Breyer models of famous Thoroughbreds

Loving Thoroughbreds as I do, I am fascinated by the Breyer model horses of some of the most famous racehorses of the modern era and last century.

Horses of the calibre of Man O War, Phar Lap, War Admiral, Seabiscuit, Cigar, Zenyatta, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Afleet Alex, Ruffian, Affirmed, Smarty Jones, Rachel Alexandra and others have been immortalised in plastic by Breyer.  Sure, some of the molds leave a bit to be desired design wise and some of these horses perhaps should have had their own molds made but nevertheless they are all beautiful and highly collectable in their own way.  

Personally I love the Lonesome Glory mold (pictured below) which has been used to depict a number of gallopers and steeplechasers including Zenyatta, Seattle Slew, Afleet Alex and Phar Lap (limited Australian only edition).  This is a magnificent mold that is very very typey in appearance; it just screams Thoroughbred.

Lonesome Glory

Zenyatta on the Lonesome Glory mold

Afleet Alex on the Lonesome Glory mold

Seattle Slew on the Lonesome Glory mold

Another lovely mold is the Smarty Jones mold which has also been used for Secretariat.  Secretariat does have his own mold but I don't think it is anywhere near as nice as the Smarty Jones version of him.

Smarty Jones - Smarty Jones mold

Secretariat on the Smarty Jones mold.

Secretariat (Secretariat mold)

Some horses have been reproduced on two different molds.  Phar Lap for instance had his own original Phar Lap mold (first picture) but a limited edition using the Lonesome Glory mold (second picture) was released in Australia to coincide with the release of the film 'Phar Lap'.

Original Phar Lap on the Phar Lap mold

Special Australian only release of Phar Lap on the Lonesome Glory mold

 

Man O War Traditional mold

Man O War Classic mold

Man O War was also produced in 2 different molds.  He had his own early traditional series model and was later redone in the Classic series.

Laziness or general ignorance….?

The more I think about it, the more I wonder whether incorrect rugging habits are caused through laziness or just plain ignorance.

Most horse owners do genuinely want to do what is best for their horses.  I believe many would be truly upset if they had any idea whatsoever that their rugging practices are most likely harming their horse.  It all revolves around one simple overlooked principle though….  Horses can easily warm themselves up if they get cold.  They CANNOT however cool themselves down if they’re wearing a heavy rug.  This fundamental concept seems to escape a lot of horse owners though.

Horses, like all mammals, cool down by sweating; as the sweat evaporates it cools them down.  The process is called Homeostasis.  If they’re wearing a rug the sweat can’t evaporate ergo they can’t cool down.  One writer puts it like this – when a horse overheats they basically start cooking in their own juices.  This is called heat stress.  Heat stress kills.  Body functions start to malfunction and shut down.

Leaving rugs on so that they adversely affect the health of the horse is animal cruelty, plain and simple.   Again, this is something most horse owners would not even consider when they pile the rugs on or trundle off to work leaving their horse standing in a sunny paddock or yard with heavy rugs on.

And then there is the lazy horse owner….  The type of owner who simply can’t be bothered putting in the extra effort involved in taking rugs on and off.  The type of owner who shouldn’t even start rugging their horses to begin with.

Bottom line - if you can’t be bothered rugging according to daily weather patterns, or you don’t have the time, then don’t bother rugging at all.  Spend the money on feed instead of rugs.