Romany Gras Paramisi
(Gypsy Horse Story)The
name Gypsy is an umbrella word used for the Irish,
Scottish, and Romany Travelers, these are bands of peoples who roamed
the European continent…. following is how they got their name:
Around the year 420 ad, Behram Gour, a
wise prince of the Sassanide dynasty, realized his subjects were pining
away for lack of amusements.
He sought a means of reviving their
spirits and of providing some distraction from everyday life.
With this in mind, he sent a diplomatic
mission to Shankal, King of Cambodia and Maharaja of India, and begged
him to choose among his subjects and send to him, persons capable by
their talents, of alleviating the burden of existence and able to spread
a charm over the monotony of work.
Behram Gour,
assembled 12,000 itinerate minstrels, men and women, assigned lands to
them, supplying them with corn and livestock, so, that, they should have
the means to live in certain areas which he would designate, and be able
to amuse his people at no cost.
At the end of the first year these
people had neglected agriculture, consumed the corn seed and found
themselves without resources.
Breham, was so
angry that he commanded that their assets and musical instruments be
taken away and that they should roam the country and earn their
livelihood by singing.
The earliest recorded history of Gypsy
bands in the UK is said to be in and around 1514. The locals often
referred to these peoples as Egyptians, as it was assumed they had
migrated from Egypt due to their dark skin and sharp features.
As time went on, this term was
shortened to Gyptians, and subsequently “Gypsies” which holds to this
day.
The English Gypsy’s are referred to
either as Gypsy’s or Romany folk.
The Irish Gypsies are called travellers
or Tinkers and indeed the Romany find it an insult to call them Tinkers.
The mysteries that surround these
families are because of the stigma attached and their life style, the
way they move around all the time, they have earned a reputation for
being untrustworthy, which with a Romany or true Gypsy family could not
be further from the truth.
To facilitate their acquired nomadic
nature the gypsies constructed a home on wheels otherwise known as a
“caravan”, or Vardo.
Although gypsy caravans and carts can
be found in many European countries, only in Great Britain did the gypsy
caravan literally become an art, form, making the English version the
most highly decorative gypsy caravan in the world.
Understandably, the owners of such
caravans sought to breed a type of horse ideal for pulling their
colorful wagons.
Originally the horses that pulled the
gypsy carts and caravans were not colored, nor were they a specific
type.
Horses were bred in both England and
Ireland but the English Gypsies were the only ones to have the coloured
horse until they were introduced into Ireland, up until then they mainly
had bays and blacks.
The Gypsies set out to produce a small
attractive, draft, type horse with color and disposition, to be used for
multi purposes which included, pulling their caravan wagons, field work
as necessary, riding when needed, and to entertain / baby sit the
children. The Gypsy’s would geld and otherwise cull unacceptable
specimens, those which did not demonstrate all of the,
above required traits.
The foundation breeds utilized to
achieve the Gypsy horse of today, was Shire,
Clydesdale, Friesian, and Dales pony, and is the result of a dedicated
breeding program founded and cultivated by discerning Gypsy’s.
They are the originator of the breed,
it is a breed that was produced for a purpose and a way of life, hence
the outstanding temperament, type and conformation for pulling.
Above all the horses are a sign of the
gypsy families wealth and social standing within the gypsy fraternity
the biggest best quality top breeding herd is an open statement that
they are a high ranking family.
Gypsy families of the UK have been
selectively breeding these horses, with known lineage for many years,
although it has not been recorded, but only passed down through the
spoken word.
Gypsy Horses can be any color, tobiano
marked Piebald and Skew balds are the most common, but all colors are
prized.
The intelligence and human bond is
present within this breed, right from the moment of birth, they are bred
to interact with their human family, are willing to please, and are very
trainable.
The Gypsy Horse is very compatible to
any and all riding disciplines, as well as driving.
They are wonderful equestrian
companions for Western, English, Dressage, Eventing, mountain trails,
ranch and cattle work as well as, driving, pulling,
The Gypsy Horse Breed,
is one of the rarest horses in the United States today, in June of 1998
the breed was formally introduced to the American public, and it has
grown rapidly in a relatively short space of time. It's 10 year
anniversary on US soil, will occur in 2006.
The Gypsies bred these horses for
temperament, to maintain a steady pace and not spook at the roaring of a
passing truck or unexpected happenstance on the side of the road. The
Gypsy Horse had the ultimate responsibility of protecting the family and
Caravan home in the pursuit of a new campsite, and at days end the same
Gypsy horse was expected to tolerate the antics of the gypsy children
and often they would be seen with little ones, climbing over , and under
their bodies, and the horses would not move a foot, or turn an angry
head to the wee ones.
As traveling was the Gypsy lifestyle,
most could not read or write. Thus their pedigrees and the breed’s
history were kept in the oral tradition passed down within families, or
Clans as they are known. The Gypsies are elegant story tellers as well
as shrewd bargainers. No written contracts or transfers were signed with
the sale of a Gypsy Horse. Bargain for a horse is done with the slap of
a hand. This tradition is still in practice and can be seen regularly at
the Gypsy Horse Fairs such as Appleby , England and Ballinsloe , Ireland
today.
The breed is a body type, not a color
breed, it can, and does come in many colors, with the Piebald and
Skewbald , being the most common and popular. These horses with their
brilliant coat patterns, flying mane and tail, heavy bone, and abundance
of leg feather makes this the most exciting breed to be introduced to
this country, and it is gaining in popularity, by leaps and bounds.
DNA data is being collected on every
horse registered in America , as well as some of the foundation sires
and mares even still in the UK . The influence of the American
market has dictated this requirement as the breed is formally being
recognized as such here in the US as well as in Europe .
These horses are now being recognized
for their versatility and are beginning to be seen at horse show venues
in many disciplines.
It should be noted that this breed of
horse is very attractive to the very young as it is child friendly, and
to the Baby Boomers as it is steadfast, and less likely to spook and
jump out from under their rider, as they are so docile, for this very
reason the Gypsy Horse Breed is here to stay and will only continue to
grow in numbers and followers.
Co-Authored by:
Andrea Betteridge / UK
Lynn Strauman / USA
|
