Breyer has announced another special model, and the collecting world is on fire about this one!  This is a glossy model, which seems to be a little more rare than the matte models.  The glossy models always cause a big stir among collectors, partly because that high gloss finish is a real eye catcher!  

Dapple gray is always a difficult color to pull off well.  Certainly Breyer has some historical versions which were… let's just say "not realistic."  Some of the earliest dapple grays were just gray horses which had been flecked or dotted with white paint!  

Smokin Hot Chic really shows off the talents of Breyer's painting crew.  She has an elaborate set of shading highlights on her body, with lighter grays at the highlights and darker grays on the lowlights.  Add in the darker legs, a bi-colored tail, and some lovely dapple work overall and you have a real winner.

(If I may be allowed to go off on a rant-y digression: I'm not crazy about the name "Smokin Hot Chic" not least because I want to pronounce the last word "chick" but I'm pretty sure it's meant to be pronounced "sheek."  You know, like "chic fashion."  

Part of the problem is that "chic" is an adjective.  So we have three adjectives in this name, and no nouns.  It's like naming a horse "Big Red Shiny" or "Fast Pretty Brown."  It just has an odd ring to it.

"Smokin Hot" is also just such a low-rent phrase.  Shoving "Chic" in there just doesn't go.  It's like putting a mullet on a fashion model.  I mean, you can?  But I'm not sure why you would.

As far as I can tell, there is no real horse named "Smokin Hot Chic."  So this is just the name they have chosen for the model.  By the way, I do not recommend that you try and Google anything to do with the phrase "smoking hot chic."  Much less if you try to narrow down your search by adding the word "horse."  Just trust me on this one, okay?)

Smokin Hot Chic is available in a limited run only at the QuarterFest, the American Quarter Horse party in Murfreesboro Tennessee from April 30 to May 2.  This "celebration of the American Quarter Horse" is sponsored by the American Quarter Horse Association, and includes clinics with some of the top trainers and talent in the field today.

Smokin Hot Chic uses the Lady Phase model, which is a very apt choice.  Lady Phase was a Quarter Horse belonging to Country Western star, equestrian, and Quarter Horse breeder Lynn Anderson.  Lady Phase was considered "the model Quarter Horse," so it was only natural that she would serve as a Quarter Horse model!

The original Lady Phase mold, sculpted by Chris Hess in 1976, had a tail which hung straight down.  In 2006 Breyer introduced this newer model, which had the "swish tail."  This is an excellent example of how a little bit of action can really liven up a mold considerably.

Photo courtesy Breyer's Facebook update on QuarterFest 2010.