Legend of the Unicorn
"Cushti Bok," America's first Gypsy Vanner Stallion, owned by Dennis Thompson of Gypsy Gold Farm in Ocala, Florida. Photo courtesy of Mark J. Barrett
My first encounter with a Gypsy Vanner Horse left me in awe as it does most people. There is no other way to describe it. The horse was so different, so unique, it filled my mind with a hundred unanswered questions. I could find no peace until I began to find answers to as many of those questions as possible. The search for those answers led me to Dennis and Cindy Thompson's Web site for The Gypsy Vanner Horse Society, shortly after it opened in the late 1990s. I will never forget my first communication with the Thompsons. There was a sense of shared understanding and appreciation. Dennis's response to my initial message brought a smile to my face. He said, "My wife and I have read your message over and over." That message was filled with excitement over finding someone who also recognized the rare beauty and mystique of these animals. The Thompsons knew what they had stumbled across and were astonished that others who had been around these horses for years had not helped to introduce them to the equine world. Of course, indifference towards a culture formed such a barrier that it was hiding these horses; and still does to some degree today. Therein is a piece of the magic. It was not going to be people, but the horses themselves that would break that barrier.
If you can forget reality for just a moment and let fantasy recall childhood dreams, and wishes waiting to come true, then you can experience what Cindy Thompson felt that fateful day when she saw Cushti Bok running in a pasture. He called to her as surely as she heard that call. It was the legend of the unicorn stepping out of a medieval tapestry and becoming real.
A legendary, one-horned, horse-like creature, known as the unicorn, was a frequent character in ancient and medieval literature. In fact, its popularity grew so much during medieval times that painters and tapestry makers made it the focal point for many of their creations. It was a hearty creature, most often white in color with blue eyes, and possessing a single horn on its forehead. The unicorn was mystical and elusive. It was believed to have its home deep in the forest. Legend held that it had magical powers, including the use of its horn as a remedy for poison. According to the myth, the only way to capture the creature was to send a maiden alone into the forest. The unicorn, upon seeing the maiden sitting under a tree, would quietly approach, lie down beside her, and gently rest its head in her lap, often times falling fast asleep.
Shortly after I returned to the United States, Dennis Thompson of Gypsy Gold Farm in Ocala, Florida, sent me a wonderful photograph of Cushti Bok rearing. Cushti was the first stallion the Thompsons imported to America. The picture, taken by Mark J. Barrett, is amazing. The horse simply does not look real. I framed the picture and placed it in my office. Over the course of the last three years many children have come into my office and asked, "Ms. Christian, how did you get that picture of a real unicorn?" Cushti's mane is blowing in such a way that your imagination sees a single horn coming from his forehead. It was those experiences that led me to compare the legend with the discovery. There are so many correlations, that fantasy can easily blend with reality.
The beauty of the horse that can be called a Vanner is as ethereal as the legend. The mystical horn is not present on these modern-day unicorns because it has been used up to remove the poison of indifference and to bring honor and recognition to the gypsy breeders, whose vision, patience, and love led to the development of this phenomenal breed of horse.