Hello, all. I am still here but I am still very much grieving. I had three blog posts written ahead of Abby's unexpected death and so I will go ahead and post those as planned. I may write about what happened to Abby but I just can't right now. It's just too much. Thanks for understanding.
Lynn
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Speculation continues as to who this year's BreyerFest Mystery Surprise horse will be and I've taken some time to jot down some thoughts about the possibilities. I started very broadly when I began and then narrowed my guesses down.
First, what do we already know?
1) The model was publicly referred to as a mare by Breyer when they announced who SHE would be available to.
2) A rumor is that the sculptor of the Mystery Surprise Horse is Kathleen Moody. I do not know the source of that information.
I began my Mystery Horse Surprise guess by drawing up a dream list of mares I'd most like to see used. And did I ever dream big!
I did not double check that the sculptor was Kathleen Moody at this point - I simply listed my favorite Traditional sized mares. Then I wrote comments after each selection to help me winnow the list down.
Lynn's Dream List ( in order of what I'd most like to see regardless of prior use or sculptor.)
~ In Between Mare (not a Moody sculpt, too rare a mold to use)
~ Indian Pony (not a Moody sculpt, already appearing in this year's SR line)
~ Proud Arabian Mare (not a Moody sculpt, highly popular mold)
~ Grazing Mare (not a Moody mold, old mold, not as popular anymore)
~ Running Mare (not a Moody sculpt, vintage mold, not very popular)
~ Lady Phase (not a Moody sculpt, still highly popular)
~ Lippizaner Mare (not a Moody sculpt, used for BreyerFest very recently)
~ Standing Quarter Horse Mare (not a Moody sculpt, popular, recently used for BreyerFest)
Not a single Moody sculpt was among them! If, in fact, the Mystery Horse was sculpted by Kathleen, then I had to start over.
I thought back to the theme, Against All Odds. Maybe Breyer might go for a "powerful" mare like a drafter? I drew up another, very short, list.
Lynn's Go with the Theme/Power Horses
~ Clydesdale Mare (not a Moody sculpt, an older mold, less popular but has her fans)
~ Wixom (not a Moody sculpt, not seen much any more, older mold)
Georg and the Friesian Sporthorse are heavy horses, but both have been used a lot recently and I think would need some mold retooling to turn them into mares.
At this point, I crossed off both the heavy mares (keeping Wixom in mind as a slight possibility despite not being a Moody mold. Wixom just "felt right.")
I started yet another list using those I felt were strong possibilities and took a closer look at their history as BreyerFest horses.
Other Mares that Might be the Mystery Surprise
Andalusian Mare (not a Moody sculpt, used a lot recently)
Giselle (used recently, already been a Surprise model, not a Moody sculpt)
Quarter Horse Yearling (vintage mold, not a Moody)
Shagya Arab (not a Moody, shelf eater)
Show Stance Arabian (not a Moody, many mixed opinions about her)
Strapless (not a Moody sculpt, has a good fan base)
Weather Girl (not a Moody sculpt)
Hmmm. Power horses, non-Moody possibilities... What about a mare and foal pair? Collectors would most likely be unhappy if a smaller mare were used but maybe Breyer could add in a foal and make a pair?
Mare & Foal Pairs
Misty and Foal (popular with collectors, not a Moody sculpt, used many times in past)
Standing QH Mare & Foal (popular new molds, recently used, not a Moody sculpt)
Susecion & LeFire (Moody sculpt, popular pair)
Welsh Mare & Foal (popular with collectors, not a Moody, been used a lot recently)
At this point my mind was spinning as I thought about who the Mystery Surprise Horse might be. Susecion was still on my "it's possible" list but I decided to just make a list of all the Moody Mares and a couple whose gender could be changed due to their popularity.
Must Be a Moody Sculpt & a Mare List
Arabian Mares Just a Dream/Make a Wish/Oasis
Bluegrass Bandit - 2011, 2014, 2014, 2017 BreyerFest specials, this year's Volunteer Model
Marabella - older but well liked
Missouri Fox Trotter - popular older mold, would need mold modification
Nokota - already used as a surprise model in 2014
Othello/Wintersong - very popular mold, used many times, needs mold modification
Rain - cartoony mold, used as SR in 2007 BreyerFest
Suscecion - 2013 BreyerFest special run
I crossed the following off that list:
Arabian Mares Just a Dream/Make a Wish/Oasis
Bluegrass Bandit - 2011, 2014, 2014, 2017 BreyerFest specials, this years Volunteer Model
Marabella - older but well liked
Missouri Fox Trotter - popular older mold, would need mold modification
Nokota - already used as a surprise model in 2014
Othello/Wintersong - very popular mold, used many times at BreyerFest before
Rain - cartoony mold, used as SR in 2007 BreyerFest
Who I Really Think the Surprise Horse Might Be if it is a Moody Mold and a Mare
1. Oasis
1. Justadream
1. Make a Wish
2. Marabella
3. Susecion
4. Nokota
5. Othelo/Wintersong - mare version
I'd most like to see the Mystery Surprise horse be Marabella, but I'd be happy with Susecion, too.
Wouldn't it be really neat would be if Breyer used all three Arabian Horse mold variations as the Surprise Horse? Instead of choosing just one of them? Can you imagine the trading furor that that might cause? Three different mold variations, each maybe with three color variations for a total of nine possibilities. Super cool!
Another thought - what if the rumor is wrong and the Mystery Surprise Horse was not sculpted by Kathleen Moody? That opens the possibilities back up to some lovely mares that were sculpted by other artists.
Stay 'tooned for the other Mystery Horse list I drew up. One I believe is far more likely than this one.
