In 1996, while at Appleby Horse Fair, Cindy and I noticed a Gypsy man standing with a very nice mare and equally nice weaning age filly. It was our desire to learn more about that mare and her baby, so we introduced ourselves. That curiosity, lead us to GV00002 Dolly, the little weanling filly’s full sister, and her over the top amazing sire, GV00012 The Gypsy King, and a friendship that is now more than 30 years long. We gave Tommy the Breyer model of The Gypsy King, and kept him up on his special horses accomplishments. Tommy still calls periodically.
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KINGS KAULO RATT (The Gypsy King x Mary UK) GV00008, owned by Jean McDonald
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RAWNIE (Cushti Bok x King's Kaulo Ratti) GV00020F1, owned by Mary Beth Wherry
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RAWNIE (Cushti Bok x King's Kaulo Ratti) GV00020F1, owned by Mary Beth Wherry
As I mentioned before, we were committed to only considering horses two years old or nearing it, with both parents to view. You are always buying the parents, and Cindy and I knew that profoundly through our extensive animal experience.
The weaning age filly who helped us discover her sire and full sister sure enough became almost two in time, imagine that! We knew her dam, we knew her sire, and we knew her full sister, so it was a no-brainer. The little filly we noticed so long ago at Appleby needed to come to America. Cindy gave her the name Kaulo Ratti, meaning “true blood” or “the purest blood”, and the number GV00008.
Kaulo Ratti was purchased by Jean McDonald in partnership with a friend before the Vanner breed was officially introduced at Equitana USA in Louisville Kentucky in June of 1998. Jean even rode with Kaulo Rotti to Louisville in the back of a Brookledge 15-horse van. Brookledge, along with several other Corporations, were sponsors of The Gypsy Vanner Horse breed’s official introduction in 1998. These corporations also included Purina Mills, Wahl Clippers Toklat Originals, Quick Silver Shampoo, Loddon Stalls, Hamilton Halters, Freight-liner, and Show Sheen.
Kaulo Ratti went on to produce the first Gypsy Vanner Horse embryo in the world. That baby is Rawnie, owned by Mary Beth Wherry of VannerCentral.com fame.
Mary Beth and her sister Kristen fell hopelessly in love with the Gypsy Vanner Horse when they saw The Gypsy King at Breyerfest at The Kentucky Horse Park, and have remained dedicated to the breed ever since.