Short version: This is a durable, interactive toy that offers ample opportunities for creative play. It is well worth the cost and an excellent gift for horse loving children. I have included a detailed review below. Cost and Quality: I purchased this set on sale, but it would be worth the regular price due to its durability and detail. First, this is a complete playset, with everything needed for a child to begin having horse related adventures – the set includes not only the barn, but a horse (with foal), saddle, bridle, rider, and various stable accessories like haybales, feed bags, and so on. It makes a great gift as there is no need to purchase additional items to make it playable. Second, the quality of both the barn and accessories is excellent. The barn is sturdy and is easily carried (by an adult) without disturbing its occupants. It will certainly survive accidental bumps, knocks, and modest falls. Some of the smaller accessories, like the saddle racks or bridle, will hold up under regular play but might be susceptible to damage if deliberately bent or stretched excessively. Its all-plastic construction means it can easily be cleaned. If you are unfamiliar with Schleich, their animals are made of solid plastic, so they are virtually indestructible – children can take them in the tub, drop them down the stairs, maroon them in mud puddles, and so forth without risking bodily harm to the toy. Short of fire, or possibly very strong shears, I do not think it is possible to break off or damage legs, ears, tails, etc. The toys can get marked up with scuffs and rubs, but children who care about that can easily avoid it by not being overly rough. Assembly: Requires an adult and modest upper body strength, but was straightforward and completed in about 30 minutes. All expected parts were included in the box. Playability: This is a beautiful toy that is also very accessible for play. It is gender neutral and is realistic enough to satisfy children familiar with real stables. It is also very interactive - the doors open and close, latches slide, tack can be put on and taken off, and so forth. The removable center roof not only offers creative opportunities – for example, it can become a covered arena – but offers a great way to protect the barn from pets or quickly tidy up family areas (just put the roof on and turn the barn so the open side faces a wall). The one area I feel it could improve is to add some storage – if two of the stalls were shrunk slightly, a small tack/storage area could be added, or some kind of loft could be included. As it is, you end up not really having a space for some of the accessories, and the lack of storage is a break from an otherwise very realistic set. It would also be nice to have the ability to add additional stalls to the barn, or to purchase single stalls – at present there appears to be no readily available expansion options that match this set (I have found one expensive set with individual stalls in this color scheme, and more reasonably priced individual stalls in the white and pink Horse Club colors). Because of the scale, this is not a toy for very young children. Aside from the risk of choking or swallowing the small parts, preschool and kindergarten age children may struggle a little with some of the fine motor tasks, like sliding door latches, but should otherwise enjoy it. Older children will appreciate its realism. Other Notes: Schleich has in the last few years seemed to transition its horse/stable toys towards a girl-oriented ‘Horse Club’, with a white-pink-purple color scheme which I find less realistic and less aesthetically pleasing. As many of the accessories for the stable are available only as part of the Horse Club line, parents committed to gender neutrality or purchasing for children who are not a fan of heavily gendered color schemes may want to keep this in mind. Comparison with Similar Toys: Playmobile has a similar stable set at a slightly lower price point (PLAYMOBIL® Horse Farm Building Set). The scale is slightly smaller than Schleich. Both sets have excellent durability, a good range of accessories, and gender-neutral aesthetics. The Playmobile set is notable for being more adaptable than the Schleich one – extra stalls can be added, and the arrangement of stalls reconfigured (the assembly process is correspondingly more complex). However, I prefer Schleich because the realism and variety of the horse and other animals is better.
