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Ayer’s Mini Red Questionmark His History
TRIMHR-1746 AMHR-7003P-A 29.75 6/24/80
Rex Ayers advertised Red Man rather heavily in the Journal and IMHR Directory at the time and stood him to many outside mares that never noted him as the sire in their background…probably in part due to pride. He was well known for being one of the nicest small stallions of the time. No one seems to know what happened to him, he just disappeared with stories that conflicted of his demise or sale overseas. He is often confused with Ayers Mini Red Man Jr., who is a tightly bred son of his.
By chance we asked a horse agent in New England to find the best quality little horse in the country for our herd sire not to exceed $10,000. and we were given two options, and Red was our choice. I found Red at the Mustardseed Farms where he had been purchased from the artist Linda Hartough who acquired him from the Mark Verhaeghe herd headed to Brewers. Linda took Red as pick of the herd, payment for a painting of Orion Light Van’t Huttenest. We made many more trips back to purchase Red’s daughter and son, Annie and Mark as well as others.
It was Mark Verhaeghe who led me to Red’s background by telling me to go see Bob and Dorothy Stout, who I have written about in the story, “Someone You Should Know”, found at my web site with a lot of historical pictures. Mark also wrote me a very informative letter on the historical roots of Red’s Dam, Wilma Van’t Bos one of the original Dutch Imports Mark brought in. Wilma had been renamed by Rex Ayers to Ayers Mini Mother Superior and may have been the one time Dell Teras Wilma. I then went on a relentless search of the Dutch stud to find out further background of our Red. It took me close to a year due to the language barrier but eventually the Dutch Stud found the information I requested. They were very generous in their undertaking of copying and sending me all the information on Wilma Van’t Bos which included the drawings of her markings, (probably sabino overo) and took her history way back. Of special note is that in the Nederlandish Stamboek, which was the registry, all horses must be sound and approved for breeding or they are not given breeding status. Not only did Red’s background gain approval, but he also had various ancestors stamped with the Dutch Preferred Stock on the ancestral background horses. Of further interest was that the Dutch stud measured their horses at the withers rather than the last hair of the mane creating somewhat of a higher height than here.
Mrs. Dorothy Stout told me about Clarence Brannaman who had the midget ponies and upon his disbursal the Stouts purchased much of his old backgrounds. They had Stouts Limpy the Dam to Red Man, Ramundo and Mister Pride. They also had the sire Peppermint, a red and white roan paint, probably carrying the sabino gene. The Stouts also had Ramundo who went out to Rayford Ely the then President of the International Miniature Horse Registry. If you study pedigrees and history you will also find out that Silver Legend goes back to this line also, a small world at the time.
The Stouts sold to many of the breeders of the day and traces of their horses can be found throughout the Miniatures.
Ayer’s Mini Red Questionmark came home to Miller’s as the main sire to our mares with the junior stallion being Evan’s Mike, many times a champion and producer of Champions and National accredited himself. We tried to blend the refinement of Mike’s foals with Red’s get.
After Many trips to S.C. to the Mustardseed Farms the decision was made to move from Conn. to S.C. so we could breed and market our horses full-time in weather that allowed us that opportunity year round.
Who could ever have guessed that we would pack up our roots and travel south because of Miniature Horses. Jerry was retiring from the FBM Submarine forces after 30 years as a Chief of the Boat and Carolyn was leaving a successful Real Estate Broker position managing three offices for George Boyer in New England.
At the time of arrival into S.C. Frank McCartha and Kay Payne had just contemplated a Miniature Horse Club, so the waters were warm for swimming and I jumped in. I became the Secretary, Treasurer and Newsletter Editor for several years and put together our first By-Laws and Incorporation papers from Abbeville, S.C. We had a very successful club with almost 250 members taking the newsletter at the time.
Our shows and year-end banquets would rival any throughout the country and it was the day of high dollar horses and four and five judge shows. Unfortunately, supply and demand knows no preferential treatment, and we had breeders jumping in with herds producing non-descriminately and it brought our market to a slow grind. Having been in Real Estate and recognizing the signs I had already planned on my next breeding experience which can be found in the Overo Archives of the Miller website.
Somewhere in this timeframe I met up with the famous Joe Beck, Sr. who knew all that was to be known in our industry, selling and acquiring many and the founder of the Beck Auctions and Training Center. In one of our dealings, Joe told me he remembered when little Red was born and seeing him in the garage of Rex Ayers. He also told me for whatever reason, that Red was probably two years older than what the papers stated. Joe, always was in the “know”. It is his great gift to me that I now have many of the very old original papers to horses that were in the first AMHR and IMHR registries. Many of the names changed, but we have the original papers here as upon new registries entry was always open and new names became the norm.
In 1999 we decided to turn Red out in a new home with a small boy who adored Red and whereby Red could live out his life growing up with this boy to his teen years when Red would be in his 30’s. Red had given us much more than we could ever repay him and he certainly owed us nothing more. We had never had problems selling his kids and we had kept some of his daughters as our foundation for our next venture. Red had served us well by standing to the outside public, and had infused his wonderful personality into his get. The present home had offered to purchase him but we decided that a transfer of papers could also allow the slight possibility that he could be resold or auctioned so we turned down the generous offer. Today he shares his home with another little mare and Jake his young caregiver. Red is only a stones throw away so we can see him whenever we want and his line carries on in our herd today. Red was a lucky buy, as new people in the early 80’s we hadn’t a clue as to what Red would do for us or what a wonderful heritage he had brought with him.
Therefore, Red, it is only fitting we share some of your Get here out of the 60+ you have had…..Thankyou for allowing us the honor of caring for you these years. You were a joy and you served us well……Jerry & Carolyn Miller
**as per usual this story is subject to error and or omission and may not be reprinted without expressed consent copyrighted 1/20/01 c.miller
 Red at over 20 yrs. At Miller’s |
 Mustardseed Red’s Mark, Reds Son |
 Firelight’s Annie Fannie & her Mike foal, has the lacing, Reds dtr |
 Red w/Mennonite Honor Students |
 Miller’s Blue Dragonfly, Reds dtr |
 Glory Be Farms Domino w/Gloria out of Dragonfly |
 Bryland Farms Eyelet Embroidery w/foal, check out eye patch, Reds dtr |
 Millers Reds Lady Katie dam of Frame sons Reds dtr |
 Millers’ Red’s Shoshoni Sunrise, calico cap, lacing Reds dtr |
 Millers Red’s Misty Rose, Red’s dtr |
 Miller’s Red’s Blue Eyed Hawk, Reds son |
 Hawk again, love this guy, Reds son |
 Miller’s Red’s Tri-Bunal, Reds son |
 Miller’s Red’s Tri-Master
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 Purchasing Red in 1987, didn’t know he drove, surpise! |  Miller’s Red’s Savannahfly, bay shadow paint when clipped out |
Miller’s Red’s Tricia…..Tricia immortalized here in a painting done by Boguslaw Lustyk. Boguslaw was the 1998 official Kentucky Horse Derby artist. This painting in the private collection of Red Oak Farm.
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