There are a number of articles online on how to customize your Breyer Horse. The easiest place to start is with a new paint job. Repainting a Breyer Horse is a fairly straightforward proposition. The basic steps are:

1. Gather supplies.

Most sources recommend acrylic paints, in a variety of natural colors like burnt sienna and raw sienna. Acrylic paint can be purchased in small tubes from your local big box craft store. (Personally I recommend Michael’s over Joann’s, if you have the choice. Michael’s tends to have a much better selection of art supplies.)

Acrylic paints are non-toxic and water based. They dry quickly, but are not waterproof. (Don’t leave your repainted Breyer Horse out in the rain, or give it a bath!)

You will also want brushes (a small assortment of sizes 0 through 5 will do); blending tools such as junky paintbrushes, little chunks of natural sponge, and so forth; gesso paint, to use as a primer undercoat; and matte sealer, as a final protective coat.

2. Plan your design

For your first horse, I recommend sticking to something simple and natural. Look through glossy full color books of horse pictures until you find a coat pattern that interests you. Note that it’s easier to add white blazes and snips than it is to go crazy with unusual coat colors such as grullo and strawberry roan. You don’t want something too boring, but your first repaint should be about learning the process, not about getting frustrated trying to blend and dapple challenging colors.

Keep your reference book beside you when you paint, and paint some sketches on paper first. You don’t have to actually sketch out the entire horse, but you will want to practice mixing paints and getting the blending effects that you want. Once you are confident that you have the right mixture and you are familiar with your tools, it’s time to start painting that horse!

3. Prep your horse

Wipe off any stains or dirt, making sure to get all the dust out of your model’s tiny nooks and crannies. Paint your horse with the gesso paint and let it dry completely. The gesso will serve as a primer, giving you a nice flat and dull surface to paint.

4. Start painting!

Be sure you can paint in a quiet area, where you will not be rushed or pressed for time. Take your time, and remember that you do not have to finish the entire horse at once. Paint a little bit, then step back and see what you think before proceeding. Paint from “light to dark,” meaning that you apply the lightest colors first, then the darker colors over those. This way the darker colors won’t overmix with the lighter colors.

Add the lightest highlights, such as snips and blazes, as a final touch.

Once you have fully finished painting your horse, and you are pleased with the results, apply a coating of matte sealer to seal in the job. Matte sealer will help protect your paint from accidental scratches and smudges, and give it a finished look.

5. Admire your work!

The first task, of course, is to find the other piece of the leg. This can be tricky, since the broken bits can be vacuumed up unnoticed, or skitter under the couch. With something so tiny, the rule is that if it can be lost, it will be.

If you purchase a Breyer horse with a leg that’s already broken, it’s theoretically possible to purchase another of the same model, break off its leg at the right spot, and sand down both pieces to fit. However, it’s very difficult to get everything to fit correctly, and the measurements have to be absolutely precise. You can fudge it with a bit of epoxy, but the repair will always be visible.

If you have the broken piece in hand, then the repair is fairly simple.

The first thing you need to do is clean both the broken piece and the leg itself. Use a damp cloth and cool water to wipe both edges clean. Don’t use any soap unless it’s absolutely necessary, since it might leave behind a residue. Set the pieces aside for a while to dry completely before proceeding.

Breyer horses are made of a resin (cellulose acetate) which can’t be reliably glued together using most common household glues like Elmer’s or Crazy Glue. You will need to use acetone, which you can buy at a hardware store. According to Breyer horse repair expert Gary E. Sattler, you can also use a fresh bottle of nail polish remover. (Be sure to use plain nail polish remover, not one of the fancy kinds with aloe or vitamin E.)

The acetate is a solvent that will melt your horse, so be careful once you open the bottle! What you are going to do is melt the plastic of both pieces just a little, then press them together and let them solidify. Apply a tiny dab of acetone to both sides of the break, and wait for them to become sticky. When in doubt, err on the side of using too little solvent, rather than too much. Too much solvent can soften the entire leg, and ruin your horse.

Press the pieces together, and let them settle. Hold them together gently for at least a minute.

This bond won’t be terribly strong, so be gentle with your horse after you have finished. The bond will need several hours to fully set, so put your horse aside for a while. Depending on the break and the stance of the model, you may want to CAREFULLY stand your horse up, so that the break is held in place by the weight of the horse.

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Thanks,
~JJ~

Traditional

1. Shasta Moon (Spring 2009 Collectors Choice Edition)

A blue roan tobiano pinto based on the traditional Indian Pony mold #175.

This mold was first released in 1970, and has proved popular. Breyer has re-used this mold repeatedly throughout the years, to create best-selling models like Savanna Dial (2004) Mustang Lady (BreyerFest 1991) and High Sierra (BreyerFest 2002).

2. Mon Gamin

Mon Gamin is a bay pinto Selle Francais show jumping champion. Mon Gamin and his rider, national equitation champion Brianne Goutal, placed first in the Junior Jumper Level 6 championship at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in 2004. Here’s some video of Mon Gamin and Goutal in action at the Syracuse Invitational.

Mon Gamin and Brianne Goutal are probably best known as being one of the teams featured in the Animal Planet miniseries, Road to the Maclay. The miniseries followed several teams behind the scenes in the world of Junior Show Jumping as they competed for the Maclay Medal Finals.

3. Tommy Turvey’s Poker Joe

Poker Joe is an American Paint horse. He and his owner, top trainer and stunt rider Tommy Turvey, have earned fame and national acclaim as “one of the most sought-after equine acts in the United States.” The Poker Joe package includes a DVD with video highlights of Poker Joe and Tommy Turvey strutting their stuff.

Tommy Turvey is a former circus rider who travels across the United States with his team of horses, performing stunts like jumping fire while riding two horses at once. He has also been featured in television, movies, and commercials. Tommy and Poker Joe also perform a comedy act together.

Traditional - Foals

Traditional foals are packaged in a “cute pictorial box,” which is perfect for gift-giving this holiday season. The new traditional foals are:

1. Creamsicle

A palomino pinto foal, based on the Clydesdale foal mold first released in 1969.

2. Fizz

A red roan American Quarter Horse foal, based on the original Cantering Stock Horse Foal first released in 1984. This mold was later used in several family sets, including the unicorn family, “Sundance and Skipper,” the stallion family, and the traditional Spanish Horse family.

3. Quickstep

A liver chestnut foal, breed unspecified. Quickstep uses the Breyer scratching foal mold, which was first released in 1970 as an Appaloosa scratching foal in three coat colors (black blanket, liver, and red chestnut.) Side note: I still have my original 1970s black blanket “scratching foal.” His tail broke off, and was glued back on (poorly).

Best In Show Classics

The “Best In Show Classics” line features beautiful examples of the breeds. Best In Show Classics models are hand painted, and include interesting details like manes made from mohair, “expressive glass eyes, detailed horse shoes, and a presentation base.”

The latest additions to the “Best In Show Classics” line are:

1. Arabian: Dapple Bay
2. Thoroughbred: Dapple Gray Hunter
3. American Quarter Horse: Dun (strangely, not listed on the Breyer website)

Image of Mon Gamin model copyright Breyer