Meet 25 Breyer Model Horses Inspired by Real-Life Ones
/granite-web-prod/90/35/9035f47366d84358aadd00a07c0bc711.jpeg)
If you are a horse lover, chances are you grew up playing with Breyer model horses. And as an adult, you may still have a large collection from your youth. You may even be an avid collector of these incredibly detailed model horses.
Some models fetch high prices, based on demand in the collector’s market. While many of the models are pure fantasy, there are also hundreds of what are called “Portrait Models.” These models are special in that they are replicas of real-life horses that are famous in some way.
To some, their horse becoming a Breyer model is the ultimate honor. Meet 25 horses that are immortalized as Breyer horses that are loved by millions.
Man O’ War
/granite-web-prod/fb/de/fbdec10ac18c4ea8b06ac8be5147d7f0.jpeg)
Famous for: Racing
Breyer horse release year: 1967
Breyer model number: 47
Bottom Line: Man O’ War
/granite-web-prod/0e/24/0e2455043f4541e2a8f4e4ce12fbd1d3.jpeg)
Man O’ War was the first Breyer Portrait Model ever made. Created in 1967, the model paid homage to one of thoroughbred racing’s biggest legends. He won 20 out of 21 races and established seven track records for speed over various distances.
One race Man O' War never won was the Kentucky Derby. In fact, he didn't run it in 1920 because his owner chose not to race him. But, the horse won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, the other two legs of what would later become known as the "Triple Crown."
Misty
/granite-web-prod/0f/ea/0fea8d77a9fb4c4b94374f3f442d80a2.jpeg)
Famous for: Being the main character in Marguerite Henry’s “Misty of Chincoteague”
Breyer horse release year: 1972
Breyer model number: 20
Bottom Line: Misty
/granite-web-prod/14/22/142261d0868a42c49789d75f8c2d1838.jpeg)
Marguerite Henry turned an unknown wild Chincoteague pony from Assateague Island, named Misty, into a cultural phenomenon with her book “Misty of Chincoteague. The real Misty would go on to tour the country’s schools to delight children.
A movie was also made, and when the beloved horse passed, she was preserved at the Chincoteague Museum so fans could visit her forever.
Adios
/granite-web-prod/2e/50/2e506480c9ab42f0803d656b9cde033d.jpeg)
Famous for: Harness racing
Breyer horse release year: 1969
Breyer model number: 50
Bottom Line: Adios
/granite-web-prod/ec/2a/ec2aeb85a106422aad01408326bee716.jpeg)
Adio was a multiple world champion Standardbred pacer, earning him the right to become a Breyer model horse in 1969.
He raced for four seasons before being retired in 1946. One of his offspring sold for $500,000 — quite a large sum in 1955.
Dan Patch
/granite-web-prod/db/94/db9443498c4b4913861c1722c319a9ac.jpeg)
Famous for: Harness racing
Breyer horse release year: 1967
Breyer model number: 46
Bottom Line: Dan Patch
/granite-web-prod/22/b2/22b2afd091524c8db695bb29d78b9ccb.jpeg)
Dan Patch dominated harness racing in the early 1900s. He was undefeated in three seasons of racing and was the world champion racing horse from 1903 to 1938.
Breyer made a model of Dan Patch in 1967.
Pluto
/granite-web-prod/51/aa/51aac343e8794886b1df060698bc81f2.jpeg)
Famous for: One of the foundation stallions of the Lipizzaner breed
Breyer horse release year: 1991
Breyer model number: 475
Bottom Line: Pluto
/granite-web-prod/eb/d0/ebd07a2ac6d6488d94d4e6c51305aa5e.jpeg)
In 1991, Breyer released a model of Pluto. Born in 1765, he is one of the stallions considered to be the foundation of the Lipizzaner breed, and a small line of Lipizzaners can still be traced all the way back to Pluto.
Pluto V (pictured) is a descendant of the original stallion.
Gifted
/granite-web-prod/02/26/022695a13a614cd0ab641eeb96c7d7af.jpeg)
Famous for: Dressage
Breyer horse release year: 1994
Breyer model number: 887
Bottom Line: Gifted
/granite-web-prod/44/14/44149ed368e04613b3c0a396735a26b2.jpeg)
Gifted was a huge, 17.3-hand, Hanoverian gelding, ridden and owned by Carol Lavell. The two excelled in dressage and helped the U.S. Olympic Team secure a bronze team medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
It was the first US dressage medal since 1976.
Gypsy King
/granite-web-prod/f9/7b/f97b47c19f4f40e790eb68c5df3fc667.jpeg)
Famous for: Siring the first Gypsy Vanner born in the U.S.
Breyer horse release year: 2001
Breyer model number: 1148
Bottom Line: Gypsy King
/granite-web-prod/db/0f/db0f3feda96d465fb58c0a71110b9c57.jpeg)
The Gypsy King, as he came to be called in the U.S., was one of the first Gypsy stallions brought to America in 1998.
Breyer approached his owners, Cindy and Dennis Thompson, about making a model of him shortly afterward. It was one of their best-selling models that year.
Scamper
/granite-web-prod/5c/44/5c44aff62c2f4aa7b7fd30b81f219a8d.jpeg)
Famous for: Barrel racing
Breyer horse release year: 1998
Breyer model number: 477
Bottom Line: Scamper
/granite-web-prod/f8/80/f8802334c63e41b4bdeb0b8c3fb7a3be.jpeg)
Gills Bay Boy, called Scamper, was an incredible American Quarter Horse who dominated the barrel racing world in the 1980s and early ’90s. He won 10 Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) Barrel Racing world titles, was a five-time American Quarter Horse Association-WPRA Horse of the Year and was inducted into the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1996.
All that, and he lived to the ripe-old age of 35.
Trixie Chicks’ King
/granite-web-prod/69/dd/69dda8b85e7e4eadb4e84ead8cff9a22.jpeg)
Famous for: Trick riding
Breyer horse release year: 2018
Breyer model number: 1803
Bottom Line: Trixie Chicks’ King
/granite-web-prod/8e/77/8e775a837bb34324863dbbe279a4980e.jpeg)
King is one of the steadfast mounts that the Trixie Chicks Trick Riders put their trust in when performing in front of large crowds.
The American Paint Horse is the group's “go-to” lesson horse because he is safe no matter who is doing tricks on board.
Traveller
/granite-web-prod/21/df/21dfc8914a3a423682a3dcbab12511ea.jpeg)
Famous for: Being General Lee’s main mount
Breyer horse release year: 1998
Breyer model number: 718
Bottom Line: Traveller
/granite-web-prod/17/5d/175d7ccb66cf46ed8f04f5a163847500.jpeg)
Traveller would go down in history as General Lee’s main mount. The beautiful grey horse was General Lee’s main mount from 1862 on and is by far the most famous horse of the Civil War.
Even after the war, Lee would continue to take rides on his beloved horse.
Hollywood Dun It
/granite-web-prod/0a/5e/0a5e5be5ec1d4e4d9305747a5d719c99.jpeg)
Famous for: Reining
Breyer horse release year: 1998
Breyer model number: 478
Secretariat
/granite-web-prod/7f/eb/7febaa8fbdd741d1b36bcc4536644b09.jpeg)
Famous for: Triple Crown Winner
Breyer horse release year: 1987
Breyer model number: 435
Bottom Line: Secretariat
/granite-web-prod/bd/ff/bdff7a37c1374b3fa0a81053ed00b4d4.jpeg)
“Big Red” as he was affectionally called, is probably the most well-known Thoroughbred racehorse.
Secretariat’s track records from 1973 still stand for the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and the Preakness.
Huckleberry Bey
/granite-web-prod/9d/8b/9d8bb59758bd48ceb00ae27012b130c0.jpeg)
Famous for: English pleasure
Breyer horse release year: 1999
Breyer model number: 472
Bottom Line: Huckleberry Bey
/granite-web-prod/74/1d/741de929e3f242fd8fd0c175ed277304.jpeg)
Huckleberry Bey was a stunning bay Arabian stallion that dominated the English pleasure Arabian show world during his time. He unanimously won the Cal-Bred Futurity Championships in 1979.
And he went on to be a four-time U.S. Top Ten English Please Champion.
Carltonlima Emma
/granite-web-prod/2b/64/2b64587c63ea49788e56a08e025e7a15.jpeg)
Famous for: Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s mount
Breyer horse release year: 2015
Breyer model number: 9177
Bottom Line: Carltonlima Emma
/granite-web-prod/9c/ca/9ccadba8ac804110b8fec2690799c16d.jpeg)
Carltonlima Emma is a beautiful, pitch-black Fell pony that is a favorite mount of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
A portion of her Breyer sales is donated to the Fell Pony Society and Girlguiding.
Bet Yer Blue Boons
/granite-web-prod/f0/19/f019677b8b294ea198e2fefbc4f306b2.jpeg)
Famous for: Cutting
Breyer horse release year: 2009
Breyer model number: 715
Bottom Line: Bet Yer Blue Boons
/granite-web-prod/8d/5f/8d5f9c6f2c114b09824c776b3e8400d4.jpeg)
Bet Yer Blue Boons was an American Quarter Horse mare that earned the highest score in 60 years at the National Cutting Horse Association World Finals. She attended the World Finals five times, finishing in the Top Ten Open standings four of those.
Her high score in 1998 has only been beaten twice since then.
Snowman
/granite-web-prod/20/25/20255ae9e1c74cc88f77ecb052d83cf9.jpeg)
Famous for: Showjumping
Breyer horse release year: 2009
Breyer model number: 1708
Snowman
/granite-web-prod/f4/a4/f4a4d0fad1a5451a9a2369d985447724.jpeg)
**Bottom Line:
Snowman was made famous more for where he came from than what he did. He was a plow horse headed for the slaughter auction in 1956. Harry de Leyer was headed to the same auction to look for lesson horses and purchased Snowman for $80.
Two years later, Snowman was the United States Equestrian Federation Horse of the Year. He would be the first horse to win the Open Jumper Championship two years in a row.
Peptoboonsmal
/granite-web-prod/f6/a4/f6a4152dcb4849b093c744dd25c1ae93.jpeg)
Famous for: Cutting
Breyer horse release year: 2020
Breyer model number: 1829
Bottom Line: Peptoboonsmal
/granite-web-prod/42/16/421613dd89d04ad59a8a512e60c4f600.jpeg)
Peptoboonsmal gained his place as a Breyer model horse by winning over $180,000 in cutting and going on to be an incredible sire.
His offspring have earned over $26 million in western competitions, mostly cutting and reining.
Biko
/granite-web-prod/54/26/5426b64a244c495abe991c52de3de683.jpeg)
Famous for: Helped win a team the silver medal at the 1996 Olympics
Breyer horse release year: 2000
Breyer model number: 1101
Bottom Line: Biko
/granite-web-prod/c6/98/c698de655d314a719814d9365f87744f.jpeg)
Biko, a big bay Thoroughbred gelding, was Karen O’Connor’s mount in the 1996 Olympics, where he helped the eventing team win a silver medal.
He was inducted into the United States Eventing Association Hall of Fame in 2006.
American Pharoah
/granite-web-prod/e1/26/e1267df51faa42cca45b8c63b6fbcc97.jpeg)
Famous for: Grand Slam Winner
Breyer horse release year: 2015
Breyer model number: 1757
Bottom Line: American Pharoah
/granite-web-prod/4d/02/4d023bc9b6dd4c658ffdbbbca82c5648.jpeg)
American Pharoah quickly rose to Thoroughbred racing glory, not just for winning the 2015 Triple Crown — and coming in second to Secretariat’s time in the Belmont Stakes — but then going on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, a racing Grand Slam.
Gem Twist
/granite-web-prod/70/4e/704e6219bf414213a60ff929bfb25cfb.jpeg)
Famous for: Showjumping
Breyer horse release year: 1993
Breyer model number: 495
Bottom Line: Gem Twist
/granite-web-prod/7c/3f/7c3f48e494ee4ab0abfa5c29d7dd072a.jpeg)
Gem Twist was a legendary show jumper who won the individual silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and helped garner the team silver as well. He is the only horse to win three American Grandprix Association Horse of the Year Titles and earned over $800,000 in his lifetime.
Even more legendary, Gem Twist was cloned. His clone, Gemini, still stands at stud.
Winx
/granite-web-prod/8c/55/8c5541a51c8f4bcfb114a2314430c3d7.jpeg)
Famous for: Racing
Breyer horse release year: 2020
Breyer model number: W1828
Bottom Line: Winx
/granite-web-prod/49/cb/49cb4dafb88a42e9a63ff5d240aa8d5a.jpeg)
Winx is a Thoroughbred mare who has taken Australian racing by storm. She has 37 career wins, tying with the legendary Phar Lap.
She was inducted into Australia’s Racing Hall of Fame, having earned over $26.4 million AUD.
Ballynoe Castle RM
/granite-web-prod/44/50/445076267eba4143962db51b35f80422.jpeg)
Famous for: Eventing
Breyer horse release year: 2020
Breyer model number: 711367
Bottom Line: Ballynoe Castle RM
/granite-web-prod/11/39/1139928693fa4526b6921fd7fbfdb6b5.jpeg)
Ballynoe Castle RM, or “Reggie,” was the 2020 Breyerfest Celebration Model. Reggie gained fame as the winningest horse in U.S. eventing history.
In 2013, he was the United States Eventing Federation National Champion. He earned over 1,600 United States Eventing Association points during his lifetime.
Checkers
/granite-web-prod/2a/68/2a6822dfc0a14b85bbc7055a364d5a2e.jpeg)
Famous for: Mountrain trail, bridleless
Breyer horse release year: 2020
Breyer model number: W1831
Bottom Line: Checkers
/granite-web-prod/a7/78/a77880e404074ba8920c4658b4e3c4b5.jpeg)
Sir Rugged Chex, aka “Checkers,” is a YouTube sensation with over 10 million views. He has gained fame in the sport of mountain trail, where he is a three-time National Champion and competes bridleless.
Checkers is also the grandson of the famous Rugged Lark, who also competed bridleless in dressage.
Faugh-A-Ballagh
/granite-web-prod/51/cd/51cd5020e63a48219785ed5e2ce62f39.jpeg)
Famous for: Dressage
Breyer horse release year: 2020
Breyer model number: 711473
Brookside Pink Magnum
/granite-web-prod/76/1b/761b2a4ba3d94950bf756cdc6b1afb28.jpeg)
Famous for: Progeny
Breyer horse release year: 2012
Breyer model number: W1482
Bottom Line: Brookside Pink Magnum
/granite-web-prod/d2/04/d204e105a20a4b1e97c63f3b218965f0.jpeg)
Brookside Pink Magnum is a Section B Welsh stallion, standing at 12.2 hands. Successful in in-hand and sport pony classes, he really gained fame as a sire.
His offspring have excelled in the rings, including breed shows, the United States Eventing Federation Pony Finals and the Devon Horse Show.
Enjoying Always Pets? Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter.
/granite-web-prod/08/2a/082a4a8dcca44c1f81c37d6f63bf1cba.jpeg)
/granite-web-prod/91/31/913173f46b6d4a9f921ab1992f862e5e.jpeg)