Pete's Expert Summary
My human has procured a pair of rigid, silent beasts from a company called Breyer, which I understand is known for this sort of high-minded statuary meant to be looked at, not pounced upon. This set features a large equine and its smaller offspring, apparently representing the concept of "Freedom"—a term humans enjoy using for creatures who, unlike me, must find their own food and shelter. The craftsmanship is undeniably superior; I can appreciate the hand-painted details and the sculptural integrity from my vantage point on the sofa. However, their profound lack of movement, scent, or any discernible prey-like qualities makes them little more than elaborate, horse-shaped obstacles on the path to a sunbeam. They are an exercise in aesthetics, not athletics, and thus, a potential waste of my prime napping-adjacent hours.
Key Features
- From the mountains of Montana to the sands of North Carolina Mustangs run wild and free. Typically found in herds consisting of a stallion, his mares, and their young, they travel the landscape in search of good grazing and water. Incredibly hardy, these horses endure challenging terrain and every weather condition imaginable! This set features a proud stallion poised to protect his family, and his spirited young foal.
- PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS: Package contains (2) Breyer Freedom Series Horses - 1 Horse and 1 Foal. Freedom Series 1:12 Scale. Measures approximately 9.75" L x 7" H and 5" L x 4" H. Recommended for ages 4 years and older.
- Freedom Series stands for one of the strongest attributes ascribed to horses – Freedom! The freedom to go on adventures, Explore and dream. Breyer freedom Series was designed to capture the power that only horses deliver.
- HAND CRAFTED DETAIL: The world's 'most asked for' horses since 1950. Each individual Breyer model is prepped and finished by hand and then turned over to the painting department for hand painting and detailing. In all, some 20 artisans work on each individual model horse, creating an exquisite hand-made model horse that is as individual as the horse that inspired it.
- TRUE EQUESTRIAN ART: Breyer models begin as beautiful horse sculptures created by leading equine artists that are then cast into a copper and steel mold. Each model is created one at a time from the original mold, which is injected with a special resin selected by Breyer for its ability to capture the depth of detail, delicate feel and richness of color in our models.
A Tale from Pete the Cat
The human placed them on the mahogany side table, a territory I generally consider a strategic overlook for surveying the living room domain. Two of them, a "stallion" and a "foal," frozen mid-stride. Impostors. They smelled of resin and paint, not of hay and earth. I leapt silently onto the table for a closer inspection, my soft gray paws making no sound. I circled the larger one, noting the subtle shading on its flank, the tension in its sculpted muscles. It was poised to protect, the box had said. Protect what? The remote control? It stared into the middle distance with vacant, painted eyes, utterly ignoring my magnificent presence. The smaller one was just as inert, a monument to inaction. I gave the stallion's leg a tentative pat. It didn't flinch. It didn't even wobble. Pathetic. Disgusted by their lack of spirit, I hopped down and curled up on a nearby velvet cushion, resolving to ignore these new, boring intruders. My nap was fitful. The static image of the two horses seemed to have imprinted itself on the back of my eyelids. But then, the scene began to shift. The scent of velvet and dust was replaced by the crisp aroma of mountain air and dry grass. The familiar drone of the refrigerator faded, replaced by a low, persistent wind whistling through rocky crags. I was no longer on a cushion. I was crouched behind a granite boulder, my gray-and-white coat a perfect camouflage against the stone. And they were there. The stallion stood on a ridge, his coat gleaming in the unfiltered sun, his tail a banner in the wind. The foal gamboled nearby, kicking its heels up with a life I had not thought possible. They were real. They were *prey*. Every instinct, honed through generations of superior hunters, ignited within me. I was no longer Pete, the pampered house cat. I was a phantom of the high plains, a silent, patient predator. I sank lower, my tail giving a single, decisive flick. The stalk had begun. I moved from rock to shadow, the wind in my favor, my paws silent on the dusty earth. The stallion tossed his head, sensing something, but he could not pinpoint the ghost in the rocks. I was a whisper, a promise of violence. I gathered my haunches, my muscles coiling like powerful springs, my eyes locked on the tender flank of the foal. This would be a hunt for the ages, a testament to my true nature. I was just about to launch myself into a glorious, world-ending pounce when a sliver of warm light cut across my face. My eyes blinked open. I was on the velvet cushion, the afternoon sun streaming through the window. Above me, on the mahogany table, the two horses stood exactly as they had before, silent and still. I looked up at them, my heart still thrumming with the thrill of the imagined chase. They were not toys. They were not rivals. They were a story. They were a gateway to a wilder self I only visited in my deepest slumbers. They did not offer a chase, but they inspired one. For that, they have earned their place. A worthy investment, indeed.
