Here at Black Forest Shires & Gypsy Horses, we take great pride in the fact that we are America's largest importers and breeders of the Gypsy Horse.  This honor was not simply handed to us, but was earned through years of providing the finest quality horses at fair prices.

     By reading this page, you've taken the first step in in obtaining a fine gypsy horse of your own.  Many of your questions will be answered here - and if you still have others, then please give us a call or write.  We are always happy to help.

How To Buy A Horse From BFSGH

The process could not be easier.  Simply pick up the phone and give us a call.  You can find our phone numbers on the contact page of this website.  We have a comprehensive sales contract which we will get out to you right away for your review.  You can even put a deposit on the horse of your choice right over the phone and lock-in your commitment so no-one else buys her out from under you.  Want to know more, read on further.

About Our Guarantee

Over the years, we have worked to create a buying process that is simple and secure for our clients.  Our guarantee is second-to-none, and rarely found in the horse industry.  Every horse we sell is guaranteed for a full 30 days from the time you receive it.  If you're not satisfied for any reason, simply send it back for a full refund of your purchase price.  This guarantee is the foundation of all we do.  Many people ask how we can do that.  Our answer is simple - "we know a quality horse, and are confident that every animal we sell is indeed a quality horse.  Now, we cannot absolutely guarantee that the horse you choose will fit your needs perfectly, but we still know she is a quality animal, and even if she wasn't right for you, she will be right for another client.  When we choose horses to offer to our clients, we choose the horse for ourselves first.  We stand by our creed that we won't offer for sale a horse which we wouldn't keep on our own farm.  So to put it simply, we won't sell a horse that isn't good enough for us to keep.
This guarantee also applies to horses we sell on consignment.  We offer many consignment horses throughout the year, and these horses come with the same guarantee as any others.  We have inspected them, and they meet our criteria.

How We Select Horses

The horses we offer are ones which we have personally and independently reviewed.  Most are our horses, some belong to gypsy breeders overseas, and some are consignments from our USA clients.  We are the unbiased opinion on horses that are currently available, and we only accept horses that meet our approval.  We personally spend hours sorting thru horses, so that we bring over only the top horses reviewed.  The majority of horses on this site are from gypsy families who have been breeding these horses for generations.  Most of these horses are not "for sale" but are private stock of some of the best breeders in the world, and they have allowed us to buy them.  Because of our connections with the true gypsies, we can offer you exclusives on these cream of the crop horses.  You will not see these horses offered through any other source.   BFSGH is the most experienced North American importer of the gypsy horse/cob/vanner  IN THE WORLD.   Hundreds of satisfied clients can't be wrong.  Our reputation is the best in the business.  Most other gypsy horse/cob/vanner "import businesses"  have purchased at least one (sometimes MOST) of their horses from BFSGH, a fact that they usually don't like to let people know!  BFSGH had been involved in breeding, importing, showing, and judging similar types of horses for many years before most American Gypsy Horse farms even existed.  It's this experience that has put us where we are today, and why we say, "The Breed Starts Here".
BFSGH does NOT accept "picture consignments" from the USA or overseas.  If there is a horse that we think has potential overseas, we DO NOT offer it for sale until we have personally inspected that horse.  EVERY horse on this site has been touched handled and photographed by us, not by some distant owner somewhere in a foreign country that sends pictures of his or her horse to someone in the USA with a web site.  If you see a picture on this site, we took it, we inspected, and we handled that horse!  The text with each horse is written by Christine or Jeff, as they have met each horse and discussed it's pros and cons with it's breeder/owner.  Don't confuse our process with that of the "picture importers" that get emailed pictures from overseas and post them on their web sites.   We have seen and inspected every one of these horses, and WE take the pictures only after APPROVING the horse.  Many horses that we see each year are NOT approved, as we are very discriminating.

Why Our Prices Are Among The Best

Why are our prices so much better than other imported horses you may find?  We BUY and FLY in volume!  Most importers just buy and fly 3 or 4 horses at a time, we never import less than 20 at a time.  When we buy from a breeder, we know the RIGHT price to pay.  Our relationships with our Gypsy breeders goes far beyond that of being a mere customer.  We work together with a small, select group of gypsy families who have opened their doors and invited us into their families.  We work together as a team to maintain a relationship which is good for each other.  We are always able to work out package deals as we take dozens and dozens of horses per year from each of our breeders!   We also do nearly all of our own work in the fields from handling for vets, to transport on both sides of "the pond", grooming, driving, riding, and photographs, and web design!  There aren't dozens of middle-men in every transaction, just BFSGH and our staff handling everything.  When we have a flight come into the USA, we do the hauling, and are often times part of our own grooms crew on the aircraft.  We even do much of our own vetting and farrier work, as Jeff is a certified farrier, and Christine and Jeff are both certified equine reproduction specialists!  All of these things SAVE YOU MONEY, and get you the absolute best price on some of the best quality gypsy cobs that have ever walked the planet!  We don't have to add all these little details onto your bill, as we have the process fully streamlined like a well-oiled machine, and don't waste YOUR money!  Don't make the mistake of thinking a horse is better because it's $10-20,000 more expensive than a horse that looks BETTER on our site.  We keep costs and prices down, so you can buy more horses for the money!  Remember, some of the most sought after and show-winning gypsy cobs (or "Vanners") in the USA have come directly from BFSGH!  These horses from BFSGH have been consistently placing top honors in the show rings at the largest gypsy horse shows across the nation. 

How We Determine Prices

Many people wonder how we arrive at the prices we set on our horses.  The answer to this is seemingly simple - The prices on the horses are set by the Gypsy people who developed, breed, and trade in these horses.  It is often difficult for our American clients to understand that the market for their horses is strongly affected by the Gypsy families overseas.  We are frequently asked how that can be since it costs so much to ship them.  We determine our pricing base on what the horses are trading for amongst the gypsies.  This can be tricky however since one must really understand the intricacies of trade amongst gypsies.  This takes many weeks overseas each year to understand and keep on top of.  Once we know what the horse's true value is amongst the Gypsies, we will add in the costs to bring her to the USA, and the expenses to operate our farm and business.   This results in the proper price an American client should pay for any given horse.

Our Commitment To You

Clients will often ask how they can know if they are buying a good horse, or the right horse.  As you explore our website, you will soon discover that we have a commitment to knowledge and education on the breed.  We do not want you to buy a horse from us because we tell you it's a good one.  Instead, we will provide you with the information and tools (on this website) you need to determine this for yourself.  Now we don't expect anyone to become an expert on the breed by reading a website, but we do believe you'll feel much more confident in your purchase once you've studied all we have to offer.  We believe you'll find that we are the only breeders/importers of the Gypsy Horse who will provide such in-depth information.  Other breeders either don't know these things, or don't want you to know them.  Well, we do.  We have always felt an educated client is our best client, and we are happy to provide that knowledge.