Wednesday 16 September 2015

Collection models 49 & 50: Pony and Rider Assortments

Pony and Rider Assortments
49. Samantha
50. Teddy
The pony and rider assortments featured a pony, child rider, child's riding helmet, pony tack, numnah, ribbons/beads, finger brush and a breed card (presumably). Teddy was not released as pictured, but was on the show pony mould with painted hooves.

Magazine subscribers also received a black Arabian horse (pictured above). Teddy was also packaged with an extra horse, pictured below. Collectors normally call this horse "Flash" although he didn't have an official name or number. The same is true for the Arab.

Thank you to Helene Bay for the photos of the complete sets, which my collection is sadly lacking!

Sunday 13 September 2015

MBH Lookalikes: Animal Hospital horses

The "Animal Hospital" toy range was made by the same company as My Beautiful Horses. These toys ran alongside the Animal Hospital TV series on the BBC. It included both unique new models and those which were exactly the same or very similar to previous MBH releases.

(I don't have the complete details for all of these sets so their names are just rough descriptions.)

The horse box ambulance set contained an exact copy of Black Beauty, which makes him a much more common find than the Ginger and Merrylegs models he was first sold with. He was re-named as Jet for this release (thanks Beth for pointing this out!).
A later version of the horse ambulance came with a copy of MBH Smokey and a new Arab model in a sort of cremello colour.
The original helicopter rescue set came with a foal very similar to MBH Kira. The Animal Hospital version lacks Kira's colour-change mud splash, tends to be glossier and may have dots painted in the eyes.

A hospital version of the Showtime Stables, renamed the "Horse Rescue Centre", included accessories from 44. Storm's set and the fold-away stables plus the same rider as Belle. The Pony Care Set looks like it was also included here.


A bigger horse ambulance came with a pretty cremello show pony.

Soon after the end of the MBH range, the Animal Hospital brand brought out a Pony Care Set with Belle's rider and a white trotting pony with colour-change injuries. The set had lots of vet accessories, a realistic riding hat, trotting pole, stable accessories and a new style of breed card.

Please let us know if you've seen any other Animal Hospital horses from the old MBH moulds!

Collection model 48: Magic Feeding Fun Set

Magic Feeding Fun Set
48. Prince
Prince came with his Western saddle and bridle, ribbons, fence, trough, red and green apples, rider, purple/white riding hat, red jacket, pink bucket, baby pink finger brush and breed card.
When you pressed Prince's head down he opened his mouth and picked up an apple from the basket, which would then reappear in his saddle bags.

Collection model 47: Trekking and Camping Playset

Trekking and Camping Playset
47. Apache the Appaloosa
Apache (a name already used once in the first horse and rider sets) came with a special saddle equipped to carry the sleeping bag, picnic blanket and picnic equipment, hot pink finger brush, campfire which lit up, rider, green jacket, cowboy hat and breed card.
(The beads used to fill the cups and pots were added by a much younger me :) )

Collection models 45 & 46: Shampoo Magic Horse and Rider Sets

Shampoo Magic Horse and Rider Sets
45. Pippin the Appaloosa
46. Sultan the Arab
Each set contained a horse and tack set, hair accessories, tack, breed card, rider and a new style of riding hat with a fastener. They also contained tiny shampoo bottles and shiny stickers, similar to those which came with Pony in my Pocket sets around the same time.

Collection models 43 & 44: Pony and Rider Gymkhana Sets

Pony and Rider Gymkhana Sets
43. Hamish the Highland Pony
44. Storm the Fell Pony
Once again, the ponies pictured in adverts didn't match the real models. Hamish was a sort of fleabitten grey with a black mane and tail. Storm was on the show pony mould rather than the native pony. The other details of the sets remained the same. Each also contained a breed card and Storm came with a pink and turquoise gate.

Sunday 6 September 2015

Collection model 42: Showtime Training Playset

Showtime Training Playset
42. Whisper the Holsteiner
Whisper had colour change muddy legs and came with a brunette rider in yellow, turquoise and green outfit, brown coat, pink cones, cowboy hat, whip, bright pink heart brush, ribbons and hair beads, brown and yellow jump, lilac poles, brown tack, pink numnah and breed card.
Thank you to Helen Bay for the photo of Whisper.

Collection model 41: Vet Care Playset

Vet Care Playset
41. Maria the Maremmaro
Maria came with hair beads and ribbons, a heart brush (yellow or green?), pink bucket, vet kit and coat, bandages, stethoscope, yellow and pink gate, black tack, pink numnah, plain pink rug, rider in pink t-shirt and breed card.

Accessories: Jumps and fences

A quick guide to the fences and jumps in the MBH range:
Which horse did each jump come with?
1. Princess
2. Romany (with flags)
3. Maria
4. Mystic (with white and lilac poles)
5. Chieftain (with white and turquoise poles)
6. Romany (with flags)
7. Storm (later Animal Hospital range sets)
8. Princess (with water tray)
9. Whisper (with white and lilac poles)
10. Chieftain (with white and red poles)

Collection models 38 - 40: Black Beauty Giftset

Black Beauty Giftset
38. Black Beauty
39. Ginger
40. Merrylegs

These three horses were sold in a boxed set with breed cards, ribbon sashes, headcollars, a pink and a lilac heart brush, ribbons and beads. Black Beauty was later re-released as part of the Animal Hospital range.
Next up: Vet Care Playset

Collection models 35 - 37: Horse and Rider Evening Sets

Eventing Sets
Three eventing sets, one for each discipline.
35. Chestnut the Oldenburg (dressage)
36. Ivan the Budyonny (cross country)
37. Prince the Hanovarian (show jumping)
These sets features specialised tack. Each had a horse, breed card, baby pink finger brush and the following accessories.
Chestnut came with: black dressage saddle, bridle and reins; pink numnah and leg bandages; ribbons; blonde rider in dressage attire; top hat.
Ivan came with: orange cross country saddle (it says “CROSS COUNTRY” on the underside), bridle and reins; yellow numah and leg bandages; rider in yellow and orange cross-country outfit; yellow hat with orange strap; hair beads.
Prince came with: grey standard saddle, bridle and reins; red numnah and leg bandages; blonde rider in a red showjumping jacket; grey or blue/red hat (?); hair braids.

Collection models 29 - 34: Mother and Foal Magic Grooming Sets

Mother and Foal Sets
29. Denver and 30. Bluebell the Rocky Mountain Horses
31. Bracken and 32. Bramble the New Forest Ponies
33. Galway and 34. Fergus the Connemara Ponies
Each set contained mother and foal, matching rugs and shared breed cards. All the ponies had “magic colour change” markings – shark’s teeth quartermarks on Denver and Bluebell, saddle clip on Bracken and Bramble and mud splash on Galway and Fergus. Denver is identical to magazine horse Ludger except for the quarter marks.
Thank you to Helene Bay for the photo of Galway and Fergus!

Monday 27 April 2015

Collection Models 26 - 28: Hair Fashion Fillies

Hair Fashion Fillies
26. Laurie the
27. Dixie the American Saddlebred
28. Prancer the Tennessee Walker
Each set contained a horse, breed card, bottle of hair dye (pink for Dixie, blue for Prancer, yellow for Laurie), hair accessories (braids for Laurie, ribbons for Dixie and beads for Prancer) and another accessory (pink ribbon sash for Prancer, moulded plastic garland for Laurie and rosette for Dixie).
Speckled shading on the Hair Fashion Fillies' paint jobs:
Next up: Mother and Foal Sets