out our Blog!

Being that this is the first official blog for the BHC (Breyer Horse Collectors), I thought I would give you a bit of insight as to what this is for.

First - Keep in mind that I myself am technically challenged and there may be some learning on my end as we get this going. With that in mind, if you can be patient and learn with me, I believe this blog will be a benefit for everyone who takes part.

Second - My purpose for this blog is to have an area available to get to know you as a fellow Breyer Collector. For us to share thoughts, idea's, challenges and maybe find some answers. There will be information posted on this blog that will not appear on the BHC site. Some of the information may relate, but it will be and should be different at the same time.

Third - I would love for you to take part. Do you have questions? Do you have a comment? Blog it!

Fourth - Spread the word. Let your friends and contacts know about this blog as well as the website itself. The blog is here to learn about and help Collectors of Model Horses around the world.

Fifth - This is the blog of the first website that offers answers to all the "why's" of Collecting. From, buying, selling, showing, customizing, there are always questions. It is our purpose to help answer questions from each of these areas of Collecting Model Horses.

With that, I hope you enjoy and take part.

Blessings,

Bonnie - Breyer Horse Collectors