Why We Exist | More Than Just A Farm

Every great breed reaches a moment when distance from its origin becomes its greatest vulnerability. The Gypsy Vanner stands at that moment.

Le Rêve Noir did not come to Medellín to reinterpret the horse from afar. Our path here began years earlier — in England and Wales — walking the fields, standing in the yards, listening carefully, learning from the families who shaped the breed long before registries, markets, or fashion ever defined it.

We did not come to know the Gypsy Vanner through images or trends.
We came to know it where it began.

From the Source, Not the Surface

There is a quiet difference between admiring a breed and understanding it.

Our foundation was formed through time spent with those who bred these horses as part of a living cultural tradition. They were not producing for a market. They were maintaining a way of life — and with it, a very specific type of horse.

There, certain truths became clear.

Not every painted horse was meant to represent the breed.
Type was intentional.
Temperament was inherited long before it was trained.

When Dennis and Cindy Thompson began formally documenting the Gypsy Vanner in the 1990s, the Romani breeders themselves acknowledged that only a small number of horses represented the correct Vanner. Many others were bred for work, exchange or the meat market — valuable in their own right, but not intended to preserve the defining characteristics of the breed.

Understanding that distinction changes everything.

Le Rêve Noir exists because a breed cannot be defined at a distance. It must be understood where it was formed.

The Correct Vanner Is a Lineage, Not a Look

A true Gypsy Vanner is not defined by color or exaggeration.

It is a specific, balanced type: compact and substantial, with Shire influence, a short back, broad chest, strong bone, abundant feather supported by the right genetics, a kind expression, and a mind suited to life alongside people.

These qualities are not aesthetic accidents. They are the result of generations of selective breeding within close-knit traditions where consistency mattered.

When those genetic foundations are diluted, what is lost is not easily restored.

For that reason, we prioritize heritage lines and DNA verification.
A pedigree should be more than a story; it should be supported by evidence.

Feather Is Not Decoration — It Is Temperament Made Visible

In the Gypsy Vanner, feather is not ornamental excess. It is part of a broader genetic inheritance connected to cold-blood ancestry of the Forest Horse and to the temperament that made the breed so beloved.

The horse was shaped to live among families — near children, dogs, caravans, and daily life. Calmness, steadiness, and generosity of spirit were not optional traits. They were essential.

When breeding decisions focus only on fashion or appearance, subtle elements of that inheritance can begin to shift. Over time, the horse may still resemble a Vanner — but feel different.

Legacy, Not Quantity

Tom Price once stood overlooking the Irish Sea and said of a colt, “I will never forget the day he was born. He is the best I have ever bred.” That colt would become Cushti Bok, the first registered Gypsy Vanner.

Those who chase volume count horses.
Those who build legacy remember the ones that mattered.

At Le Rêve Noir, our horses are not inventory. They are part of a continuum.

Preservation Is Discipline

Production asks: What sells?

Preservation asks: What endures?

“Lose the genetics and you lose the feather.
Lose the feather and you lose the temperament.
Lose the temperament and you’ve lost the vision.”

— Cameron Silva

We breed with discipline. We say “no” more often than we say “yes.” This is not out of rigidity, but out of responsibility.

The Black Dream “Le Rêve Noir”

The Black Dream is not a color. It is a lineage carried forward.

We are bringing to Colombia direct genetics from foundational pillars such as The Lion King, Wooly Mammoth, The Gypsy King, and The Old Horse of Wales; not as symbols, but as living structures of type, temperament, and presence.

To ensure that this dream — born on the roads of England and Wales — continues intact in South America.

Not reinterpreted. Not diluted.

We are Le Rêve Noir.
Formed at the origin.
Guided by discipline.
Faithful to the original.