It should come as no surprise, therefore, that I've been keeping lists of model horses since I started collecting. At one time I had lists of all the Breyer molds and all the Hartland molds ever produced, which I religiously updated every year when new molds were released. The main purpose of those lists was to help me get a "complete" collection of all the molds, but after I gave up on that idea, I sort of abandoned those lists as well.
The one list I have kept up, though, is the list of models in my collection. It has been a bit of a challenge to keep this up as various computers have crashed on me, and programs have ceased to be supported. This means I have often had to start from scratch again which is, believe me, a good way to get in touch with your inventory.
My collection list is currently kept in an MS Excel file, which I've expanded and contracted over time as I've decided just what information I want to keep. Although I've never been much into the pedigree assignment portion of the hobby (choosing real or model horse parents to put on your model's pedigree), at one time I was a member of a club which required the registration of all the members' horses, which meant that some of my horses had pedigrees recorded in my database along with their registry numbers. When I was into attending live shows, I kept track of my models' placings so I knew which were proven champions and which had not yet been given their chance in the show circuit.
This Trail of Painted Ponies Fjord is a decoration, but it is also in my model horse database.
The basic information I've had since the start includes the model manufacturer (Breyer, Stone, Hartland, etc.), the model number and issue name, if known (for example 711 Breezing Dixie), whether the model was a regular or special run, and the stable name, breed and gender I have assigned to the model. After a while I decided to add the base coat colour and markings (since these sometimes vary within a run), the entity that commissioned any special run (for example J.C. Penney or Just About Horses), the original sculptor's name, if known, the name of the artist(s) involved if the model has been customized, and how the model was acquired (price paid and name of seller, raffle prize and name of show, or gift and name of giver).
Subsequently, I've started adding even more information, like whether the mold has molded-on tack (whether or not that tack is painted), the approximate scale of the model, the type of finish (glossy, semi-gloss, satin matte, or matte), the last recorded value and value source, the model condition, any stamps, signatures or stickers on the body of the model, and the years the model was in production,
Just as the amount of information I've included on my list has expanded, so too has the list itself. This is not simply the effect of new purchases, but also due to a broadening of the criteria I have for adding a mold to the list. Originally, I just kept track of horses and other equines, then I started to add other animals, like Breyer dogs. Later I added other Breyer items that were not potential show pieces, like the race horse and Christmas ornaments. As I started to acquire Stablemate-sized livestock in various sets, I added them to the list, and recently I added my Pocket Box dogs, cats, and fish.
This Horse Whispers foal (by the same people who do the Trail of Painted Ponies) is a decoration which is not in my model horse database -- and I'm not sure why.
I'm not sure exactly why I started including these items in my collection. My favourite model horse class at live shows has always been the collector's class, and I guess I just kept track of these with the idea that they might someday make a good addition to that class, just as the "Modernistic" Buck and Doe and Kipper models are now. Oddly enough, though, I never bothered to add my two Dapples horses to the list, although I bought them for the very same reason.
I also never extended the inclusion of non-equines to any brands other than Breyers. For instance, I have a Hagen-Renaker coyote who never made the list. Nor have all makes of equines made the cut. In general, I'd say that those I consider to be toys -- such as the horses I have from farm sets I had as a kid, my Best of the West horses, and my Burger King "Spirit" and "Rain" toys -- have been left out of the inventory, as have those horses that I view only as decorations -- like my large leather horse from India, my multi-coloured Wang Mu horses from China, and my carved wooden horses.
There's no rhyme or reason to some of my decisions, though -- my Trail of Painted Ponies Norwegian Fjord horse is on the list, while my Horse Whispers foal is not. My Seasons of Cannon Falls running horse ornament is on the list, while my Painted Ponies Christmas ornament is not.
Given all this, I can't exactly tell you what puts a model horse in with the in crowd, or out in the cold. I should probably either add the outsiders to the list, or delete some the insiders that don't really need to be there.
Maybe I'll put that on my to-do list of future projects.
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