Our beautiful Drum and Gypsy Vanner horses are one of the rarest breeds of horses.
The first thing you will notice is the breathtaking beauty and serenity of the horses. Long flowing manes and tails, and of course those feathers. Happy horses munching on high-quality hay and sipping on fresh water while they patiently wait to meet their riders. Of course you may bring carrots to share with these beauties after your ride. These are not just an ordinary horse, this is an once-in-a-lifetime breed and adventure. I am sure you will love your horse almost as much as we do. Unfortunately they didn’t look like this when we purchased them.
90% of my horses are purchased from terrible environments, with major health and skin conditions. Some came from breeding farms similar to puppy mills, where they were over bred and under fed. We have horses that have foundered, some had canker, emaciated, scars on their faces where their skin grew over their halters, some of the worst cases of abuse we have ever seen. We say that we don’t find these horses…they find us! We found that the ocean really helps heal most of the feather conditions that are caused from neglect and bad breeding. It is our journey to try to save as many of these horses as possible. Most have been brought back to perfect health, but unfortunately we had one recently we could not save. Our beloved Panda has crossed the rainbow bridge.
We purchased her with canker in her hooves. After a 2 year battle with weekly visits to our vet, Panda lost her battle. She now swims in the clouds in her heavenly ocean.
Our horses’ health and well-being are our top priority. We make sure our horses are in perfect health and fitness. The horses only work a limited time and are rotated so each horse has several days off each week. These horses are never abused or made to work, they actually love their jobs. Occasionally we come across a horse that may not like to swim, and if that happens it is removed from the tours and is retrained in another discipline.
For the safety of our horses’ health, water temperatures must be at least 60° to swim with the horses.
Your rides help support every new horse we purchase. Our beautiful stallion Wahoo who is now gelded so that the ocean may heal his horrible leg conditions, we also just purchased 2 broodmares that are in horrible condition. We are working hard to get them healthy. So not only do you have a great time riding our horses, you also help contribute to save and care for this majestic breed.
So what is a Gypsy Drum? Actually named after a “job” performed by the horse, the Drum Horse is an important member of the Queen of England’s Band of the Life Guards. These horses carry two large solid silver kettle drums, plus a fully outfitted rider, through crowds of thousands during the Queen’s processions!
Drum Horses must be strong enough to carry the weight of the large kettle drums and the drummer, often in excess of 300 pounds. They must also remain calm and sensible in crowded environments during ceremonies. It takes a very special horse to fill such a prominent role in the Queen’s Household Cavalry. As we have no Queen’s processions, Drum Horses are being redefined in America for use in various ridden and driven disciplines. They combine the size and stature of the Shire and Clydesdale with the color and hair of the Gypsy Horse to create an animal that possesses the best traits of each breed.
Because of their quiet and disciplined nature, Drum horses are excelling in many equestrian areas, and it’s thanks to their background and general demeanor that they make such great companions for our purposes. When viewed in person, this magical creature of history will render you speechless. They are unlike any other breed in the world!
