In celebration of our website launch Spirit Farm Gypsy Cobs is proud to share with you an interview with Janey Down. Thank you Janey for taking the time to share your experiences with us!

Janey Down and Gavin Ross Willcox are special friends of Spirit Farm and own their own herd of prize gypsy cobs in the UK. Janey graciously contributed to our first article on the new website blog. Here is her Q and A with Natalie Wilson.

Spirit Farm (SF): What makes the Gypsy Cob special to you?
Janey: Their temperament is so special to me. The fact that you can trust them with
your children is priceless.
SF: What is the most important quality when looking for a Gypsy Cob?
Janey: Temperament and conformation.
SF: What is your first memory of a horse?
Janey: My first real memory was when I was two years old and my family gifted me my
first mare. She was named SD Janey mare, after me.
SF: Who is your heart horse and can you tell us a little bit more about him/her?
Janey: SD My Way is my real heart horse. From the day she was born I knew she was
perfection. I bred her and did it “my way” and that’s how she got her name!
SF: What do Gypsy Cobs mean to your family?
Janey: They mean the whole world to us. They are not just horses to us but a part of our
family. Our horses are our life.
SF: What do horses mean to you and how have they shaped your life?
Janey: My horses give me happiness, a magical feeling whenever I am with them. They
take away all my worries as whenever I spend time with them I think of nothing else but
how amazing they are and how happy they make me. I would never be without my
horses.
SF: Do you have any family stories or historical stories about family and the Gypsy
Cob?
Janey: I’m very proud of my family’s history and heritage, being true Romany gypsies.
SF: Who inspired you to do what you do?
Janey: My Dad and my Grandad. In my eyes they are the two greatest horsemen to
ever walk.
SF: How do you see the Gypsy Cob fitting into the Canadian horse scene?
Janey: I see the Gypsy Cob population in Canada growing. Everyone who meets these
cobs can’t help but fall in love with them for their temperament and everything about
them.
SF: What are your hopes for this breed in Canada?
Janey: I hope people will strive to breed to the correct breed standard, to breed for
tradition and to keep all the true qualities of a proper Gypsy Cob. SF: What is your legacy?
Janey: My family is known for producing some of the VERY best Gypsy Cobs in the
world to date!
SF: How do you wish to be remembered in relation to this breed?
Janey: I wish to continue to produce the best Gypsy Cobs in the world and to be
remembered for that. I wish for my children to continue to do, for this breed, what I have
done, and will continue to do, just like my father and ancestors before me.
SF: What is your greatest life achievement?
Janey: My greatest life achievement is my two children, second to that will be creating a
herd for them that will go down in history.
SF: If the horse could talk, what would be his message to mankind?
Janey: Don’t measure your value by how you’re treated.