Rhotens Little Dandy

FEATURE
Rhotens Little Dandy:
Touching Lives One
Heart at a Time
sk anyone which horse they think is the leading
sire of performance horses in the Miniature
horse breed and no doubt Rhotens Little
Dandy’s name will come up. Dandy was a dominate
force in the 1980’s in both Halter and Performance
classes. Spectators who watched him show, described
his movement as unique, and beautifully animated; he
touched the ground softly as if he were walking on
eggshells. His gaits were completely natural, and his
movement was never enhanced. The records of his
foals will attest to the fact that he consistently passed
his way of going on to his offspring.
A
48 Miniature Horse World
August/September 2007
The story of Rhotens Little Dandy
weaves a complicated web across
many miles of AMHA history.
Dandy’s certificate boasts eight different owners, many of whom were
very prominent Miniature breeders
of their day. Each owner, caretaker
or trainer who came in contact with
Dandy, remembers a highly intelligent, kind stallion that was independent but very willing. He was a horse
of extraordinary personality who virtually never put his ears back; he was
always interested, and always curious.
Even more than that, this horse
touched the hearts of virtually every
person he came in contact with.
Several of his owners had such love
for this great stallion that even now,
seven years after his death, they are
very emotional and still unable to talk
about him. Dandy meant so much to
each person and touched each one
deeply.
In August of 2000, the Miniature
Horse World ran a tribute ad to this
great stallion written by some of the
people who loved him the most.
Here are some excerpts from that
advertisement and some additional
facts about this great champion.
Statistics
Foaled: 4/1982
Deceased: 2/2000
Height: 32 inches tall
Sired: 114 registered foals
Bred by: Geanelle Rhoten
Sire: Bond Dynamo
Dam: Bond Counterpoint
Show Record
1984 - Top Ten (5th place) Two Year
Old Stallions
1985 - Reserve National ChampionGentlemen’s Single Pleasure
Driving
1987 - National Grand Champion
Open Single Pleasure
Driving Horse
National Champion Open
Single Pleasure Driving
(26 in his class)
Top Ten Senior Stallions
32-34” (5th place)
Top Ten Presidents Touch
of Class (3rd place)
Always a Champion in the
Heart of Charley Teague Dandy’s second owner
“Little Dandy came to us as a yearling
in 1983. He accepted, desired and
loved the constant attention he
received and became the center of
activity on our ranch. He was my
Three I’s (Intelligent, Inquisitive and
Independent). Everyday was a new
event for him. He was my constant
companion and I could see him
maturing and developing confidence
in himself. He loved playing with the
other yearlings but would become
jealous if he thought they were receiving his share of the petting and attention. We could see his ability to be a
great show horse and started training
him for his career in the ring. He was
so easy to train because of his willing
attitude and desire to please. It was a
great thrill when he won his first blue
ribbon and championship. When
Dandy left our ranch it was a very sad
and lonesome day for me. He had
become a very dear part of my life. He
was my shoulder to cry on and therapy
for my bad hair days. Dandy was truly
a great champion, both inside and
outside the show ring.”
Gary Reynolds – One
of Dandy’s trainers
gives his account of
Dandy’s personality:
“Dandy had a willingness level not
found in many horses. He truly tried
to give his best, no matter what was
asked of him. This “I think I can”
attitude also brought out the sense
of humor that he used on his human
companions. One of these tactics
was to back up to the person cleaning his stall to have his hind legs and
backend scratched. He was very
insistent that you take care of his
itchy spots and if you ignored him,
he would lightly tap you on the shin
with his hoof to let you know you
weren’t doing your job. His other
favorite trick was when brushing
him, if you didn’t scratch hard
enough or in the right place, he
would bump your leg with his muzzle. If you didn’t get the right spot by
the second bump, he would use his
teeth the third time! He wasn’t a
biter as such; he was just letting you
know who was really in charge!
Dandy proved himself in the halter
classes, in the performance arena
and then really excelled as a breeding stallion. He passed along his willing attitude to the majority of his offspring and they continue to win in
the show ring today.”
Jennifer Edds Breeding Manager,
Vermilyea Farms
“The first time I saw Dandy, he was
being unloaded from the NFC trailer
at the Lil Hill Farm training center.
It was love at first sight. I had ridden
horses all my life and had never really seen a Miniature who could move
like a big horse until Dandy trotted
down the barn aisle. His movement
was amazing! Most mornings I
would turn Dandy out last, just so I
could stand and admire him for a
few moments. He had such class and
presence it was a thing of beauty to
watch him with the mares in the pasture. He delicately tolerated the
curiosity of the foals; it was incredible to see how gentle he was with
them.
Continued on page 52
August/September 2007
Miniature Horse World 49
In 1997 we received news from Terry
Burchill, Dandy’s owner, that somehow overnight in his stall Dandy had
dislocated his femur from his hip.
He was taken in for surgery to try
and repair the damage but virtually
he would remain three-legged for
the rest of his life. Dandy could get
around some but we felt there was
no way he would be able to breed
mares again. True, Dandy’s body was
not the same, but the spirit was still
burning bright in his eyes and he
began to slowly trust that I was going
to help him. Dandy was a very proud
stallion, he wanted things done his
way and it was my job to figure out
how to help him. If he was not
allowed to do things his way, he
would just shake his head and wait
until I came to my senses and realized he was right. Within a month,
he was again breeding mares with a
great deal of help. But he began to
act like his old self again… running,
yes, running around the farm teasing
the other stallions and talking to any
mare that would come near him! He
bred quite a few mares in the next
two years.
Dandy loved to spend his days in the
lane between the two mare pastures.
He did double duty as a tease stallion
and foal baby sitter. I cherished this
time with Dandy as I knew his body
would eventually fail him.”
Bill Humphries –
Vermilyea Farms,
Dandy’s Last Home
Fully aware that Dandy’s breeding
days were all but over, Bill consented
to co-own Dandy with Terry with
the agreement he would live at
Vermilyea Farms under the loving
care of Jennifer. Dandy lived in luxury until early 2000 when it became
clear his hip and leg muscle
deterioration had become a major
hindrance to him. He began to lose
weight and they knew it was time to
make a final decision. Even in those
last days, Dandy was never unhappy;
that made making the phone call
even harder. However, after conferring with Terry, Jennifer and the vet
they knew the time had come.
50 Miniature Horse World
August/September 2007
This ad appeared in the
February 1999 Miniature
Horse World
When it was time, they took Dandy to
his special grassy area between the
two mare pastures. It was there a
most amazing thing happened in that
final hour. Everyone had said their
final goodbye when the oldest broodmare in the pasture, Fishers Molly
came over to the fence as if to say her
final goodbye to Dandy. One by one
each of the mares came to the fence
to say goodbye to this grand old man.
Eventually Molly led the 20 to 30
mares away, closing this fitting tribute.
In honor of Rhotens Little Dandy,
Vermilyea Farms has given a beautiful crystal cup as a perpetual trophy
for the AMHA Grand Champion
Single Pleasure Driving Horse. This
trophy is awarded yearly at the
AMHA World Show. The following
horses and owners (at the time of
winning) have their names engraved
on the trophy which is proudly displayed at the AMHA office in
Alvarado, Texas.
2000 - Mountain Meadows
Summer Rose Owner Stacy Score
2001 - Samuels Lil Romeo Owner April Bejano
2002 - Celebrations Tennessee
Talent - Owner Laura Vivolo
2003 - Century Farms Crystals
Image - Owner Martha
Gladden
2004 - Century Farms Bey
Masquerade Owner Tiffany Porter
2005 - Mini Pleasures Check Me
Out - Owner Robert and
Linda Smith
2006 - Samis Sax 5th Avenue Owner Toni Pierce