All About the Horse Breeds and Equestrian Sports

Old Mill Farm Videos are now available. See our farm stallions and stock! Email to request one!

New photos and videos on the stallions and sales page.

Old Mill Farm now offers, horse leasing with the option to show and we now operate a full service private boarding facility! Not sure how to go about purchasing or leasing, contact us! Get more info here.

Equestrian Sports

Equestrian sport brings together the different disciplines that can be practiced with a horse or pony. Equestrian racing is very popular especially with sports betting. There is a multitude of equine sports. The most popular are: Dressage, The obstacle, Cross-country, Aerobatics, Walks, Horseball, Endurance, etc. However, it seems that the most prominent is one that excludes a human, such as horse racing. Horse racing rapidly gained popularity in the betting world, where people won and lost a severe amount of money. Many horse breeds are considered the best for this type of sport, including Gypsy Vanner horses. It is evident that horses are fascinating animals with human intelligence, and above all it’s hard not to fall in love with this incredible creature.

News

Check our Press page often. It is updated regularly with national events with Gypsy Horses and Drum Horses in attendance.

Stallions currently at stud or Offspring available

Registered Gypsy Vanners, Slainte, Cobalt and Tonka.

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*Coming in the future, a new Vanner stallion.

Registered Drum Horse, Chew Mill Guinness

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1/2009 – Old Mill Farm is happy to announce that we have added three new Gypsy Vanner mares to our herd!! Pictures coming soon!

9/07 – We have to offer a congratulations to Elyse Kaplan, an OMF student. Elyse qualified and participated in 4-H districts. That show took place September 8th! Elyse took 1st(Championship) in the English Equitation class and English Pleasure class for her division riding Gypsy Vanner Dobbin! (5 riders from 5 districts qualified, with a final turnout of about 12-14 kids in each class!) We are so proud of both Elyse and Dobbin!!

7/07 – Ohio State Fair Show Results. Slainte once again took the Gypsy Vanner Stallion Championship, as well as placing in the top of all of his performance classes. Two of his offspring, OMF’s Keepsake and a Colt bred and owned by the Burns family of MI took 2nd in the Offspring class. Slainte’s 2006 Vanner filly took Reserve Champion in the Futurity filly class and 3rd out of 9 in the regular Vanner filly class. A congrats goes out to Big Pine Farm, The Osborne family’s colt, BPF Barrett (now owned by the LeVan’s who also own Keepsake) that is in training with Old Mill Farm also took Reserve Champion in the futurity class and 3rd in the Vanner colt class! We offer our congratulations to them!

6/07 -SHOW RESULTS: Slainte took Champion Vanner Stallion at the Wapakoneta, Ohio 2 day, double points Vanner show, both Saturday and Sunday and 3rd in his Western Pleasure Class. BPF Barrett, now owned by The LeVan’s of Ohio, who is in training with Old Mill Farm took Reserve Champion on Saturday and Old Mill Farm’s Vanner Stallion, Cobalt took Reserve Champion on Sunday! An Old Mill Farm bred Vanner filly, owned by the LeVan family of Ohio, OMF’s Keepsake, took 4th place in the North American Bred Class (out of 12) on Saturday as well as 2nd along side Slainte in the Get of Sire Class. On Sunday, Keepsake took 2nd place out of 9 in the Vanner Fillies (2 and under) and alongside Slainte, took 1st in the Get of Sire Class. (The heat index was 100 on Sunday, we scratched all of our afternoon performance classes.)

*** 7/28 and 7/29. Once again, we congratulate Elyse Kaplan on a win in her English Pleasure Class, 2nd in the English Equitation and 3rd in Showmanship. (At an Open show on Sunday in a 4-H All Day class, Elyse took 5th place and placed over some Senior 4-H riders, English and Western!!) Elyse also qualified for 4-H districts to be held at Butler. She was 1st in points for her division in English Pleasure, 2nd for Equitation and 3rd in Showmanship! Congratulations Elyse! Megan Kaplan again won her Leadline class, out of 6

(At the Fayette County Open Show held on Sunday July 29…we also took Vanner Stallions, Cobalt and Slainte. Slainte place in every performance class, out of very full classes of at least 10. (3rd thru 5th place) Cobalt took 3rd in the halter class and Slainte took 4th, out of 9 horses, mostly Quarter Horses.)

7/21. Another Congratulations goes out to Elyse Kaplan who took 2nd place in Showmanship, English Pleasure w/t, W/T Equitation and Egg and Spoon, out of full classes! Also a BIG congratulations goes out to our youngest student, 6 year old Meghan Kaplan, who won her very first Leadline class.

Congratulations to Old Mill Farm student, Elyse Kaplan and Gypsy Vanner gelding Dobbin for taking 2nd place in their Showmanship Class, 1st in their Equitation Class and 1st again in their English Pleasure Class at the second 4-H show of the season!! Keep up the good work guys!!!***

Old Mill Farm would like to offer a huge congratulations to Karen Baker and her Drum Horse mare, Genivee! Genivee is out of our Vanner mare, Bonny and Drum Horse Stallion, Chew Mill Guinness. Genivee and Karen have begun their show career with a bang taking 1st and 2nd in their Dressage tests!!! Genivee also drives! See her in action! We also have a half-sister to Genivee available, Thistle.

5/07 – We have a nice variety of horses available. Our Sales Page has been updated with more Vanners and new foals for sale! (Including a unique Cobalt Gypsy Vanner colt!) We also have a mature Friesian mare available as well.

Update! The Kentucky Gypsy and Drum Horse Classic went very well, with a turnout of about 45 horses. Our Gypsy Vanner stallion, Slainte took 1st in the (Gypsy) stallion class and The Championship as well. Cobalt took third in that same stallion class. Our Drum Horse Stallion, Chew Mill Guinness also won the Drum Horse Stallion class and took the Drum Horse Championship! Keepsake an Old Mill Farm bred Gypsy Vanner filly also took a second in her filly class out of 9 and took first in the “Bred by Class” More info will follow on the “Press” page soon! Also check each horse’s page for photos!

See us with Drum Horse stallions, Chew Mill Guinness, Killian’s Irish Red, Vanner stallions, Slainte, Cobalt and Vanner filly, Keepsake at The Kentucky Gypsy Horse Classic (held at the Kentucky Horse Park) May, 4-6, 2007! We will be arriving Early Friday Morning.

Our new Boarding Facility is open!!! Get more info here!!!

3/2007 – 2007 foals are arriving!! The first foal of the year is a Friesian Filly out of Aahnya by Teade. We are thrilled and would like to thank Big Pine Farm for helping us with this endeavor! The second is a TB / Vanner cross colt. The third to date, born May 6, 2007, is a strapping Drum Horse colt out of Chew Mill Guinness and Lady. On June 16, 2007, A colt out of Bonny by Cobalt was born! See our Sales page for details!

1/2007 – We have updated and added to our Gypsy Horse and Drum Horse Sales Page.

9/06 – See us September 22-24 at the Gypsy Vanner Horse Show in Oklahoma during the State Fair, with Slainte, Cobalt and Dobbin!

Oklahoma Update: Gypsy Vanner stallion, Cobalt wins his first Supreme Championship and takes a blue in his performance class, as a three year old!

8/06 – We are now offering outside Stallion Collection and Equine Semen analysis at Old Mill Farm, by certified reproduction technicians. See our Services page for more info.

– Check out our mares page for our two new Vanner mares, Shona and Bella!!!

Update: The first of our new mares has just arrived. Bella officially joined the heard Labor Day weekend! Shona arrived safe and sound at the end of October. See them on our Gypsy Horse Mares page.

6/06 – Check out our Gypsy Horses and Drum Horses for sale. We have a new registered Drum Horse colt, OMF’s Royal Doubletake and a stunning registered Gypsy Vanner filly, OMF’s Keepsake, available!

4/06 – “Must See” new photos up of Gypsy Vanner, Cobalt, from Equine Affaire in Ohio. New Gypsy Vanner “Slainte” and Drum Horse “Chew Mill Guinness” photos too!

2/06. Slainte was awarded “2005 Gypsy Vanner High Point Performance Horse” by the Gypsy Vanner Horse Society.

The first two Friesians to ever set foot on Old Mill Farm are here! Check out Big Pine Farm’s gelding Keenan on the Gypsy Horse For Sale Page (Please contact us for Owner’s info) and their Mare, Aahnya under “Our Horses” (here for extended training and breeding – Update, we have now decided to lease Aahnya, she is in foal to Iron Springs Farm Friesian stallion, Teade!).

Look for our stallions at area shows and Gypsy Horse shows. Check out our Press page for details.

11/05. We now have new photos of Cobalt up! See our stallion’s page.

-NEW! We now have a nice Ride and Drive Gypsy Horse mare available for sale. Please contact us for information – SOLD

10/05 Yes, the rumors are true…Old Mill Farm is adding a new Gypsy Horse stallion to the herd! See our Stallions page for more details!

9/05 Equine Affaire in Louisville was great. Slainte represented the GVHS breed booth, as did the Gypsy Vanner Horse stallion we have in for training owned by Wildcreek Farm, Cobalt. (Update, we now co-own Cobalt with Wildcreek Farm!) CM Guinness, the only Drum Horse to participate, represented the GCDHA’s booth. See our Press page and visit our stallion’s page for pictures and event details!

9/05 News! Several GVHS members participated in the Hardin County Fair in Ohio, on September 9, 2005. There were a total of 8 Gypsy Vanners, including our stallion Slainte!

9/05 Come see us at Equine Affaire in Louisville, KY, September 16-19, 2005. Old Mill Farm’s horses CM Guinness, Slainte and Cobalt, owned by Wildcreek Farm, will all be there! You can see us at either The Gypsy Cob and Drum Horse Association or The Gypsy Vanner Horse Society’s Booths.

8/05 News! The GVHS Ohio State Show held August 13, 2005 has concluded. Our Gypsy Vanner Stallion, Slainte was named Supreme Grand Champion, among various other wins!!! See Slainte’s page or Press for more details!!! Visit Angel and Boromir’s pages, two of our Gypsy Vanners, for their results.

-The Gypsy Vanner and Drum Horse Stallions all have been updated!

-Three fabulous stallions stand at Old Mill Farm! Our Drum Horse stallion”Chew Mill Guinness”,Our Gypsy Horse stallion “Slainte”, registered Gypsy Vanner. Also, our newly acquired co-owned Gypsy Vanner stallion, Cobalt. See each stallion’s page for more details.

We are proud members of the following organizations.

The American Drum Horse Association (ADHA)

The Gypsy Vanner Horse Society (GVHS)

The Great Lakes Gypsy Vanner Horse Club (GLGVHS)

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF)

The United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA)

Friesian Horse Association of North America (FHANA)

The American Driving Society

The American Riding Instructor’s Association

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Old Mill Farm has been involved with the Gypsy Horse since 2001. We embarked on this journey to learn as much as we could about the Gypsy Horse breed while producing the finest stock for usability. We are also one of the few farms in the country to seriously breed Drum Horses. Old Mill Farm breeds both for performance and purpose, while concentrating on conformation, temperament and presence! When we say we are breeding performance horses, we mean “we ARE breeding performance horses”. Our breeding stock are out there, competing and making names for themselves! We are not resting on our reputation, but building it every day. Read more about Old Mill Farm.

Gypsy Horses are taking this country by storm! We are dedicated to breeding the traditional Gypsy Horse for use in all realms of competition and general horsemanship. Our horses are used everyday be it for our Lesson Academy, enjoying a quiet trail ride, competition or taking a Sleigh Ride in the Winter…Our Gypsy Horses do it all!

Our Gypsy Horse stallion, Slainte has proven himself over and over. He has excelled in his training and has wowed crowds at demos and horse shows alike. He has won numerous Championship titles at Sanctioned Vanner Shows, as well as placing in the blue at Open shows! Currently to our knowledge, he holds the most American won Championships.

There are multiple associations for the Gypsy Horse, The Gypsy Vanner Horse Society and The Gypsy Cob & Drum Horse Association, are two of them. We primarily register and support the Gypsy Vanner Horse Society, however our foundation Gypsy Horse stock are also registered with the Gypsy Cob and Drum Horse Association.

We also breed ADHA (American Drum Horse Association) registered Drum Horses. Our foundation Drum Horses are also registered with the GCDHA.

Drum Horses are becoming more popular with every passing day! Old Mill Farm’s first Drum Horse, and this country’s first, our stallion Chew Mill Guinness, was imported from England in 2002. Utilizing the Gypsy Horse in combination with the Clydesdale and the Shire, we are building an all around heavy riding horse with some color!

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-What is a Gypsy Horse? Gypsy Horses, are a new breed here in the states, but a small number of breeders have been selectively breeding them in England and in some cases Ireland for many years! The Romany people used them to pull ornate carts and vardos while traveling from town to town. “Modern Romany people” have since settled down in permanent housing, but travelers can still be seen today!

The Gypsy Horse, is normally of smaller draft horse build, but on occasion you may see one that is larger than 15 hands. They have an abundance of feather and long flowing manes and tails. Most often they are of pinto coloring. Recently, just about every color of horse imaginable has been represented by the Gypsy Horse. From solid black to buckskin!

A note on the term “Vanner Horse”. In England, horses that were used to pull vans (as in delivery carts) were known as “Van Horses” and sometimes in slang, were referred to as “Vanners”. After quite a bit of research and talking with natives to England, there was never one type of horse used for this particular job, nor were they widely known as “Vanners”, rather simply, “A Van Horse”. If you here this reasoning against the term “Gypsy Vanner”, it is most likely a marketing ploy, we would suggest you do some more research! The “American” term “Gypsy Vanner” was developed with the reasoning that The Gypsy or Romany people bred these particular horses to pull “Caravans”, also known as “vardos” or “vans”. Hence the name, “Gypsy Vanner”.

In America, the Gypsy Horse may be known as Gypsy Vanner, Gypsy Cob, Irish Cob or Tinker, among many other names. However in the UK and surrounding regions, this horse may be called, “Coloured Cob”, “Traditional Cob”,”Bog Cob” and some generic colored registries have been referring to them as simply “Vanners”, among others. When you see “Gypsy Cob”, “Gypsy Horse”, “Gypsy Vanner” used on a UK or Irish site, it is primarily due to American influence. These horses are still very rare in the United States. There are right around 600 Vanners in the country. (Information from the Gypsy Vanner Society)

The Gypsy Horse is suitable to just about every discipline and due to their easy going temperaments and willing dispositions, make a great family or first time horse!

Our mission is to breed the finest Gypsy Horses and best lines that we can. We are not breeding or mass-importing. We do utilize embryo transfer in order to free up our mares for show purposes and to breed a mare to more than one stallion, on a limited basis not year to year. Our stallions are not standing to the public to ensure that their value as well as their foal’s value, remains high. When we choose to sell a horse, we take the time to make sure that the horse is going to be a good fit for it’s potential new owner. We will happily supply references!

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-What is a Drum Horse? Drum Horses are NOT large Gypsy Horses! They are a “type” of horse that were, and still are to this day, used in England’s parades and Queen’s processions. However, this new breed holds a different meaning here in the US. There is a lot of history and meaning surrounding this breed, please visit our Drum Horse Breed Info section for more details! (We also suggest you visit www.drumhorseassociation.com for more valuable info surrounding the Drum Horse’s history and development here in America. )

-For News and Happenings in the Gypsy Horse and Drum Horse industry, or to find out where you may be able to see a Gypsy Horse, Gypsy Vanner or a Drum Horse in person, please visit our Press Page!

Questions? Email us or visit our Frequently Asked Questions Page! We are always happy to answer questions.