The model you chose to represent your horse, or your dream horse, is just as important as choosing your painter. There are many options out there, depending on your budget and preference. This page will explain the basics for what model horse options are out there and how to find them.
It is standard in the hobby to purchase blank models that are then sent off to an artist for painting. This is how I also run things, as it is much easier for customers to have free range in shopping for their horses rather than keeping any kind of stock. I am not picky on whether your model is Plastic or Resin! I only request that the model is not broken beyond a missing ear or sent to me already painted. I personally am not comfortable stripping another artist’s work, and it is very time consuming. If you want or need to strip a model of previous paint, please do so before sending to me. Factory paint is fine!
Breyer Model Horses are a staple of the community, and they have a variety of model options of many different breeds! They are the cheapest option, but they do lack some of the more intricate details of musculature or wrinkling. I always recommend customers to look on places like eBay where they might find deals on models, but even at market price Breyers average about $45-60.
Peter Stone horses are very similar to Breyer horses material wise, but they are more expensive with far less breed options. There are often cheaper deals for Peter Stone bodies on eBay that you can browse through.
Artist Resin is what we call resin casted models that are sold via the artist or casting service they use. Rather than a large scale toy company, these are made specifically for hobbyists who want high quality detailed horses. As every sculptor has their own style, it is the best way to pin point a model that represents your horse’s attributes. Please keep in mind that you would be purchasing limited run sculptures that directly supports the artist, and the price will reflect that. It is very common to see resins run into the $100’s, but every mold is different and pricings are too. Aside from purchasing directly from an artist’s website, we use a site called MH$P for second hand models. For AR’s you would go to Gallery Ads > AR Unpainted > the desired scale. https://modelhorsesalespages.com/
Visit http://www.equineresindirectory.com/ to search resins by breed, artist, or name.
Scale is also another very important part of choosing your model. The most commonly used scale is called Traditional, but there are several smaller ones out there. I am not currently accepting Micro Mini scales. Please visit my pricing page to see how these may price differently.