It is not the same as riding a horse, maintaining a horse, and keeping it in your house.
Riding a horse doesn’t fetch a huge amount but when you are thinking to own one, then you have to look around many factors to assure that you have a good deal in the market and research about the cost of the Gypsy Horse, how to maintain it, its feeding cost, health cost, etc.
It is the fact that, in any way, the cost of the Gypsy Horse in the market is not cheap. Therefore, to decide about the cost and owning a horse, those elements play the main role.
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What is the average cost of a Gypsy Vanner horse?
$10,000 to $40,000 is the average cost of a Gypsy Vanner Horse. The cost is high due to their rarity in North America. Among horse breeds, Gypsy Horse is the more expensive one.
How Much Does a Gypsy Horse Cost?
Gypsy horses cost around $45,000 to $60,000 and more, which are trained in shows, and the uncastrated adult male horse costs more.
The other names of Gypsy Horse are Gypsy Vanner, Irish cob, Galineers, etc. The origin of these horses in Ireland and the UK. This variety of horses are domesticated and commonly come with ‘brown and white’ and ‘black and white’ in colour. But all colours are allowable in this breed.
The high pricing elements of Gypsy horses are bloodline, colour, age, show record, and training.
Maintenance cost of a Gypsy Horse
One should research the monthly cost of this breed before buying one. Although contingent upon the horse lives in a stall or on grazing land, the boarding costs $150 to $1,000 per month.
Cost of breeding, primary care, and food includes inboard facility. Every 6-8 weeks, the horse needs its hoovers done by a farrier, and it costs around $45 to $150.
In 6 months to a year, dentistry costs around $80 to $250, and veterinary costs $200 to $400 annually.
For the thick and long feathering tail of Gypsy horse, you need to take care and buy shampoo and conditioner.
The Gypsy horses are too hairy and it is their beauty. So their skin is sensitive and any skin disease can attack them easily. So for their healthy hair, you should give them supplements.
So for these reasons they need high maintenance. If your horse lives in a muddy area, you have to be extra careful about its hairy leg and tail.
Because, if the mud stays in it for a long time, it leads to bacterial problems. This condition applies in the rainy season too.
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Influencing elements of cost of a Gypsy Horse
When you decide to own a Gypsy horse, you should know some elements about the breed that helps you to buy the right one and estimate the cost.
Age and characteristics:
A Well-arched neck, powerful body structure, straight and broad head, and leg, tail full of feathers are the supreme qualities of a Gypsy horse. Unfortunately, these types of characteristics of a horse generally cost more.
The age factor also influences the cost of this breed. The perfect age is 7-14. They are in their fittest time between this age period, and riding and driving power are high. Therefore, after this age period, the cost of this horse is decreased.
Bloodlines:
Bloodline plays a very important role in the cost of all kinds of breeds as well as Gypsy horses. With a great history of exceptionally high quality, a horse costs a lot.
From North America to the US, the first Gypsy was imported and named ‘The Gypsy King’. For its good looks, that horse was featured on magazine covers and calendars. The Gypsy King was a stud horse and used for breeding.
Training:
All age groups of people love to ride and own Gypsy horses because of their cleverness, activeness, and energetic character.
They are experts in driving and riding. However, the professional trainer has to work hard on them many times a week to keep them in shape and prepare them for competition.
So the training cost is high. From regular horses (the horse that is only used for riding), the trained horse is more expensive.
Show Records:
For training to maintain calm and attentiveness in exhibitions and shows, the Gypsy horses are more popular. This is because their body structure should be attractive, and they should be extraordinary in the crowd.
This breed is most famous as a show horse. The trainer trained them to keep in discipline and how to please the audience. The horse with a majestic show record will cost up to $25,000.
Colour:
The standard colour of Gypsy horse is irregular patches of two colours, mainly ‘black and white’, ‘brown and white’, and ‘white and other colors’ named piebald and skewbald horse. But according to the registry of horses, any pattern and any colour of this breed are granted. Rarely, these horses are found in grey and palomino colour, and they are more expensive than others.
Food:
Gypsy vanner has a slow metabolism system compared to similar-sized horses, and it requires a special diet. Therefore, you should not give Gypsy horses high-sugar food.
They require a high fat and low sugar diet. They need good quality food and supplements for their busy hair. The breed can quickly gain weight, so you may fix an amount for its grazing and stop them from having a lot of grass.
Suitable climate and condition for Gypsy Horse
Ireland is a wet and cold area, and the Gypsy horse comes from that region. In winter, the temperature decreases to minus, and it becomes a freezing environment there.
So this breed can survive without shelter and manage the wet and cold situation. But this breed suffers in July when the temperature touches 62 degrees Fahrenheit in Ireland.
So if you keep your Gypsy in a hot temperature, you have to ensure that the horse has a place to escape from the sun.
History of Gypsy Horse
To drag the caravan or vardoes in which the Romanichal people of Great Britain usually live and travel, they used Gypsy horses till the first 20 years of 20th.
They usually used it to travel and sleep in the cart or under it. To pull the caravan, the horses were trained in particular ways.
They were to walk nonstop until reaching the top of the hill. Because once they stop, they can’t climb.
At An early age, the training began. At that time, the owner of Gypsy horses considered them as their family and took care of them, and provided good quality grass for grazing.
The society and breed Association were formed in 1996.
● Gypsy Vanner Horse Society was formed in 1996.
● The Irish Cob society was formed in 1998.
● The Gypsy cob and Drum horse Association was formed in 2002
● The Gypsy Cob Society of America and Gypsy Horse Registry of America was formed in 2003.
● The Australasian Gypsy Horse Society was formed in 2007.
● The New Zealand Gypsy Cob Association was formed in 2012.
History of Its Name
The oldest name of this breed was Irish Cob. Generally, ‘cob’ means a short-legged horse rather than a breed.
According to the Associations, many of this breed has other names such as Tinker Cob, Gypsy Cob, Gypsy Vanner, etc.
Dennis and Cindy Thompson, Gypsy Vanner Horse Society members, imported this horse to North America. ‘Vanner’ is defined as a light draught horse capable of pulling an omnibus or wheeled vehicle till 1888.
The Irish Cob society in 1998, the Gypsy Cob Association in 2002, and the Drum HorseAssociation in 2003 named this breed ‘cob’, which Romani breeders used.
“Gypsy Horse” was given by the Gypsy Horse Association in 2008, and their official website also updated the name. Additionally, this Association renamed itself as Gypsy Horse Registry of America in 2008.
Uses of Gypsy Horse
Appleby Horse Fair is the largest traditional horse fair in Europe in which the Gypsy horses are exhibited.
Many travellers came to this fair with their vardoes and caravans.
In 2004, John s. Hockersmith, an American photographer, travelled with the Harker family to make a documentary. He travelled 97km to the bow-top living wagons.
In 2004, August 28-29, at Colorado Horse Park, the first known Horse show was performed by Gypsy horses.
The Gypsy Vanner Horse Society associated the Ohio state fair in which the Gypsy Vanner horse show was held.
In many equestrian sports, the Gypsy Horse is used in the US. The United States Dressage Federation allows horses registered with GVHS and announces the Gypsy Vanner horse Society as an affiliate member.
What is the gypsy horse used for?
Nowadays, this breed is used in films like ‘free rein, Bob, and Heartland’, and in many animation movies, the Gypsy Horse is used as a character. In military marches, the Gypsy horses are used traditionally and not used in wars anymore.
How to Save money with Gypsy Horse
In real life, buying a horse is not possible for everyone. But there are many alternatives available. The horse owners sometimes offer to lease horses. This is a perfect deal to have an experience partially or fully as per your mindset, without excessive money to buy one. Limited liability companies offer a split cost of purchasing a new horse with partnership, which is another option for owning a Gypsy Vanner Horse.
