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Lineage & Bloodlines
Gypsy CaraVanners not only values a traditional gypsy horse, as the Gypsy's intended them to be, but believes diversity is key to ensuring a sound breed in the future.
Bloodlines Include: The Lottery Horse, Cushti Bok, Shampoo Girl, Little Checkers, Legend Boy, The Lion King, Thunder, Blue, Robert Watson's Old Horse, The Old Black Horse, The Coal Horse, The Old Horse of Wales, The Old Horse of Ireland, The Rocking Horse, Chief, & many other incredible gypsy vanner/cobs.
The Gypsy Vanner Breed
More Information on the Gypsy Vanner Breed will be posted soon!
All of Gypsy CaraVanners horses are registered with the Gypsy Vanner Horse Society (GVHS).
For now, please visit the GVHS website for Breed Standard Information: http://vanners.org/about-the-breed/breed-standard/
How did the Gypsy Vanner Horse come to America?
Cushti Bok
-The Horse Who Started it All-
Cushti Bok statistics:
Pedigree: The Old Horse of Wales x Callie
Year of birth: 1991
Weight: 1150 lbs.
Height: 14 hands
Color: homozygous tobiano
GVHS #: GV00001F
Foals born in US (as of 2010): 70
In 1998 I wrote: "He's a one off" said the proud man with words and accent unique to his heritage. "Look all you want, you won't find any better" was his challenge. Cindy and I knew we had stumbled upon a special horse on thatfateful day, but our senses told us to believe that he was the tip of the iceberg.
We felt we would find many stallions just as good as this unusual horse. The stallion was not for sale but we were left with the impression that after the next breeding season he would consider selling him. For Cindy and me, this was good news. We had at least a year to accept the challenge of finding other stallions with the same qualities that were so unique to this horse.
After looking at hundreds of horses, we identified two stallions with equal qualities, both not for sale. We returned to our original find with the confidence that this stallion was truly rare. Unfortunately, a new crop of foals only increased his value in the eyes of the man who owned him. We were quoted a price that was considerably higher than what we thought we would have to pay for him. Our decision was to continue our search for these unique horses, before we agreed to pay his price.
Several months passed as we continued our research. Near the end of one trip that involved extensive driving, Cindy and I were involved in a head-on collision. Fortunately it was a low speed accident, but any head-on collision can involve serious injuries. Cindy had not yet fastened her seat belt and was thrown into the windshield with enough force to break the window and cause extensive swelling and discoloration to her face. Thankfully, the doctor who examined her felt that her injuries would heal.
As we drove a replacement car back to the airport for out flight home, we discussed the miles we had driven in search of stallions that were worthy of becoming the foundation of a new breed in America. It was incredible that the original horse we had found continued to be one of the best we had ever seen. Exhausted and bruised, we both agreed that he was indeed a one of a kind or as our Gypsy friend would say, "A one off".
We made a decision to stop at a public phone and tell the man who owned this stallion that we would pay his price. Cindy stood next to me with the excitement of a dream fulfilled. When the man answered I told him that Cindy and I had decided to pay his price. He responded by telling me that his horse was too hard to replace and that he would need considerably more if he was to sell him. My response was "NO", spoken with the conviction of certainty. I will never forget the tears of sadness and disappointment that fell from Cindy's bruised and swollen face. The stallion that was so much the centerpiece of our journey would not be the first stallion in America.
We resigned ourselves to the fact that the best we could expect to achieve was the purchase of colts from the best stallions we had discovered. Upon returning to America, I called the man who owned the stallion and requested that if there was a great colt from this stallion, we would be interested in looking at him on our next trip.
A few months passed before we returned. We called with apprehension, but were pleasantly surprised to learn that he did indeed have a colt for us to see. We drove with the excitement of seeing a young reflection of the stallion we had pursued for so long. Upon arrival, we were invited into his caravan for a cup of tea. After sharing small talk about our long journey, there was silence. When we spoke again, he said with eyes full of emotion that he had decided to sell us his special stallion and at the price we had last offered. Cindy and I could not believe what we were hearing. We shook hands to honor the agreement and he wished us good luck. "Good luck" translated to the language of the Gypsy is "Cushti Bok". It was no small amount of "good luck" the day that Cindy and I saw this unusual horse in a distant field.
On Easter Sunday, 1997, Cushti Bok stepped onto American soil to become the first Gypsy Vanner Horse stallion in North America.
In March of 1999, Cushti Bok became the sire of the first Gypsy Vanner Horse colt born in North America. He'd been bred to Dolly, a daughter of The Gypsy King, who is one of America's first Gypsy Vanner Horse fillies. With Dolly and Cushti Bok, the legend began.
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What a trip it has been! The true story of Cushti Bok, the world’s first selectively bred horse raised by Gypsies to be recognized as a breed seems surreal. We met him by chance but it was pure passion that drove us to understand the vision and genetics that created him. On the long journey...
· We became the first Americans to ever attend the oldest Gypsy Horse fair in the world, Appleby.
(Cushti Bok was - as the Gypsy predicted - better than any horse we saw there!).
· We traced his genetic history through three countries.· We found his DNA proven sire, The Old Horse of Wales. (The Old Horse was one of the breed's greatest sires). · We stood overlooking the Irish Sea with The Old Horse of Wales and the Gypsy who raised Cushti Bok as he pointed to a clearing under a tree and said, “He was born right over there; I will never forget the day he was born. I held him in my arms and knew he was special... he is the best colt I ever raised”.
· We uncovered the vision that created him and his breed. (The vision to create the perfect caravan horse or ‘Vanner’ was born soon after World War Two).
· We traced the breeds' genetic origins back to the two stallions that inspired it (Sonny Mays and The Coal Horse).
· We named the unknown and unnamed breed Gypsy Vanner Horse (with the approval and blessings of Gypsies)· We established the first breed registry in the world for a selectivelybred horse raised by Gypsies: The Gypsy Vanner Horse Society. Cushti Bok is GV00001F (the 'F' is for foundation).
To this day the best breed specimen I have ever seen was a daughter of Cushti Bok.
The Gypsy who owned Cushti Bok was holding her back as a gift to his son .
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"He's a one off" said the proud man with words and accent unique to his heritage.
He is indeed.
-Dennis Thompson.
*Courtesy of Dennis Thompson, Gypsy Gold