Gut Jaidhof Expands Equine Operation to Texas With Purchase of 70+ Acres in Tioga For Gutmann Farms
By: Brittany Bevis
Many in the industry have had the opportunity to meet the lovely equestrian couple of Cathrin and Guntard Gutmann, who typically split their time between their historic land holdings at Gut Jaidhof in Austria and here in the United States. Recently, the family has made the exciting decision to expand their equine operation with the creation of Gutmann Farms in Texas.
“We’ve been successfully showing and breeding in the U.S. now for a couple of years, and we actively started looking for a place last summer,” Cathrin says. “So many aspects of the work I do at home with my horses originate from the United States, and I’m very fortunate and happy to be able to work closely with the best trainers out there. In addition to the work we do together, many great friendships have developed over the years.”
“Gutmann Farms is something that we wanted to do because we felt it was time to take the next step. We’ve accomplished a lot over the past years, and it was important for us to commit to our endeavors in the United States.”
Their second base, on 70+ picturesque acres in Tioga, Texas, will be the location for Gutmann Farms’ new training and breeding operation. At the same time, the Gutmann family will continue with operations in Austria.
“For me, as an equestrian mainly showing Hunter under Saddle and Western Pleasure, I’m always trying to improve my skills. The future definitely lies in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean that we will give up Gut Jaidhof and our horses in Europe. We’ve put a lot of heart and work into Gut Jaidhof, and it’s the place where family history will continue to be written.”
“I love to live in Austria, and I love to work with my horses at home. In addition, I’m very happy to establish this second base within the heart of our industry.”
When Cathrin and Guntard traveled to the United States last year to compete at the AQHA World Championship Show and Quarter Horse Congress, they set aside a few days to look for the perfect property. “We drove around the Pilot Point area with my dear friend, Carrie Oakley, who is also a real estate agent with Ebby Halliday. After looking at several places, we found the absolutely perfect piece of land. It’s right at Lake Ray Roberts in Tioga. The 70+ acres were exactly what we had in mind. When we saw it for the first time, we both knew that was it. It’s an absolutely stunning piece of land.”
Interestingly enough, the Gutmann’s dream plot of land was owned by the stepfather of a fellow AQHA competitor, Shelby Ratliff.
“Right now, we’re in the middle of negotiations with future partners, and we will start to plan the facility once we have everything worked out. We will build from scratch, and there’s going to be everything we will need to operate a state-of-the-art horse training and breeding business.”
“At the same time, I will continue working at Gut Jaidhof, and I will also try to make time to go to a few European shows this season. I think that the exchange of knowledge between the U.S. and Europe is a very important thing, and that’s what we will try to accomplish on different levels with the two facilities, our horses, and trainers. I’m excited to see what the future holds in both the U.S. and Europe.”
For more information about Gut Jaidhof visit https://www.facebook.com/gutjaidhof/.
To read more about the history of the Gutmann family’s historic holdings in Austria, check out this article from a 2014 edition of The Equine Chronicle, “Transatlantic Equestrian.”
