What is three days long, has more than 6,000 attendees, 300 horses, a camel, 30 dogs, a llama, a baby zebra and about 10 piglets and pygmy goats?  BreyerFest Global Gallop, Breyer’s 3-day-long annual festival dedicated to model horse lovers and the horses that inspire the Breyer models!  Defying the weak economy and pessimistic retail scene, Breyer Animal Creation’s 19th annual model horse extravaganza and horse fair held each year at the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Ky., had record ticket sales, a sold-out Trade Fair, Swap Meet, workshops, and model horse shows and the biggest-ever sales in its four charitable endeavors: the two BreyerFest Raffles, Silent Auction and Live Auction. Themed BreyerFest Global Gallop, Breyer went all out to present an internationally-themed event with Avi Cohen and Kilimanjaro Ranch’s Alborozo, a PRE stallion based in Malibu, Calif., headlining as the BreyerFest Celebration Horse.

“We work all year to make BreyerFest a great event for our vendors and guests alike.” said Breyer’s Promotional Events Manager Jennifer Stepanek.  “This year we created a new sculpture for our Celebration Horse Alborozo and then broke the mold which makes that model especially collectable! We also had four special guest horses representing our Traditional portrait models including: DZ Weedo, Bluegrass Bandit, Pimlico RCA (a son of Thee Desperado) and Fox Valley Oliver. Then we mixed in a lot of great guest entertainers like the Noble Horse Theatre of Chicago, Gudmar Peturrson’s Icelandic Horses and the Haflinger Owners of Wisconsin.  And we always offer fun giveaways, new activities, and lots of great social events.”

Beneficiaries of Breyer’s charitable raffles and auctions included Old Friends, North American Riding for the Handicapped and the Morris Animal Foundation along with a number of local Kentucky based charities including the Kentucky Horse Council, the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation and Kentucky Mustang Troop. One of the event highlights was the sale of a test model of Alborozo that fetched a whopping $13,500 at the BreyerFest Live Auction. The winner and audiences were screaming as auctioneer Tom Biederman brought the gavel down after fevered bidding put the smutty Palomino model at a record price for a Breyer model!

With the help of author Bonnie Bryant, BreyerFest was the site of the sneak preview of the new The Saddle Club television series!  Launching on September 7th, Series 3 of The Saddle Club will make its North American debut on public television. Bryant was on hand to talk about the new series and to greet her many fans!

Another sneak preview was the launch of the new Wind Dancers Chapter Books Series from Feiwel and Friends, a division of Macmillan. Launching this November, these four new books feature Breyer’s Wind Dancer characters Kona, Brisa,Sumatra and Sirocco. Artist Tara Larsen Chang, who illustrated the four books was on hand at BreyerFest to introduce the new series!  The books will be available in November wherever books are sold!

As always, Breyer's Trade Show featured fine art and jewelry, vintage model horses and lots of equestrian-themed giftware and home décor.  Free pony rides and an exotic petting zoo provided lots of fun, hands-on experiences to fill the family’s scrapbooks!  A Help Desk and Hobby Information Booth provided lots of input into what guests could enjoy and ushered many new fans into the model hobby.

For most people, however, it is the live horse performances and the opportunity to spend time with the horses and their owners that makes BreyerFest a magical experience.  Breyer provides daily meet-and-greets with all the horses and their owners making BreyerFest a truly unique horse experience.

Other BreyerFest highlights included three of the world’s largest model horse shows including two dedicated strictly to children and youth. Live Show Overall Grand Champions included: Grand Champion: Gypsy Rose(Robin Liebold) and Reserve Grand Champion: Karnak (Pamela Simancik). Overall Special Run Champions included:  Grand Champion: Hyatt (Rachel Stacy) and Reserve Grand Champion: Blue Sude Belle (Tracy Cochran).  Overall Collectibility Champions included: Grand Champion: Smokey (Leslie Parrish) and Reserve Grand Champion: Blue Chip Stock (Sarah Wellman). Overall Custom Champions included:  Grand ChampionL Seven Piece (LeeAnn Masters) and Reserve Grand Champion: Sugar Snap (Kim Haymond). Overall Foal Champions included: Grand Champion: Francine (Kelly Weimer) and Reserve Grand Champion: Enigma (Tiffany Purdy).  Overall Performance Champions included: Grand Champion: Regar (Sandy Lyles) and Reserve Grand Champion: Whistleblower (Robin Smith).

Overall Children’s Show Champions included: Grand Champion Halter: Alborozo (Cheyenne Bianchi) and Reserve Grand Champion Halter: Pretty Jazzy (Dalton Hoagland).  Overall Performance Champions included:  Grand Champion: Flashy (Elyse Morano and Reserve Grand Champion: Joe (Billy Shura).

Overall Youth Show Champions included: Grand Champion Halter: One In A Milion (Carrie Brunken) and Reserve Grand Champion Halter: A Warrior’s Legacy (Katie Annett).  Overall Performance Champions included:  Grand Champion: Rave Review (Melissa Prantl) and Reserve Grand Champion: Glory of the Nations (Erin Laplander).

Breyer will host its 20th annual BreyerFest at the Kentucky Horse Park on July 17-19, 2009. The event will be a three day anniversary celebration of all things Breyer! Mark your calendars now!