Riah - I Don't Think So

As many collectors predicted, hobbyists are having a difficult time figuring out which Riahs are the black point variation and which ones are not.

Include me in that crowd of puzzled hobbyists.

The photos I posted of mine did make it seem as though I had gotten the black point version. For a refresher, here's one of those photos.

His mane and tail (the better identifier than the socks) do look very dark.

But just as the photos Breyer posts of new pieces often differ from what collectors receive, be it due to tricks of the light, the fact that the sample pieces are a bit different, and so on, my Riah did look darker than he really is in those photos I'd posted. But with the piece in hand, I could see that difference.

And so I'd written that I'd gotten the regular, more common variation. Within a few hours, I'd received a flurry of texts, emails, and comments from readers who thought I'd actually gotten the black point. Thank you all for writing; I wish he were, but here is why I think he is not.

I began by comparing Riah's color to my black point PAM.

There is a definite difference in color but (once again) it is not showing well in the photos.

This one is better - it shows how grey my Riah's mane is next to the PAM's tail.

A mane to mane comparison.

Someone said on social media that a good way to tell the difference was to compare the mane and tail's color to Riah's coat color - was it grey like the coat, or was it much darker? 

Look at how the mane's color matches the coat's color.

This photo really shows how well the two areas match - grey coat and grey mane. Those colors are so close, it's very hard to tell where the coat ends and the mane begins in this photo.

A better shot of the tail at the base of the spine also shows a matching color, grey to grey.

That is why I believe my Riah is the regular grey model and not the black point variation. Could I be wrong? Certainly. But I am sticking with non black point for now.

My advice if you want to buy a Riah second hand? Make sure you can look at it in hand before purchasing to be sure you are getting the Riah you want.

And boy howdy, I sure hope Breyer never does variations that are that close again! 

BreyerFest Week 2025: Tuesday

Expect blog posts to continue be sporadic for a while. Yesterday, Craig worked all day on my desktop (and on his birthday!) and made some progress but is still working to clean the malware out. So, it's the laptop again this morning. Glad to have it but it's not as easy for me to use.

BreyerFest Doings/Thoughts

I thought for sure that I had seen an auction piece reveal very recently that was the Family Arabian Mare and Family Arabian Foal. I thought that that might also be an indicator that Breyer might be using that pair as the mystery horse surprise. 

In some ways the pair would be a good fit as an anniversary piece, but the FAM and FAF molds are not very popular with collectors. In all honesty, I would be disappointed if the mystery surprise were them.

Yesterday I checked all the releases of this year's auction horses, I looked at social media sites that sometimes drop information like that, etc. and did not find any FAM/FAF mentions connected with BreyerFest 2025.

As tired as I am, as much as is still going on here, and with excitement for BreyerFest building, it is possible that I only dreamed that in my sleep. We will find out in just three days!

I still think the PAM is a very real possibility.

It's fun to read the pop-up blogs on Blab that lets others follow people's BreyerFest activities. I always read them BreyerFest week. (There are some excellent writers on Blab.)

You do have to be a member of Blab to read them, and there are two membership options - free and paid. The BreyerFest blogs are currently open to all members, not just those with paid subscriptions. Go take a look!

I will post more about my family's doing this past weekend (and this coming week, too) as soon as I get my desktop back to use. Craig is working hard, but we may need to replace it. (If he can't fix it, it's REALLY bad.)

Here is a sneak peek at the cheerleaders from the bocce tournament. 

Jenny had some hats, wands, and other props*** that she put out for the kids to have. Some of us :cough cough: may have enlisted a little magic from the cheerleaders to help us when it was our turn on the bocce pitch.

Stay 'tooned!

***Jenny is a member of the Irvington Black Hat Society  Best described as a fundraising theatrical/dance group (they sponsor several Indianapolis area children's charities) that started out performing at Halloween, their performances proved so popular that they now perform year round all over the city, including the Indy 500 parade.

Another Pretty PAM!

Note to self: When sorting closets and cleaning, make a note of where you put new things. That will save you time (in this case, a week) searching. And, it will save you from digging through trash cans and recycling bins, too!

I found Mini Dandy! He was tucked away in his box on a shelf of the Minis cabinet. I have a couple of other Vintage Club Stablemates in there and I must've popped him there for safe keeping. What a relief!

Shannon C was the winner of the blue bridle in the last giveaway and she sent me some pics of her Shalimar wearing it.

Such a pretty mare - I can't think of a color that doesn't flatter her.

And the bridle looks lovely on her, too.

Thanks, Shannon, for taking the time to tack her up and take pics for me!

Don't forget the giveaway!  Same rules as always - you enter by commenting on any blog entry that is posted starting Monday, December 19 until Thursday, December 22 at 11:59 PM. (You can also email them to me at horsiemama8@gmail.com.) I doubt I will get the winners announced before Christmas but I will do my best.

Christmas Card of the Day

This one came from reader Elise P. who took the time to find an Appaloosa card for me. Thanks, Elise; that was so sweet of you!

When Traditional isn't Traditional

Hobbyists group model horses into several groups based on size designations that Breyer gave them years ago. Traditional (1:9 scale) was the earliest group/scale and is a highly popular size for collectors (and my personal favorite.)

But just because a model is a certain scale, that doesn't mean there aren't variations in height or length within the scale.

My black point Proud Arabian Mare is traditional scale

and so is Carter (Dundee). But look at how long he is in comparison to the PAM. (He is shorter, too.) My standard, traditional-sized haversack is never going to fit him.

I no longer have just one reference card with standardized measurements like this one; I now have several that are mold-specific to accommodate the different heights and lengths within a scale.

Recently I was asked to make one for Dundee by a customer who was interested in two fabrics that I had in stock.

After folding the first piece into a mock haversack to check fit, it was clear that I did not have enough left of this fabric. It was too narrow - there was hardly any space for side seams let alone expansion when the model would be put inside.

The other fabric she wanted was wider and would work, except that the flap for closing the haversack would not be as deep as I wanted. She agreed when I asked if I could add velcro. (Since I dislike having velcro around my models, I make deep flaps on my haversacks so they don't need it to keep them shut.)

It is difficult to push pins through velcro so I ended up using embroidery clips to secure it while I stitched.

Two things had to work for the final check - one, that the model would fit inside the finished haversack, 

and two, that the haversack could close securely. The haversack passed both tests and the customer approved the piece in photos that I sent her.

Here is a photo of three haversacks, all for models classed as traditionals. You can see how the one for Dundee is longer and shorter.

Sometimes traditional just isn't traditional.

Copy, Copy, Copy

Hagen Renaker introduced the beautiful Large Arabian Mare, Zara, sculpted by Maureen Love, in 1957.

Current reissue Zara in bay. 

Breyer copied Zara and released what they called the Proud Arabian Mare in 1958.

My mahogany bay Proud Arabian Mare made by Breyer 1972 - 1980. 

Needless to say, Hagen Renaker took exception to Breyer copying their sculpture, went to court, and Breyer had to discontinue production of the Proud Arabian Mare. 

Artist Chris Hess then made a new but similar sculpture for Breyer which was called the Family Arabian Mare and released in 1961. (This is my carpet herd Family Arabian Mare who is still in my collection.)

It was just a few days ago that I realized that Breyer's Family Arabian Mare had been copied by Marx when they introduced Thunderbolt and the Best of the West series in 1965.

Same long neck, same short back, same awkward tail, overly long legs in the same position... 

It may be 1:6 scale compared to Breyer's 1:9 scale, but I would call Thunderbolt a copy of the Family Arabian Mare. But Thunderbolt isn't Marx's only copy.

Take a look at Thundercolt.

And compare him to Breyer's Proud Arabian Foal, also released in 1958 and also a copy of a Hagen Renaker foal, Zilla.

Zilla was sculpted by Maureen Love and is Zara's foal.

As far as I know, Hagen Renaker did not take Marx to court like they did Breyer. Perhaps the subtle differences between the foals were enough that the case would not have held up in court. Regardless, I find it interesting to see that two different companies copied Hagen Renaker's sculptures.

That speaks well of their quality and of the skill of their sculptor, Maureen Love.

All photos of Marx horses taken from Google Images. Hagen Renaker photos are from Identify Your Hagen Renaker.

Christmas Candy Zebras!

I am so glad I set a reminder alarm on my phone Christmas morning to check Breyer's web site and see what their Christmas special was.

Christmas Candy Zebras were this year's offering! I got the gold one initially and liked it so much that I tracked the others down on various model horse sales sites.

There are 500 of each color, and there were also twelve "Licorice" solid black Zebras, oddly labeled "Coal" on the belly. (I did not like that one and have no interest in trying to buy one.)

The green one is named "Pam Green" in honor of my dear friend. 

I think they are absolutely delightful even though I am not a fan of the mold.

 But put those luscious colors on them and I was hooked!

I may have an oddity. On the green, red, and blue Zebras, you can feel the stripes. The gold one is absolutely smooth - you cannot feel its stripes. I thought they were all that way until I received the other three.

They will make a nice display on the shelf and I will most likely pull them out at holidays, too.

2019 Year in Review - July through December

(A continuation of yesterday's post looking back on the activities of 2019.)

July, 2019
Just before I went to BreyerFest, I traveled to Indianapolis and had the mass on my pancreas biopsied. The results were mixed - what they thought I had was a precancerous Mucinous Cystic Neoplasm with elevated cancer markers. An appointment with a surgeon was immediately scheduled for me (I've learned that doctors act quickly when the pancreas is involved!) but the medical team was willing to make that appointment for after I returned from BreyerFest.

BreyerFest  is the biggest hobby gathering of all. I heard that 30,000 were in attendance this year!

With my appointment with the surgical team in Indianapolis on our minds, Craig and I traveled to BreyerFest.

I stopped by the Artisans Hall Thursday evening but mostly just walked around, talking to hobby friends and simply looking. My mind was more than a bit preoccupied.

Friday I braved the crowd in the 3:00 tent ticket line. While I ended up close to where the line began, I did not get Banner, the one model I had really wanted. Liz Cory told me later that she had spoken to some of Breyer's employees about the seemingly shortage of models and had been told that Breyer had left a whole pallet back in New Jersey by mistake and was overnighting them to the park for Saturday. What a shame!

Since Saturday was Music City Son Cole's birthday, I only did the one day at BreyerFest.

Craig and I drove down to Nashville early Saturday morning so that we could celebrate his birthday with him. I was seventy pounds lighter since he'd last seen me.

I'd brought some crafts to do with Pony Pals Kate and Julie. One was making boxes to keep their treasures in.

Kate always had this Appaloosa model horse with her throughout our visit. That made me smile and lifted my spirits a bit.

Monday we headed back home to Indiana only to unpack, grab some sleep, and then hop into the car and drive to Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis so that I could meet with my surgeon and the team responsible for getting me through the surgery and whatever was found.

We were there for eight hours and I left feeling very overwhelmed. Cancer protocols and a lot of "what ifs" had been discussed, and surgery was scheduled for July 31. I had a whole regimen of nutrition, meds, exercise, and other things to do to prepare as I was told it would be a tough surgery. (It was.) And home I went to prepare and wait.

My friend Heather McCurdy, knowing I had wanted a Banner, contacted me and sold me hers at far under what it was selling for on eBay and MH$P. I named the model "Heather's Generosity" in her honor and it was a very bright spot in my life as I began wading through the preparation for surgery.

August, 2019

It might have been my birthday month, but August was a rough month for me. To my dismay, my pancreatic surgery had to be postponed for two weeks because I got sick. So, I became a hermit and stayed away from people. No church, no shopping, no going to the library, although I could go out to the barn and see Abby.

August 15 I finally went into surgery. Half my pancreas, my spleen, and eight lymph nodes were removed along with a tumor the size of a baseball. Thankfully, there was no cancer.

I had to be in the hospital six days to recover from the ordeal, had tubes everywhere, and was a mass of bruises. 

My blood sugar began swinging wildly and I was having sticks in my fingers every two hours and insulin shots several times a day. The surgeon was right - it was a tough surgery.

One day after I returned home, Craig drove me out to the barn to visit my girl. I was very weak and only stayed a few minutes, but seeing her again brought some much needed normalcy back into my life.

(At this point I had lost 80 pounds! No doubt that weight loss was helpful going into surgery - I cannot imagine going through that at 80 pounds heavier.)

September, 2019

September was a very horsey month despite my recent surgery and recovery. One of my biggest worries when I discovered that I needed to have surgery was that I was holding a live show with Allison Pareis on September 14.

She was fantastic and told me not to worry - that she could handle the load. We had a lot of help from Nancy Kelly, Liz Cory, Tara Oliver, Cristine Holt, and Stan Sollars, and The FAMulous Collectibility Show went very well.

 Allison, who loves Family Arabian Mares, and a cool nightlight that she brought to the show.

In September, I was feeling stronger and able to spend more time with Abby - no longer did I need Craig to drive me there and back!

September 28, Nancy Falzone was holding a get together at her home for long time collectors. She had asked me to write her history within the hobby, and then expanded it to include others whose roots go way back to our hobby's earliest times.

Liz Cory who was also attending invited me to spend the night at her home instead of getting a motel. I loved seeing her collection and some unusual items that she has like this carousel that belonged to Stu and Arlene Bentley.

 Nancy and me.

Nancy's gathering was well attended and lots of fun. We had people from seven states and Canada in attendance! I was pleased that, despite the long drive there and back, and the long day chatting with hobbyists and taking tons of notes, I was feeling more like myself.

October, 2019
GLC shows are always fun, whether my models do really well or not. October's show was plastic collectibility which is my favorite show of the year.

I also showed in the china division where Windsong Sherif did well.

I also won the theme class where you could show up to eight models under any theme you wanted. Naturally, I chose circus ponies!

Horse Buddy Trinity, our oldest granddaughter, flew out from Colorado and spent her fall break with us. She fell in love with Hokey, and he returned that affection.

The end of October brought us a new family member, black Lab Pepper! 

A Seeing Eye Guide Dog, she developed Addison's Disease and had to be retired. My friend Kathy Nimmer, who was friends with the woman who was guided by Pepper, recommended us as a retirement home and to our joy, we were accepted.

November, 2019

Pepper is a highly trained and very intelligent dog, but there were a few things she needed to learn about living with us.

Like how to watch her tail when she was with me in my office! There was no damage, and she figured out right away that that should not happen. We've not had one more tail accident since.

 Abby is a varnish roan and so her color varies from season to season. This year she was so frosty!

Tim traveled to visit family in November, leaving me in charge of the herd. Without much warning, four inches of snow fell, the temperatures dropped into single digits, and the trough froze over so hard that I could not break the ice.

Tim's son came out, broke it up, and placed the water heater into the trough. Problem solved.

 I finished sewing Cowpoke Susie's quiet book just in time for Thanksgiving.

Ian, Cowpoke Susie, Pony Pals Julie and Mila (with unicorn), and Lukie chow down at Grammy's Thanksgiving chuck wagon.

December, 2019

The last month of 2019 had some wonderful moments and one that was very difficult.

 I enjoyed putting out some horsey holiday decor.

 We went to Florida and had an early Christmas with Beach Boy Kyle's family.

 We had an early Christmas with Music City Son's family, too.

I recycled some old show ribbons for the annual family gingerbread house making competition.

A Breyer TSC special run Stella was under the tree for me

as was a set of three photos of the Pryor Mountain Mustangs taken by Denver Daughter Sarah.

But December, 2019 brought the most painful moment of the year for me, something that was even harder for me than my pancreatic surgery.

My dearest friend, Pam, someone I'd known and loved for thirty five years, passed away on December 26 after a ten year battle with breast cancer. Her funeral was this past Tuesday, December 31. While it wasn't the way I wanted to wrap up the year, I still treasure her friendship and her memory, take a couple of deep breaths and wipe away my tears, and move forward.

Here's to a good 2020, for me and to all of you that read this blog.