By Elizabeth Kaye McCall

Image above: Sweetwater’s Marmaduke, a combined driving Fjord had no trouble making friends at BreyerFest. (He seems to recognize the model—it’s Sweetwater’s Zorah Belle, who was once his barn mate.) © Breyer

Kentucky Horse Park became the mecca for Breyer model horses, the real horses inspiring them, and horse lovers of every age, July 14-16, 2023, when 35,000 fans descended upon Lexington to attend BreyerFest®: Driving Forward, joined by virtual attendees from over 100 countries around the world online. “We had lots of first timers, like we always do,” said Breyer’s VP, Marketing Stephanie Macejko, who greeted fans pouring at the entrance gate on opening day. One family wore T-shirts proclaiming “This is Our First BreyerFest!” (that they’d printed themselves). 

Stephanie Macejko, Breyer VP, Marketing, displays one of the rare Breyer test run models that went up for bid at the Live Breyer Benefit Auction on July 15, 2023 at BreyerFest. BreyerFest has raised more than $3,000,000 in cash, to date, to benefit wide-ranging non-profits that support equine and animal welfare. These include children’s charities, therapeutic riding, environmental protection, and stewardship causes. © Breyer

“We’re making horses so accessible to a lot of people, that makes it fun and exciting,” she added. Some 300 live horses enchanted seasoned equestrians to novices at demonstrations to meet-and greets to the evening “Celebration of Horses” spectacle that filled every seat in the Alltech Arena. 

Themed “Driving Forward” as a tribute to how horses have shaped human history, there were no shortage of colorful carriages with powerful draft horses to exhibitions like Alberta, Canada’s Miniature Chuckwagons—miniature horses that race with pint-sized chuckwagons. One behind the-scenes BreyerFest livestream from the stables introduced the individual minis to viewers with entertaining commentary on personality traits and talents. 

Making her stage debut in BreyerFest’s Celebration of Horses evening show, 4-year-old Lottie Coughlin and her pony Duke wowed the crowd at Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena with her pony Duke. Now a second-generation performer, her mom is world-class trick roper Spencer Rose (of course she was in the show).  © Breyer
Tanya Herrmann glimmered with her stunning Friesian stallion RIENIK in the evening Celebration of Horses show at BreyerFest. © Breyer
Drum Horse, Winston, checks out the Limited Edition Breyer model of FVA’s Grand Design (Tilly).  Winston and Tilly are stablemates at home. © Breyer
Host Kimber Goodwin interviews Misdee Wrigley Miller, the first woman to win Gold in Combined Driving (at 2018’s World Equestrian Games) as her KWPN gelding Bravour 54—honored as this year’s Celebration Horse model—patiently waits for his close-up. © Breyer

Fans flocked to meet BreyerFest’s 2023 Celebration Horse, the bay KWPN Combined Driving superstar Bravour 54 (now a Breyer model), who helped make owner Misdee Wrigley Miller the first woman to win Gold in Combined Driving at Meet & Greets and driving exhibitions. (As part of her four-in-hand team, they earned the United States its first Gold Medal in the sport at 2018’s World Equestrian Games.) 

  • Rovandio drew crowds of onlookers when he showed off his individual talent with a paintbrush. (Rovandio is owned by Sandra Beaulieu, who creates artwork on horseback, using acrylic paints on canvas as she works from the saddle.) © Breyer
  • Harness racing’s distinctive Italian trotter Via Lattea, one of Breyer’s 2023 Limited models did Meet & Greets with fans together with her 2023 colt. © Breyer
  • World-famous Sylvia Zerbini, produced, directed, and starred in BreyerFest’s Celebration of Horses show, using a country music theme this year. © Breyer

Three days of nonstop workshops, seminars, and contests (dioramas knew no bounds on Facebook and Instagram) added to perpetual fan-favorite: the Breyer model horse shows with classes for kids to adults. At one of booths,among the scores on site, best-selling author Robin Hutton topped off her book signings for Sgt. Reckless, America’s War Horse with a walk to where the Sgt. Reckless statue now stands at Kentucky Horse Park, recounting endless stories about the heroic mare. Yes, Sgt. Reckless is a Breyer model. 

Winston takes a pleasure drive around Kentucky Horse Park at BreyerFest, giving some fans their first look at a Drum Horse. © Breyer
Californian Spencer Rose made history at the Celebration of Horses evening show at BreyerFest becoming the first woman to spin a rope completely around her cantering horse as she barreled around the Alltech Arena on her paint gelding Pistol, with the twirling loop totally encircling him. © Breyer
A gifted trick rider and Roman rider, Dusty Dickerson displayed her unique take on Roman Riding in BreyerFest’s Celebration of Horses—riding barefoot and bareback atop very fast horses. © Breyer

Saturday’s Live Breyer Benefit Auction on July 15th, put rare Breyer Test Models up for bid in the Hall of Champions at Kentucky Horse Park. Bidders participated in the auction—in person and virtually. “We had every continent in the world represented including Antarctica!” said Macejko. Committed to giving back to horses, animals, and fans it celebrates, BreyerFest has raised over $3,000,000 in cash, to date, to benefit wide-ranging non-profits that support equine and animal welfare, including children’s charities, therapeutic riding, environmental protection, and stewardship causes.This year’s beneficiaries include PATH International, ASPCA, 4H Eastern and Western Round-Ups, The Humane Society of the United States, The Cloud Foundation, Lexington Humane Society, Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center, Old Friends, and more.

Opening Day — Some 35,000 horse lovers converged on Kentucky Horse Park, July 14-16 for the 34th annual BreyerFest, while online attendees joined the fun virtually from over 100 countries. © Breyer

Friday and Saturday’s “Celebration of Horses” evening show created for BreyerFest by world-famous Sylvia Zerbini had every seat in the Alltech Arena tapping feet to the country music themed 90-minute show where 4-year-old Lottie Coughlin, made her stage debut with her Appaloosa pony Duke. Her mom, Spencer Rose, made history in the show becoming the first female to accomplish the extreme challenge rope trick, encircling the entire body of her horse with a spinning loop as she cantered the entire arena in the spotlight. Sylvia Zerbini’s star performance sparkling in a black cowboy hat while literally dancing among eight Arabians at liberty (half stallions) stood out among the memory-making moments at BreyerFest. 

For many children, an unending love and life with horses begins with that first Breyer horse model. © Breyer

Next year’s BreyerFest’s 35th anniversary will be held July 12-14, 2024, at Kentucky Horse Park featuring a theme “Against all Odds”. Stay tuned to breyerhorses.com for details. 

Picture perfect. Misdee Wrigley Miller and Bravour 54 take a moment to relax between,
autographs sessions, driving exhibitions (in the Alltech arena), and endless selfies at BreyerFest. © Breyer
Inspiration! Misdee Wrigley Miller and BreyerFest’s Celebration Horse Bravour 54
give young horse lovers a role model to look up to. © Breyer

Meanwhile, all 2023 BreyerFest ticket holders (both in-person and virtual) can access videos and recorded content from BreyerFest—including the evening show, workshops, exhibitions and more—until July 31, 2023. 

Equestrian Living © 2024