He is gorgeous, isn't he? He's a Gypsy Vanner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy_Vanner_horse) and his name is Fionn according to my notes.
To give you better scale, this link (http://greatlakesvanners.org/db5/00406/greatlakesvanners.org/_uimages/FionnmacCumhaillownedbyWillowWindStables.JPG) takes you to a picture of what I think may be the same horse with a woman handler. I say "may be the same horse" because, while the side markings are the same, it seems like his tail has more black in the other shot.
Mostly, what I know about the breed is what I could find during several late-night googling sessions. I was totally horse-mad as a kid and these lovelies have brought it all back. Especially since they're generally big sturdy horses (12 to 15 hands) that are used for saddle and/or harness; since I'm a big (*big*) girl, there's a lot of appeal to a horse that doesn't make me feel I'll crush it.
They're still fairly rare and thus pricey, which means I start thinking crazy thoughts about playing the lottery.
Re: Hobby Horse
To give you better scale, this link (http://greatlakesvanners.org/db5/00406/greatlakesvanners.org/_uimages/FionnmacCumhaillownedbyWillowWindStables.JPG) takes you to a picture of what I think may be the same horse with a woman handler. I say "may be the same horse" because, while the side markings are the same, it seems like his tail has more black in the other shot.
Mostly, what I know about the breed is what I could find during several late-night googling sessions. I was totally horse-mad as a kid and these lovelies have brought it all back. Especially since they're generally big sturdy horses (12 to 15 hands) that are used for saddle and/or harness; since I'm a big (*big*) girl, there's a lot of appeal to a horse that doesn't make me feel I'll crush it.
They're still fairly rare and thus pricey, which means I start thinking crazy thoughts about playing the lottery.
I want one. I want one bad.