A list of breeds

Will Shriver is depicted racking in front of the American Saddlebred Museum.

For many years, the organization that manages the North American Nationals—one of the larger competitions for equine miniatures—has published a document called the NAMHSA Breed Cross Reference. It is intended to help entrants place their models in the correct class. 

Like many judges, I hadn't actually looked at the list. Since I usually judge Workmanship, I just evaluate whatever mix of breeds and body types end up on the table. Model horse shows have given me a high tolerance for anarchy; if I have colorful, furry-footed critters of similar type and varying breed names spread across three different classes, it isn't the end of the world. 

But sometimes duplicate breeds in separate classes catch your attention. That's especially true when the sculpture is really breed-specific and the duplicates appear in back-to-back classes. That is how I found out that, in the most recent iteration of "the list," Saddlebreds had been moved out of the Gaited Breed section. Sadly, it was also how an entrant at a much-anticipated show missed her class. 

With a high bid of $23,000, this Breyer Hamilton was a top seller at the 2025 BreyerFest auction.

I was not aware of the change, or that it had been the topic of controversy. I think the best argument against it came from Jennifer Lambert. She pointed out that even if only a small percentage of modern Saddlebreds show in five-gaited classes, that is the image most have of the breed. It is the image the breed association promotes, as the bronze of Will Shriver in front of the American Saddlebred Museum illustrates. Racking is the pose depicted in the majority of model representations of the breed. 

A classic-scale Hagen-Renaker Saddlebred owned by Liz LaRose

There were also errors on the list. The Furioso-North Star, a Hungarian sport horse named for its two Thoroughbred founders, was listed as a "European Draft Breed." It was easy to find fault, but I also had to admit there were real challenges to constructing the "perfect" breed list. Some of the 'problematic' breeds did not have a particularly good fit in an existing class, while others could arguably fit in several different classes. 

I decided it would be interesting to compile a breed list based on the two factors I believe connect the breeds: body type and genetic history. I wanted to see if I could do that without changing the sections, or at least without excessive disruption to the existing structure. I thought it would take a few days. It did not take a few days.

It has taken longer because I started overthinking things. And since I don't like to overthink alone, I decided to share some of those thoughts. And since one project—especially a "small" project!—should always generate at least one other project, I decided a blog was a good place to do it.