Buy What You Love, Not What You Think Will Win

One of the many advantages (or as Brendon would probably say disadvantages) of being a moderator on a sales group is that I get to see sales ads before anyone else.

This means I can buy the thing before anyone else. Which is probably not a good thing. But my latest impulse buy hardly broke the bank so it's all good.

So here's the story. A few weeks back I was happily minding my own business wasting my life on Facebook when I decided to actually contribute something to society and moderate my own Facebook group, you know like a civilised human being. After repeated rule infringements I've had to set the posts on UK Model Horse Sales to approval, which has actually made moderating a LOT easier. But it also means that I see the sales ads before anyone else does as I'm the only person that currently does any moderating.

So I click on the list and I'm going through, approving posts when I see this gorgeous custom. She's just too cute! The post is full of "she's not very good, only really a body etc. etc." and I'm like "no poor baby she's adorable, I love her, I have to have her!". So I approve the post, search Facebook for the group, find the group, find the post and then message the seller because I HAVE to have this horse!

Several messages later and my very extravagant purchase (less than £20) is made and Badger is on her way to me. I'm so excited, she's just adorable and I love her so much!

You see the thing is, the seller is right, this isn't a show model. She could pass for PSQ but she is never going to be part of my live show string (although she will come to some shows), but that DOESN'T MATTER. Because you know what? Winning isn't everything. I know shocking news flash but for some people this is something they need to hear. It makes me sad when I see younger collectors in particular selling things because they don't show well that they've had for years, or only searching for the best of the best, because if all you are looking for in a model horse is show success then you are only ever going to be disappointed. Even if the horse does as well as it possibly can at some point it is going to lose and you are going to feel crappy. If you spend £500 on a top quality custom and it never places (trust me it happens) how will you feel about that model? If you spend £500 on a top quality custom because you love it more than anything you've ever seen and you couldn't care less if it places or not then yes you probably are going to feel a bit bummy when it doesn't place but at the end of the day you love her so it doesn't matter.

Buy a model you love and you have a piece to cherish for eternity.

Buy a model to show and you will have nothing but that aching feeling that maybe you could have just done a little bit better.

And with that I'll leave you with a final picture of CRS A Mushroom (aka Badger), a beautiful custom by Steph Lovely.

How To Choose Your Next Model Horse?

It's the problem we all have, we totes need a new model horse but which one to get? There are so many? How do we decide which of the thousands of pretty ponies out there we will be adding to our herd next?

Well do not fret! I am here to offer you great and wise guidance (and totally not enabling at all) on how to choose the next pony for your collection.

Lists

One of the best ways to organise what you are going to buy is to write lists. You can add these with savings (this is what I used to do as a teenager) and it is absolutely perfect if you are a bit of a spreadsheet or journalling nut!

Write a list of all the model horses you want to purchase (or need to purchase, you know those two words basically mean the same thing). You could add an approximate amount and even do little squares to colour in as you save up.

You could randomise the list as well to make it a bit more...well...random! If you are looking at inspiration check out eBay listings (particularly on eBay.com), current dealer websites, cataloguing websites like Identify Your Breyer and social media sites to see what should be on your must buy list!

Pandora is an example of a list purchase - back when I first started in the hobby I wrote long lists of everything I was going to buy.

The Impulse Buy

This is often the reason the models on our wish lists never get purchased, it is because we are impulse buying too many model horses! 

Hit the sales pages and eBay and start to scroll through, you never know what you'll find! See something that takes your fancy and buy it.

Just a word of warning - don't use this method too often. Your bank account will hate you (and what I mean by that is yes totally buy that pony).

Fiori (like many of my RubberNedz) was very much an impulse purchase. I should probably impulse purchase less expensive things...

Random is Fun

This is quite a fun way to choose a new model, you can end up with something you would never have normally chosen.

This is a good method to use for buying lower value regular run models like Breyer and Schleich. You know when you just need a bit of pony happiness but don't really want anything in particular? I like it because it adds lots of variety to my collection. It is also useful if you have something like a voucher to spend.

When I purchase things such as the Breyer Premier Club models I always buy another model to come with them, these are usually chosen at random like Toyland here.

Get Someone Else to Choose

OK so you better trust your friends but this can be quite fun! Give someone a budget and tell them to go find you the perfect model horse under it and then buy it! 

Obviously this requires some trust and I don't really recommend it for higher budget purchases but I think it is worth doing at least once. You never know what they'll choose and you could end up with something that is not only really random but also a memento of your friendship.

Smexy wasn't actually chosen by me! I got my mother to choose his colour, she said he should be spotty and spotty he was. Clearly she made a very good choice.

Buy The Model You've Wanted For Years

You know that regular run Breyer you wanted but never purchased? That model you've seen up for sale so many times but never quite got around to buying? Maybe you've had your eye on something in the show ring.

One of the problems with running a dealership is you never end up buying the models you like! I'd been after a Rainbow Unicorn Mare for a while but never got one for myself. So when I found one in the Toys R' Us closing down sale I just had to have her!

Well now is the time to buy it! Quite often we can buy the new shiny thing and never get around (or have the money for) that model we've been after for a long time. Don't put it off. Make the purchase, you'll feel so much better and you'll get something you really love.