THE FULL STORY: During a business trip to Great Britain, Dennis and Cindy Thompson took a few days to tour the verdant countryside. While driving past one stone-wall-lined field, they noticed a tidily built, heavy piebald horse that had leg feathers characteristic of a draft breed though considerably smaller in stature, but no less magnificent! Captivated, they stopped to admire this unusual horse. What they had discovered was a breed famous to the closed Gypsy society but until recently, relatively unknown to the rest of the world. The Gypsy Vanner Horse, selectively bred to pull the distinctively shaped gypsy caravan wagon, has been an integral part of Gypsy society for centuries. After that initial encounter, the Thompsons continued searching for outstanding examples of this horse. In November 1996, they imported the first Gypsy Vanner horses to North America and established the breed registry. Shortly thereafter, the Thompsons were again overseas and came across an eye-catching filly. After inquiring about her, the owner showed them her sire, a stallion he called ‘Bill’. After three years, they acquired this amazing horse, brought him to their stable in Ocala, Florida, and renamed him ‘The Gypsy King’. Today, there are over 100 Gypsy Vanner Horses in the U.S., and their numbers are growing. Great care is taken to ensure that each horse reflects the true breed qualities, notably the abundance of mane, tail, and leg feathering that give this animal its magical look.
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