Gypsy Horse (Irish Tinker Horse, also known as Irish Cob, Piebald (in Ireland), or Gypsy Vanner (in USA)) is a breed with its origin among the traveling Gypsies of the British Isles. A mix of draught horse and pony breeds gives quite a large variation in size and appearance, but the typical horse measures 12.0 - 15.3 hands (hand equals 4 inches) and the larger variation—the Drum Horse—reaches 16.0 hands and over.
The idea of the gypsy vanner being “bred for centuries” to this end result is false. For as long as Gypsies have been around they have bred whatever type of horse that they can access and is suitable from huge cobs to moorland ponies. The same is true today.
There is a loveliness to a good coloured cob - just remembering that the story of the “Gypsy Vanner Breed” is a total fantasy. The very use of the term “vanner” is testament to that, a proper “vanner” type is a heavy carriage/cart horse lighter than a cob or heavy horse but heavy enough to pull relatively large loads.
To be legitimately called a drum horse the horse must have served as a drum horse with the cavalry - true of only a very small handful of horses. These horses often have cob and/or shire ancestory and may or may not be coloured.
The colours of these horses are very broad and include: piebald, skewbald, solid black, chestnut, palomino, silver dapple, and appaloosa. The typical “Gypsy Vanner” or “Drummer” horses are known for their abundance of hair and feather (hair starting at the canon bone and the hock and flowing down over the hooves). Less feathering has been displayed in a number of horses known as “Cobs”.
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