Low mane-tenance, high value

Photos courtesy of Travis and Tabatha Adkins

Travis and Tabatha Adkins, shown with their children Charleston, 3, and Laken, 6, breed gypsy horses at their Union Hall farm.

Gypsy Elite Tara, who was imported from Germany, and her foal Abby-Licious, who was sired in Union Hall, graze in front of Travis and Tabatha Adkins' home.

Unbeknownst to most, Smith Mountain Lake is home to breeders of one of the country's rarest horse breeds. At Bootleg Gypsy Horses in Union Hall, Travis and Tabatha Adkins have been breeding gypsy horses since 2007.

"It's almost a fantasy horse," said Tabatha. "They're very well-known for the long manes and long tails and big, thick feathers."

The gypsy horse -- also known as a gypsy vanner, gypsy cob and tinker horse -- didn't come to the United States until 1996, said Tabatha. Although they're found few and far between in this country, they're common in the United Kingdom.

Because of their scarcity in the United States, the gypsy horse market hasn't slumped with the rest of the horse market, which took a nosedive along with the economy, said Tabatha.

One of this year's two foals at Bootleg Gypsy Horses has been sold and will be transported to Georgia after it has finished weaning; the Adkins are keeping the second foal. They also have a contract on a foal currently in utero.

"It's sort of a different market," said Tabatha. "People with this breed, they know they want it. It's not like they're a dime a dozen."

When the gypsies first were imported in the mid-1990s, it was common for them sell for $150,000 to $300,000, said Tabatha. Today, mares will sell for $15,000 to $30,000, but stallions still sell for six figures.

The Adkinses said they didn't become involved with gypsy horses until shortly after moving to the lake six years ago. At the time, they were breeding Clydesdales.

"Clydes can eat you out of house and home," said Travis. "They ate so much."

In 2007, the Adkinses traveled to Nebraska, where they sold their two Clydesdales. From there, they drove to Oregon where they purchased their first gypsies.

"When we decided to get into it, we really didn't know they were a little addictive," said Tabatha. "It's like potato chips."

The Adkinses said the breed's appeal stems from both their beauty and their demeanor.

"These horses are very level headed, they're very docile and they're smart," said Tabatha.

Travis said the horses also respond quickly to training and are used in a variety of disciplines. In addition to riding, people use them to compete in horse shows and to herd cattle.

Tabatha said the gypsies were bred for docility and strength. They were bred by Romanies, or Gypsies, to pull the family caravans, she said. Because the horses were kept in close proximity to the families and were ridden by children, they needed to be calm, said Tabatha.

The full history of gypsy horses, however, is thin. The Romany didn't keeprecords, and United Kingdom breeders didn't keep detailed lineage registries or do DNA sampling until recent years.

"A lot of the horses' names in the lineage when you look is 'The Old White Horse' or 'Tom's Big Black Mare,'" said Tabatha.

The registries now are extensive. The Adkins' horses came from Ireland and the United Kingdom. Their 3-year-old stallion descends from the Lottery Horse Line, named because the Romany said getting one of the horses in that line was like winning the lottery, said Tabatha.

Since starting their gypsy horse breeding business three years ago, the Adkinses have continued to work full-time jobs. Travis works for the state and Tabatha for Franklin County Public Schools. Although they plan to expand the business in the future after relocating to a larger farm in Rocky Mount, they don't plan to quit their day jobs.

"I don't know that it would ever be a full-time source of income," said Tabatha. "We'd like to, whenever we retire, to still have the horses and enjoy them more, not so much work."

For more information about Bootleg Gypsy Horses, visit bootlegexpressdraftfarm.com.