Ownership History
Magpie Models first appeared in 1971 as Dream Ponies, a product of Swallow Horsetoys, located in Stratford St. Mary. All of the horse molds - the Welsh being the first - the rider molds, and most of the accessory molds were created at this period.
In 1988 Dream Ponies was purchased by Emma Kelley in Devon and renamed Magpie Models. During this time several innovations, such as the Newsletters and Personality Collections, were introduced which revitalized the company and brought Magpies to the attention of a wider market.
After seven very active and interesting years, in 1995 Magpie Models was sold again, this time to Sarah Milne. The company headquarters migrated to Surrey though the workshop stayed in Devon. The company continued along the same lines as before, but due to a variety of reasons production ceased in 1999.
Some time after Magpie Models' closure in 1999, Jan Adams, a former Magpie artisan, entered into negotiations with Ms. Milne and ultimately purchased the company in 2002. After returning headquarters to Devon, Ms. Adams opened the new Magpie Models online store to eager collectors in June of 2003.
Magpie Models was again offered for sale in 2007, and not long after was purchased by Utterly Horses. Regretfully, due to the demands of an already time-consuming business, Magpie Models rested quietly in storage, with only a few kits and extra Adams-era models being sold. Hoping to find someone willing to revive one of the UK's few surviving foundation model horse companies, Utterly Horse advertised the sale of Magpie Models through their online Model Horse Marketplace in July of 2013.
In November of 2014 Magpie Models found a new owner and in January of 2015 made the journey to their new home. This time the move was a bit further than Surrey - all the way to Scotland! Magpie spent awhile resting in storage while a workshop was built and a mountain of paperwork was scaled. During this time Magpie Models was changed to Magpie Model Horses, a slight alteration to reduce brand confusion and make Google searches clearer. While some names have changed, the hope is to retain the charm and much of the tradition of Magpie Models. The new Magpie Model Horses Online store opened in September of 2017.
Initially, only Dream Pony Kits were available, but in October the first new Personality Collection was offered. Since then there has been a new Personality Collection each year, along with special releases, tack, riders, and other accessories. In 2021, Magpie hosted their first show, the online Winter's End Photo Show, complete with two special prize models.