Are cobs & cob riders stereotyped?? Plods? Calm? Useless??

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WishfulThinker

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I ask because I am noticing that folk seem to think that my cob is suitable for just anyone to ride......or not as much work as other horses.

Ok he is good with beginners, but he can be a challenge to someone who pushes him - in that he will try and test you (refusing to stop, taking off, massive leaps over jumps etc) But is 99% well behaved all the time.

And so I have also been classified as not really a good enough ride to ride other peoples horses because my horse is well behaved, and doesn't have any vices or isn't sensitive to things and so doesn't create.

It irks me slightly - because I CHOOSE to ride a horse that behaves rather than one that I spend most of my energy trying to keep from exploding. I am not nervous, but I do like to know what to expect from a horse, and of course don't like rearers or ones that are known to freak out (but who does really???). That doesn't mean I cant handle a flightier ride, bt most people seem to think it does
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When I was younger I used to ride the 'problem' horses because I could come off and just get back on and try and try and try again. But that becomes boring after a while (and eventually painful!).

I have a mate that seems to think that its ok for her mates to ride my horse as he puts up with it, but yet her horse is too 'special' for anyone else to ride. And yes I know that we all do this. My horse doesn't tank off after landing from a jump, and so that seems to make him 'slow' and crap at jumping (that would be why I have 6 rosettes for the 8 times I have taken him jumping co she is that bad at it!), just because he doesn't hurl himself over the jumps uncontrollably and hollow!

Sorry............I just need a whine today as its just so bugging that folk always over look my boy
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. I think he is a wee star and I trust him 99% (1% of him is a bloody devil!!), and my heart melts when he comes trotting over the field when he sees me coming - even a field away.

Why do the majority of people seem to think that to make you a good horse person, or your horse 'special' they have to have faults/vices that you 'control'? A good horse person would 1st work to eradicate those vices, find out WHY they have them, not just ignore them and then be proud because they can handle them.

Massive cookies and wine if you got that far............If any of it makes sense to you, congrats! lol.
 
I think people do generally seem to sum cobs up as "dope on a rope" which of course, is not the case- much like there is a common missconception that every TB is a nutty at crunchy nut.
It is annoying, when I had superMontyCob people used to overlook him- he wasn't the best looking horse out hunting, certainly not the most leggy, sexy horse about, but he did his job, he didn't feel the ground like the finer horses did, and he was mega comfy to ride- I would pick him for ease over my nutty coloured any day of the week.
 
yes i do think they are stereotyped in the same way as Arab are hot headed and TB and not for beginners and Pony's get laminitis..

Unfortuantly as humans we love to catagorise..

From personal experience, i find cobs to be both challanging and fun to ride and i find alot of them to be unsuitable for novice riders.

I'm blessed, I have a beautiful ex-racer who has no vices, no faults, is fun to ride, bombproof to the nines and has not a single fault i can think of.. except his appauling conformation.

Lou x
 
I agree with you, surely a good horseperson tries their best to ensure that their horse is as well mannered / behaved as it can be. Obviously some horses are going to be flightier than others as their temprament comes into it. But just because you ride a well behaved horse it doesn't make you a less skilled rider or your horse an easier ride. S*d em - you should be proud you have such a diamond of a horse!

Off to drink my wine and eat my cookies now!!
 
I knew someone that "stereotyped" a coloured cob to their detriment, they ended up selling him very cheaply as he had "problems" and they couldnt handle him. My little cob I still maintain was the boldest bravest hunter I have ever sat on (I have hunted 8 horses)
 
My friends has a gypsy cob, whilst he looks like a dope on a rope, he is anything but. He CAN be a nightmare to bring in if he so chooses, he CAN spook at things he has passed a hundred times before, but most people on the yard used to think of him as a ordinary cob nothing to write home about.

Now cobs don't do it for me , however to see him in a show with his feathers long white and gleaming and his full mane falling on his shoulders, it made you stop and stare and think "Wow".

He could trot on the roads for ages without worrying about his legs, was a hardy so and so and able to live put and lived on fresh air. She loves him and wouldn't swap back to her warmblood for anything.

So sorry back to your question , yes I do think cobs are stereotyped, but I think most horses people try to put in a type box, like Arabs, TB's etc, I think we forget that like us horses are very much individuals.
 
I sometimes think that people make these assumptions about cobs because, deep, deep down they know that they would have been far better with a cob themselves!
Cobs are absolutely brilliant - the world would be a better place if more people realised that fact.
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Are they stereotyped? Only by the secretly envious "too posh for a cob but I'm too scared to hack my premier dressage horse around the block and too frightened of its legs to take it XC...."
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We have 3 at our farm - 1 needs a rocket up her bum to get her going (usually my foot when we're out), 1 has only 1 forward gear (keffing fast) and the 3rd is a perfect pony (does everything she's asked with no silliness).

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Are they stereotyped? Only by the secretly envious "too posh for a cob but I'm too scared to hack my premier dressage horse around the block and too frightened of its legs to take it XC...."
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oh, i like this. i completely agree!!
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Yes - you are right - they are often stereotyped. I have had various show horses - including cobs, hunters and riding horses - and I prefer the cobs without a doubt. More fun, generally self aware and don't put themselves in positions of danger (which means they protect their rider as well) and slightly smaller! They can be little devils, too fast, too slow - whatever, but they do look after themselves and have more of a quick pony brain.
 
I ended up with a warmblood because the only cobs available were either far too clever & strong with it or so unresponsive it was frightening.

However, that's because all the good ones are taken!!!
 
I have a native so not a cob as such but I love her and wouldn't go back to my WB for any money. I don't judge anyone's riding based on the "type" of horse which they have but I know that a lot of people do. At my old yard I had a cob and one girl never spoke to me but when I "upgraded" to a WB she was suddenly my best friend. Idiot - I still disliked her intensely
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Yes they are.

My George is NOT a novice ride. I have brought him on a lot but he still has the odd cheeky nap or kick out of the off hind when riding him (if he doesn't want to go forward).

He's a great hunter as well.
 
I think we are stereo typed. My first horse was a nutty ex irish hunter and we would often end up coming home from hacks seperately! opps! After she died I had 3 quirky horses in a row, one was dangerous the others were spooky and nut heads to ride. I got my light weight cob from a sales as a project [I was put off having a long term horse by then] and he is still with me now. He is a real character, definately not boring to ride and learns very quickly. I don't care what anyone says he is priceless to me!
 
Oh yes, the definitely are and nothing irratates me more! A lot of people do seem to presume that cobs are lazy, can't jump, easy rides, anyone can get on and just sit there etc, etc. Cob riders I think get stereotyped as a bit rubbish and not very capable
Which is the biggest pile of poo
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. Obviously as with all stereotypes, there are some cobs that are like that but when my boy was at the riding school, they used to say "You can't ride until you can ride Cinnamon" (that's him btw
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), which is very true.

At the risk of sounding like I'm bigging myself up (which I'm really not, I know I'm not a fantastic rider) but you really can't just get on and sit there whilst he makes you look good. My god that horse has given me balance
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. When he does them, his bucks are awful to sit sometimes, if he did that with someone who wasn't used to it, they would be off and on the floor. All four legs off the ground, throw his arse in the air when the front legs touch the ground again and if you're really unlucky, he drops his shoulder as well
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Of course sometimes he just makes do with 'normal' bucks!
You can't just sit and look pretty on him, you have to really think everything through properly. He can jump like an absolute stag and for the most part, he can do it pretty amazingly without much from the rider. BUT if you do intefere and get it wrong, he lets you know (cat leaping mostly
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I don't quite get why a lot of people do have such a big "Oh no, couldn't POSSIBLY have a cob" thing?
 
I have a cob who is a fantastic little sod!! She is not the easiest ride, not at all push button you have to ride her and she needs to know who is boss (ie her!) She has taken me out hunting crossed ditches others have refused without so much as a glance and reminded me that I have no brakes whatso ever!! She can jump like a stag and strut her stuff at shows, or if not in the mood have 3 refusals at the 1st fence.... a horse is a horse at the end of the day...
 
I think this pretty much the case with most breeds. In my adult life I have had an arab, a cob and a TB. My arab was far from hot headed, the cob was nuts and out performed all the "eventers" at our yard and the TB is so laid back to handle you would think I kept him doped (can get a bit bright under the saddle, but this is becoming less as he grows up)
I know someone who considers well behaved horse as boring and almost sneers when she has to ride one. I on the other hand hate handling her horse, he is rude, bolshy, and can throw huge temper tantrums when being ridden.
I just like a horse who is nice to handle both on the ground and when being ridden, thats not boring, its pleasant.
 
I have an overgrown cob. He has his difficult moments, and most people cant get him to do track up in trot let alone canter, not because hes lazy, but he needs the right buttons pushing.
He can rear and buck with the best of them, loud noises make him bolt.... but he has self preservation by the shed load, if he trusts you he will go to the end of the world for you and he is very gentle with people that need him to be.
People stereotype him at their peril, it usually means we beat them in the jump off!
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When I was younger I had a nutty TB, I loved him dearly even though he regulary tried to kill me, we did lots of competitions and I had him 20 years. I worked in a racing yard for 5 years, breaking and riding out anything from yearlings upwards, so also got plenty of excitement/experience from them. I now have 2 14.2 ponies, one of which is a sweet hairy cob. I choose to have ponies/cobs as they are more fun, cheaper to keep and not so high maintenence. I moved to a new area so no body knows that I haven't always been a hairy cob rider and I am sure that the many eventers that live round here just see me as the woman who plays with ploddy ponies!!. I don't really care as I only keep them for my own enjoyment and I have just as much fun, I could buy myself a high maintenence tb to event but can't really be bothered. My girls are more fun.
 
After having mostly thoroughbreds I took on a cob for short term loan last year. I thought she would be easy and straightforward but I was very much mistaken! She was spookier than any TB I've had and didn't have much in the way of brakes but I had loads of fun on her out on hacks, I used to laugh out loud when I had a little gallop on her, it felt so funny! I jumped her a few times but she was a bit mad, going at them at a full tilt gallop, did a nice little jump and then continue at such a speed that she was difficult to steer.
I once took her on a 'pleasure ride' and I've never endured so many aches and pains the days following the ride as she pulled like a train the full 12 miles and didn't want to stop!
Despite her uncoblike behaviour (or so I thought) I thought she was great and had loads of fun on her but give me a sane TB any day!
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Possibly - but I think only in the same way that people stereotype people who have a TB/WB and say they must be snobs/over horsed etc.

Personally, I don't see why people can't just have the stamp of horse they want and that is suitable for the job intended. For example, if you want to event then a cob might not be as suitable as some other breeds because they would struggle with the time at higher levels, or on the other hand if you wanted a hunter to go in trappy country you'd be better with a chunkier stamp than a TB because a they are more likely to stand up to the work.

Some people might think I'd be better suited to a 15.2 than my 16.3, because TBH, I am a bit over horsed!! But we are safe and enjoy ourselves so I don't care what other people think!
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Just enjoy your horse and f*ck everyone else!
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People definitely stereotype cobs - so many people look at my coblet and say he looks slow, or dopey, or whatever...he can be a bit lazy sometimes but generally canters around like he's got a rocket up his backside most of the time!!
 
I own a number of varying breeds and types ranging from Irish, part bred arab, and warmblood and none of them are as strong willed and characterful as my sisters 14.2 cob. He is the comedian of the yard! He tows people out to the field in the morning, bangs the door of his stable when he feels he ought to be fed, will dictate the pace in the school (ie stop) with a lesser rider on board and generally has an opinion on everything. That said, he hacks alone and in company, jumps anything you put in front of him, shows and anything else you want to do with him providing you're experienced enough!
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If he was owned by complete novices im sure he would make their lives a misery as he has to be kept in check. Having said that we will never part with him, because he has such a sexy body and hog and is such good fun to have on the yard, life wouldn't quite be the same without him.
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If i wanted a quiet life however i would definitely have a yard full of either TB's, trakehners or any other kind of sports horses and DEFINITELY not a yard full of cobs!!! hehehe!!
 
*Favourite subject alert!*

I never set out to get a cob - he basically had to fall in my lap! I was loaning a fast talented showjumping pony, who would jump anything but after several nasty falls in the space of about 2 weeks (I loaned him for about 2 1/2 years) my confidence was suddenly, unexpectedly and heartbreakingly destroyed.

I went from jumping 3 foot up without blinking, to shaking at the thought of a tiny cross pole. I continued to hack and school the pony, but he was terribly unhappy with only the occasional jump.

It was about this time that my RI suggested loaning a COLOURED (shock horror!) COB (ohmygod) called Dibbs (oh dear). Anyhoo, I went for a trial ride on him and for the first time since I lost my confidence, I jumped a course of jumps and I felt so good afterwards. Even my burning thigh muscles couldn't hold back my happiness!

After about 5 months of loaning him I was still thinking I was going to work my way up to a 'proper' horse, when I was told I could have him myself or he'd be sold. That's the moment I realised he had a home with me for life!

We went from strength to strength and even though I still get nervous at about the 3 foot mark, I can happily jump a small course, and go xc jumping (something I never thought I'd do again).

Out hacking I can go for a blast (he happily keeps up with my friend's ISH) and bring him back to walk easily, something I was never able to do on my old connie.

He has completely changed my opinion of cobs and I wouldn't hesitate to have one again.

Plod? - If you want him to be, he will be! But if you want to go faster, or jump higher, he'll do that too!

Calm? - Always! Oh, except if he sees a small, spotty pony or a coke can
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Useless? - to me, a highly strung horse who wrecks my confidence would be useless. He's far from that
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ETA - and they are most certainly stereotyped. I've had to deal with several hurtful comments since I've owned him
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I love cobs my mum used to have a cob who she hunted, team chased etc so many people on the "flashy" TBs or WBs used to sneer and she wasn't the fastest up the hills but when they got to the top and there "superstars" wouldn't jump a hedge or go over a ditch it was my mums cob that gave them a lead! She even had to give the master a lead a couple of times! There wasn't a fence that she wouldn't jump and the only times she EVER stopped was when there was wire in the fence yes she was a good horse and i used to ride her when i was a kid but she could also be full of it and an interesting ride. There wasn't anything she couldn't do and many people would think there horses were better but she never needed a lead and usually beat them out showjumping.

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All this prejudice and stereotyping does seem daft, doesn't it?

I do wish we could all just have the type of horse we prefer (I like Arabs, you like cobs, she likes WBs, whatever) without feeling the need to sneer at other people's choices or convince them that our preferred breed/type is somehow 'better' than theirs.

Cobs certainly don't deserve to be looked down upon or belittled or stereotyped by those who prefer WBs or TBs or whatever, but the same applies the other way round - there seem to be plenty of 'cob-snobs' who assume that anyone with a 'big fancy WB' is overhorsed and pretentious!
 
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