I am making a carousel cake for my sons Carnival BDay party (which I will also enter in a cake show- they just so happened to be the same weekend and I figure kill two birds with one stone)

Anyway, I am having a heck of a time making the horses. I need about 8 of them and for me to free hand them, well I doubt they would look alike, let alone like horses. I bought a plastic horse and made a mold but it cracked all over the place. I was thinking of just getting a candy mold but I wanted to avoid pressing 2 halves together, although that may be my only bet. BTW did I mention this was for NEXT weekend.

Does anyone have any suggestions for easier ways to make carousel horses?

How about finding a carousel horse cookie cutter? You could do them up in sugar cookie, then decorate that way.

I thought about that but wanted them more 3 dimiensional. I have never entered a cake contest before, would they frown if I did them in candy instead of fondant or gumpaste. I also figure if they were candy then i could hand them out at the bday party.