The Breed

.The Gypsy horse can be identified by many names: Gypsy Vanner, Gypsy Cob, Irish Cob, Romany Tinker, and Traditional Cob. These horses were bred by both the Irish Travellers and Great Britain’s Romani Travellers to pull their vardoes. The Roma Gypsies acquired these horses during a time in which colored horses were less sought after and or cast away. The Gypsy Vanner was originally a mixture of Shires, Clydesdales, Dales Pony, and  Friesians. One of the main importers of the breed to the Unitet States is Jeff Barko (Find out more in the GHRA website). Now there are also  other importers of the breed. The Gypsy horses are generally calm and intelligent in nature and because of this, they are often identified as family horses. Regardless of who the original breeder was, each group of Traveller's main goal was to breed a kind, yet strong horse that could pull their wagons, and docile enought for their childeren to hop on and ride.