The horses that carried General George Custer and the 7th Cavalry in a gallant, if misguided, battle at Little Big Horn may have been purchased for the mission at the Star Barn.

That agricultural landmark, famous in the late 19th century for the quality of the horses shown and sold there, is destined to be dismantled and rebuilt as a centerpiece at Agrarian Country in northern Lebanon County.

But, thanks to a recent addition to the budding heritage site, the Star Barn will once again be associated with fine horses.

"We call it Star Barn Thoroughbreds," Agrarian Country president Robert Barr said.

VIDEO: Touring Star Barn Thoroughbreds

Agrarian Country, a nonprofit heritage and education center being developed near Grantville, recently purchased the 80-acre Regal Heir Farm, which is divided from the main, 1,000-acre Agrarian Country complex by Route 81.

"It is one of more than 40 farm enterprises on master plan for Agrarian Country," Barr said.

Star Barn Thoroughbreds has already made a good start as a full-service breeding farm, Barr said.

"We started in November with 17 head of thoroughbred brood mares and four stallions for breeding," he said.

"We're now approaching 90 head. All of them have been donated to Agrarian Country from all over the United States."

And, Barr added, foaling season is already increasing the livestock population.

"We're starting to produce babies out there," he said.

In the foaling stables, proud mama Guess the Verdict, a dark, muscular bay, stood protectively over a 2-day-old newborn, all legs and shivers.

"They go out to play all morning long," general manager Paul Truitt said. "The best thing for them is to bring them out into an open field where can just bust loose and run."

Truitt, a Kentucky native who came to Pennsylvania by way of Tennessee, said the thoroughbreds of today are bred and trained mostly for racing. They're very different from the horses Star Barn owner John Motter bred for military use more than a century ago, when strength and stamina were more important than speed.

"With thoroughbreds, the ultimate goal is to win races," he said. "And we want to give them every opportunity to do their best from the day they're born to the day they hit the tracks."

Truitt said the horse farm — with 99 head of stock on 80 acres — is already straining its boundaries. A few hundred acres close by are being considered for purchase or lease to expand the operation, he said, and work has already begun on a mile-long training track along Route 81.

"We have some good quality mares and good quality stallions," Truitt said. "So we anticipate our horses will be participating in some of the larger races … within a couple of years. We should produce a lot of good runners."

Once the farm is well established, Barr said, Agrarian Country will launch two educational programs. Both are expected to be running by fall.

One is for children and their families to sponsor a Star Barn horse. Agrarian Country will work with schools to prepare a curriculum, Barr said, that will cover "all aspects of the horse industry, including care, feeding and anatomy."

Also, he said, the farm will offer a two-year program through the Star Barn Equine Academy.

"We're discussing an associate degree program with about four colleges and universities in the area," Barr said.

"This will be the only program of its kind in the country," he added — although it may forge a link with a similar program in Ireland.

Employees also will be running comparative studies to determine the best conditions for breeding, exercise and other factors in raising good stock.

More information can be found online at starbarnthoroughbreds.com.

Truitt said a separate horse park, featuring various breeds, will be built on the Agrarian Country site. The horse farm also will be open to the public for tours and special events.

Once it's reassembled on the site, Truitt said, "I'd love to use the Star Barn to show horses, like they used to. But I think it's going to be filled up with classrooms and museum exhibits."

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So — is there any truth to the Custer rumor?

"There's a good chance of it," Truitt said. "The U.S. Cavalry bought a large portion of its horses in this area."

"Several historians have affirmed the same thing," Barr agreed. "We have that on the agenda to research."

Military records do exist, Barr said, but "it would be a major research project" to pinpoint the purchase and use of specific horses.

"We'll have to spend some time and money — or find someone obsessed enough with the history — to do it," he said.

tknapp@lnpnews.com