Show Structure and Callbacks

All shows follow the same basic structure. First, there are divisions. A large two-day show could have more than 10, while a small specialty show** may only have one or two. Divisions are separated by make (what is the body made out of? Plastic, resin, or china?), finish (was the model painted at a factory or by an artist?), company (Breyer or Stone), card-color, or scale. And sometimes, all of the above. Mini custom Breyer halter is a real division featured at this year’s Breyerfest.

Divisions are often them broken down into sections. In breed classes, the sections are usually Foals, Light, Stock, Sport, Draft, Pony, and Other breeds. Sections then break down into classes. For example, the Stock section usually looks like this:

CM1. Quarter Horse
CM2. Appaloosa
CM3. Paint
CM4. Mustang
CM5. Other Part/Pure Stock

The last class, “Other Part/Pure Stock” is a common catchall class. Not all stock horses fit into the first four classes. Rare breeds and crosses go into this class.

Performance sections are usually split by discipline, i.e. all western classes are a section, all English are another section, etc. Workmanship and collectibility vary wildly and are sometimes included as sections with an OF, custom, or resin division.

After each section, there is a callback. All first and second place horses are brought back to the table so the judge can chose a section champion and reserve champion. When you see ads mentioning a horse has won a championship, they usually mean a section champion.

A Stock section callback

After all the sections have been judged, there is a championship callback. All the models that have won a champ or reserve in the same division are called to the table so an overall (aka grand) champ and reserve can be chosen.

**A specialty show is held to feature one corner of the hobby. Common themes are performance only, OF halter only, custom finish halter only, Breyer only, Stone only, stock horse only, draft horse only, etc. Many of these shows are small with only a handful of showers and can be held in a living room or garage. However, not all specialty shows are small. Fantastic Plastic Classic and Evergreen Custom Classic are large annual specialty shows.