Short overview

Stablemates are plastic model horses, of about 7,5 cm x 10 cm / 3 inches x 4 inches H/L, made by the Breyer-Reeves company.

Breyer makes a variety of different scaled model horses, the Traditional sized (appr. 23 cm x 30 cm / 9 x 12 inches H/L) being the largest and original first of them, down to the Mini Whinnies (appr. 3 cm x 5 cm / 1,2 x 2 inches H/L), which is the only scale to be smaller than the Stablemates.

But, as you may have noticed, this website is all and almost only about my favourite models, the Stablemates :D

The first Stablemate models were released in 1975 and 1976 and are referred to as G1, the first generation.

Breyer started out with these G1 Stablemates by leasing 16 G1 molds (all based on sculptures by Maureen Love) from the Hagen Renaker company, where they previously had been used to make porcelain models, now to be used with plastic instead.

The first models were regular runs only, and sold on black blister cards, which got replaced by white ones, and many other different types through the years. On this page you can find out more about blister cards.

Up to late 1998, when the G2 molds were introduced, only these G1 molds were used to produce Stablemates, hand painted in a classical range of colours. The G2 introduction came in the form of a 12-piece set and was available through the Breyer magazine 'Just About Horses'. This set was made of the old cellose acetate plastic that had been used until they switched to the harder polystyrene in 1992.

In 2006, the lease contract with Hagen Renaker was ended, and the G1 series was replaced by the, completely new G3 molds.

Four years later, in 2010, 6 new molds were introduced. In honour of the World Equestrian Games, held in Kentucky that year, these new molds each stood for an Equestrian Discipline:

Dressage (Hanoverian), Driving (Trotting Warmblood), Endurance (Arabian), Para Dressage (Quarter Horse), Reining (Reining) and Vaulting (Drafter).

Due to lack of information from Breyer's side, it took even after 2015, when another four new molds got introduced, for the late Janice, from IYB, to be able to give them an official mold name and were put in the G4 series along with those four 2015 molds.

At that point (2019?), she also assigned later molds to a new G5 and M1 catagorie, of which I only have a few shown here, since I don't have very many of those, and still have to take more pictures. I'm also hoping to find the time to photograph and add the complete M1 70th anniversary blind bags set asap.

So now (2023) it seems Breyer introduces some new molds every year, and since I'm only really interested in the older ones, I decided not to collect anything newer than 2020, so I won't be able to put pictures up of those. Until there comes an exception of course...

Abbrivations and explanations

Breyer (-Reeves) is an American toy company and the manufacturer of Stablemates.

Stablemates are 1:32 scaled Breyer model horses, about 3 inches or 7 centimeters high, which is one of several model horse scales offered by Breyer.

They are made from cellulose acetate (old plastic, 1975-1992, made in the USA) or polystyrene (new plastic, 1992-present (2023), made in China), although there are a few porcelain models as well, and for special editions sometimes old plastic has been used after 1992. Also there is a rare old silverplated one (G1 Saddlebred).

OP = Old plastic = cellusose acetate, used for Stablemates 1975-1992, brand used by Breyer is Tenite, made in the USA

NP = New plastic = polystyrene used for Stablemates 1992-present (2023) made in China. Production was moved to China in 1990, the new plastic was first used in 1992. I assume they started out in China with the older material.

B-stamp = an added mark to differentiate between the usual cellulose acetate and another type of 'old plastic',  made from the slightly different cellulose acetate propionate, temporarily used during the 2nd energie crisis 1979-1983 to cut on costs. The two couldn't be mixed, so it was important to throw the re-use left-overs into the right melting pot.

G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6 and M1 stand for the different 'generations' of Stablemates, with G1 being the oldest. M(1) is refering to 'mini', for Stablemate sized remakes of Traditional sized models

RR = Regular Run, all that's in the Breyer catalogs

SR = Special Run, all that's not in the Breyer catalogs

OF = Original Finish, no alterations in any way

CM = Customized (colour or posture/form)

LSQ = Life Show Quality

BreyerFest =  an annual model horse happening in the US, where all kind of SR models are available

JAH = Just About Horses, Breyer's own model horse subscription club with magazine

JCP = J.C. Penney, mail-order company

Sears =  mail-order company

MSD = Mid States Distributing

QVC = Quality Value Convenience = television shopping network

TRU = Toys 'R Us

TSC = Tractor Supply Company

WEG = World Equestrian Games