Are showing cobs too fat?

michellepearson1

michellepearson1

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I went to the Great Yorkshire Show on Wednesdsay and it was fab. However, I sat and watched the lightweight cobs being shown. I was amazed at how big they were for lightweight cobs. They had huge necks and bodies but their legs looked thin in comparison.

What struck me was when they were doing their shows and came to do their gallop down the long strech how many had difficulty in stretching their necks forward and appeared to struggle to stretch their bodies out, so in fact none of the galloping was that impressive, in fact they looked quite unnatural which is a shame for such a lovely horse.

So imo it cant be healthy for horses to be that big for lightweight cobs! What do others think.
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I know I shouldn't generalise but most show horses are overweight, cobs, riding horses, hunters, M&M's the lot.

I have shown my Welsh Cob in the past but we are now focusing on our dressage,he's been on a diet to slim down and I reckon he'd look very different now if we went up against cobs in "show condition"

It is VERY bad for them to be over weight, it can cause numerous problems, and is probably verging on negligent in some cases...societies say they are encouraging fit not fat but I don't think the message is getting through yet.

apologises, rant over!
 
ditto trendybraincell

i think that's why the cobs and hunter that do really really well are horses that are fit and have seen more of the world than just the middle of a show ring (and yes i know i'm generalising and stereo-typing the showing world but it's all too common)

look at the likes of Robocob and others like him who actually hunt during the season (albeit lightly) at least they are capable of doing the job they were bred for!
 
There are definitely some showcobs who are hugely overweight, although there are plenty in the correct condition. I remember seeing at a large show a cob whose crest wobbled as he trotted and who had a huge gutter down his bum. Worst thing was that he won his class.
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Things won't change until judges stop placing obese horses - bet they wouldn't place the same horse if he was noticeably underweight.
 
tell me about it, my new forest is fit and nicely covered and well muscled, yet I was told a few months ago by a judge that he is 'under condition' when I was in a best condition class, 1st to 4th places were all what I would call overweight-its encouraging health issues. Drives me mad as I wont get my pony fat for the ring!!!!!!!
 
My 14.1hh sec d is approx 450 kilos, you can't feel his ribs ( unless you prod!!) I was told he was slightly underweight! You must be kidding?
I wasn't showing him, but a friend that shows her cobs told me this, IMO hers are fat, as in their necks and shoulders are one!
 
On the whole - yes. Obviously not all are, but far too many horses, whatever they do, are overweight these days.
 
Some are- I saw a class of cobs, and ID's at the suffolk and was amazed at how heavy they were. None of them could move freely, and all appeared to be heavily on the forehand simply because they were so heavy.

Some are not though, I dont think many Hacks or riding horses are.

FMM's always look super, hers cetainly aren't fat.
 
Here a great example of the difference between my D in "showing condition"

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And then post diet in a more acceptable condition if you ask my dressage instructor

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Having the two to look at I know which one I prefer, I don't care if it means we don't win!
 
I did LW cobs for 2 yrs affiliated on my 15.1hh coloured. My Mum's words were 'he looks like a thoroughbred compared to the rest of them' ! He was up to the height yet he looked tiny in height and in weight .... bearing in mind he was doing hunter trials / ODEs and workers too.

The highest placing he ever got was eighth, when at the same show he was 1st coloured IH cob and 1st in the ridden cobs / traditionals RIHS qualifier, so in my opinion they were biased not only to his size but also his colour, so I stuck to coloureds and his jumping.

I couldn't afford to have him fat, it would destroy his joints and his fun in life. He is now 17yrs old and still competing at county level and in VHS regionals, yet a 'big' cob we used to compete against who one everything was retired at 9 yrs from lameness .... says it all, I'd much rather have a happy heathly horse than a red rosette.

All this said, So Smart and Humdinger are my favourites
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Also since all this happened, in one VHS qualifier the judge explained to the steward how my horse was 'fit' looking versus another in the class which was overweight and she marked it down accordingly ... wish there were more that did !!
 
i watched a class at hickstead recently and to me they were not too fat,,,,,if you want to see truely overweight ponies just look at a welsh youngstock class!!
 
I was at GYS as well and thought that a lot of the ridden classes had horses which were much too heavy, with gutters down their backs.
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What chance have ILPH etc. got in trying to educate genral public when judges place such overweight creatures?
 
I was in the LW cob class at GYS. My cob is on very strict rations, but had an enforced week off 2 weeks ago due to my work and is (to my mind) carrying too much weight, however he looked very slim in comparision to most. We still had a respectable pull in (top third).

He hunted lightly last season, and I'll be subscribing (with him as my only horse) this season coming, we also jump/hack etc. Unfortunately he doesn't see the point in galloping if he's not behind a pack of hounds, so he's probably fitted the stereotype of "not that impressive galloping"! However the ground was awful, and I'm not suprised the ride judge didn't push for impressive gallops in the circumstances. Did you see the cobs gallop in the go round?

It's difficult for the judges to pick a winner of a healthy weight (and good quality) when so many exhibits are overweight!

Mine has certainly slimmed down since I bought him

12 months ago:

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at GYS:

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Funnily enough I was looking at some in H&H a few weeks ago and actually turned the page as I was disgusted how these poor overweight and obese looking horses were winning classes. In some ways I blame the owners but in another I don't as I agree with some that say unless these judges stop awarding these horses who are overweight what can the owners do.
 
I was watching some showing at kent county yesterday and would say that the majority of the horses I saw were very overweight! At the moment, I would consider Flash to be too fat, and we're trying to shed some pounds, but compared to horses I saw there with a similar amount of bone, he looked positively slimline!!
 
I watched the cob classes at the east of england - one is particular was absolutley gross, some of the others were a bit fat and the one that won one of the classes looked OK - so I agree that some are, but not all of them
 
Hope it was our one that you thought was a good weight at east of england (he won the LW class!) and I was on the winner of the maxi class (and he is a very fit horse that I was riding for a friend) - in general, some cobs are very overweight and this tends to be to hide defects or to try to trick people into thinking they are more cobby than they really are. The ground at GYS was appalling, so if some were struggling it was more likely trying to get their (usually) enormous hooves out of the mud rather than the problems associated with being overweight.

With this really weird weather, it is possible for horses to change shape literally in a few days with the grass growing so quickly.

Generally, the top cobs these days are expected to move and if they are overweight, then they are obviously not going to move well enough.
 
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