→ hobby scene - clubs, mags - dealers - shows ←
Hobby Scene
The first Breyer model horses in Germany were available in the late 70s and with them, the interest in more accurate, artistic horse sculptures than Barbie´s and other toy brands grew, even though there haven´t been a lot of equine and toy stores which carried Breyer model horses.
Then, a couple of years later, a bunch of model horse crazy people got together to form the German model horse club.
They started putting ads in horse related magazines and made contact with other model horse lovers from all over the country, expanding their hobby knowledge.
Breyer´s model horse magazine Just About Horses found it´s way into German hobbyists´ homes and it didn´t take long until the first costumizing attempts were made and the first small live and photo shows were organized.
At that time, Germany´s former biggest model horse dealer, the Modellpferde Versand started it´s business, delivering the German collectors many models and accessories and also helped them to get hard to find models and Special Runs which they brought home from their trip to Breyerfest in the USA.
Since then, a lot of things in the German hobby scene has changed.
Of course, everything has gotten bigger, and more professional. There are more model horse collector´s each year and Germany has even had the one and only European Breyer Tour Stop, organized by the Muensterers (former owner of the Modellpferde Versand), Kathy Bergman from the UK and of course Breyer Reeves Intl. with two company representants, offering two exclusive Tour SR models for this event.
Today there are several German model horse magazines available, there is still the German Model Horse Club, the German Online Model Horse Club and more (see the links below).
Live shows are held regularly in all places of the country, as are the photoshows, and the number of model horse dealers -no longer limited to Breyers- rose as well.
Clubs, Mags
• MPOC - German Online Model Horse Club
• MPC - German model horse club - has it´s own club magazine
• BMPC News Berlin´s model horse mag - full color
• Westernpferde-Magazin - fun and action with western model horses
Dealers
• Modellpferdeversand - new and discontinued Breyers, Peter Stone, Hagen Renaker, tackmaking and costumizing supplies
• AHS - Breyer & Peter Stone model horses
• Schleich - small rubber plastic horses and other animals
Shows
• Here is a link with dates for Germany´s Live Shows 2005
having fun at a live show in Stuttgart, Germany