Jenn's BCC entry

Jenn Constantine is one of the most singular talents working in the model horse hobby today. Her style, her vision, her choice of color and media... It's all very uniquely Jenn. The same can be said for her 2026 BreyerFest Best Customs Contest Fantasy entry. No one else could have made - or conceived - this. It's all Jenn!

The Making of Sleipnir

by Jenn Constantine

Some souls need more time to accept their fate.

Sleipnir honors this and also guards against those who may not be so patient, including the fierce "hvítabjörn" herself.

"Ísdís … eigi enna. Not yet, ice spirit."

My 2026 BCC Fantasy entry is a bit of a fractured fairy tail twist on Sleipnir. How could I resist a deep look at the mythology that aligns so well with this year's BreyerFest theme? While the original snippets we have about Sleipnir's appearance are clear that he has eight *legs/hooves*, I went in the direction of eight *limbs* because I can.

He's got one owl eye focused on the interloper, while one horse eye keeps watch on his eventual ethereal passenger. His right wing shields the soul, and his left wing lifts in a mantling threat.

Sleipnir began as an Adonis...

Hi, Heather Puleo, I loved taking your sculpture apart!

...and is now a rose gray beast of four horse legs, two owl legs and two owl wings, based on a mix of the great horned owl and the Eurasian eagle owl. He's packed with mohairing detail in his leg feathering, mohawk, mane, tail and wings. I'm curious to see if anyone spots the ansuz rune on him! 

No real bird parts were used!

His wings are an armature with handcut, wired and painted feathers. 

My vision required two beasts, and since I'd never even drawn a polar bear, my expectations for her were not high. However, I'm just as pleased with her as I am my monstrosity of a Norse legend. 

In some ways, this was more of a challenge than my skellies a few years ago. We know what horse bones look like... I didn't know how he would come together, but I don't regret following his hoof and talon prints in my mind. 

Congratulations, Jenn. This is such a wonderfully you creation, and I absolutely love those wings! Good luck at BreyerFest!

Eva's BCC entry

When it comes to the BreyerBest Customs Contest, Eva Mathews believes in going big. There are no single horse, single doll and single tack set entries for Eva. Every year, her set-ups get bigger, better and more involved. Take a look at this year's entry!

Eva writes: This display captures an moment in time of a real horse event taking place at Arlington National Cemetery. The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment known as "The Old Guard, is taking a fallen soldier to his final resting place.

For over seven decades the Caisson Platoon has provided horse-drawn caisson funeral services for all five branches of the military.The caparison horse walks for Army and Marine funerals because they were the only units that had mounted cavalry, but they are also used for state funerals. 

The wagon is hitched with three horse teams: wheel, swing and lead team. The soldiers ride on McClellan saddles in a postilion position on the near horse (left) side. They go off at a 21 pace count behind the Chaplin at a funeral.

The Caisson Platoon horses have a very distinctive look with their army style "buzzed cut" manes, short tails and shiny black hooves. 

This black horse team was re-sculpted in a style similar to bronze western artist to give that distinctive army strong look and to show the serenity of the moment. 

One additional horse known as the section horse is ridden...

and the caparisoned horse follows the casket to symbolize the fallen leader who will never ride again.

Eva customized eight horses for this entry: the six horse caisson harness team, the ridden section horse and the caparisoned riderless horse. 

She also dressed seven dolls...

and made so much tack.

The wagon was built by another artist, but the base/display case is her work, as well.

Congratulations, Eva. Even by your standards, this is a remarkable achievement. I hope it finds its way to Arlington, but only after it goes to Kentucky. Good luck at BreyerFest!

Lauren's BCC entry

Today's theme is back to tack. In this guest post, customizer, performance shower and tack maker, Lauren Byun shares her 2026 BreyerFest Best Customs Contest Excellence in Tack Making entry. Thank you, Lauren!

The Desert Hunt

by Lauren Byun

Okay, reveal time! I think most everyone right now knows me as a customizer, but not everyone knows I was a tack maker long before that.

This year I went back to my roots in the hobby as a tack maker, and WAY WAY back in history for my BCC Excellence in Tack Making entry. Presenting "The Desert Hunt", King Tutankhamun as depicted on the famous casket found in his tomb.

This was especially challenging given the age and rarity of my subject - only a few chariots have been brought out from tombs and not a single complete harness known to exist. 

Everything else comes from paintings, so I focused on the Desert Hunt Casket, a particularly detailed painted wooden chest found in King Tut’s tomb. Each side of the chest has a scene depicting Tut’s activities in life, several of which feature him in a chariot. I combined elements from each version.

I also watched and rewatched the Nova documentary “Building Pharoah’s Chariot”, which is available on YouTube free to watch. I HIGHLY recommend this for anyone interested in how chariots were designed and built.

It was exceptionally helpful in understanding the shape of the center pole, how the wheels were made, and how thoughtfully everything was engineered. The cab of the chariot is intentionally angled downward for balance and shock absorption. Most chariots look level in drawings because horses are so often depicted as rearing!

I spent an entire night weaving the leather lace for the floor of the chariot. 

I went to bed just as the sun was coming up!

One funny detail - several people have asked how I got the texture of the chariot… well surprise! This is a modge-podged paper towel backed with craft foam for stiffness then trimmed with leather and painted with liquid gold leaf! I tried a variety of methods with different types of leather and this actually worked the best out all of them. Never overlook odd supplies that might be used in a new way.

I was especially fascinated by drawings and accounts of carved yoke’s that I found in a few research papers and can also be seen at the Grand Egyptian Museum in the King Tut exhibit.

I wasn’t able to find many images detailing how the yokes were tied on, but I did my best based on what made sense from what I could find.

For the elaborate headdresses, I used a combination of beads and charms. I hand trimmed a bunch of feathers to match the look of ostrich feathers that Tut was so fond of hunting. The bits on the bridle are handmade and drilled from aluminum. These bits were held in place by a low noseband which is believed to have encouraged the horses to keep their heads down for optimal pulling.

There are also “bronze” rowels that were tied to the outside of each horse and are believed to have aided in keeping the horses from turning away from each other. These were made from another type of bead and wire.

The blankets are fabric with hand drawn leopard spots (they faded out a bit more on the fabric than the suede I used on the doll, but I actually liked how that turned out), and then trimmed in leather.

Of course it wouldn't be a pharaoh's chariot without the representation of the god Horus and his sun disk. This was very fun to sculpt and was surprisingly the ONLY element on this entire set that didn’t take multiple tries!

Even Tut himself received the royal treatment in details. 

A microbead collar with gold eagle head clasps in the back. I hand drew all the leopard print spots on suede for his shirt and the horse’s blankets. I also hand spotted the suede representing the goat skin trim and hoods.

I hope you enjoyed a few extra pics and details about my entry! I love the BCC, it's one of my favorite model horse activities of the year and I always try to challenge myself to one up a previous idea. I’m already brainstorming for next year!

Congratulations, Lauren. All that time and research really paid off. This is a masterful entry. Good luck at BreyerFest!

Tibbi's BCC entry

Last year, Tibbi Searcher took an old Hess Man O' War and "glowed him up" for the BreyerFest Best Customs Contest.

This year, she did the same thing for the Hess Secretariat.

Here he is in all his new found glory!

What a great glow-up!

Here's a pictorial overview of the creation process.

Tibbi writes: I don't know why, but Man O'War and Secretariat have always captured my fancy. I don't follow the sport, recent or past, yet those two horses make my heart happy.

Congratulations, Tibbi. I guarantee your interpretations of these iconic racehorses have made a lot of people's hearts happy, mine definitely included. Good luck at BreyerFest!