Youth & Children’s Model Horse Shows!

2 Comments

We talked about the BreyerFest Open Show last week, but BreyerFest also hosts model horse shows geared towards our younger and newer showers!

On Saturday July 11^th from 7 am to 3 pm, BreyerFest Celtic Fling will kick off the day giving our youngest fans the chance to show off their favorite models in the Alltech Arena North Expo Hall.  For those of you who are new to the world of model horse showing, a model horse show is very similar to a live horse show except models are shown instead of live horses.  Models can be shown in either Halter or Performance classes and experienced judges review and judge each entry passed on specific criteria.

In “Halter” classes, an untacked, unaltered Breyer model horse is entered into a particular class based on the breed the competitor has assigned to their model.  If an Arabian model horse is entered into an Arabian class, the judge will choose the winning horses based on conformation, characteristics, and colors typical for that breed.

Competitors are welcome to show models in classes that are not necessarily obvious for the mold they are showing if they can provide documentation to support their entry.  For example, the 2018 BreyerFest Celebration Horse Brass Hat, which was created on Breyer’s Walking Thoroughbred mold, could also be shown as an Australian Stock Horse, provided the entrant can find documentation to support that Australian Stock Horses can look like that model.

In “Performance” classes, models are fully tacked, often with riders, and set up in a diorama-like scene, complete with props and natural elements.  These scenes are viewed as if they are snapshots of a live horse event in action.  Tack is generally hand-made and all tack must be accurate to the activity being highlighted – a competitor couldn’t use a western-style bridle in a dressage competition scene, for example.

The Children’s Show is geared towards participants 12 and under and the Youth Show is for competitors aged 13 to 16.  Both shows are educational in nature and show staff are there to support and encourage all participants.

New to showing? Or need more information? There’s an FAQ section on the website here and be sure to check out the FREE Introduction to Model Horse Showing seminar on Friday at 11am taught by Children's and Youth show manager Kim Bjorgo-Thorne. For a more hands-on experience, long-time shower Liz Cory will be conducting the “Intro to Collecting and Showing Model Horses” workshop on Friday at 10 am. You can sign up for the workshop here.

The Children’s Show (for Breyer fans 12 and younger) requires a Children’s Three-Day ticket to enter and you can buy your tickets here. The Youth Show (for ages 13 – 16) requires an Adult Three-Day ticket to enter and you can buy your tickets here. Please note that parents are also required to be a BreyerFest Single-Day or Three-Day ticket holder – you are not permitted to leave your child unaccompanied at the show.

We can’t wait to see you at the Alltech Arena on Saturday morning!