Trail of Painted Ponies

In 2001, a breathtaking artistic innovation was introduced in Santa Fe, New Mexico: The Trail of Painted Ponies model horses.Back then, the horses were life-sized fiberglass figures – massive spectacles to behold and amazing achievements. The only problem with them was they weren’t exactly designed for being collectible items.

The Trail of Painted Ponies models of today, however, are made to be collected. They’re small figurines that capture the same “wow” factor as the original-sized models, but only in a much smaller design. There are 132 different figurines to collect, incluing five exclusive models and 20 holiday designs. Twelve of the ponies also was released as a large figurine and four was release as bust figurines. A few of the ponies are retired annually, thereby making those models far more valuable to collectors.

The ponies have also captured the attention of collectors on eBay, which has become the purveyor of places to find the ponies outside of trade shows and other special events. New models are announced twice per year, with the holiday varieties being announced as early as June. Additionally, Native American designers lend their talents to Trail of Painted Ponies for special designs that display their culture’s rich heritage.