About Me

My name is Donna J. Miller-Shannon. I was born and raised in Southern California (near Disneyland). My parents and I moved to Nebraska a year after I graduated from high school.

Over the years I have worked at a stables, at various pet stores doing animal care/grooming, and I currently work as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic.

I enjoy riding, drawing, sculpting, photography, music, and (obviously) model horse collecting!

My first Breyer "El Pastor"

Christmas 1982... another Breyer!

MY MODEL HORSE HISTORY:

I have been obsessed with horses longer than I can remember. Like most horse-crazy little girls, I started off playing with my model horses. My first Breyer was a 1976 production of "El Pastor" Paso Fino. (I LOVED his long mane!) I still have him in my collection today.

Gradually the collection grew, and I spent hours with my Brenda Breyer doll caring for her little herd in the Lincoln Log stables I would build.

In highschool, I became a more serious Breyer collector, searching for discontinued and special run models I'd missed over the years. At that time, there were no reference books available other than the old collector's manuals and Just About Horses magazine, so I relied on the knowledge of others to fill me in. A big "thank you" goes out to my past pen-pal Judith Miller (no relation) who patiently answered my many questions and shared photos of her collection to educate me.

In this past decade, I started collecting artist resins instead of Breyers, but still occasionally add a new original finish Breyer or Peter Stone to my collection. I am an avid photographer and enjoy photo-showing my collection in online shows.

REAL HORSES IN MY LIFE:

Nine years old....falling in love with an Andalusian at Kingdom of Dancing Stallions (now Medieval Times).

My parents humored me by stopping alongside the road when we spotted horses I could pet.

Every year my family and I would take a trip up to the hills to trail ride at a rental stables. Later, I saved money to be able to ride once a month, and eventually began working there.

Age 2....my first horse ride!

"Cognac"

I worked at the stables once a week from the time I was 13 until I was 19 years old. I am grateful for having had the experience of working with the real thing and getting to ride for free as my pay. I carry with me the memories of many sweet old trail horses. Here's a few I would ride: