Learn about the Gypsy Vanner, a versatile and gentle small draft horse breed for equestrians of all types.Photo by Mark J. Barrett/Adobe StockAfter World War II, the travelers (also called Gypsies) of the United Kingdom and Ireland needed a horse that could do everything: be strong enough to pull their ornate vardos, the wagons the families live in; gentle enough for the children to lead and look after, and comfortable enough to ride when needed.The travelers used their horses to pull ornate vardos, or wagons, that their families lived in. Photo by Mark J. Barrett/Adobe StockDecades of mixing native breeds like the Clydesdale and Shire with various native ponies, including the Dales and Fell, created a small, colorful draft horse with a sound mind and willing nature.The cob-type horses went unnamed for decades until Americans Dennis and Cindy Thompson fell in love with them. After much research, they imported the first ones to the U.S. in the mid-1990s.The Clydesdale, Shire, Dales and Fell are among the draft and pony breeds influential in Gypsy bloodlines. Photo by Terri Cage/Adobe StockIn 1996, with input from the travelers in Europe, they named the breed the Gypsy Vanner as a nod to the families who had created the breed. The Thompsons then founded the Gypsy Vanner Horse Society. Today, the breed continues to grow in popularity throughout the world for its beauty, versatility, good mind and gentle temperament.Meet GG Kiss Me KateBorn in May 2013, GG Kiss Me Kate (aka Kate) is a black and white Gypsy mare owned by David and Samantha Crook of Ardmore, Okla. After purchasing her as a 3-year-old, they brought her along slowly, showing her in-hand at first.Gypsy Vanners are small drafts that make great driving horses, as shown by GG Kiss Me Kate. Photo courtesy Samantha CrookWe were committed to letting her grow and mature before we began riding her, Samantha says. Their plan worked. As Kate matured, she flourished in the show ring. Her title of Winningest Gypsy Vanner in the History of the Breed means that in her 10 years of showing, she has won more titles than any other registered Gypsy horse in the U.S.In her 10 years of showing, GG Kiss Me Kate has won more titles than any other registered Gypsy horse in the U.S. Photo courtesy Samantha CrookSince its difficult for a mare to compete against a stallion, we are extra blessed to have a mare that can prove her character again and again against all sexes and all ages in all divisions, Samantha shares.When not showing, Kate loves a relaxing trail ride, to boss and groom her gelding pasture mate, or a good head hug and a peppermint from her people.What I love most about the Gypsy Vanner breed is their heart, Samantha says. Whether you have a pet or a world class show horse, they simply give you all they have. A Gypsy Vanner would rather be with you and share your affection than anything else. Yes, Kate is pretty special, but the Gypsy Vanner breed is special, too.A Gypsy Vanner as a 4-H Dream HorseAmanda Ableidinger is the 4-H leader of the Ravenna Riders in Clark County, Wash. Her unique 4-H program is made up almost entirely of Gypsies. She provides free lessons to members of her 4-H group, who show her Gypsies, including Hopkins Infinite Perfection (Infinity), a 2015 black tobiano mare. Infinity began her journey as a 4-H horse at the age of 2 with in-hand competitions. From a very young age, Infinitys ability to quickly pick up new concepts and her love for learning was astounding, says Ableidinger. Due to growth spurts, Infinity really wasnt trained under saddle until she was 4.Once again, she picked up the training so quickly that she entered into the riding part of our youth 4-H program only a few short months later.Amanda Ableidinger provides free lessons to members of her 4-H group. The kids show her Gypsies, including Hopkins Infinite Perfection (Infinity). Photo courtesy Amanda AbleidingerSince then, Infinity has been ridden by several members of the 4-H club, finding success in whatever discipline the kids want to try, from dressage freestyle and drill team to hunt seat and western.Over time, weve introduced several other new riders/handlers to her life, says Ableidinger. Not many other young horses could be patient enough to work with the newest beginner rider all the way through to the advanced. She is the type of horse that caters to each of their individual skill levels and allows her rider to learn and advance in their skills with confidence.Infinity and her main rider Evie Schubach at the Battle Ground, Wash., Harvest Days Parade. Photo courtesy Amanda AbleidingerTrue to the Gypsy breed, Infinity can take four youth riders to the same show, compete in their different age divisions, and earn high points for each of them.Without breaking a sweat, adds Ableidinger.These two Gypsies demonstrate the rule, not the exception, when it comes to the versatility and willingness of the Gypsy Vanner breed.Gypsy Vanner RegistriesIf youre looking for an all-around horse that is safe and sane, learn more by visiting the registry websites: Gypsy Vanner Horse Society The Traditional Gypsy Cob Association Gypsy Horse Registry of AmericaThis article about the Gypsy Vanner breed appeared in the January/February 2024 issue of Horse Illustratedmagazine.Click here to subscribe!The post Breed Portrait: Gypsy Vanner appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Charlotte Fry (GBR) and Glamourdale, winners of the Grand Prix at the Les Trois Rois FEI Dressage World Cup™  Final 2025 in Basel (SUI). © FEI/Ben Clark Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale entered the Les Trois Rois FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final as one of the favourites, and they more than lived up to that status. A score of 77.152% sealed the victory in the Grand Prix, which...

Martin Fuchs (SUI) and Leone Jei during the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2025 © FEI/Ben Clark Martin Fuchs (SUI) and his faithful friend, the 14-year-old gelding Leone Jei, took the honours on day two of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Basel (SUI) in front of an electric stadium full of fans after a thrilling jump-off. Max Kühner (AUT) and his...

Kathrin Meyer (GER) and Capitain Claus OLD during the Individual Female Technical Test of the J. Safra Sarasin FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final 2025 in Basel (SUI). © FEI/Benjamin Clark Germany, France and Italy lead the way after round one of the J. Safra Sarasin FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final, after a morning of intense competition which saw Kathrin Meyer (GER) and Quentin Jabet...

Charlotte Fry (GBR) and Glamourdale during the Les Trois Rois FEI Dressage World CupTM 2025. © FEI/Liz Gregg Charlotte Fry (GBR) and Glamourdale once again showcased their class, claiming their very first Les Trois Rois FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final victory with an impressive score of 88.195%. With nearly four percentage points of breathing room, the pair left no doubt about the...

Individual Female, Male and the Pas-de-Deux on the Podium at the J. Safra Sarasin FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final 2024/2025. © FEI/Ben Clark In a day for the record books, three nations took top honours at the J. Safra Sarasin FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final. French, German and Italian colours flew high with Quentin Jabet (FRA), Kathrin Meyer (GER) and Pas-de-Deux, Rebecca Greggio...

(L-R) Ben Maher (GBR), Julien Epaillard (FRA) and Kevin Staut (FRA) on the podium of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2025 in Basel (SUI). © FEI/Ben Clark Julien Epaillard (FRA) and his much-admired homebred 12-year-old gelding Donatello d’Auge emerged victorious once again in Basel (SUI) this evening as they were crowned the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2025...

Its only April, but I was hit with inspiration. Really, my kids gave me inspiration every day, and one day they started asking about ghosts.Ive tried to make ghosts funny, as kids get scared of lots of things. They are young, they dont know how the world works, and their imaginations are going wild. Their big beautiful hearts are still open to possibilities, they havent become a shriveled black mass (like mine.)Ive had my own ghostly horse experience, which I hardly remember at this point, so thank goodness I wrote about it and I can relieve the memory. But I do remember being unimpressed. I truly believe that people believe because they want to believe. They create devices that will give them the readings they want, as theres no scientific evidence of anything.BUT that doesnt mean ghost stories arent fun. I can still appreciate them for being spooky little stories, and if someone told me one right before I was walking along a dark road at night to pick up a pony, I would totally believe something could happen. My level of belief directly coincides with my environment at any given moment.Now that you know my backstory, lets get to the meat of this.Everyone knows about human ghosts. I would say they are by far the most prominent of the ghost species. Ive heard of some dog ghosts, but not many. But what about horse ghosts? Is that a thing?I had to find out. And I did.I present to you, a few horse ghost stories, along with my commentary.Enjoy!The Monomoy Island Ghost HorseAlong the shores of Massachusetts lies a little area called Cape Cod, famous for their architecture style and being expensive. But they are also known for something more sinister: Having lots of shipwrecks. Theres more than 3,000 shipwrecks over the last 300 years of recorded history.The 9 mile long stretch of Monomoy Island is a lonely place. Today its a 7,921 acre wilderness refuge, quiet except the sounds of the bird in the marshes. 200 years ago, it was also a lonely place, which is perhaps why this it was the perfect place for land pirates to set up camp. Yes, pirates, but apparently unable to secure a boat to do their pillaging, so much like a trap door spider, they lured their victims to them.They either placed some horses to graze in Marshlands, but tied lights to their necks. The bobbing motion of the lights made ships think there were moored in the area, so they would head in, thinking they were about to get some rest. Instead, they were shocked to instead hit land and become stuck and/or broken.Now it was the land pirates time to shine. They slaughtered the crew, and took the loot.But apparently the horses didnt like being an accomplice to this crime. One of them, a black stallion, decided to devote his afterlife to swimming in the waters around the island, warning boats to stay away.The spooky shoreline of Monomoy Island (Its spooky because I said it is.)That horse was really devoted to warning people, if hes out there swimming in the ocean to tell them. Horses, as we all know, are land creatures, so swimming isnt their preferred way to travel. Running along the shore, screaming (neighing), seems like a better way to warn people, but I have very little experience being a ghost horse, so its possible there are limitations Im not aware of. I dont know how they were able to distinguish a black horse, let alone a black stallion (how are they checking?)out in the water, in the middle of the night. When a horse swims, you basically only see its head. Its not like you can see the whole body.I would also like to point out that the only evidence I found of this ghost is one website and a tiktok, likely made based on the website. So take that as you will.But now you know the story of the Black Stallion of Monomoy Island. Woooooooooooooooo! Spooky!The Ghostly Stallion of RamsdenAcross the pond in the UK are more sightings of ghost horses, luckily this time on land, where you can actually tell it is a horse and not a seal.In West Oxfordshire, a white ghost stallion has been seen at Ramsden Road. He was last seen in the 1990s, when he was seen coming out of the Garden Center and galloping away. Another time, he was seen galloping into the Garden Center.What we can learn from this is ghost horses really love garden centers.No one really knows who the ghost horse is. The area has been occupied by humans since the Roman times, so thats quite a bit of history to shift through. Its also possible this ghost was created by horse drama that had nothing to do with humans (Im not sure why humans think they have to be at the center of everything!).But since it seems the ghost horse has retired from his hauntings, we may never know.Esgehill Battlefield GhostWhite Horse Road, in Edgehill got its name from the ghostly white horse that runs along it. Its a pretty frequent visitor, certainly enough that it got the road named after it.Its believed the ghost is from the nearby Battle of Edgehill, a solders horse that was separated from him. Edgehill is the most haunted battlefield in England, as distinguished by official British Public Record.The battle was a bloody one, with many deaths and 200 maimed soldiers, left behind who received no relief from doctors or surgeons. The battlefield was abandoned, with the dead still laying where they fell.After the battle, the villagers noticed ghostly apparitions and noises coming from the battlefield. It was so widely reported that Charles I sent his officers to investigate.Shockingly, they actually saw something: a great vision filled the sky of strange and portentous apparitions of two jarring and contrary armies the same incorporeal soldiers that made those clamours, the clattering of arms, noise of cannons, ensigns displayed, drums beating, muskets going off, cannons discharged, horses neighing, cries of soldiers, and the two armies pell-mell to it they went. So amazing and terrifying the poor men, that they could not believe they were mortal, or give credit to their eyes and ears; run away they durst not, for fear of being made a prey to these infernal soldiers, and so they, with much fear and affright, stayed to behold the success of the business.The ghosts were so solid, the officers were even able to identify some of them, including Sir Edmund Verney, the Kings standard bearer.The ghosts fought for three hours before they vanished into the sky.The officers wrote up their official report, which was published on January 23, 1643, titled A Great Wonder in Heaven, showing the late apparitions and prestigious Noises of the War and Battles, seen at Edgehill, near KinetonAfter this, the villagers took it upon themselves to finally bury the bodies of the fallen soldiers. The ghosts stopped appearing, but its said that noises from the battle can still be heard.And, apparently, at least one horse from the battle still gallops along White Horse Road.Horse ghost stories seem to be pretty rare, which is unfortunate, because Id love to hear more.Do you have a horse ghost story? Let me know!The post Horse Ghost Stories appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

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The future looks very bright with a huge entry for both the 4- and 5-year-olds for the Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse classes at this years horse trials.One hundred horses have been entered with some well-known names of the sport hoping to qualify for the final which is held at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials each year.With each horse and rider combination asked to perform a dressage test, complete a course of showjumps and then come before the Confirmation Judge to be awarded points for its suitability for the sport, it is always an exciting spectacle and a chance to watch some of eventings best-known riders showcase their young, potential stars.This year will see the likes of Kitty King, Holly Woodhead, James Avery, Nick Gauntlett, Paulo Torlonia, Aoife Clarke and Pau 5* winner Caroline Harris aim to gain one of the golden tickets that will take them to the final in September.The Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse classes are held on the Slates, just across the road from the main horse trials site, on Wednesday May 7th with the 4-year-old class starting the day off at 8.30am.For those wishing to see the entries, the 4 year old entries can be found here and the 5 year old entries here.