Gypsy Vanner Horse question?

Question

I have a question about Gypsy Vanner Horses. First, i need to know if they are common in the US area.

Second, i need to know all the possible websites that you can think of that sell Gypsy Vanner Horses and only them. In Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.

Third, i need to know how much square feet that just 1 Gypsy needs.

Fourth, i need to know their daily diet for a Young, Adult, and Senior Gypsy Vanner horse.

Answer 1

They take as much room as any horse does. They are generally good doers so get fat easily.

As to the rest I live in the UK and they are cheap as chips here.

Answer 2

1.)  Regarding your question about how common they are in the US - I can only speak for our part of the country - the southeast - and there are 4 breeders within 50 miles of where I live.  They fare much better in colder climates, so I would assume there are breeders further north.   I do know that they've really increased in popularity over the last 10 years.  

2.) I personally know the man (Dennis Thompson) who is responsible for "discovering" the breed in the UK, and establishing the breed here in the US, and for coming up with the name "Gypsy Vanners."  His website is www.gypsygold.com.   He's very willing to speak to anyone interested about the fascinating breed.  

3.) I assume you mean square feet for a stall.  I would say at least 14 x 14.   They are not tall horses, but are very heavy.  They are generally extremely docile, and much to my surprise very smart and easy to train.  If someone mistreats them, though, they are not at all forgiving, and and do not forget cruel people.  Personally, I loved working with them.

4.) They are very easy keepers, need only low calorie forage (grass hay) and really no grain at all, unless feeding a pregant or nursing mare.  Even those need not much in terms of supplements to forage.  I suppose if you were doing a LOT of riding, as in 3 steady hours or more a day, you might need to add calories with hard feed.  Basically, they need a diet low in NSCs (simple sugars),  and adding salt and oil would be the only supplements I would add, and oil in a small amount, only as a benefit to muscle function.  If your were to start doing dressage, you would do well to add a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement to help protect against joint derioration.   Senior horses would only need a change in diet as their teeth diminished in funcion.  A complete senior feed with beet pulp would, I assume, do the trick.  I didn't deal with any aged Gypsy Vanners.

Answer 3

1. No, they aren't very common here.

2. I don't know where it's located, but here's the only site I know of: http://www.djwwgypsyhorses.com/ Yes, BTW, Gypsy Vanners are VERY expensive.

3. Every area of the country is different. In some states, you need an acre per horse, and in others, you need 50. You have to find out the acerage for your state. Here in NY, it's an acre a horse. An acre is 100 ft by 400 ft, so every acre is 40,000 square feet.

4. It depends on the individual horse - their age, size, work, weight, etc.

Answer 4

No, they are not terribly common. I believe they have not been in America for too long. Since the mid-90's or so.

I would look on Dreamhorse.com. You can search by state and breed.

Gypsy vanners need the same amount of space any horse would need.

Keep in mind these horses are between $20,000-$40,000

Answer 5

Ok, Im going to assume that the diet is the same for any young, adult, and senior vanner is the same for any other horse. Unless I am mistaken, they are not some rare horse breed from mars, so therefore can be taken care of just like other horses. Vanners are not common in the U.S. Most breedig farms that I have found have been on the West coast or the Mid-West. Once again, vanners are like any other horse so need just as much space (about 2 acres). By the way, being that vanners are rare, be prepared to pay a hefty price for the georgous drafts.

Well, I hope that was helpful.

Happy Vanner Hunting!