"Do CollectA riders fit Schleich Horses?"

"Can I use Bullyland riders with the CollectA Horse Saddle?"

"Which brands can I mix with my Schleich Horse collection?"

Back in 2016, I wrote a blog comparing brands of model horses. While a lot of that information is still relevant today, the blog itself has become dated, and I wanted to bring an updated version that covers even more of our range with all new photos to give you a clear picture on what we now offer - 10 years later!

Today, we're diving deep into the world of model horse collections. We are looking at different brands of model horses, as well as riders, and how you can mix the brands we have here together.

What brands of horses do you have?

Here at MiniZoo, we stock the following model horse brands: Schleich, CollectA, Papo, Mojo, Bullyland, Safari Ltd and Breyer.

All these brands offer a range of horse figurines, while only some brands include riders, saddles, and pre-saddled horses in their range. Let's take a closer look:

Schleich offers: Horses, Pre-Saddled horses, Horse and Rider sets and Riders.

CollectA offers: Horses, Single Riders, Saddles, Horse and Rider Sets and Deluxe 1:12 Scale Horses.

Papo offers: Horses, Pre-Saddled Horses, Riders and Horse and Rider Sets.

Bullyland offers: Horses, Pre-Saddled Horses and Riders.

Safari Ltd offers: Horses, as well as 2 x Horse and Rider sets.

(Rider sets were not available to be pictured at the time of this blog.)

Breyer offers model horses in different scales, however none of these mix with our other brands, so they have been purposefully left out of the remainder of this blog. The image below shows a Traditional sized Breyer model (1:9 scale), with a Deluxe CollectA model (1:12 scale).Not pictured:

Mojo offers a range of horses only, which will be shown in more photos in this blog. 

Are these brands similar in size?

Now that we've looked at each brand, let's see if we can, or if we should, mix them together! Below are photos of our brands side by side, featuring Friesian Horses, Tinker Horses, and a general comparison of brown horses. I'll leave them here and let you decide if mixing brands is right for your collection.When it comes to foals, some brands don't offer much and therefore there isn't a lot of choice in mixing the brands together. In general, I would recommend matching the same brand of foal with the adult horse you have chosen. As shown below, most foals are a similar size, except for CollectA, which are usually larger than other brands of foals.

What horse riders do you have?

Out of the brands shown above, only a few offer riders for their horses. These brands include Schleich, CollectA, Papo and Bullyland.

CollectA, Papo and Bullyland all sell their riders individually. You can no longer purchase Schleich riders (or saddles) on their own. Schleich now only makes their riders available in playsets. If you are after the new articulated riders, but don't wish to purchase the larger playsets, you can secure the people figurines from Pocket Playsets, which are a much more affordable option and include some fun bonus pieces too. 

Let's have a look at each brand of rider:As shown above, the CollectA and new Schleich riders are articulated, meaning you can move their legs and arms (and in CollectA's case, the head and torso too), so they can stand on their own, as well as sit on horses. This is great for play, but may not be required if you like to display your riders on their horses permanently. For a permanent sitting option, Papo and/or Bullyland models would be the way to go. I also included a retired Schleich rider in this photo to show the difference between old Schleich riders and new Schleich riders. If you prefer the older style, Papo riders are very similar and a good alternative to the new Schleich versions.

Schleich and CollectA both offer male and female riders, while other brands only offer female riders.

Can I mix riders with different brands of horses?

All of the riders shown above can fit on the brands of horses that we've been mentioning in this blog. However, you will need to use the right riders with the right saddle if you are after a perfect fit.

CollectA offers a saddle individually, while Papo and Bullyland do not. Papo and Bullyland only offer pre-saddled horses for their riders, but don't worry! You can use these riders on Schleich or CollectA saddles, too. See combinations below.

CollectA horse and saddle with Papo, Bullyland and Schleich riders:

Schleich horse and saddle with Papo, Bullyland and CollectA riders:

Papo pre-saddled horse with CollectA, Bullyland and Schleich riders:

Bullyland pre-saddled horse with Papo, CollectA and Schleich riders:

Different brands of horses using the same brand of rider and saddles.

(eg CollectA rider with CollectA saddle, and Schleich rider with Schleich saddle)

Conclusion:

✅ Mix brands of horses together! Don't let a different brand name scare you off adding a model that you love to your collection.

✅ Add riders and saddles to your collection to expand play and diorama opportunities.

I hope this blog has helped answer all of your model horse questions. If you have any further questions about model horses or anything else here at MiniZoo, please feel free to reach out to me at social@minizoo.com.au.

You can shop our entire range of model horses here.