The collection
Origins...
The origins of TriStar Ranch, began back in the mid 1980's; when I was a budding youngster whom thoroughly loved and enjoyed collecting horse figurines. It wasn't until 1989 that I acquired my first Breyer horses; "Abdullah" (the famous Trakhenner), and a furry foal named "Stormy". I distinctively remember looking at my mother and telling her (over the debate of whether to buy a model with real hair, or a Breyer with sculpted hair); that I wanted to "Try this for a change", and grabbed Abdullah's bright yellow box. She liked Stormy, so the foal came along too as part of my birthday present that year.
It seemed like everyone's life in collecting model horses came from essentially the same origins. Finding that perfect model horse, to fill the dreams of wanting to own a real one someday. I lived in Chicago, Ill. The likelihood of owning my own horse seemed slim to none, with the daily gravity of city life. We had a local Coach Horse facility where I was able to take lessons once a week, and keep up with my skills as a rider. Over the winters, we ventured west to Palm Springs, CA; where I teamed up with a real coach, and took lessons which would set my foundation as a Show Jumper later in life. .....All the while, the Breyers' came with.
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The Herd arrives...
Sometime around 1994, I became actively aware of a strange breed of collectors, who 'showed' their plastic horses in table and performance competitions. I began to get involved in that world, and started collecting the vintage and 'rare' models of the time. I started going to shows in 1996, and learned quickly about the fast-paced world I would soon be involved in. It was intriguing and captured my competitive spirit; urging me into buying the best-of-the-best, by way of quality showable pieces. My remedial collection of forty-eight horses, jumped to a staggering 500 pieces by the end of 1997; and took another incredible leap forward in 1998 to an immense 1,000 Breyers, Hartlands and Stones.
I started going to Nationals... won a myriad of championships with the horses I had acquired. I started meeting people like Sheryl Leisure, Nancy Young, Heather Wells, Laurie Jo Jensen, Karen Grim, Sharon Harris.... Slowly but surely in those early years, they taught me the 'tricks of the trade', and how to hunt for the best possible show contenders. Not before long, I found myself standing at the top of the A-circuit in Original Finish Collectability, with a primarily vintage show string of glossy historical goodness, chalkies and pearlies that dazzled the judges with all of their glory.
I was blessed.... but it wasn't simply because I went out and paid a fortune for those horses, no.... It was because in some mysterious ways, those horses found me.
Thus came the dawn of my next chapter in collecting, when I learned the art of buying 'quantities' to pick 'qualities'. Perhaps one of my largest mistakes in my collection sprees; I went from around 1,000 horses to over 2,600 models between 1999 and 2005. My personal reasons for that, had a lot to do with losing my mother on the tail end of my senior year in high school (1999); I needed an outlet to push a lot of my emotions; so I dove deeper into the models. I showed nearly every weekend, racking up championships from coast-to-coast. Took both Jamboree and Breyerfest's Collectability Class championships simultaneously in 2000. My horses were becoming famous in the hobby; people knew who they were and started learning about the 'kid with the incredible collection'. I was eighteen, when I swept both model show titles; and in the real world, I was at the top of my game in show jumping too.
I was blessed.... but it wasn't simply because I went out and paid a fortune for those horses, no.... It was because in some mysterious ways, those horses found me.
Thus came the dawn of my next chapter in collecting, when I learned the art of buying 'quantities' to pick 'qualities'. Perhaps one of my largest mistakes in my collection sprees; I went from around 1,000 horses to over 2,600 models between 1999 and 2005. My personal reasons for that, had a lot to do with losing my mother on the tail end of my senior year in high school (1999); I needed an outlet to push a lot of my emotions; so I dove deeper into the models. I showed nearly every weekend, racking up championships from coast-to-coast. Took both Jamboree and Breyerfest's Collectability Class championships simultaneously in 2000. My horses were becoming famous in the hobby; people knew who they were and started learning about the 'kid with the incredible collection'. I was eighteen, when I swept both model show titles; and in the real world, I was at the top of my game in show jumping too.
queen of the palace...
For any teenagers starting out in models today, I offer a simple bit of advice: Don't let your ego get in the way of your ambitions and dreams. It's all too often that i watch the 'newbies' and 'kids' in the hobby, shove each other around mentally and throw themselves under the competitive bus. The model hobby is far more than that... it's a way of life.
Back by 2003, I had amassed over 100 NAN top 10 titles, 9 National Champions, and 14 National Reserves. I earned over 2,000 NAN cards (several per horse, on my 200+ vintage horse show string); nearly 300 Local Championships, and my collection had gotten out of control!
Being one of the best is hard... puts a lot of pressure on you as an individual. I was grabbing every single model in sight with no method behind my madness. Anything that I didn't own previously; I acquired. Any variation of anything: I acquired. Then suddenly one day, I realized I had no more room to display my beautiful models -- and the sales began. First I grabbed all the common horses from across the decades; anything I knew I could replace down the line -- grabbed them, and sold them off; cheap. Then, a select few of my show horses I also knew could be replaced; they left to give me the extra funds for the next round....
Back by 2003, I had amassed over 100 NAN top 10 titles, 9 National Champions, and 14 National Reserves. I earned over 2,000 NAN cards (several per horse, on my 200+ vintage horse show string); nearly 300 Local Championships, and my collection had gotten out of control!
Being one of the best is hard... puts a lot of pressure on you as an individual. I was grabbing every single model in sight with no method behind my madness. Anything that I didn't own previously; I acquired. Any variation of anything: I acquired. Then suddenly one day, I realized I had no more room to display my beautiful models -- and the sales began. First I grabbed all the common horses from across the decades; anything I knew I could replace down the line -- grabbed them, and sold them off; cheap. Then, a select few of my show horses I also knew could be replaced; they left to give me the extra funds for the next round....
I turned my focus from collecting in 'quantity', to collecting simply 'quality'. Culled off all the horses that were damaged, or had awkward paintwork. Kept only those whom I knew could, and would win any championships, on a moments notice. I managed to get the herd's numbers down to a manageable 1,300... consisting mostly of vintage pieces with an occasional modern Breyerfest, Conniosseur, QVC SR or Test Color; keeping up with the times of the latest 'trends'.
After winning what I had won, the Breyer ring started to look boring to me; it was always the same old story, with the same old horses for me. So I took up performance... started showing in harness, jumping & costume. Learned how to actually build the jumps myself, and how to take what I knew from the real equine scene, and put it into a miniature form. It thrust me into a whole new level of competition, and another set of great people who showed me their incredible talents in the world of tack-making and miniature replication.... |