Doug and Elaine Kneis established Gypsy MVP Ranch in 2001 deciding after they bought their first Gypsy mares, Sovereign and Delphie in 1999, that a breed as even tempered, hardworking, and versatile as the Gypsy horse deserved a more visible profile in the U.S. horse population. Outwardly, with their unique color, patterns, and hippie-like hair, traditional Gypsy Horses have a unique appearance, reminiscent of fairy tales and mythology. Inwardly, with their work ethic, willingness to please, and energy, Gypsy Horses also have a unique temperament. Far more than a pretty face and a feathered conversation piece, these inward characteristics are beginning to earn the breed serious recognition and respect. The professionals at Gypsy MVP and Magnolia Ranch are working to increase that recognition with Sundance Kid, a blagdon golden buckskin.

Sundance Kid, the newest arrival at Gypsy MVP’s Magnolia Ranch in Katy, Texas, is a stallion that is going to raise the bar for Gypsy Horses everywhere. Erica Barton, operations manager of Magnolia Ranch and the president of sales and marketing for Gypsy MVP, says, “We have gotten more breedings to Sundance than any other stallion we’ve ever had. He takes my breath away every time I see him. I have never wanted anything more in my life than this horse.” A rare buckskin, Sundance Kid is five years old with a large solid bone structure that makes him look taller than his 14.3 hands. His conformation, comprised of substantial bone and muscle, is the desired type of the traditional Gypsy breed. Sundance is trained to drive and the ranch has plans to start him under saddle in the fall, but he’s done nothing but breed mares since he got off the trailer. All the foals, expected to look like their sire, are sold.

Sundance has been on a tight schedule since his arrival from the United Kingdom, not just with breedings but with a television debut. Less than two months after his hoofs touched American soil, he appeared on Great Day Houston, a show similar to Good Morning America. “We took him to downtown Houston, walked him into the building, and onto the stage that held crowds of clapping people. He just stood there while everyone looked at him. That was a week and a half after we picked him up from quarantine,” Erica says. Sundance’s mellow acceptance of stardom and the crowds that go with it are testament to his good manners, but a stallion is a stallion and Sundance knows how to behave like one when he is in the pasture, with a mare, or at the mounting block.

Doug Kneis says he did not buy Sundance because of his unique golden color and his single blue eye, but on account of his baroque body style, the perfect example of the traditional Gypsy horse that Doug is working to produce in the States. “Conformation always comes first. Sundance has the desired thick neck, rounded chest, perfect apple shaped hindquarters, a short back, good bone substance in legs, and profuse feathers that start from the knee and tent his hoofs. That, with his incredible temperament, is the reason we bought him. His exotic color is a bonus.” It’s that color that brings to mind the horses of fairytales, but Sundance is real, and his movement is powerful. Action shots, portraits and DNA color results for Sundance are available on the Gypsy MVP website.

Sundance Kid is not the only stud at Gypsy MVP’s Magnolia Ranch. Charisma, a chocolate palomino arrived from the United Kingdom in August. He is by the famous stallion, The Business, aka The Boss, now deceased. “We are hoping that Charisma can make a name for himself just like his sire,” says Erica. Charisma is 14.1 hands and has produced beautiful foals in the U.K. Also at stud is Dazzle Dance, a 15-hand piebald stallion, the veteran stallion of the ranch. A producer of superior foals, he is an established dressage horse, winning against other breeds, and he has impeccable manners.

With 40 horses between the farms Erica’s time is booked. Breeding, training, and sales are only part of her responsibilities. Many of MVP Ranch’s horses go on to extensive show careers in a wide variety of disciplines. To insure compatibility and to offer clients every opportunity for success, Erica spends many hours with each customer often traveling to their locations after purchase to help the horses settle into their new homes. Erica is devoted to the horses and the breeding program they represent. She is also actively involved in MVP Ranch’s consignment program that brings quality Gypsy Horses from all over the United States to the Texas ranches. Doug invests considerable time and advertising (including a Spanish website) in promoting his horses, a substantial boon to consigners. The farms receive a high volume of visitors and clients year round, insuring that horses find the owner that is perfect for them. “And that’s what it’s all about,” says Doug.