Do you know how much work goes into a Breyer model horse? Have you ever wondered about the process of making a Breyer model? How do they get all those rich, vivid details into each model? Why doesn’t every model look exactly the same? Well, here are your answers.

Every Breyer model starts with an artist’s rendering. Various artists, either staff or commissioned, sculpt the first rendering of each model. Then, Breyer casts a mold out of a mix of copper and steel. That mold is then injected and dried according to the material used. Breyer uses ceramic, cellulose acetate, or other resins to create each model. There’s no mass production, each model is created one at a time, using the same copper/steel mold. Read more about How are Breyer Models Made?

What does a mantle clock and the now-defunct Woolworth’s have to do with Breyer horses? If it weren’t for an order to the Breyer Molding Company for a small western-style horse to adorn a mantle clock sold at Woolworth’s in 1950, there would be no Breyer horses today. Known as the #57 Western Horse, the first ever Breyer model horse set the stage for what would become a world-renowned model horse empire.

Breyer horse models, as most collectors know, come in a variety of sizes, series and model types.