More on body shape - Orlovs and Dutch Trotters

Count Orlov with a grey trotter, sometime identified as the Orlov foundation stallion Bars I. Painted in 1890 by Nikolai Sverchkov.

In the previous post, I wrote about the central myth in early 20th-century horse breeding, which was that all 'well-bred' horses have Eastern blood. Over time, this evolved into the idea that the Arabian—erroneously credited with the creation of the English Thoroughbred—was the primary "improver" of horse breeds. This led to the tendency to designate any Eastern horse as "Arabian" and then emphasize its influence. 

One of the most obvious examples of this is the Russian Orlov. Most descriptions of the breed will credit the Arabian stallion Smetanka as the founder of the breed. This painting almost always accompanies articles about Orlovs. 

Smetanka, believed to have been painted by Gavril Vasilyev in the late eighteenth century.

Smetanka was purchased in Turkey in 1774 and traveled by land for two years to Russia. He died the year after he arrived, leaving behind only five foals. Of those, the stallion Polkan was the most influential. Polkan's dam was a buckskin Danish mare from the Frederiksborg Stud.

The Frederiksborg Stud started in 1562 with Spanish and Neapolitan horses. These were later crossed with Turkish, Moroccan, and English horses. When Count Orlov imported the mares in the late 1700s, it is likely they still retained some of the original Spanish type. 

It is still possible to see the Spanish influence in Frode, a Frederiksborger foaled in 1855. There is another picture of him here. 

Polkan, who was half Arabian and half Frederikborger, produced a son that could more accurately be called the foundation sire of the Orlov Trotter. That was Bars (1784-1806). To establish his Khrenovsky Stud, Count Orlov linebred the descendants of Bars. 

The dam of Bars was an imported Dutch trotting mare: a hartraver. When responding to comments made by Walter Winans about the breed in the Live Stock Journal, the head of the Russian Agricultural Department described her in this way: 

The Orloff Trotter is not originated from several Arab stallions and Danish mares, as Mr. W. Winans means, because the first so-called ancestor of the Orloff Trotter—Bars—was a son of an Arab-Danish stallion out of an imported Friesian mare. The trotting qualities were inherited undoubtedly from the Friesian, or Flemish Hartraver (Trotter), and the influence of Friesian blood cannot be omitted.  (Live Stock Journal, June 1, 1917) 

Winans, whose article prompted the official to write, was an American residing in England, but who grew up in Russia. He is perhaps better known as the sculptor who discovered the famed Arabian stallion Skowronek in Poland and imported him. 

Skowronek, shown with his fifth (and best-known) owner, Lady Wentworth of Crabbet Park

Winans' interest in Arabians might explain why he focused on Smetanka. However, just as early Morgans didn't look like Thoroughbreds, the Orlovs of his day didn't look much like Arabians. It would be more accurate to say they looked like Friesians. Or rather, like our modern conception of a Friesian horse. 

Here is the Orlov stallion Varmik (f.1894), who was used at stud during the time Mr. Winans and the official from Russia were exchanging letters in the Live Stock Journal.  

Varmik was linebred to Bars. He also carried crosses to other Dutch mares used in the program.

Here is an Orlov mare from that time. Like Varmik, her body shape is distinctly Friesian-like. 

Here is Varmik's grandsire, Projda (f.1873). 

Even when Orlovs were grey, the body type is still very reminiscent of the Friesian. 

Gromadnyj (f. 1894), showing the heavy bone, feathered heels, and an overall shape similar to the previous examples.

It's not just the historical Orlovs that have this body type. It's not hard to find in modern Friesians. This lovely colt was offered at the 2023 yearling sale at the Moscow Stud Farm #1. Even at his young age, he has noticeable feathering on his heels. (Clicking on his picture will take you to the farm's website and a video showing his trot.)

Baget (f. 2022), a grey Orlov colt pictured as a yearling and offered at auction by Moscow Stud Farm #1.

So the Hartravers were Friesians? 

Does all this mean that the references to Dutch horses and "hartravers" were Friesians? 

The Orlov is one of the most thoroughly documented breeds from the 1700s. The amount of detail kept on the horses—particularly when it comes to the origins of the mares—is quite remarkable. However, this is all before there were breed registries. Terms like "Friesian" and "hartraver" could mean different things depending on who was speaking; there were no breed registries to regulate what was meant by a name. 

Tall, black horses of the modern Friesian type have a long history in the Netherlands. They were popular for use at funerals in Europe. Writing about the different classes of horses employed in London, one author referred to them as the "Black Brigade." 

The funeral horse hardly needs description. The breed has been the same for centuries. He stands about 16 hands... Altogether there are about 700 of these black horses in London. They are all Flemish, and come to us from the flats of Holland.

The illustration that accompanies the text shows horses of the Friesian type. 

Illustration from The Horse-World of London, published in 1893

The similarity between the funeral horses and the Orlovs was noted by a traveler writing for the Country Gentleman's Estate Book in 1913. 

A highly typical feature is the shape of the croup... which is seen in several Continental breeds, and most markedly so in the old unimproved Dutch breed of horses, of which so many representatives are used in this country as hearse horses at funerals. 

Based on the appearance of the descendants of Bars, it seems likely that the "Dutch trotter" mares used by Count Orlov were of Friesian type. They would not have qualified as Friesians today. For one thing, Bars' Dutch dam was grey. At least one other Dutch mare used at the stud was also grey. But in body shape, it is easy to imagine that they resembled a modern-day Friesian.

Does this mean Justin Morgan was a Friesian?

Bars was foaled just a few years before Justin Morgan. His dam was a "Dutch mare," and Justin Morgan (the man) always claimed his stallion was a "Dutch horse." Does that mean the foundation of the Morgan breed was a Friesian? 

No, it doesn't. Written accounts dating back centuries indicate that Dutch breeders were famed for producing strong trotters. They also produced more than one type of trotter. 

There is notable similarity in the body shape of the Orlovs and the Friesians, but neither resemble Morgans.  That's because there were two different sorts of Dutch trotting horses. Writers referring to Hartravers might be speaking of either type. 

Sultan, an East Friesian, and Varmik, an Orlov, illustrate the two different body shapes "hartravers" might have. (The two horses were born a year apart.)

A German writer, commenting on the horses of East Frisia in a 1879 government report, said they were like the "Harttrabers of neighboring Holland." 

That means there were three different "Dutch horses." There was a heavy draft, a tall black ceremonial carriage horse, and a fast-trotting coach horse. It seems likely that when Justin Morgan spoke of Dutch horses, he meant that last type. 

As blood horses became fashionable, especially in English-speaking countries, stallion promoters 'discovered' suitable back stories for their animals. The Hartravers were largely forgotten, which is why the information provided by Justin Morgan's son found few proponents. The only "Dutch" horses they knew about were the heavy drafters. 

Body shape vs. breed mythology

Breed history has always fascinated me. My interest in horse color led me to follow leads on color lines using pedigrees and other historical documents. I spent a lot of time in registry archives and specialized libraries. Once libraries began digitizing their collections, a whole treasure trove of information became available. That is how I found images like the one at the top of this post. 

Judging from the silhouette, what breed does this look like? Ignore the bad photo cut-out that took away his tail and the edge of his mane. Imagine he has a full mane and tail.

The first time I saw that image, it reminded me of horses like this one. It has the same heavily crested, upright neck and attractive head. 

Hale's Green Mountain Morgan, drawing by George Ford Morris

Here is another image showing the face of the first horse.

The second horse is an artist's rendering of Hale's Green Mountain Morgan (f. 1834). He was intensely linebred to Justin Morgan, with both parents by Woodbury Morgan (a son of Justin Morgan) and out of Justin Morgan-bred mares. He is what most model horse hobbyists would think of as an "old type" Morgan. 

The first horse is Warner (f.1895), an East Friesian. East Frisia is situated between the Netherlands and Germany and has at various times belonged to one or the other. The horses of East Frisia played a significant role in the foundation of the Dutch coaching breeds from nearby Groningen and Drenthe. Below are two East Friesian stallions—father and son—used in the Netherlands. 

It's important to note that these are not the same as what modern equestrians would think of as a "Friesian," although they were sometimes called that. They were also sometimes referred to as hart-dravers ("fast trotters"). To keep things challenging, that term also seems to have been used for traditional Friesians. Because standardizing breeds was a new idea, there wasn't really a sharp dividing line between any of these things! The important fact is that fast trotting roadsters had been bred in the Netherlands for a long time. Many of them looked remarkably similar to this. 

East Friesian stallions Sultann (f. 1895) and his son Mentor (f. 1904)

If you grew up with the image of Maureen Love's Morgan sculptures as your idea of a "typey" Morgan horse, these stallions might remind you of them. If you added a full mane and tail, they would look very similar. 

The Breyer Stablemate Morgan Stallion, sculpted by Maureen Love, compared to the East Friesian Sultan II. (Photo from Identify Your Breyer)

Here is another comparison. Note the similar neck and shoulder to the East Friesian to the right and the Maureen Love Morgan directly above.

The horse to the left is the famous Welsh Cob sire Mathrafal Brenin (f.1911)

All three have similar body shapes. That's something that model horse artists, especially those who came of age during the golden era of customizing, are skilled in recognizing. We know that it wouldn't take much work to make the Morgan Stallion look like either Sultan II or Mathrafal Brenin. 

Breed Mythologies

Why would an old-fashioned Morgan look like a Welsh Cob or a Dutch hart-draver? 

Weren't we all taught that the founder of the breed, Justin Morgan, was by a Thoroughbred stallion and out of a mare of Thoroughbred and Arabian breeding? Those breeds don't really look like this.

Here is a mature Thoroughbred stallion from the same time frame as Warner, the East Friesian at the top of this post. It is hard to imagine Morgan type coming from a sire like this, especially if bred to a daughter of similar breeding.

Wagner (f.1882), pictured in an article in the Thoroughbred Record discussing his upcoming sale in 1897. 

When I was a kid, the answer to that was that Justin Morgan was a "sport." This supposedly explained why he produced his own type so consistently. The idea of a sport, where an organism looks nothing like its parents but then produces copies of itself, isn't part of modern genetics.

It didn't take advances in genetics to undermine that idea, however. When it comes to Morgans, questions about the difference in body type and the official pedigree have a long, colorful history. 

Gilded Age Flamewar

Modern equestrians are not unique in their appetite for drama. The only difference is that in the past, it happened (ever so slowly) over the editorial pages of agricultural journals. One of the most entertaining of these involved speculation about the origins of Justin Morgan. It played out in Wallace's Monthly between 1878 and 1879.

At that time, the story that Justin Morgan was a son of the Thoroughbred "True Briton" and out of "Wildair mare" was widely accepted. However, a conflicting account had been previously dismissed. Justin Morgan's son, Justin Morgan Jr., provided this information in a 1842 letter that was included in an essay on the Morgan Horse, published in 1857.

"I know that my father always, while he lived, called him a Dutch horse"

In July of 1878, O. W. Cook wrote an article for Wallace's Monthly titled "The Pedigree Furnished The Morgan." In it, he shared information that undermined the story that True Briton (also known as Beautiful Bay) was the sire. He also pointed out that "a type of Dutch horse" was present in the area at the time. 

Then, in February of 1879, he wrote a follow-up article when additional information came to light. 

"All I expected to do in the way of reconstruction was to establish, in a general way, that the Morgan was a Dutch horse; or, at least, to insist that his owner’s representations should not be longer ignored. I now find it my duty to offer more definite and particular materials... I consider the following advertisement so important that I transcribe it in full. It fits into the vacuum in the Morgan’s lineage as a fragment of pottery fits into its complement.”

Cook then goes on to include a stud advertisement for Young Bulrock, a stallion "of the Dutch breed" who stood in Springfield the year before Justin Morgan was foaled. There are replies of agreement both from the editor and at least one reader who found Mr. Cook's research compelling. 

In June 1879, Dr. William Leonard wrote to express his contempt for the idea. He suggested that Justin Morgan used Dutch as a pet name, perhaps because he "was the biggest when he lay down." (In subsequent responses, this comment was ridiculed as just as nonsensical as it might seem to modern readers.) Leonard further said of Justin Morgan:

"He must have known that in [True Briton and Wild Air] was found in that day... the best blood, in the common acceptation of the term, that no Dutch horse, or violent cross, could, for one moment, compare..."

Since Justin Morgan was said to be of "upright character", it was not possible that he could claim that the horse was "of the best blood" (which Morgan did) when it had no Thoroughbred blood. That would be a dishonorable lie. Dr. Leonard also insisted that no reputable dealer would try to market "Dutch horses" as roadsters. Everyone knew they were unfit for it! 

It can be assumed that Dr. Leonard was thinking of large drafts, then commonly called "Flemish Horses." He was unaware that Dutch hart-dravers had been bred for generations for precisely that purpose. To be fair to him, most American horsemen were unaware. The editor, John Wallace, replied to this. 

"The theory that [the Dutch horses in the area] were the great heavy team horses from the valley of the Conestoga, in Pennsylvania, is all moonshine."

In the next month's issue, Cook responded to the comment about "violent crosses", saying,

"All these fancies mean just this, that the Doctor prefers to trace his colts to an apochryphal thoroughbred, rather than to a Dutch horse, fearing that the latter is some no-account brute.”

The editor comes down on the side of Mr. Cook, saying the facts were on his side. It is interesting to note, however, that the Thoroughbred pedigree is still the accepted version almost 100 years later. Why?

The Central Myth

The year-long argument between the two men might seem like the nineteenth-century version of a social media spat. One can almost imagine a Mrs. Leonard telling her husband that it is not the end of the world if someone in the Wallace's Monthly is wrong. However, Mr. Cook was pushing back against a central myth in the equestrian world, which was that good horses must have Eastern blood. (He likely wrote for John Wallace because, as a supporter of trotters, his magazine was more open to questioning the idea.)

This is important because this myth distorted the stories told about a lot of breeds that were standardized at the turn of the last century. Modern genetic testing is calling a lot of those stories into question, but artists (and judges of equine art) might already see the truth in body shapes. 

Splatter Painting

Ibn Monsata, Arabian stallion customized by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig from the Classic Shetan and Sagr molds.

The horse above, Ibn Monsata, is one of Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig's NaReViMo horses for 2025. Sarah posted about the kind of splatter technique she used to create him and a (yet-to-be-revealed) roan on her blog. That post, "Speckled Sparkle: Painting with a Toothbrush," is a helpful read if you want to try this out for yourself. 

Sarah was recreating the look Tom Bainbridge used to get with his fleabitten greys. Here is a close-up of Monsata. You can see LunarVerse, Tom's Classic Arabian Stallion, that Sarah used as an inspiration here. I think she nailed the look with her new guy!

A close-up of Ibn Monsata 

Like many vintage artists, I experimented with splatter painting. This is Janx Sandpiper, a bay roan Walking Pony I customized from a Stablemate Morgan Mare. He would have been made some time between 1986 and 1987—during the peak of the splatter trend. (If you look closely, you can see he was also part of the string mane and tail trend.)

Janx Sandpiper, inspired by Judy Renee Pope's Walking Horse Janx Spectral

Splattering paint (or masking material) has a technical advantage. It creates a truly random pattern. That's surprisingly hard to achieve. It's also just fun.

I decided to experiment with splatter painting and ceramics last year. I used the same toothbrush technique Sarah describes in her article, only with ceramic underglaze. Usually, I use translucent underglazes, but for this, I used opaque colors. Because the opaque colors have a heavier, chalky texture, I could go back and lightly etch the speckling to better reflect the direction of the coat. 

Here is a finished Hadrian glazed this way. 

Splatter techniques were on my mind later in the year when I visited the Breyer factory. Paint splattering is how we did the belton spotting on the black 2025 Ambassador Model "Salud!". Splattered resist was used to create the roaning pattern on the black tobiano-salpicada version. I got to experiment with both types of splatter while I was there.

Here's one of the experimental models from that trip. I wanted to see if I could use layers of resist to create a variable roaning that might read at "varnish roan." I am not sure it worked, but maybe he just needed more varnishing to look less like a grey. 

I haven't decided how to finish my NaReViMo horses yet. Chances are they will sit in primer for a very long time. That's how things often work here at the studio! It is tempting to pull out the toothbrush, though. 

Nostalgia for Big Hair

Calypso, Stablemate customized by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig in the 1990s

I found the picture of Calypso (above) while I was unpacking boxes for the new studio. 

He had come to Alabama in 1993 with the rest of Sarah's show string. I had seen one of her Classic-scale horses in person and was in awe of the small details like wrinkles and veins. It was pretty revolutionary at the time. I had heard she did the same with smaller scales. I wrote and asked if she had close-ups of her Stablemates. She didn't have pictures, so she sent the models in the mail so I could see them for myself. 

There is a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in the picture. I didn't know Sarah well at the time, so the letter and Calypso (and his box-mates) were how I met one of my dearest friends. The photo itself was taken at our first home, the original Blackberry Lane. It was easy to get a clear blue sky—something 'proper' show photos had back in the day!—because our farm was surrounded by acres of cotton fields. Within a few years, those fields sprouted subdivisions instead. Last year, the little blue farmhouse was demolished to make way for a neighborhood park. 

Like our old farm, the hobby has changed dramatically since that picture was taken. I didn't know it then, but the two things that would have the most significant impact on the community, resin-casting and the internet, were ready to take off. Casting our own horses was a long-held dream, but there is a part of me that misses the time when we were all making one-of-a-kind customs. 

National Retro Vintage Month

Six years ago, Sarah encouraged everyone to get nostalgic and create a vintage-style custom model in August. Patterned after Jennifer Buxton's popular National Model Painting Month, she created National Retro Vintage Month. Almost every year since, she has created multiple models for the event. Tomorrow I'll be debuting one of her 2025 horses in a post about retro-style splattering. In the meantime, here are some of her pieces from years past. 

This is Rafiq, an Amazigh horse from the first year's event in 2020. Sarah stressed that NaReViMo horses were about rediscovering 'play' in model horse artistry. Rafiq and the other horses made in 2020 set the tone. 

Rafiq, an Amazigh stallion customized by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig from the Breyer Proud Arabian Stallion and Black Foundation Stallion

Here are two from 2022. The first one, Permian, was another Proud Arabian Stallion custom. As hard as it might be for younger collectors to imagine, that mold was once the epitome of Arabian type in the show ring!

Permian, Arabian stallion customized by Sarah from the Breyer Proud Arabian Stallion and the San Domingo

Nurmyrat, an Akhal-Teke stallion customized by Sarah from the Kelso and Man O'War

Sarah did this Proud Arabian Mare custom for the event in 2023.

Bint Alfajr, an Arabian mare

The next two are from NaReViMo 2024.

Bint Alfidat Alsawda, another Arabian mare from the Proud Arabian Mare mold

Farzad, Persian Arabian customized by Sarah from the Classic Arabian Stallion and the Man O'War

What all of Sarah's NaReViMo horses have in common is that they are haired. For me, that is probably the thing I most associate with the "golden era" of customizing. With only a few exceptions, my customs almost always had fiber manes and tails. 

Snow Angel, customized by Lesli Kathman (then Jeffreys) from the Stablemate Morgan Stallion in 1990

Knowing my weakness for big hair, Sarah sent temptation my way for this year's event. As I will show in a future post, there is no way I will finish my horses in the one-month time for the event. But Sarah ensured that the poor beasts weren't keeping their plastic manes and tails. Just look at all that hair! 

Samples of ramie, alpaca, and viscose for hairing model horses

I was especially taken with the ombre and mixed colors shown in the foreground. If you look at Rafiq, Sarah's first Retro Vintage, you can see the subtle mix of colors that modern fibers have. The two Proud Arabian Mare customs show the kind of drape that we just couldn't easily obtain back then. We might be "going retro," but we'll have better hair! 

Now I just have to finish some horses so I can experiment with it. 

Sections - Stock Breeds

Breyer Canción in red dun overo, designed by Lesli Kathman for the 2024 BreyerFest Auction

Criollos

The first section on the Horse Breed Reference List is for Stock Breeds. Of the traditional sections included on the list, it is the one with the fewest changes. The only real surprise might be the absence of Criollo breeds, which have often been included in this section in the past. 

I made this change based on the difference in body type. Readers might remember there was a silhouette of a Criollo in the first post on body shapes. Here it is again, paired with the original photo. The horse is Meli, a champion stallion from Chile. 

I have placed this image where it can be compared with the Breyer's Canción mold. They aren't that far apart in proportions. 

Now compare Meli's outline with the Stone "Ideal Stock Horse". In years past, it was not uncommon for showers to attempt to show this mold as a Criollo. 

The Canción mold was sculpted to be a Paso Fino. Using traditional model horse categories, the Pasos (a "Gaited" breed) and the Criollos (a "Stock" breed) would seem unrelated. Their silhouettes tell a different story. They have a similar body shape because they share common Colonial Spanish origins, and because breeders of Pasos and Criollos are both seeking a rounded, compact type.

One of the founders of the Chilean Horse, Aculeo Alfil II, showing the same compact type seen in Meli (right). 

Mustangs

American model horse shows often separate generic, range-bred mustangs from Spanish Mustangs. The latter designation is for those mustangs that retained their Colonial Spanish traits, either because their herd was isolated or because they were part of a preservation program. Generic mustangs vary dramatically in body shape because their genetic heritage is mixed. 

Stock horses are common across the range of the American mustang, so that is the typical body shape. For that reason, generic mustangs have traditionally been included in the Stock Breeds Section. It should be noted, however, that models that depict mustangs of a different body type might be more suited to a different Section. For example, an obvious draft cross mustang might find a better fit in the "Light Draft and Cob" class. Ideally, show holders and judges would be open to these kinds of class placements. 

Instructions for entrants

The Horse Breed Reference List lets entrants know that the breeds listed should show in this section. It also tells them that the breeds listed as part of a group (Australian Stock or Other American Stock) should go in those classes, if they are offered. By omission, it tells them that their Criollos and their Spanish Mustangs will show later in a different section.

If a show holder looked at the rationale for moving the Criollos to the Spanish Section and disagreed, they could use the Editable Breed Reference List and add them back. 

Options for structuring classes

For the show host, the reference list offers different ways to group breeds within a particular Section. Large sub-sections appear in boldface. Sub-sections could be split into two different Sections if that fits a show holder's needs. The Stock Breeds Section does not have any of these sub-sections.

More specific breed groups appear as bulleted lists under the group name. The Stock Breeds Section has two of these: Australian Stock Breeds and Other American Stock Breeds. The intent with groupings like these is to offer show holders flexible options to expand the classes in the section. Currently, a Stock Breed Section might look like this:

1. Appaloosas
2. Paint Horses
3. Quarter Horses
4. Mustangs
5. Other Stock Breeds 

In a situation where the next "Brioso moment" happened with Australian Stock Horses—to use a potential example—the expanded class list might look like this:

1. Appaloosas 
2. Australian Stock breeds
3. Paint Horses
4. Quarter Horses
5. Mustangs
6. Other Stock Breeds

Adding the group, rather than a specific Australian Stock Horse class, might give a more robust class because breeds like Walers and Brumbies could fill out the numbers. Also, notice that the last class is still "Other Stock Breeds" and not "Other American Stock Breeds" (the other breed group in the section). That's because the last class should always be a catch-all for the section's type. This prevents realistic horses from ending up in the Other section. Ideally, that should be reserved for other equids, decorators, and fantasy equines. 

Breed groups can also be used to avoid losing a class that has not been well-supported. Say after using the classes in the first example, a show holder notices that there just haven't been as many generic mustangs lately. Instead of dropping the mustang class, she might change her class list this way:

1. Appaloosas
2. Paint Horses
3. Quarter Horses
4. Other American Stock
5. Other Stock Breeds

This way, a few Colorado Rangers and Camarillo White Horses might fill out the class. A show holder could call that fourth class "Other American Stock". Entrants should know that mustangs are an American breed, even though they are not on the bulleted list. If a show holder is concerned about confusion, they can use the editable list to add mustangs under the Other American Stock group. 

The next Section is Light Breeds, but I might take a break and share some of my adventures with National Retro Vintage Month (NaReViMo). 

Divisions and Sections - how we got here

"Love's Perfection" was a Stablemate custom created in 1992, just before artist resins changed the model horse hobby forever.

I want to thank everyone for the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the Horse Breed Reference List. Hearing from so many who feel that it makes sense has been reassuring. 

There is also a great post by Liz LaRose on the Ponydom community discussion group. She summarized my objectives far better than I did. I won't repeat those here, but I will talk about the different sections and some of the choices I made. First, I want to explore a little bit of hobby history.

Changing halter divisions

To understand how we got here, it might be helpful to look at how American model horse shows have evolved. We started with two Divisions: Halter (horses without tack) and Performance (horses with tack). 

This class list for a mail-in photo show was advertised in 1974. The well-known host was offering a free custom to the Grand Champion!

At that time, the Halter division could be a mix of gender, position, color, or breed classes. For larger shows, each type of halter class might become a division. 

This Appaloosa specialty show from 1977 has halter divisions for gender, pattern, type, and make.

The most common split for halter classes in the earliest shows was by gender (or gender and age) because that was how most real-life horse shows were structured. (Note that in the class list for the larger show, the "generic" halter classes are gender classes.) By the time in-person ("live") shows were the dominant form of competition, "halter" was synonymous with breed classes. 

Classes were based on breed, but modern halter divisions arose to address concerns specific to models. Divisions became about fairness; mass-produced factory finishes could not compete with one-of-a-kind artist creations. Likewise, showers who specialized in smaller scales wanted a place where their entries would not be overlooked. As different types of models entered the market—artist resins, custom-glazed ceramics, and micro minis—new divisions were added to maintain equity. 

Customs and artist resins competed in sixteen breed classes in the same division at the 1995 North American Nationals. 

Breed sections

While halter divisions catered to the new varieties of models, the individual classes were not that different from the breed classes used in earlier model horse shows. 

One addition that did start to appear was Sections. In model horse shows, sections function much the same way that Groups do at dog shows. Similar breeds are grouped, and after their classes are judged, the winners return to compete for a group placement. In the case of model horse shows, it is the first and second-place horses that return to compete for the Sectional Championship and Reserve. Winners from the Sectional competitions are later considered for the Divisional Championship and Reserve.

Historically, the sections have been Light, Stock, Sport, Draft, Pony, and Others. As Liz notes in her post on Ponydom, what began undermining this set of groups was the proliferation of Spanish horses. She mentioned Sarah Rose's influential Brioso and Deseoso. Pour Horse's Suspiro (1996) and Lynn Fraley's El Fuego (1997) were released around that same time. 

"Rocinante", a Suspiro custom-glazed at the Pour Horse Pottery in 1997

We have seen similar impacts in the last decade with the Southern gaited breeds. Like the Spanish horses before the late 1990s, these were not common breeds at model horse shows. That began to change with Sarah Rose's Independence resin, but Breyer's release of Hamilton certainly cemented it. I would argue we are currently seeing that with the British pony breeds with the back-to-back releases of Nikolas, Llewellyn, and Rowan.

When breeds or types see an increase in high-quality representation, it can change the dynamics of a group. I think that is why it was time to revisit the Sections and which breeds sort into them. In the next post, I'll start with the Stock section. After that, I'll work my way through the remaining sections one post at a time to keep things from getting too long. (I also might sneak in an art-related post or two, since this technically a studio blog!) 

Horse Breed Reference List

The Horse Breed Reference List can be found on its page listed on the right sidebar. You can also access the formatted PDF by clicking on the image above. 

The list represents the way I would sort the different breeds based on body shape, genetic relationships, use, and showing traditions. It is offered as a resource, but I want to stress that there are numerous ways to sort breeds. I will explain some of my choices in subsequent posts, but there isn't one "right" way. For example, I debated whether to place Finnhorses and Coldblooded Trotters in the Harness Racing sub-section or the Light Draft and Cob section. Arguments could be made—and were made!—that these are both cold-blooded breeds. It is even in the name of the Trotters. In the end, I went with their traditional use. I was also swayed by what I knew might better balance the size and competitiveness of the different options. Those pragmatic considerations might be different in some regions or even for certain specialty shows. 

That is why there is also an editable version of the list. It allows show holders to use the same basic framework while also making changes that fit their specific needs. My only request is that the silhouette graphics remain with the formatted list and not be added to an edited list. This will reduce confusion about whether an entrant has the correct version of the list for a particular show. 

Aside from that one request, feel free to use this list in whatever way might be useful. 

"Like with like"

One of the lasting controversies at model horse shows is whether or not certain breeds are horses or ponies. I have pointed out that whatever they are called, in genetic studies, Fjords and Icelandics cluster with breeds widely understood to be ponies. 

I wrote about one of those studies in 2011 for the Equine Tapestry blog. There are different ways to evaluate genetic relationships, and some breeds shift around depending on the method or the sampling set. The connection between Icelandics, Fjords, and Shetland Ponies is remarkably consistent.

Not only do these breeds cluster together, but they are genetically distant from most other breeds. Sources can be found here (left) and here (right). 

Even without genetic testing, the body shapes tell the same story. Here are four silhouettes of grade horses that happen to be pony-sized (under 14.2 hands). 

The horses in this group were collected at random from online sales sites between 2016 and 2017.

Here are four Fjords. Like the grade horses in the first picture, they were randomly selected based on the criteria described above: standing straight with visible legs and hooves. 

The Fjords in this group were collected at random from the pedigree site sukuposti.net.

Look closely at the proportions and angles of the head, neck, and shoulder. They are typical of many pony breeds. To better illustrate this, I’ll swap out the images on the right side for a Shetland Pony (top) and one of the grade horses (bottom). 

Notice that when ponies are enlarged to the same size as horses, they appear more massive.

The proportions and angles on the Fjords are closer to those of the Shetland than the grade horse. That’s why a model like Breyer’s Stablemate Fjord Lyric has a body shape suited to a wide range of pony breeds, but does not make a convincing horse. Meanwhile, a Stablemate-scale mold that has a generic horse shape, like Prince Charming, would not make a convincing Fjord.  

Variation among ponies

There are pony breeds that have more horse-like proportions. This often happens when ponies are bred for dressage or jumping. Austrian-bred Haflingers are a good example. Here is the stallion Woodland with his silhouette. 

There are still traces of pony type there. For some breeds, retaining “pony type”—especially the head—is prioritized even when a more refined “riding” pony is the goal. However, sport pony breeds do tend to have a different body shape than traditional pony breeds. 

One of the changes that I have advocated for with the new breed list is splitting the Pony section based on these differences. At the moment, shows tend to split ponies based on regional origin. Using body shape, one possible class could be “Traditional Ponies” for breeds with true pony proportions. In a class like that, a judge might expect to see molds like these. 

Breyer's 2025 Premier Release "Rowan" and Regular Run "GTC Blazing Ethel"

Meanwhile, ponies like the Austrian Haflingers would have a class for “Riding Ponies.” Molds like Breyer’s German Riding Pony would fit there. 

Breyer Winterfest "Mouse" (braided version of the German Riding Pony mold)

With regional splits, all three of these models would go in (often quite crowded) UK Pony class. 

If someone chose to show Rowan as a Nordland—which is a reasonable breed assignment for that mold in that color—then he would go in the European Pony class. The Blazing Ethel and Mouse would stay in the UK Pony class together despite being quite different in type.

Analyzing breeds using silhouettes can reveal surprising, and sometimes uncomfortable, truths about what breeds look like. Even so, I believe that prioritizing body type when setting up classes increases the chance that judges will be evaluating “like with like.” I also think that when showers and judges encounter an unfamiliar breed in a class, having the sections and subsections tied to body type provides some basic information.  

The Breed List

I plan to post the official breed list to this blog over the weekend. There will be two versions: my suggested list in PDF form and an editable list in DOC form. Showholders are welcome to use either one based on their needs. Once they are up, posts covering each section in more detail will follow. I want to stress that the list simply groups breeds based on their body shape, genetic relationships, and traditions (use and turnout). It does not offer a suggested classlist. I wanted to keep the information simple. I also believe that is something showholders are best suited to decide, based on what shows in their region and what matters most to their entrants. However, I will discuss some of the options in those posts because I believe that conversation has value. So please feel free to comment when the time comes!