Our First Community

Long before there was internet, email lists, or Facebook groups, we had what I like to think of as the earliest Georgia “model horse club.” It wasn’t really an official club at all—just a small group of young ladies who loved our model horses enough to find any excuse to get together.

We would spend hours chatting about our collections, trading stories, and of course—trying to capture that perfect photograph. Back then, it meant carrying our 35mm cameras, searching out a nice grassy spot, and then all of us laying flat on our bellies in the grass, carefully adjusting and readjusting until we thought the angle was just right. The funny part is, we wouldn’t even know if our efforts worked until the film was developed days later!

I’ve been part of this hobby since way back when—back when a brand-new Breyer at the mall toy store cost only five dollars, and the entire line of models could be listed in a single, thin collector’s manual. At that time, it was even possible to dream of owning every single Breyer that existed. That’s how small and close the hobby once felt.

Those were such exciting days—when the simplest things, like a day of friends and photos or a weekend trip to the mall for a new horse, felt like a true adventure. The hobby has grown and changed so much since then, but the joy, creativity, and friendships it brings are just as strong.

I’m sharing some of those old photos—a sweet reminder of where the hobby was in those early days, and how far it’s come.