Black Pearl Gypsy Farm

The music on this page Black Pearl Gypsy Farm is by The Bind. It is a band made up of myself, my husband and our long time friend Pete. If you like it we have a myspace page which is in the my top friends. (There are also other bands that we have been in within the friends area.) Enjoy! Music is a big part of my life along with gypsy horses. Black Pearl Gypsy Farm is a small breeding farm in South Mississippi. We breed quality horses. We are not at all focused on quanity but the quality is where its at. We strive to keep the gypsy breed standards. At this time we have nothing avaliable but welcome those that may want to see for themselves what this breed is about.Here is a little info that I have gathered traveling talking with gypsy breeders, other people who deal with the breed and just my own personal observations.--Some gypsy people have bred and used these horses for about 100 yrs. They were (and still are) used to pull carts and living wagons.The gypsy horses are thought to be one of the most docile and sane breeds in the world. (They do have to be well handled and use to people. You can not just pull one from the field that has never been messed with and expect it to have an in your pocket type of personality.) Gypsy children were in charge of feeding and caring for the family horse. So it would be a given that any horse that showed aggression would be given the boot.Second, due to the breed's short back, broad chest, heavy bone, and its kind intelligent traits, they are considered to be the perfect caravan horse. They not only pulled the caravan but all the household equipment inside it (gypsy people lived out of these). The women of the group drive the wagon with only the very young and elderly allowed to ride. Everyone else walked. The gypsy people and horses lead a very harsh life. Living on the road going from place to place looking for work. Not everyone could sleep in the wagon so they camped out all the time. Even in the rain and cold. They were usually not well received and were run off in some townes. The horses survived on what was on the side of the road. Being smaller than most drafts they needed less food, so did better when it was scarce. They were said to be "easy keepers".Third, the gypsy feathering, body build and color make them whimsical and breathtaking. This also makes them very recognizable. It helped keep them from getting stolen. Gypsies also did not own land for grazing so the coloring helped the horses to blend in with the cows. The gypsy children would sneak them into the fields at night, and would retrieve them in the morning.The gypsy people did not keep written record of the horses until recently. When the world discovered this breed, it was introduced to registries and a papertrail was started. DNA records started being collected. (Many buyers now are demanding DNA before purchase) The database is growing daily and hopefully it will become a little easier to find out if the horse you are buying, or have bought really has the background the seller claims. But when looking at a horse to buy do not look only at the horse's bloodlines. You have to first look at confirmation and temperment.There are many different names people use to identify these wonderful creatures; Gypsy cobs, Gypsy vanners, Irish cobs, Irish tinkers, Romany horses to name a few. It just depends on where you are in the world. They are all the same type of horse. Please don't look at just the name of the horse look at the horse itself. There is a huge misconception in the U.S. that if you call it a Vanner it is better. Each registry has wonderful horses that are all the same breed, but some people choose to call them different names. There are several different registries in the U.S. and Europe. As long as the horse fits the breed standard it can be registered with any one you choose.Due to the well handled horses being so docile many theraputic riding programs are adding these horses to their riding programs.Gypsy Horses have heavy feather, that if not cared for properly can develop sores, which are caused by mites. These sores "scratches" can eventually turn into life-threating, very painful and debilitating conditions for the horse. CPL. This is something that must be considered before you purchase any draft breed. Routine inspection is a must. There are treatments to help prevent and treat scratches.