Gypsies and Horses

A Peddler and his Horse

 He was trying to find work in the village: he and his sons who were sitting in the wagon bundled up against the cold. Look closely at his face. Who does he resemble? Czar Nicholas II, of Russia! Could he be a long lost relative? Who knows?

I love his hat, called a kalpak. Certain groups of gypsy men wore hats particular to their ‘tribe’. I’m not sure about the kalpak. I don’t think it is particular to gypsies.

Calming a Spirited Horse

He wears a hat typical of a ‘tribe’ of gypsies. Every male wore it, even young boys.  

He owned two big-bodied well-fed gray mares. They were beautiful except for one flaw. Their legs were unusually short. I could only think that they were bred for vaulting, such as circus performers might do. They had been kept in their stalls for the winter and were nearly crazed with delight at being in the open. He had a hard time holding on, but he was not afraid. The other horse was loose…right there on the village main street. He knew that she would not leave her ‘friend’. And she didn’t. She’d paw and want to roll, then trot toward freedom but her herd instinct pulled her back and she stayed nearby.

I asked him to breathe into the mare’s nostrils. I’d read somewhere that gypsies used that technique. It’s the way horses greet each other, BTW. He didn’t know what I was talking about. I had to show him. I do think he was a bit nervous about putting his face close to her muzzle. Maybe he wasn’t quite the horseman he was made out to be. Or, then again, maybe he’d seen a horse bite a person. Not a pretty sight.

There is a famous photograph of a gypsy and a gray horse done by Josef Koudelka. The man is sitting on his haunches and the horse is standing next to him…with his head checked in a much too tightly. It looks as if the horse is listening to the man, but in reality, he is trying to avoid the pain of the bit. You can find that image and many others of gypsies if you Google Josef Koudelka. 

The man told us that he had ‘earned’ enough to buy the horses and two cars and his nice home by begging in Germany. And though he had invited us to see his horses, he was adament about getting money from us. We did cough up, but not as much as he wanted. Does anyone, ever?