After World War II, a visionary dream began to take shape among the traveling people of Britain, also known as gypsies, an umbrella term in Britain and Ireland that includes, Gypsies, Irish and Scottish travelers and a people called Didikoi, all responsible for achieving their vision of a new breed. Their goal was bold: to create the quintessential draft horse to pull their colorful caravans filled with the precious cargo of life. They envisioned the look of a small Shire horse, but with more feather, more color and a sweeter head. They were to be strong, athletic, docile, with excellent endurance and capable of living among these nomadic families and their children.

For decades, families known and unknown began breeding this special horse throughout Britain and Ireland. Impressive specimens of the breed were traded discriminately among Gypsies for large sums, indicating the great value they placed on their stock. As a society that often did not read, write, or trade outside of cash between known actors, this view of the breed became the ultimate sense of pride among the traveling British people.

Fast forward to a fateful day in 1995 in the English countryside when two Americans, Dennis and Cindy Thompson, embarked on a journey that would change their lives forever. Coming out of a traffic circle, they spotted a black and white horse in a field. As owners of more than 700 animals, their curiosity was piqued when they saw something unlike anything they had ever seen before. After stopping to talk to the farmer who was caring for the horse, they were informed that it belonged to a traveler, and that he had a band of mares similar to it that he kept hidden from view. Fascinated by what they heard and saw, they were determined to unravel the story of the little stallion, named "The Log." Although they didn't know it then, this quest would become an odyssey that would last for years, a quest for knowledge that would lead them to the heart of a colorful and much misunderstood culture and its most precious asset.

Invited by The Log's owner, Roy Evans, the Thompsons soon found themselves as the first Americans to attend the Appleby Horse Fair, the world's oldest horse fair; a place where the spirit of tradition and the pulse of gypsy life converged. For ten transformative days, they immersed themselves in the world of Gypsies and their horses, forging connections and documenting stories that would fuel their newfound obsession. They furiously amassed contact information for every Gypsy who produced a quality horse, and met extensively with each of them to learn what was and was not "the breed."

Their quest for knowledge paid off: They unearthed the post-World War II vision that gave birth to the breed. They identified the two founding stallions, "Sonny Mays" and "The Coal Horse," and the considerable influence they exerted on the breed. They decoded the genetic tapestry that brought the breed to life, taking it from the Shire, the Clydesdale, the Dales Pony and, through these three, the original Friesian. They meticulously traced the lineage of "The Log" through three countries, stood in front of the Irish Sea with their DNA verified sire, The Old Horse of Wales and Tom Price, the gypsy who bred him, as Tom proclaimed, "he was born right 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 foal I have ever bred." His research even revealed that, when he was a foal, "Cushti Bok" had been hailed as "the most sought after foal in all of Britain" at the Appleby Horse Fair. But his journey was far from over.

It was imperative to choose a name to properly identify the new breed and, more importantly, to differentiate "the breed" from similar cattle but bred indiscriminately for the restaurant industry by British and Irish Gypsy types. Sixty days prior to the introduction of the breed in the United States, breeders from all dimensions of the colorful culture responsible for the breed's development chose the official name Gypsy Vanner Horse.

Dennis and Cindy meticulously documented the Vanner breed standard; a cumulative effort of years of listening to the spoken wisdom of dedicated breeders. They imported the first two Gypsy Vanner fillies to America, Bat and Dolly (see our direct descendants of Dolly here) on November 24, 1996 in Newberg, New York. They brought the first two Vanner stallions, The Log stallion already known as Cushti Bok and The Gypsy King, to American shores on Easter Sundays in 1997 and 1998, respectively. In all, they spent more than $1 million to import fourteen mares and two stallions, which subsequently marked the beginning of the breed's introduction in June 1998 in Louisville, Kentucky, and online at www.GypsyVannerHorse.com.

More importantly, they drafted the statement of principles and fundamental objectives that founded the Gypsy Vanner Horse Society (GVHS) in November 1996, marking a historic moment for the breed and for all those that preceded it. It became the first registry in the world to formally recognize a breed developed by the Gypsies of Great Britain and Ireland, based on an in-depth study of these captivating travelers and their beloved equine companions.

Today there are more than 12,000 Gypsy Vanner horses registered among various registries. Dennis and Cindy's intention, as well as our intention at Le Rêve Noir, is to preserve the breed standard, which is that of a body type, not a color, and most importantly, to respect the wishes of the original creators of the breed-the Gypsy families known and unknown to us. While many discords may arise within the passion for the breed, our emphasis is on genetic quality and respecting the wishes of today's gypsy families that have often been forgotten by my American marketing. Prior to their popularity in the Americas, respected families with horse breeding in their blood have spent generations creating an exceptional animal. To alter these genetics and these basic standards poses a risk to the population as a whole and to what makes the breed so special to begin with.

To see our horses that are directly descended from many of the legends mentioned above (Dolly, The Gypsy King, Cushti Bok and others), click here.