We all have our preferences for what we like to collect. Some of us are just “collect what we like.” Some are very systematic, all of a particular make, or all of a particular mold.
When I was young in the hobby, it was still possible, if overkill, to own an example of nearly EVERY model Breyer had produced, and local-to-me hobbyist Karen Grimm of Black Horse Ranch had such a collection, and hosted many tours of it. She was also a Breyer dealer, which certainly helped!
I tend to collect just individual models that I like, which tends to be models that are performance oriented, models in action, and models that are ponies. But I appreciate any model with a nice face. Since my collection is large, I try to be discerning about new arrivals, but there are so many good new ones out there! I will often excuse myself with “well, I don’t have any examples of this mold yet.”
There are molds where I have several examples, but I’m not completionist, and I’m definitely not the person who would sell models I have just because a new unobtainable model came out on that mold. I tend to like and keep the ones that I find especially flattering on the mold, and I don’t worry about the ones I can’t or don’t have.
Breyerfest special run Bristol “Jump and Drive,” loose mane variation
I think if I were starting a collection from scratch today, I might have a very strong collection of jumping horses. When I was a kid, there was just the one, the chunky jumper in Overspray Bay with his belly touching the wall, and while I loved him, I wanted so much more for him. Today we have so many really excellent jumpers, OF from multiple manufacturers plus many fabulous resins. The technical options to display them only get better too.
They’re jumping AND they’re ponies! (WH Topgun, and Always Chipper, two Breyerfest portrait limited edition models.)
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As I’ve been collecting since the mid 90s, I’m starting to get a fairly large collection and am running out of room. Ha. So I try to be strict and only collect a few breeds - mostly stock horses and Thoroughbreds. Unfortunately for my shelves, Breyer has started producing so many really nice sculptures and paint jobs, so I find myself breaking my limitations frequently. I don’t have to have complete congas, but if it is a sculpture I really like, I will collect all the accessible colors that I like (see nearly complete Love classic QH mare and stallion collection). I do also love a performance friendly sculpture, especially for western. I have mostly OFP, but also have some customs and a growing herd of resins, particularly pewter micros, who will maybe one day get paint. 😂
My personal lifetime goal is to have one of each mold that Breyer makes. (No, I’m not including CollectA, stuffed animals, or china- I’m trying to keep it a somewhat realistic goal!) I’m very close, just missing a handful of the older molds and some of the most recent new molds, and I tend to wait until the new molds come out at BreyerFest or as Regular Runs instead of subscribing to the Premiere Club. But I told my daughter years ago that the point of a collection is to make you happy. If you are happy with just one horse, then it’s the perfect collection for you! She got out of Breyers a few years ago :(, but still has her beloved Wild Cat series.
If I don’t particularly like a mold, I try to get it in my favorite color, palomino. Either way, I try to have it in a color that I enjoy. I’m not a black hole collector- I will sell and trade horses- but once I find a horse in a color I love, I tend to keep it.
My all-time favorite mold is the Clydesdale Mare. I acknowledge her flaws, but love her anyway.
One of each mold is a pretty realistic goal! I also am a total sucker for palomino, especially glossy palomino.