- Skills / Disciplines
- Beginner, Draft, Experienced, Finished, Flashy, Homozygous, Homozygous Tobiano, Husband Safe, Lesson, Longe Line, Parade, Ridden Western, School, Trail, Trail Riding, Trained, Western Pleasure, Western Riding
Additional Comments
I have a very special 14 year old purebred gypsy vanner mare. She is well broke to ride and has been ridden extensively in a riding lesson program and since January 2023 she has been leased by an individual who rides her or exercises her a minimum of 3 times a week. She has been ridden in Christmas parades with sirens, people and lots of other horses, many that misbehave, all around her and it does not phase her. She does not spook, she's used to dogs, tractors, machinery, and all sorts of stimulus a horse would get living on a farm.... (read more) She is not the alpha of a herd, will walk out by herself but prefers a buddy. She can do all three gaits but she has not been cantered much due to it being harder on her legs. She has been ridden in a 300 acre forest with trails and did wonderfully. She is gentle, will stand still when mounting (unless she hasn't been ridden frequently.) and is good for the farrier.
She is simply a phenomenal mare in every aspect and has been used for clients who have needed to gain or grow trust in a horse or enhance their seat. When she was in a riding lesson program, I was told the students absolutely loved her. She's always the barn favorite. She's an easy keeper with regarding to maintaining weight but she has LOTS and LOTS of hair, so that has to be maintained and the heat is hard on her. She will look for a fan to get under and spend a lot of time there or she'll want in shade. She has more hair when its allowed to grow out than a lot of gypsy stallions. So Her forelock has been trimmed back, her feather (hair) removed from her legs, and she has a double mane that touched the ground so it has also been thinned and trimmed due to the heat and weight and she is much more comfortable now with all that trimmed back.
She is being offered to a NON BREEDING home as a RIDE-ONLY horse. She would make an incredible addition to a therapeutic riding program. I retired her a couple of years ago from breeding when she was diagnosed with CPL. It is quite important that these horses get frequent exercise, and a low starch and sugar diet, and they should not be kept stalled for long periods of time.. Movement is important for them so pasture life is what works best for these horses. She has not been broke to drive but she'd be easy to train and beautiful hooked to a cart.
A 5 star home is a must so I will be asking someone to provide vet and farrier references and someone that will care for her by taking the time to exercise her frequently and just monitor her legs. Her legs have actually been doing fabulous the last couple years due to the amount of exercise she gets and the correct diet. They've actually improved. Pregnancy can make CPL worse so she should never be bred again. Many of these horses are still very competitive in the show ring, jumping, dressage, etc and their life expectancy is that of any other horse, if taken care of properly.
She would be perfect for someone who loves to ride a lot, or exercise their horse in some manner, go out on the trails, or wherever you point her, she'll be perfect. She trailers with such ease so load her up and take her to a national forest for a nice long ride in the woods. She would be ideal for a therapeutic riding program for kids and adults of all ages. She is not the alpha in a herd and gets along well with other horses, even when she's new to a program and in a field with all new faces.
I will be happy to share all information on her to help a new owner be successful in giving her a permanent home. I have had her for the past 7 years and I know this mare well and I want her to be successful wherever she goes. I am very attached to her and this has been an extremely difficult decision for me to make but I need to do what is best for her, and I am lacking the time commitment for the exercise portion that she needs.
For those that may wonder about added costs for care for CPL, for her, there's really not been much added cost, nothing more than what it cost to have any horse. I keep lotions and emollients on hand just in case I need them for any dry skin on her legs or if she develops a sore on her legs, which she has never done. No special supplements required, just low starch, low sugar if you feed any. A expert vet from Belgium in the field of CPL has recently stated that horses that have CPL, once they reach 11 or 12 years of age, CPL usually levels out and really doesn't change much after that (unless you get a mare pregnant, which is why she should not be bred.) She is 14 and her legs are better now than they were 2 years ago when first diagnosed. Good maintenance = fabulous riding mare, and that's exactly what she is!
There is no reason why this mare can't give someone a wonderful 10 to 20 years if they take care of her.
She is located in New Bloomfield, Missouri and I would welcome any interested parties to come visit her. She is with a lessee until she is sold but she is in my local area. I have a good transporter that I could recommend.
Shipping Notes
I have an excellent shipper that I could recommend.
