2013 Schleich Shire Stallion

I don't have any more 2015 Schleich to share, I'm afraid, although I'd love to get a few more of them (the Mini Shetland stallion, the buckskin Tennessee Walker Stallion and the new cantering Pinto Stallion are all tugging at my heartstrings. I also quite like the idea of getting the Ardennes Stallion and naming him 'Andre the Giant' XD ) . However, I do have a couple of Schleich horses that are at least new to me, so I'll probably review them. The first of these is the 2013 Schleich Shire Stallion.

 From the official photos on the Schleich website, I think he's actually meant to be a dark bay/brown colour, but my boy is more of a sun-bleached black. He's got a wonderful galloping gait, and looks just like a medieval destrier (war horse) charging into battle :)

 With such large hooves he's quite stable on his feet and stands well. He's got a wonderfully tousled, whipped mane, but there's room at his withers to fit a saddle if you want to tack him up.

 He's a beautiful boy, but his sculpting isn't perfect. The most obvious flaw is his head: it's just too big, even for a Shire of his size. As my mother put it the first time she saw him: "His head is as big as his hind quarters!" His near (left) hind leg is also rather awkward, but at least he balances well.

 Whilst he's nicely stocky for a draught horse, the Shire stallion is a bit on the thin side. With this in mind I'd probably call him a younger animal, perhaps 3 - 5 years old. He can still be a stud at that age, though, although he's just as likely to be a big baby. Maybe that's why he's galloping around full of energy :)

 He's got a lovely 'swooshy' tail, and his whole sculpture is well balanced and pleasing to the eye.

 His coat is fairly flat, without much shading, and he has airbrushed socks and muzzle with a stencilled blaze. His beard is adorably fluffy, and his eyes are dark and glossy.

On his belly you can just see hints of brown, but it's no where near as obvious as the one from the official photos. I don't know whether the Germany made ones are closer to the promo pictures or not.

 What really interested me about this stallion, however, is this photograph on the front of one of my horse breed books. As soon as I saw the book my mind went straight to the Schleich Shire stallion, and considering how similar the model is to the photograph it wouldn't surprise me if the sculptor used this photo as a refence for the model. And in case you're wondering, yes, the horse in the photo is indeed a Shire.

 The book, Know Your Horses by Jack Byard, predominantly features British breeds. You can see by comparing the photo to the model just how big the model's head is in relation to his body.

The back cover of the book. It's a nice little reference guide and even includes a rare breed that I'd never heard of before: the Eriskay Pony.

In conclusion, I like the Schleich Shire Stallion a lot, depsite his flaws. I think he's a gorgeous model with fantastic action and a very pleasing overall design. And I think he would look brilliant tacked up in medieval tack with a knight on his back, chaging into the front line :)