Gypsy Gold

The horses & the grounds are beautiful. We were lucky as there was a foal that was four days old. The horses are gentle & we were allowed to pet them. You are allowed to bring carrots, but you’re asked not to hand feed them. You are also allowed to take as many photos as you like. The only negative is the presentation regarding the history of the horses is a bit too long.

Gypsy Gold is a gem just north of Orlando. Dennis gives a super informative and fun presentation. He is so obviously passionate and in love with the horses and the people in England who sold him his first horses that it is impossible to not want to know more. He seemed willing to just hang out with us forever — even though we knew he was probably extremely busy and needed to get back to work! Erin was adorable and we loved having her show us the horses and let us feed some of them by hand! The horses are unlike most horses you would ever see — in fact Dennis was the breeder who first registered the breed! Go! It’s well worth the cost of admission — and remember, even if it does seem pricey, the money goes towards the care and upkeep of these gorgeous animals. We would definitely go back. (PS — like Cynthia O’s review — we also love Dennis’s laugh!

Dennis gave us a Wonderful History and we loved his Laugh! Erin was a Delight and made us feel Very Much at Home! And Oh The Horses … ! Thanks

So I was in Florida visiting my grandparents and my mom and grandmother were super excited to come to the Gypsy Gold horse farm and take a tour. Both Mom and Grandma grew up on farms and love horses. My grandmother had stumbled upon this place somehow and had been wanting to go for a while, so what better excuse than us coming to visit. My mom was excited and had followed them on facebook before we went, especially since one of the horses was expecting, and was hoping to see a new foal. When we arrived, Erin, the person checking us in recognized my mom and was familiar with her just from interacting on facebook. That was my first sign that the people here care.
When driving to this place, or looking at it on the map, don’t worry if you feel like you’re going to a residential place. You’re still headed to the right farm and they have clear signs as you get close marking where to go.
I feel like I could start by telling you lots about the Gypsy Vanner horses and why they are so interesting and how fascinating their back story is, but I won’t. Just know it’s quite interesting. Your tour will start with a talk by Dennis, the owner of the farm and the guy who «discovered» the breed of horse, in a barn of sorts. At first I was dreading through what is a 45 min or so talk, but it was truly fascinating. Dennis is a great story teller and his passion for sharing the knowledge of the horses and the «gypsies» who bred them is clear.
Dennis will then lead you around the stables and give you a bit of information about some of the horses. He knows so much about each of the horses and their stories and it’s clear he loves them deeply. You can reach across and pet them and you are welcome to bring appropriate snacks for the horses. They also have some mules, which have their own interesting stories behind them as well. The horses and mules are friendly and you won’t just be staring at them from a distance. As you approach them, they will come right up to you. There were a few kids on my tour and they were delighted with the fact they could pet the animals and got to feed them.
You’ll also find some other animals — chickens, parrots — on the farm, but they are not much of the tour. Don’t expect anything crazy like to go inside of the stables with the horses or get on them, as this tour is designed for information, learning, and appreciation of these animals. However, at the end of the tour they do bring one of their horses out and you can get up close to him and take pictures and such. They do have a small gift shop with items to purchase.
The walk around the farm is fairly accessible, but know you’ll be walking through a working farm, so be sure to dress appropriately — especially the shoes. In the main barn there is a bathroom (just one stall) you can use. Out of all the tours I’ve been on of various places around the country, this may have been one of the best. If for no other reason than the people giving the tour were truly willing to talk to you, share information, and hear suggestions on all sorts of things. They do not rush you and let you walk around after the «official» tour and revisit the animals. If you are a horse lover, want to learn more about horses, have an interest in good story telling, or just think this may be an interesting place, I definitely recommend you go here.