BreyerWest & BreyerFest Volunteer Model

 BreyerWest is happening this weekend out in Denver, Colorado at the National Western Complex. 

I'd planned to go "some day" - Denver Daughter Sarah and her family lived in Aurora and I thought I'd combine a visit with them and BreyerWest. 

But Sarah is now Hawkeye Daughter as the family moved back to Iowa two years ago. And while Sarah still works for the Aurora Public Schools, she works mostly from home and commutes to Denver as needed. It is doubtful I will ever make it to BreyerWest now. (Luckily, BreyerFest is only four hours from me and I can get there fairly easily.)

Breyer gave the BreyerWest volunteers their models and in doing so, announced that they were also the volunteer model for BreyerFest.

The model is called Chevaliere and is an Appaloosa pony with two colors revealed and a third that Breyer will reveal later in the year. (First two photos from Breyer.)

I've been asked to steward for the BreyerFest Driving Forward Novice Photo Show so I will be getting one of the Chevalieres. 

I've helped Breyer with some other things in the past so I have a couple of volunteer models.

I was lucky and got both versions of Ben Nevis. My favorite is the darker version, but none of them, including the 2023 Chevaliere, can top Zeitgeist, the 2022 volunteer model.

She is absolutely stunning. Appaloosas may be my favorite breed, but black is my favorite horse color.

I don't have any Crois in my collection so Chevaliere will be a first for me. I'd prefer the sooty black of the two that have been revealed, but that could change depending on what the third one is.

Guess we will all find out in July!

Volunteer Model Puzzle

Because I stewarded for the BreyerFest Adult Novice Photo Show, I was given a volunteer model for helping and that model arrived just after FAMulous wrapped up. The model? Ben Nevis, the 2020 BreyerFest Volunteer Model.

He came in two colors, a light and a dark version, and I received the light version.

My photos don't do it justice, but he has a very sweet face.

I only have one other model on the Flash mold and that's Ivy, one of the two Christmas Horses from 2015. It was when I was putting Ben Nevis next to Ivy that I realized there was an issue.

Ben Nevis was not only longer than Ivy, but he was too long for the shelf.  Puzzled, I pulled the two off and examined them.

Length wasn't the only thing that was off - look at that height difference! Was Ivy a shrinky? He was only seven years old so he shouldn't be.

The height and length difference between the two was very marked and obvious when they were placed together.

I need to do some research to find out more about this size discrepancy. If you have any information, will you please email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com or leave a comment on this blog post? Thanks!

In the meantime, I will rearrange a few shelves of models so that I can put Ben Nevis and Ivy safely together at an angle on the shelf.

Thanks, Breyer - I really appreciate the gift of this volunteer model.