What are judges looking for in model horse showing?

Answer 1

Judges look for a lot in a model. Here are the things to look for in a model, that judges look out for, too.

Confirmation of a model must match the breed it is assigned to. Of course you know what breed you want it to be, that's the class you entered it in. That's a huge part of perparing for a show: picking the breed.

As an example, can you see a horse on the Ruffian mold fitting the description of a shetland pony? Can you see a horse on the S Justadream mold as a shire? Fitting a mold to a breed can be pretty difficult. Research the breed the mold is or could be. Find breed standards, compare the mold to standards and see how they compare. Judges often know quite a bit about horses and confirmation and coat patterns. Incorrect confirmation absolutely ruins a horse's chance at a ribbon.

Although just note that some molds can be numerous breeds. Like, a quarter horse mold could be painted and look like a paint. Their confirmations' are actually quite similar. Take care to research breeds if you are unsure! Even some molds that Breyer releases, like the Black Stallion, do not fit breed standards

Rubs are often extremely noticeable, even on white horses. Rubs are where the paint is scuffed, and the model is visibly rubbed. The paint job is pretty much ruined and the model's value zips down. Rubs are where the paint is rubbed off, classic, or what some people call 'shiny rubs.' Shiny rubs are where the finish gets faintly shiny if you hold it in the light at a right angle (and trust me, judges look at a horse from many angles). While rubs may be less noticeable on white horses, it is still important to try and fix them, or just not show the horse.

Mold condition also plays a large role. Now that Breyer is moving forward in their mold quality, you will find lots of older molds that have bent limbs and such. Sadly, you will still find some on the moer recently-produced models. Limbs/extremities that are bent in an unrealistic way, such as a leg being bent in a way that is not physically possible for a real horse to make, are a bad thing. If your mold is tippy, and it falls in a show, that's a huge possibility for a rub, or even worse: a crack.

Cracks are extremely noticeable. I highly suggest either trying to fix it or getting someone to fix it, or simply not showing a model, if it has a crack. Real horses do not have cracks running along their back.

Quite obviously if a tail, ear, leg, or anything is falling off, or not even connected... Well that horse is not good to show at all.

Seams are also quite common with at least Breyers. Seams are noticeable lines where the plastic is molded together. the plastic either goes up, or down. If you see seams on your model that are extremely noticeable, try and fix them and then repaint that part of the horse, or just don't show the horse.

Paint job. Oh where do I start?! A model's paint job is extremely important for its show career. If you see places where the lines get fuzzy or smeared, it's not good. Sometimes, like if it's smeared on a white part, you can etch it off and fix it up nicely. If you're good at painting, you can fix it up with some oils or acrylics or something. Or if you want to pay some money, ask someone to do it for you. If your model has paintbrush hairs on its body or anywhere, it's show career will not be so highlighted.

This answer just barely scratches the surface. Talk to local model horse judges to learn even more!