Vant Huttenest

[miniwhinny]

I have a wonderful little mare who is Vant Huttenest bred on one side. Can anyone give me some info on VH or direct me to a web site that could help. Where is the original stud? What original stock/breeds/colors were used? Is VH still operating? Any info would be appreciated...just trying to learn more about my mini's and mini history in general. Thanks.

 

[Davie]

Hi LTF

Vant Huttenest is no longer in business and was one of our foundation farms. If you go to Tony Greaves' website (www.littleamericaminis.com) he has a wonderful section on Historical Stallions and you can find some information there. If you e-mail him, he will be glad to tell you some of the history of the farm.

If I have Tony's website wrong, you can go to the top of the Forum page and click on the Breeder's Connection and go to Texas, page 2 and you will find Little America farm, just click on the Farm name and it will take you to his web site.

Also if you have the book, Outstanding Miniature Stallions, Past and Present, Vol I, the editor Pat Elder, has a lot of good information on some of the foundation horses. It is a good reference book to have and you can get it from SmallHorse Press.

 

[flmiller]

I have a wonderful little mare who is Vant Huttenest bred on one side. Can anyone give me some info on VH or direct me to a web site that could help. Where is the original stud? What original stock/breeds/colors were used? Is VH still operating? Any info would be appreciated...just trying to learn more about my mini's and mini history in general. Thanks.

I have a Vant Huttenest little guy myself! You can get some info at http://www.theminiaturehorse.com/historical/orion.htm on Orion...the most famous of the Vant Huttenest horses.

Have a great time researching and learning!

Liz

 

[flmiller]

Now you've got me looking at Orion again. :lol:

Check out http://www.darkmoonfarm.com/orion.htm also. That is a good one.

Isn't he beautiful?

Liz

 

[Marsha Cassada]

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures...2346457&idx=594

A member had this great site up and I have saved it. I go back to look at it occassionally. I can't remember for sure, but I think Orion on on there.

I have a VH gelding and he is wonderful. Such a pretty head, and personality plus! I do not show, but he pulls my cart, visit nursing homes and entertains at county fairs.

this link didn't turn out clickable, but you can copy and paste it, I think.

Marsha

 

[Dorrie & Frank]

We have some of the Vant Huttenest horse history on our site - look at Monita and a few of the others that have sold litsted on them. www.windriderranchinc.homestead.com/index.html

WindRider Ranch

 

[miniwhinny]

thanks all,

will go site cruzin' now to all your links learning all I can and will contact Tony (the information guru) if I have gaps in my info.

 

[Tony]

Around 1980 Vern Brewer and I took several trips from Texas to the east coast, visiting the limited number of miniature breeders that were available at the time. On one of our trips we visited Mark Verhaeghe, who was originally from Belgium, I believe. Mark used the prefix "Van't Huttenest", which he explained to me meant something like "the nest in the bush." In his breeding he also used "Bird" for all mare names and "Light" for all stallions. When he came to the US, he brought quite a number of very small mares, for the time, many of which were under 30", when that size was extremely rare. After arriving in the US, he boarded many of his horses with J. C. Williams, and many of his early foals carry the Dell Tera prefix.

When we met Mark he had an amusement park in the mountains of South Carolina with gift shop and various amusements, including his miniature horses, which were quite a novelty and drew large crowds at the time. We saw Orion-Light Van't Huttenest on our first trip and we were both very taken with him. You can read more about that if you care to on my Historical Stallions pages.

Mark, who served on the AMHA Board of Directors for several years and was one of the early Secretaries of the association, later was divorced and sold out of miniature horses, with Vern Brewer and Arnold Landry getting most of the group. Because of the purchases that both made, they made big marks on the early advancement of the American Miniature Horse.