Breyer Animal Creations began as the Breyer Molding Company, a Chicago, Illinois-based plastics manufacturing company. Its first model horse, the # 57 Western Horse, made its appearance in 1950. It was a special order for the F.W. Woolworth Company, made to adorn a mantelpiece clock. The company was then flooded with requests from people who saw it and wanted to know if they could purchase just the horse! By accepting that one order, the Breyer Molding Company had changed the focus of its business and company direction forever!

Today Breyer manufactures plastic, porcelain, and resin model horses, animals and accessories for play and collecting. Breyer's models begin life as an artist’s sculpture. They are then handcrafted and hand-painted with airbrushes and paintbrushes. Approximately 20 different artisans handle each individual Breyer model from start to finish – a process, which, 54 years later, is still done by human hands, not machines. Even today, no two Breyer model horses are ever exactly alike!