Among other things on my recent trip for elder care, I had a chance to fact-check with my dad about Aunt Joyce’s poem. So here’s an update!
Gypsy, the horse in the poem, was definitely a real horse. Its full name was Gypsy Royale. Aunt Joyce received Gypsy as a graduation gift after completing 8th grade. She spent a lot of time with Gypsy, just as the poem describes.
I was wrong about the dates, though. Dad was born in 1928, and Joyce a year later, so her poem probably was written in the later ’40s.
These bits of family lore are such a treasure, even if only for the immediate kin.
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Wyrmflight 
Knowing the horse was real is an added bonus!
I’ve long been interested in people’s family history. Maybe that’s partly because I know so little about my own.
That’s so cool that you found more information. I did a similar investigation into an old photo of my great grandfather.