THE FULL STORY: Foaled in 1976, Huckleberry Bey seemed ready embrace life and its challenges right from the start. He was a sweet, dark bay colt with endless curiosity and playfulness, and at times behaved like a little boy just barely contained. This inner sparkle reminded owner Sheila Varian of Huck Finn of Mark Twain's novels, making his name choice easy. She remained charmed by the colt with legs “that just went a mile” and as he matured, realized he was destined for greatness. Bred, shown, and owned by Varian Arabians in California, Huckleberry Bey epitomized the Varian philosophy of a "pretty athlete.” He was a hit at the Scottsdale Arabian Show in 1977, placing second in the yearling colt class. As a three-year-old, Huck won the Cal-Bred Futurity and then U.S. National Reserve Champion Futurity Colt. As an English pleasure horse, Huck’s titles included 1980, 1982 and 1983 U.S. Top Ten English Pleasure, 1982 Scottsdale Champion English Pleasure, and 1984 U.S. National Reserve Champion English Pleasure. Huck's offspring have taken numerous U.S. and Canadian National Championships in halter and performance. Known for his athletic build and expressive, floating trot, Huckleberry Bey was a unique horse and he passed his good looks and kind disposition to his foals. Huck touched many people in his lifetime and will certainly influence the Arabian breed for a very long time.
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