Gypsy Horse History
What’s in a name…?
Vanner, "a horse suitable to pull a caravan" described in the English Chambers dictionary, is the breeds vision word. For half a century the Gypsies of Great Britain focused on a vision to create their perfect caravan horse. Until an extensive journey to understand Gypsies and their horses uncovered their vision and gave it a name, all horses raised by the Gypsies of Great Britain were referred to as colored horses.
On November 24th 1996 the Gypsy Vanner Horse Society (GVHS) was founded and became the first society in the world to recognize a selectively bred horse raised by Gypsies as a breed.
The Gypsy people or Roma, as they are also called, have been horse traders for generations. They were an itinerant people whose livelihood depended on the stock they produced. The perfect caravan horse or Vanner, they envisioned, was a small draft horse with more feather, more color, and a sweeter head. A sturdy horse with magical looks and impeccable temperament, able to pull a heavy caravan was their goal. As their primary means of transportation, these horses pulled the wagons that held all that was precious to their owners. A Gypsies selectively bred Vanner horses, are handled daily, often by the youngest family members. Any horse without a good temperament is immediately culled from the breeding stock.
Most Vanner Horses are Piebald (Black and White) or skewbald (brown and white) but all colors are acceptable to a Gypsy. His breed is a body type and not a colored breed. A beautiful Gypsy Vanner Horse® looks striking in front of a brightly painted Vardo (another name for caravan).
Part of the reason for the colored Gypsy horses was that as horse traders, the Gypsies' solid stock was in higher demand as carriage horses and, during WWI and WWII as part of the war effort. This left the Gypsies' with well bred but more colorful stock. Gypsy breeders have judiciously culled and sold off any animal that did not meet the high standards for temperament, conformation, and soundness.
In historic photos you’ll notice that the horses were not as robust or heavily feathered as the breed we know today. Feathering is an additive or cumulative gene; and was focused on, when the vision to create a specific horse was born, over 50 years ago. The breeds that created the robust look and heavy feathering of the Gypsy Vanner Horse® are the Shire, Clydesdale, Friesian, Dales Pony and to a lesser degree the Fells Pony. The Dales Pony being the heaviest pony breed in Great Britain maintained the heavy bone, robust body and the reduced head size desired by Gypsies.
It seems a shame that just as the horses began coming into their own, the traveling lifestyle has almost disappeared. In a small way, part of the Gypsies culture will be preserved through these Horses.
The name Gypsy Vanner Horse® accurately describes both the people, vision, and function envisioned for the breed. We at BellaDonna Gypsy Farm, strive to produce horses that reflect the best of a Gypsies 'Vanner' vision.
The Gypsy Vanner Horse® is a versatile breed that excels in most equestrian activities, to include dressage, driving, English and Western style riding. Some are even used in jumping competitions. The United States Dressage Federation now officially recognizes the Gypsy Vanner Horse as an accepted dressage horse and lists them in their All Breeds Program.
The Gypsy Vanner Horse® is also valued as a therapy horse. Lash's Lessons is instrumental in producing therapy horses that promote this unique breed. Please contact Lash's Lessons for more information.
Discover the Gypsy Vanner Horse® a Golden Retriever with Hooves™
BellaDonna Gypsy Farm
This page was last updated 02/19/07
