by When I saw pictures of the beautiful horses at Gypsy Gold Horse Farm in Ocala, Florida, I immediately wanted to go see them. They looked so beautiful, and I was powerless to resist!
The farm is the original importer to the United States of the Gypsy Vanner horse, a horse breed from Great Britain and Ireland. It’s a small, solid horse, typically 13 to 16 hands (up to just over 5 feet).
We took the “Horses & History Tour,” which starts with a one-hour informational lecture by Dennis Thompson. Thompson is a total character with a backstory worthy of a Netflix documentary. He and his late wife Cindy are the ones who first saw the breed in Ireland, and worked to create a pedigree. He said, “Horse breeding will make a millionaire out of a billionaire!”
The first Gypsy Horses were brought to the United States only in 1996. The Thompsons chose the name Vanner to honor the breed’s history and heritage – a vanner is a draught horse that pulls a caravan.
The horses are associated with the Irish Travellers and English Romanichal Travellers (also known as “Gypsies”, a term that is sometimes embraced and sometimes rejected by the Romani people), who have used this distinct horse to pull their caravans since about 1850.
The horses are usually piebald, which means they have patches of two colors, typically black and white. However, they can be other colors, and solidly one color, as well.
The horses are renowned for their “feathering”, the long hair on their legs; however, it’s not a requirement for registration of the breed (but it is surely what helped make their photos so beautiful!).
After the lecture, we met horses and walked the fields. The horses are, per the Gypsy Horse Association, “a strong, kind, (very) intelligent partner that works willingly and harmoniously with its handler. They…mannerly and manageable, eager to please, confident, courageous, alert, and loyal with a genuine sociable outlook. The Gypsy Horse is renowned for its gentle, tractable nature and sensible disposition.”
Thompson describes his horses as “Golden Retrievers with hooves”.
Check out some video below!
