Another new model being introduced this year is a Classic sized Horse & Rider gift set, "Reining."  From what I can make out of the blurry scan I found online, "Reining brings the spirit of the American West to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games."  The male rider, dressed in Western gear, is reining his palomino American Quarter Horse in a dramatic sliding stop.

The mold being used for this set is none other than Hollywood Dun It, one of the most popular Classic molds produced in recent times.

I tend to write more about the Traditional sized models (the larger ones), because these are the models which are more actively collected by Breyer aficionados.  However, I personally prefer the Classic models.  I can't really explain why, but the rendering on the smaller Classic models seems more intricate and true to life than on the larger Traditional models.  I also prefer the Classic molds themselves, which are generally more realistic and tend less towards the fantasy.

Hollywood Dun It was foaled in 1983, and was put to sleep at the age of 22 in 2005.  He was one of the world's most lucrative horses, with a record total of $4 million being earned by his progeny in his lifetime.  He was the National Reining Horse Association's Futurity Champion, and was inducted into the NRHA's Hall of Fame in 2000.  By all accounts, Hollywood Dun It didn't let the fame go to his head, and remained a kind and personable stallion to the end.

The Hollywood Dun It mold was sculpted by C.M. Herden in 1998.  This beautiful dun stallion was in production for four years, from 2000 to 2004.  It was essentially retired six years ago, although the mold was used for a limited run for the USET Festival of Champions in 2002.

A lot of collectors have fond memories of the Hollywood Dun It mold, which has been terribly under-used by Breyer if you ask me.  I am glad to see Hollywood Dun It making a comeback, albeit as a palomino this time!  (Breyer loves a palomino, as you might have noticed.  At least American Quarter Horses do come in palomino, unlike Arabian horses, cough cough "part Arabian debacle," cough!)

Oddly enough, in the last year of the Hollywood Dun It run, the same mold was issued as a dark bay dun named Dun Gotta Run, who was one of Hollywood Dun It's more famous foals.  This strikes me as being a bit peculiar, using the exact same mold to represent his son!  I mean, there's nothing wrong with it per se, it just seems either unimaginative or incestuous depending on how you look at it.

Hollywood Dun It's mold is a thoroughly appropriate choice to represent reining for the Equestrian Games line of Breyers coming out this year.  Hollywood Dun It's name is virtually synonymous with the sport of reining for many people, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue to break records across the world today.