Breyer has announced a Limited Edition model for BreyerFest: Radar, who at 19 hands and 3.5 inches high, is the world's tallest horse.  Radar was certified by Guinness World Records for the years 2006 through 2009, before his recent retirement.

Radar is a Belgian draft horse gelding, who made a name for himself traveling the country and visiting fairs, as well as by appearances on television shows including Oprah.  (I actually had the opportunity to see Radar at the state fair a few years ago, but I took a pass.  I like horses, and I was intrigued by the idea of seeing the world's tallest horse - but not intrigued enough to pay a separate admission fee.)

After his retirement, Radar moved to the Priefert Ranch Equipment farm in Texas.  There he hangs out with Goliath, the world's previous tallest horse.  (I guess Preiefert is in the business of buying very large horses, in addition to selling livestock equipment.)  However, Radar will be coming out of retirement to make a special appearance at BreyerFest in order to inaugurate the launch of his model.

The Radar model uses the Roy mold, which was sculpted by Francis Eustis in 1989.  The Roy mold hasn't seen much use, with the most recent version being the black Percheron cross through 1999.  Neither has Roy been much of a fan favorite over the years, with a lackluster collectability rating.

However, buzz is good on this version of Roy, in his light chestnut with flaxen mane and tail as Radar.  One of the problems with the Roy mold may be that the coat colors have been very "blah."  But Radar promises to turn that around, with some nice shading on the highlights, and his four white stockings.

(Of course, collectors will have to overlook the fact that the Roy mold is just a regular sized horse!  Doesn't it seem like Breyer should have busted out a new, larger mold for Radar?  Unfortunately, Breyer's Radar will be the same height as all your other models.  I don't know why, but I think this would really bother me.)

I am sure you will not be surprised to learn that Belgians come from… Belgium!  Specifically from the West Brabantian region, where they were developed as farm horses.  Belgians have relatively small amounts of feathering, powerful rounded bodies, and small heads.  The classic Belgian is a light chestnut color, between reddish brown and fawn, which is often mistaken for palomino coloring.

Draft horses as a whole were practically an endangered breed in the middle of the last century. Between the mechanization of the farm, and the increasing pressure to corporatize the agricultural business, draft horses quickly became unnecessary to the practice of farming.  According to the Belgian Draft Horse Corporation of America, "the number of annual registrations even dropped under the 200 mark for a couple of years during the early 50s."

Fortunately, some forward-thinking breeders held firm and preserved the Belgian for the future.  By 1980, the registration of Belgians "surpassed the all time high set in 1937."  Aside from the Belgian's beauty and gentle nature, many people are going back to the use of draft horses for working fields and hauling timber.