My Strange Addiction: Breyerfest

Long-time readers will remember I have written about my "other" hobby before: Model Horses.

You can read more here:

Model Horses: Live Shows
Links (in case you want to join the madness)
Overview

If you are a model horse collector, there is no doubt you are aware of the biggest bat shit crazy model horse convention in the world. Breyerfest.

My poor little brother, me and my sister at Breyerfest .... uhhh, mid 90s?
A LONG time ago. Bless my mother's heart for taking us.

It is held every year at the Kentucky Horse Park and rabid, model-horse crazy children, teens and insane women flock all over the park and the Clarion North hotel for 3 days.

The activities at the KHP are great of course. There are a lot of activities geared toward the kiddos. The indoor arena is packed full of booths and shopping. The Altech arena has a couple of rooms that currently are the location for the live shows. The Breyerfest open live show is widely known as one of the most competitive shows in the country. My sister and I showed there I think back in 2002 or 2003 and got our butts handed to us.

But anyway, typically the horse park is steaming hot, and overrun with screaming children and long lines. I don't like any of those factors, so Breyerfest for me these days means heading to the Clarion North hotel (used to be the Holiday Inn). It is my favorite thing about Breyerfest.

One room just had a shitload of Breyers on their bed.

The hotel walls are covered in posters advertising models and what room they are in. Guests leave their doors open and you can walk door-to-door shopping for your holy grail or just browsing. In the evenings it turns into total madness as there are so many people you can barely get down the hallways. I saw a couple of rooms that had a line formed outside of them.

You see all sorts of people. And I do mean all kinds.

One of the live show champions. STUNNING workmanship on this custom, even a piece
of grass hanging out of his mouth!

In one of the larger conference rooms, there is also an Artisan's Gallery which features artists displaying and selling their work, as well as a display of the Breyerfest Live show champions. Some really gorgeous work is always in this gallery. I actually ended up buying a custom this year that I could not resist. Bad Karen.

Gorgeous custom Peter Stone Morgan in buckskin. He is so pretty in person!
I see him as a pleasure driving or saddle seat horse.
Ganna need more tack!

I also scored a great deal on a Totilas! Woohoo! By by paycheck!

If you ever get the chance, go to Breyerfest at least once. There is always something else for "real horses" going on at the KHP, too, if you get sick of loud children.

And since I now have two new models to add to my skimpy collection ... perhaps it is time to think about getting back into the hobby ...