In my recent monthly letter and my last blog post, I shared a bit about my time at Gypsy Gold Horse Farm.
It was the last part of the tour that really set my heart soaring when Dennis, the owner of the farm, invited us into the corral of mini donkey, Patrin, and her adorable month and a half old baby, Wisdom.
Wisdom, his fur just as light and fluffy as it looks in the photo. And don’t you just love the hedge of fur on his sweet face?!
Being Patrin is a mini donkey, and her baby a mini of her mini self, I just had to squat down to be closer to them. Wisdom was happy for the pets until his mom, Patrin wanted in too. While I happily gave Patrin some loving, Wisdom’s curiosity got the best of him as he walked around behind me and began to try to get into my backpack!
I was in donkey heaven being so close to these two! Giving a quick kiss to Patrin’s forehead she moved closer and allowed me to give her a hug. I don’t know who was happier in that moment, but it’s a memory of pure joy now burned into my heart. Squuuueeeeeee!
As we’d learn during the tour, Dennis, now 77, still has many dreams for the farm and one of which is to turn it into an educational center, expanding on the animal-human bond and connection.
Many of these dreams began before Dennis’ wife, Cindy, sadly passed away after only fourteen years of marriage due to an unfortunate accident in their barn while foal watching.
One of the dreams they had set the groundwork for is a concept for the Gypsy Vanner horses called, Gypsy Gold ‘n Geldings and bringing joy to others. Their first Gypsy horse named Misto became the first to be given to Wild Rumpus children’s bookstore to be of service to young readers. Part of Misto’s service is that he pulls a cart of books during visits to inner city schools.
They have also established The Cushti Bok Foundation to increase awareness and knowledge of British Gypsies and their selectively bred “Vanner” horses through innovative concepts based on goodness of people and animals. During Dennis’ talk he is very passionate about setting the record straight about the big hearts and kindness of the Gypsy culture as they’ve been given such a bad name for so long.
And his dream for the donkeys? To name new donkeys born on the farm after human virtues – Wisdom, Empathy, Compassion, Kindness, Compassion, etc. And to educate children through these donkeys in order to help instill these virtues in generations to come. Something that really spoke to my heart because of the similar work I did while my special need dachshund, Frankie, was alive.
While I’d had this vision dance through my head that I’d move to this area and become a volunteer for the farm, I know in reality I don’t want to leave my home in Wisconsin. But, I am now following Gypsy Gold Horse Farm via their newsletter and looking forward to monetarily donating when I can to help the dream of continued education and the gift of sharing animal wisdom with all ages.
XO
Barb
