Appreciation

So, my Breyer Collectors Club (CC) Customer Appreciation model arrived the other day.  The fact that I'm only receiving it now tells you that I was part of the second wave of CC offerings, not being one of those who was in the right place at the right time for the first wave of offerings, which sold out in less than an hour.

That was okay with me, since I actually preferred the selection of models from the second wave to those that were offered the first time around.  In round one, Breyer had five glossy models on offer -- "Thunder," "Latigo Dun It," "Seamus," "Enzo," and "Verdades."  For round two we had four glossy offerings: "LV Integrity," "Khalid," "King" and "Kentucky."

The second wave CC Appreciation models were on offer for a much longer time than the first wave, as the expressed intention of their release was "to give every Collector Club member who wants to participate the chance to do so."  

So if you value your models based on scarcity (or rarity), it's only logical to assume that the first wave of models will end up being of higher value than those offered in the second wave.  But if you value your models in any other way, there would be no difference between the first and second wave offerings.  At least that's the way I feel about mine, even though, as I said, I did prefer the models on offer in the second wave.

My CC Appreciation horse "King," now rechristened "Cee Cee Spot Chex"

So the model I received was "King," a portrait model of one of the Trixie Chicks Trick Riding Team's horses.  He's done on the modified version of Chris Hess's old Stock Horse Stallion mold.

This is the first time I've owned one of the Stock Horses with the new, fuller tail, even though he's been sporting it since 2008.  And I have to say -- I love it!  It really stabilizes the model, gives him some heft, and adds fluidity to his movement.

And wow, I think "King" looks super in gloss!  Mine has a tiny rough area under his belly -- perhaps where some of the gloss dripped off -- but all that's right with him makes up for the little bit that's wrong.

"Look Ma -- No tipping!"

I know that performance showers are not exactly pleased by the sparkly stencil on the left hip of "King."  At first glance, it does seem a little odd.  I believe it was put there because the Trixie Chicks always put glitter on their horses' rumps when they perform.  I don't know if they actually went to the extent of stenciling a "Breyer" design on "King" when he performed at Breyerfest, but I think the intent was to give a nod to the Trixie Chicks' glitter.  

However, for performance showers, especially those who live show, the design could limit the horse's versatility -- he could show in trick riding, in parade, and perhaps a few other fancy dress games or events, but that's about it.  That is, if your judges don't make allowances for Original Finish horses with "extras" -- like all those horses with Native American war paint, horses with ribbons and bows molded into their manes and tails, and horses with bits and pieces of molded-on tack.  Some do, I guess, and some don't.

The stencil is not really a problem for photographs, though, since it's only on one side of the horse and the right side of "King," though not the traditional "show side," will work just fine for most if not all performance settings.

Now showing:  the "non-show side"

In any case, I just don't understand those collectors who receive their CC Appreciation horse and immediately start complaining that they received their "last choice" or a horse that they "hate."  This makes no sense to me at all.  First of all, there is no choice -- that's part of the deal.  You might have an order of preference, but if the selection on offer includes one or more horses you "hate" you do not have to participate in the offer at all.  If you want to gamble that you won't receive one of your "hated" horses, then you have to be prepared to "lose."  That's how gambling works.

Yes, sometimes you risk receiving a horse that might put you in a bit of a quandary, as might have happened to me had my horse been "Khalid."  But the problem would only have been a matter of having too much wealth, and my gut feeling is that, if I had received "Khalid," I probably would have kept both him and "Nazruddin" anyway since they're really quite different and each is attractive in its own way.

But for whatever reason, I just don't get why anyone would complain about receiving a CC Appreciation horse.  It's a free horse, for heaven's sake! (Granted, you have to make a large purchase of other goods in order to qualify for a free horse, but that doesn't make the horse any less free).  And not only is it a free horse, but it's a horse that is matte in its regular run and has been generously glossed just for you!  How on earth can you not love that?

For me, the word "Appreciation" in the CC Appreciation offerings works both ways.  Breyer offers these horses to members of the Collectors Club as a concrete symbol of their appreciation for their custom.  And CC members should appreciate the generosity of a company that would offer these lovely, specially glossed horses to a portion of their public for absolutely no charge -- no body fee, no shipping charge.

"King" is my very first CC Appreciation horse, even though I've been in the Collectors Club on and off since 2016.  And I couldn't, and wouldn't, ask for anything more.