Painted Ponies - A Collector's Guide

Painted Ponies - A Collector's Guide
The Trail of Painted Ponies began in the summer of 2000. A major sculptor was gemissioned to create a life-size horse that was cast in a durable resin blend. A call went out to the artistic gemunity around the Southwest, inviting famous as well as emerging artists to submit designs that imaginatively celebrated the creative spirit. And the response was overwhelming, with results that ranged from the delightful to the breathtaking.
The first herd of Painted Pony figurines which were modeled after the life size Painted Ponies was released in January, 2003. Painted Ponies have now begee the #1 collectible in the United States, and are now begeing available worldwide. Each pony is unique and has its own individual story.
If you are interested in joining the newly formed okay group for Painted Pony collectors, please visit and/or join the group following this link to thePainted Ponies Collector's Grouphome page.
My collection is now geplete, and I love to share these wonderful Ponies and what I have learned. Please be sure to visit my e-bay store, Painted Ponies Fine Art. If you don't see what you are looking for, please contact me and I will be happy to look and see if I have it in inventory. I do have a large selection of retired ponies available, as well as signed and low-numbered first edition ponies.
Building your collection
If you are a new collector of Painted Ponies, there is a lot to learn. To date, twelve herds of Painted Ponies have been released, plus there have beensix special issue ponies created, High Desert Horse Feathers (now retired at 1E/5016), the Phoenix Pony, Run for The Roses, Kindred Spirits, the Maple Leaf Pony (only available in Canada), and Reflections of Australia (only available in Australia).These six ponies are not available in the normal line of Painted Ponies. The older a pony is, the more difficult it is to find, particularly if it is retired and had less than two editions made.
The first thing to do is decide how you want to structure your collection. For example, when I started collecting, I made the decision to only collect first editions.Most collectors consider itimportant for the future value oftheir collection to (as much as is possible) make sure that each pony is in its original box, geplete with its hangtag (story tag), and its inner styrofoam packing. Some collectors collect only signed ponies or only ponies of a certain number. Some collectorsonlypurchasevery low-numbered ponies. It all depends on your preference.
Collecting older ponies
A few tips about collecting the older ponies, particularly ones from the first, second, and third herds. First, 1E ponies from the first and second herd should read "...(c) 2003, The Trail of Painted Ponies, LLC". TheTrail incorporated in 2005, and ponies released after that date will read "(c) (year)The Trail of Painted Ponies, Inc." In other words, you would not see, for example, a 1ELightning Bolt Colt with"Inc." in the wording if it is a genuine 1E.The artist's name was not on the base; I am trying to obtain information as to when the artists' names were added. Underneath the Westland logo, the wording should be "Made in China", not "Handcrafted in China".
The third herd was announced in December, 2003, and shipped in January 2004. Ceramic ponies from this herd will have a copyright date of 2003 if they are a 1E, and resin ponies will have a copyright date of 2004. The artist's name would not be present in a 1E; I am trying to verify information as to when the artists names were added as it can vary from pony to pony. The copyright date would read "LLC", not "Inc.".
For example, here is a photo of a base of a genuine 1E Happy Trails. This pony is from the second herd released in June, 2003.

Please note the copyright date of 2003 and the wording of the copyright as being "LLC".
Here is photo of a 7E (higher edition) Happy Trails.

Please note that the copyright date is still 2003, but the wording on the copyright reads "Inc.", not "LLC" as this pony was manufactured after 2003 and after the Trail was incorporated.
Also, know your seller. Read a seller's feedback.In my opinion, it is alsobest if you can see an actual photo of the pony's base.
If you have any questions regarding pony authenticity, please feel free to ask.
Numbering of ponies
Each pony is numbered with both an edition number and figurine number. Each edition is 10,000 ponies. Numbering starts at 1E/0001 and ends at 1E/9,999. Then the second edition is started beginning with 2E/0001, and on up. First editions are most prized by collectors. Signed first edition ponies are particularly coveted by collectors.
There are special ponies called Pre 1E's. The first 3,600 of the first six resin ponies were inadvertently made without the edition number. These ponies are Motorcycle Mustang, War Pony, Karuna, Boot Scootin' Horsey, Fireman Pony, and Caballo Brilliante. Pre 1E ponies are highly prized by collectors.
I began collecting in May of 2005, and have now gepleted my collection of first edition ponies. Along the way, I have been lucky to have found some wonderful new pony friends, and have had the opportunity to speak and begee acquainted with several of the Painted Pony artists.
Painted Ponies - The Large Figurines
There have beentwelve large figurines produced to date. The first four were Ghost Horse, Happy Trails, Quarter Horse, and War Pony. Each of these ponies has been retired and is no longer being produced. Each of these ponies had less than one full edition made with the exception of War Pony, which had one full edition plus part of its second made before it was retired.
Eightnew large figurines are now being made. They are Fetish Pony, Medicine Horse, Tewa Horse, Woodland Hunter, Dream Warriors, Year of the Horse, Copper Enchantment, and Fancy Dancer. These ponies are very, very special in that only 5,000 will be produced and then the edition will be retired and closed.
These ponies are numbered a little differently. Each one is numbered XXXX/5,000, and it is also indicated on the base that this is a limited edition. I have seen them and they are absolutely gorgeous. Don't pass up a chance to add some of these beauties to your collection. They will only rise in value. The new ponies measure approximately 8 X 10, and are all made of solid resin.
When herds are released
Painted Pony Herds are released twice a year, every six months. The size of the herd varies from eight to 12 ponies depending on if Christmas ponies are part of the release.
Retired Ponies
Ponies are retired twice a year, usually in conjunction with the release of a new herd. Thelatest retirement was done on January, 2009, whenLightning Bolt Colt,Anasazi Spirit Horse, Woodland Hunter, Dynasty Pony, Running with the Ancestors,Navajo Black Beauty, The Magician, and Rodeo Dreams.To my knowledge,four retired ponies have had less than one edition made. They are Children of the Garden (only 9,800 made) Golden Girl (only 8,400 made), High Desert Horse Feathers (only 5,016 made)and Wound Up Time (only 8,600 made).
These retired ponies have had less than two full editions made. This list is current as of the last retirement done onJanuary 2, 2009. The numbers after the name represent the last pony made:
Karuna (2E/3488)Navajo Blanket Pony (2E/6957)Wildfire (2E/9117)Go Van Gogh (2E/3200)Mosaic Appaloosa (2E/3601)Patrol Horse (2E/2888)Quarter Horse (2E/6800)Rosie the Apparoosa (2E/0577)Sequential: A Sequine (2E/0800)Unity (2E/1945)Dances With Hooves (2E/5505)Love As Strong as Horse (2E/5921)Skyrider (2E/7206)Willing (2E/6009)Saguaro Stallion (2E/8401)Caballito (2E/7207)Epic (2E/3610)Painted Lady (2E/7237)Tropical Reef Pony (2E/8929)Native People's Pony (2E/7201)Wie Tou (2E/8617)High Desert Horse Feathers (1E/5016)
Retired ponies only go up in value, particularly if there have been less than two editions made. They are well worth the investment you may have to make to purchase one. Think about it, Painted Ponies have been rated as the #1 collectible today, and some of these ponies have had less than 15,000 of them made. That's not a terrific amount considering how many serious collectors there are of these little beauties. To give you a couple of examples of how ponies rise in value, I purchased my first edition Mosaic Appaloosa in May of 2005 for $160. The average sales price currently is $400 for a first edition.Dances with Hooves, which again is one of the retired ponies that had less than two editions made, was selling a year ago for an average price of $68.00. The current average sales price of a first edition is $113.00.
Most of the ponies that have had less than two editions made and are retired rise dramatically in value, so if you are a collector, do notwait on these ponies. If you are a seller, do notsell yourself short and let one of these little beauties go for less than they may be worth six months or a year from now. Patience can pay off.
For a geplete list of retired ponies, check out the official Painted Ponies website.
Thanks for reading my guide and Happy Painted Pony collecting!
Barbara
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