Here’s one that is very special to me, a Hagen-Renaker Topper. He was given to me as a teenager by my aunt, who had purchased him when she was a teenager for her own collection during the original very short run in the 1950s. I love everything about this horse - the amazing Maureen Love sculpture of a very typey Quarter Horse, the sweet glossy palomino finishwork, the soft, pleasant expression, and even the crazing that my particular copy has had as long as I’ve known him.
Toppers are very uncommon, and of the few that I’ve seen, this one is IMHO the best individual. Not that I’m biased. :-)
Here is another one from my collection, the white Abdullah, very pale grey standing arabian stallion, this image of the right side. also given to me by my aunt from her 1950s era collection. He is one of the few who came with a break, a clean break in the left forearm. I love this piece so very much.
When Young Ferseyn came out, I admired but did not have the coin. I had regrets every time I saw someone receiving theirs, and even more when I saw Joan’s in person at Clinky Mayhem. I bid on a special one that Kristina offered after the run was complete and was the underbidder, but I managed to get offered another one slightly after that I also love. I should photograph them together, haven’t done that yet. But this mold, oh, so special to me.
And I showed them in performance, too! Here is poor Akron being made to be a roping horse, and badly!
Small, cramped setup; terrible lighting; plastic western saddle; out of scale dirt clumps; roping a foal not a calf…
Back in the day when I first started showing, OF was all makes so Hagen-Renaker showed against Breyer. Having H-Rs to show in those classes was hugely advantageous and I was so fortunate to have some very nice pieces, both from my Aunt’s collection and then from the large reissues that I bought with the princely and painful sums of ~$40 each IIRC as a teen in the 1980s.