GYPSY HORSES AND THE TRAVELERS’ WAY

A VIVID RIDE THROUGH A VIBRANT BUT HIDDEN WORLD

GEORGETOWN, KY. – From tales told by the light of stick fires to the drumbeat of hooves across foggy moors, the new book Gypsy Horses and the Travelers’ Way unveils the mystery and magic embraced by the Romani Gypsies of northern England. Through stunning images, lyrical prose and moving poetry, renowned equine photographer John S. Hockensmith invites readers on a unique journey across cultural boundaries to celebrate the centuries-old rituals of horse trading and spiritual renewal at Appleby Fair.

Hockensmith gained rare entree into this secluded world when he was invited to join a prominent Gypsy family in 2004 and 2005 during the annual horse-drawn pilgrimage over sixty miles through picturesque villages, along busy modern highways and into verdant pastures where time seems to have stopped. When Hockensmith and readers reach Appleby Fair—a boisterous gathering that first took place more than 300 years ago—they have shared a penetrating insight into a way of life that has been much misunderstood but is cherished by the Gypsies with the same fierce pride they maintain for their colorful horses.

These striking Gypsy steeds earn first billing in the oversize, 184-page book by virtue of their historical role in this nomadic lifestyle as well as their chiseled beauty and gentle natures. Hockensmith’s lavish photos depict the horses, which are gaining great popularity through recent exportation to North America and elsewhere, hauling the Gypsies' brightly-painted living wagons, carrying young bareback riders through river currents and punctuating undulating landscapes with the bold pinto patterns of their muscular bodies.

“This experience was beyond the bounds of even my imagination,” Hockensmith said. “The Romani Gypsies and their horses are history that’s alive and breathing—and inspiring. The warmth and generosity of the people and their search for the best in life moment by moment reaffirmed my own outlook on the world. And the passion they have for the horses they have developed through secret matings over decades is one that is undeniably deserved and easy to share.”

Praise from reviewers

“This haunting book brings together images, history, tales and poems that evoke the mystery and the magic of the Gypsy way of life. The stunning photography speaks volumes—the poetic curve of the horse's neck, the gorgeous detail of Romani wagons, the complex expression on a Gypsy's face. The narrative and the poems have much the same expressive imagistic quality—descriptions of experiences on the road or at the fair, stories told over the fire, a moment in time captured in words. This book is an artistic and poetic evocation of the spirit of the Gypsy and the Gypsy horse, but it is also an important document recording the beauty of a culture that is in danger of fading away. It is a work of extraordinary perception and beauty.

—Dr. Rosemary Allen, professor of English and provost/dean, Georgetown College

“The poems that ride escort for these crisp and vibrant images give accent and text to the cycles of Gypsy life—the feathered hooves, the brightly painted wheel—whose centerpiece is the horse. The restless life of Gypsies, exotic and yet familiar, both parallels and offers insight into our own. Their journey is our journey.”

—Richard Taylor, Kentucky poet laureate 1999-2001
 

“Gypsy horses smile with their eyes and talk with their feet. Piebald, pinto, black, bay, gray or white, they flash through these pages in a journey of insightful and intimate images.”

—Diane Heilenman, visual arts critic, Louisville Courier-Journal
 

Praise from the subject

“Mr. Hockensmith has put together with his pen and camera the Gypsy story in a way that gives me goose bumps and makes my eyes well up. He got it absolutely right—on all levels. His camera has captured the magical moments of our beloved Gypsy horses, his writings about the wagons on the road to Appleby Fair reveal the fine detail in the fabric of Romani life, and his poems sing to our true Gypsy spirit.”

—Gordon Boswell, Romani historian, musician and poet

The museum exhibition

A visual festival of images depicting the experiences of the Gypsies and their horses in a panorama of canvases from dramatic sunsets to elusive mists and moods ranging from pensive to raucous will be featured as the main exhibit at the International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington from June 17 through September 10. Hockensmith will make special appearances throughout the exhibition and will be joined during part of June by Romani historian Gordon Boswell. Several Gypsy horses will be exhibited at the park from June 15-18 and a Gypsy living wagon also will be displayed.

“John Stephen Hockensmith’s incredible images of his remarkable journeys to Appleby Fair with the British Romani provide a rare and insightful look at a mysterious and often persecuted culture and the horses that they treasure,” said Bill Cooke, director of the International Museum of the Horse.

To order

Gypsy Horses and the Travelers’ Way is available as a boxed collector’s edition for $99.95 or in a hardbound edition for $49.95. Both editions are available at select bookstores, online at www.finearteditions.net or by calling 1-800-972-8385. Click here for excerpts from the book.