Changing Gypsy Vanner to Irish Cob

So this can be quite the hot topic as it can really get some people's feathers all ruffled. Please please do not turn this into an argument or use this post to make disrespectful comments to anyone. 

Over the years, as far back as 6 years that I remember I have seen a lot of conversation about the breed name Gypsy Vanner. Many people see the name Gypsy as offensive. I suggest changing the breed name to Irish Cob as I've seen many many other games do as well in order to be more respectful. 

“Gypsy” is a racial slur for the Roma or Romani people with Romanian origins and originally of Indian decent.

That's it, if you want more information you can google this topic as well but there were many terms I was not comfortable posting on EV. 

I have Romanian in my ancestry and don't find the name offensive -shrugs- but to each their own. I understand it's a heated topic to many. I'm just gonna stay neutral in this! But if people wanna change the name, go for it! c: Or if not, that's cool too! lol

it has bugged me that they aren't called irish cobs ever since i joined lol, before i didn't even know there were other names for the breed. that word has extremely negative connotations in my area though i know in other places it may not be used in a bad way at all.
but also isn't irish cob the original breed name anyway...? iirc it was changed for some reason but i can't remember why. irish cob just feels more accurate to me.

It was changed when the Stud book was made in the USA. As far as I know they're only called GVs in USA and Canada, I could be wrong though. 

I mean I wouldn't think calling them GVs would be offensive as we're calling it the breed of a horse, it's not directed at a person in a negative way. But, if you wanna get technical, then we could also call them by their other names; Tinker Horse, Gypsy Cob, Gypsy Horse, or Tinker Horse(this one sounds cuter imo lol) The term 'Gypsy Vanner' is inaccurate since they originated in Ireland, so Irish Cob would be better, so idc what we change it to as long as it's accurate and not something like 'Irish Glitter Unicorn' xD 

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lots of names for the same breed... i suppose it would be hard to have a general consensus on which is the most correct? i do agree irish cob makes more sense as it both indicates the type of horse and place of breed origin within the name.

i'm not sure about it being less hurtful if used for horses rather than people, as an example i do not speak for all my own people but most of us would be at least weirded out if someone used the most divisive term for ourselves to name a breed we developed lol. i feel if a word has widespread usage in a harmful way then naming a breed with it can further association between the word and the people it has been used against. my experiences may be different from others though of course.
also correct me if i am being dumb lol but Romani and Romanian are two different terms right? looking it up gives me mixed results o.O

Re: Romani/Romanian: Now I'm confused cuz:

As long as the breed doesn't get removed from the game; I don't care what the breed is called. :) One of my favorite breeds to raise! 

Last edited on 2023-02-07 at 10:39:07 by 💜ℱℯ𝒶𝓉𝒽ℯ𝓇 (ℱ𝒢) 💜

@Kali, Romani have heritage that ties back to South-East Asia, and they have been a nomadic people for hundreds if not thousands of years. The name "Gypsy" is considered a slur because colloquially it has become synonymous with things like "illegal" and "thief." The term "gypped" for example is icky for those same reasons. And many Romani were targeted during the Holocaust because of their perceived Otherness.

Romanians, on the other hand, have a combination of Germanic and Roman cultural identity. Romanian actually is incredibly hard to learn because it is a combination of Slavic and Romantic languages.

To the original topic, Irish Cobb is a great alternative. 

The correct term is Irish Cob, not Gypsy Vanner as it originated in Ireland by Irish Travellers. Not Romany. The term gypsy comes from the word Egyptian, as it was thought that these darker skinned nomads were of Egyptian origin. My father is Romany of Indian (Asian) origin. 

thank you both for clarifying ♥ i was confused reading the initial post since i've never noticed much of a correlation between discrimination against Romani people and the country Romania? so i wasn't sure if the slur was specifically about Romani people from Romania.

i don't think the breed would ever get removed, it's still one of the most popular breeds in the game! ♥ it's also pretty well developed and easier to buy/sell compared to many of the other breeds we have.

I was going to say this, it honestly makes me want to leave the game all-together because the word is just everywhere, I’d suggest the name Irish Vanner because a cob can mean any horse in Ireland.

I've never heard them called "Irish Vanners" though lol

Weird, that's all I've ever called them/seen them called, different communities