"The legacy of The Seth Thomas Collection can be found in the blue ribbons, Hall of Fames, All-Star rankings and National Championships won by descendants of one of the most famous ponies of all time, Seth Thomas."

The Seth Thomas Collection was formed by a group of people dedicated to preserving the bloodlines of The Incomparable Seth Thomas, both in the Shetland and Miniature divisions. All members of the Seth Thomas Collection own descendants of the herd purchased by Dale & Shirely Lutke in the late 1990s.

Seth Thomas was one of the most famous Modern Shetland Stallions in the Shetland Pony world. Seth Thomas did not enter the show ring, but his offspring did and set the Shetland world on fire! It was the new look, the conformation and the action that would change the Shetland look forever. (Pictured at right is D&S 21st Century Thomas, a National Grand Champion at AMHR Nationals and Reserve Modern Champion at Shetland Congress. Pictured at left is D&S Pretty Little Angel Eyes after winning Roadster at AMHR Nationals.) If you look in any of the Shetland Pony Journals in the 60s era, you will find many articles and pictures of Seth Thomas' prodigy, including many National Champions. If you listen to the stories of the past, the Seth Thomas line will almost always be told with a gleam of admiration.

The head, eye and ears were a trademark of the Seth Thomas line, along with the long neck and action, this is what made Seth Thomas the top or near the top Sire of the Year Awards for several years.

The Seth Thomas line is known for its versatility, with descendants of the great pony winning national championships in Halter, Driving and Jumper classes. (D&S Double Dutch Chocolate, pictured right, has won AMHR Nationals titles in Halter and Driving as well as Driving, Hunter and Jumper championships at Shetland Congress.) In another display of their versatility and competitiveness, Seth Thomas horses also have won national titles in Youth, Amateur and Open classes. 

One of the Seth Thomas sons would contribute a major part to the Seth Thomas Collection. He was Patton’s Time Piece 45980. Patton’s Time Piece is the sire or grand sire of the foundation stock of the Seth Thomas Collection. According to Roger and Ruth Evers, Double R Estate, Grandville, Michigan, who were one of the premiere exhibitors of Seth Thomas ponies, recall going down to look at two Seth Thomas stallions and pick one to show. The two stallions were Flambeau Thomas and Patton’s Time Piece. The Evers, after much discussion and pondering, picked Flambeau Thomas. The two stallions went head to head in the show ring, one winning one show and the other would win the next. In 1996, I (Dale Lutke) purchased my first stallion that would be one of the two stallions that would mark the beginning of the Seth Thomas Collection. He is BHR Topnotch. He is a grandson of Patton’s Time Piece. Roger and Ruth Evers came over to look at what we had. Their first reaction was, he’s a spittin' image of Patton’s Time Piece. (Pictured at left is D&S He's So Fine.)

Patton’s Time Piece was owned and exhibited by Donald Oberlander. Donald was a historian on the originality of the shetland pony. He wrote several articles on this subject in the Shetland Pony Journal of the Sixties. He also made several trips to the Shetland Islands and England to do his research on this subject. He is the one who made the Seth Thomas Collection possible. It was his passion to keep the Seth Thomas line going. He started a breeding program, concentrating on the Seth Thomas line by intensive line breeding. He retained the desirable qualities of Seth Thomas, but with line breeding, reduced the over all size. At this time the shetland market was less than good and the miniature market was in its prime. Most of the miniature breeders of that time didn’t want any evidence that their miniature horses had shetland blood, so they chose to register their horses (unknown, unknown). Don had too much going with his many years of keeping this line pure, so he double registered them, AMHR and ASPC. (Pictured at right is D&S Allegro, an AMHR Nationals Grand Champion in Pleasure Driving.)

After Don's passing, his wife, Elke, was left to tend to horses, ponies and farm. After a few years, she decided to sell some of the livestock. After a couple of years of negotiations, I bought the herd of twenty eight Seth Thomas double registered horses/ponies. This purchase consisted of another major stallion, BHR Lerwick, a 33” 10 year old dark brown stallion. Most of the Seth Thomas Collection offspring is sired by him. We also purchased several foundation mares sired by Patton’s Time Piece. (The Connection, owned by Linda Mecham and Courtney Tatman, also owns a number of Seth Thomas descendants, including D&S He's So Fine and D&S Fast Break, pictured in the photo at left. Photo below right is D&S Little Town Flurt, the 2005 AMHR Performance Horse of the Year, Under.)

My promise to the Oberlander family was to continue the preservation of the Seth Thomas line. I will take on this responsibility with pride and enthusiasm, for I once owned a direct son of the Seth Thomas (when I was young).

The Seth Thomas Collection will prove themselves in the ring, as outcross breeding and line bred stock. The beautiful qualities are imprinted from generation to generation. They are alert, gutsy and beautiful. They are not for everyone, but they might be for you. Do you want a miniature that can trace it's lineage back to the sixties or do you want unknown, unknown?

A special thank you Mrs. Eloise Seekamp for your care and belief in Seth Thomas who, forty years later, is still making dreams come true.

Respectfully submitted by Dale Lutke