Front Page Stories
Big Hair
By Ruthann Smith, creator of Lucky Braids All-In-One Shampoo
We all love to look at big, flowing manes, tails and feathers. But, let’s face it: they can be a bear and don’t always look that clean and dreamy.
The good news is the way you can achieve the very best hair is actually easy. It only requires a shift in your routine. This article will share how I discovered the benefits in this paradigm, as well as how to achieve big, shiny and flowing manes, tails and feathers that are easy to maintain.
Over the last few years I have traveled to the Bahamas to: consult for a private stable, teach Top Turnout Clinics, go to shows and (I have to share) swim with the horses. It was glorious! My friend named Baby could not get enough of the water!
In the Bahamas, I had the opportunity to study the coats of five Gypsy horses over years. One showed in jumper classes, so I braided him. I even puffed up feathers for a book photo shoot. Having professionally braided 12,000+ manes and tails, much of my life has been lived with hands in horses’ hair. So, the venture into the Gypsy horse reality was the kind of thing that really inspired me.
Gypsy horses typically have an inordinate amount of hair. Usually, when a horse has so much, braiders figure they can afford to lose some. Big hair is difficult to twist. Braiding the Gypsy mane had me grumbling a bit, I admit. But, when I next returned to find only a fraction of the mane left, I was saddened.
From the Judge’s Angle
Four Gypsy Horse Judges Give the Inside Scoop on Breed Standards and Conformation.
By Kandace York
“Those Gypsy horses are just pinto draft-crosses.”
It’s one of the most insulting things someone can say about the Gypsy horse. As breed insiders know, it is completely wrong. But without a solid blood-based registry, that can be tough to prove or explain.
This month, Gypsy Horse Journal talks with four experts about the breed standard and its role in showing that the Gypsy horse is so much more than “just a pinto draft-cross.”
Simona’s Story
A Special Connection
Like many little girls, Simona Forsyth dreamed of nothing but horses. Her parents indulged this passion when she was seven by taking her to get riding lessons. One day, the Forsyths saw a Gypsy horse. The parents’ initial impression was, “wow.” But Simona’s feelings went deeper. She says, “I felt a special connection, something inside of me that was hard to explain.” Actually, it’s not surprising Simona felt that way, for she is a Roma Gypsy child, adopted as a toddler by her American parents.
Training Tips with Ron Chauvin
Bridle Beginnings
In this installation of the Gypsy Horse Journal’s Training Tips, we continue with Ron Chauvin, respected natural horsemanship trainer located in Erin, Ontario. In this issue, Ron helps Gypsy horse owners introduce their Gypsy horse to accepting the bridle. Read on for exercises you can try with your Gypsy horse!
GHJ: Ron, what should a rider keep in mind when introducing the bridle to a green Gypsy horse?
RC: It is important to understand that when you first put a bit in a horses mouth he knows nothing about the pressure he finds himself under. It is the rider’s responsibility to teach a horse what the pressure means in a manner that agrees with the horse. The manner I find that best fits a horse is to teach them how to maneuver all four quarter of their body by teaching them how to do a one-rein stop. The one-rein stop is an excellent method to show a horse that you can control his feet and he can still have his self-preservation. If you can control a horse’s feet you can control his mind.
