Model Horses - History

History

The first mass-produced model horses in the UK were created by Britains Ltd in the 1920s, with Julip Horses Ltd coming on the scene in 1947. Originally, Julips were stuffed soft toys in the tradition of companies such as Edith Reynolds, but later switched to hand-casting in latex (Julip Originals). In the late 1980s, Julip introduced a mass-produced range of vinyl horses - Horse of the Year range - which are made in China. Other significant early British companies were Isis, Pegasus and Otway, all of whom cast models in latex composition (the forerunner of resin). Roy Selwyn-Smith created some very detailed 54 mm ('mini') horses for Britains, but the real quantum leap in quality for British models came with Pamela du Boulay's Rydal models in 1969 - highly accurate, airbrushed sculptures, each an artist original. Beswick also produced a line of horses, but due to their fragility and price few were owned by collectors in the early days.

In the late '40s to early '50s in the US, Hartland Collectibles and Breyer Animal Creations (now a division of Reeves International) began producing highly realistic plastic model horses. Both companies' first models were standing western horses next to or over a clock. Most of Breyer's original horses, dogs and cattle were sculpted by Chris Hess and made of durable plastic. The line expanded through the 1960s, and by the 1970s, Breyer and Hartland were the main model lines, although Hagen-Renaker china horses (also produced from the '50s) sculpted by Maureen Love and others, were also popular.

In the mid-90s, Peter Stone, son of Sam Stone who originally helped create Breyer Animal Creations, worked for Breyer most of his life but parted ways with Breyer and started his own company. Stone Horses are known for the wide range of special, limited edition runs and collectible decorator colors, as well as turning a popular Quarter Horse resin by Carol Williams into plastic. Today Breyers and Stone Horses are the top two popular plastic model horse brands.

Limited edition artist resins (usually original sculptures rather than customs), first began to appear in the 1980s. The very first were castings taken from customized Breyers, issued by Black Horse Ranch owned by the late Karen Grimm. Carol William's famous "Quarter Horse 1" or "RRQH1" ("RR" for "Rio Rondo", the name of Williams' modeling enterprise) was one of the first to be cast from an original sculpture. Resin models - high-quality castings of an original artist's sculpture - are typically sold unpainted, ready to finish by the customer or a favorite artist. They took the hobby by storm in the 1990s, and are very popular and much-sought after today. A resin can be an affordable way to own a favorite artist's work, although depending on the rarity of the piece, they can become quite expensive. For example, some resins are released in highly-limited editions of 50 pieces or less. Such models typically sell out rapidly, and command high secondary-market prices.