Can a 'rounded' show cob actually be fit & healthy?

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Hutchlou

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Had a lovely afternoon watching horses & ponies at Equifest, all beautifully turned out. :-) As a h/w traditional cob owner, I was particularly interested in these classes, however was disappointed to see that the 'heavier' ones seemed to be constantly placed at the top of the line. Don't get me wrong, some of them had the best movement & stunning manes but they still looked VERY overweight. So am I missing something, are these beautiful creatures 'muscled & fit' rather than just 'rounded & cresty'?
 
as far as i know with my little knowledge of showing, i think 'show condition' tends to be quite overweight in comparison to the way we condition score 'normal' horses :)
 
[video=youtube;u9dVeVNtFdQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL3339002E40EFCD74&v=u9dVeVNtFdQ&feature=player_embedded[/video]

Even at my local show the Welshes have huge gutters down their backs and cresty/fatty necks. :(
 
Can a "rounded" cob be fit and healthy? Yes if it's rounded off with muscle.

Unfortunately virtually every animal I see in the show ring round here is actually a wobbling mess of fat and is definitely neither fit, nor healthy. There is a big difference between a muscular animal and a fat one - sadly many judges don't seem to be able to distinguish them at all. In fact, I'm not sure they're even trying from some of the pot bellied, lolloping highlands I've seen placed lately (and I'm not biased by a conflict of interest as I haven't shown any of mine in years).
 
Agree! My highland filly looks just right but some fat youngsters at NPS and not just highlands!

It's a way of trying to get a made up animal without the muscle and work. Needs to be fit not fat!
 
I bought a show condition show cob several years ago. He had just qualified for HOYS but there was a family dispute and I got him for a very reasonable sum. He was so fat his neck wobbled when he stood still! It took months and months to get him fit and then he tied up out hunting, so either I still hadn't got him fit enough or his metabolism was wrecked.
 
My Clydesdale Welsh cross has a huge crest and enormous bum he's massive but he's not fat you can feel his ribs and he has a good line on his side / tummy showing his tummy muscles and enviable strong back muscle
Everything about him except his tummy is rounded his crest is natural his neck is a beauiful shape for work and he develops muscles easily so its easy to develop him through work .
He's fully mature ( he did not look this a a younger horse ) but he's differs from most of the show horses you see because he does not have a rounded tummy I often wonder what a show judge would say faced by him.
 
Don't know about the class mentioned but I was also there today and the fat pads on some of them were discusting. There is no way some of them are fit.
 
Thanks, having tried to constantly juggling to keep my cob at a good weight whilst ensuring he has enough energy to get fit & do what I want, I was starting to wonder if I was wasting my time!! I now know that there is no point entering mine as he would probably just look a bit scrawny in comparison!!! ;)
 
Hate overweight horses in the show ring and have had a few heated discussions with friends who breed certain types of horses, but anyone who actually can see an over weight horse would look at my little ones coloured cob and swear he was over weight. Sway back doesn't help but pony is ridden everday for at least an hour, varied work including flat schooling and 2hr fast hacks, jumps 75cm courses at least once a week, was out at the beach last week for 2hrs and is perfectly happy going xc at 90cm. And still I shudder looking at the poor boy thinking he is still to bloody fat lives out 24/7, isn't rugged, has been known to put in a shift in the riding school and is fed a handful of nuts as a token feed.
 
I think some of them must be reasonably fit as they could be doing loads of exercise still, but not the really obese ones!

You get it with Haflingers but nowhere near as bad as some of the show cobs. Funnily enough because haffies are a foreign breed most of the show pics of the stallions are amazingly fit and lean! http://genesisfarmhaflingers.com/stallions/arno1.gif gorgeous!

I think it is just because it's too hard to get them fit and easy to make them fat. Doesn't really make sense to reward people for lack of effort in their care!
 
I am an ignoramus about showing but having had a horse with laminitis I do feel very strongly that encouraging obesity in horses is WRONG. There should be a vet inspection on these horses like they have at endurance, I bet if a lot of them trotted in hand once round the ring they would vet out on heart rate!
 
I stopped showing my l/w cob as was told by a Judge that he looked too fit, and wouldn't get placed higher until in proper show condition. This was at a local 'fun' show.

The same cob hunts weekly all winter, competes and fun rides in the summer, and although have never seen him 'lean', would say he is fit. However if I let him reach the desired show condition, it would not be fair to expect him to do these other activities.

The worst case of cob obesity I saw was a Search for a star cob class at hoys - one of the cobs looked liked a rhino, had obviuos cellulite, and wobbled round the ring. Sadly his rider was equally matched and could only get on with the help of a step ladder (I kid you not!). However it still got pulled in 3rd?!
 
Sadly you only have to look at the front page of equestrian life to see what's doing well in the ring, it's not a great message.
 
Hi there,

Last year I was told that Shy needed to put on "condition" for showing by a couple of judges. I told them he had had a lami scare, and was the correct weight according to the vet. We came last, and i will never go to these stupid shows again. My horse's health is far more important than being placed by a woman in a weird hat. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...:mad:
 
Too many show cobs are too bl...y fat and it's a welfare issue. Some years ago I was judging a very low key local show and a competitor asked me why her horse hadn't been placed as he'd won everything he'd been entered for. I told her it was because he was carrying too much condition and although he was a lovely horse I was concerned for his health. she was not pleased!! When I asked her what she would prefer, a lot of rosettes and a horse with laminitis or a healthy horse with lots of happy years ahead of it, I think she'd have gone for the rosettes!
 
you only have to look at the pic of what won at the RIHS to see the top cobs are morbidly obese and not fit.
grim. and thats form someone who prefers horses on the rounded side of fit, but not to that extreme!

went teaching last night and one of the other liveries *rode* her horse at the same time, she did 3 laps in walk, then walked round the perimeter of the fields twice, prob 1.5miles of walking total. thats work?!
her 3 horses are all so fat they have NO definition from poll to tail, no dips in over shoulder blades or behind elbows or flanks, just a flat solid mass of blubber.
 
Undoubtedly there are a lot of grossly fat horses being placed showing across all classes, from LR ponies & M&Ms to hunters. BUT there is an issue of tpe. My hunter mare could skip round the Rads & Tracks at a 2 day & hunt all day, but still look 'round' she wasn't particularly overweight, but naturally has a lovely apple bottom and deep neck. My sons horse looks big & a bit fat. He isn't and in fact is doing a 2 day in a couple of weeks, you couldn't pinch an inch on him but he has a huge neck and is also very deep.

It's possible for a horse to be fit but not eventer lean.....
http://eohippusphotography.zenfolio.com/p137681420/h6AB9CC91#h6af30b0b
 
We got a bit fed up of the showing, when we kept getting told he needs more condition. He was the right weight, fit and healthy, but he looked skinny compared to others in the ring. (and also we had started driving, which we cant get enough of, so no time for showing!!)
 
What about the pic of Oathill Take The Biscuit on the cover of HHO. THat looks like a 'hunter' that would faint on its way to the meet, let alone trot to the first cover.

And the nice 4 year old inside, can't remember her name, she was OBESE! So, it isn't just cobs. I think they should be fit for purpose, so a hunter should be able to look like it could hunt.
 
Clodagh said:
What about the pic of Oathill Take The Biscuit on the cover of HHO. THat looks like a 'hunter' that would faint on its way to the meet, let alone trot to the first cover.

And the nice 4 year old inside, can't remember her name, she was OBESE! So, it isn't just cobs. I think they should be fit for purpose, so a hunter should be able to look like it could hunt.
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I don't look at the showing pages now yes there are beauifully muscled and conditioned show horses but there are loads of fat blobs as well it's just plain wrong .
 
Clodagh said:
What about the pic of Oathill Take The Biscuit on the cover of HHO. THat looks like a 'hunter' that would faint on its way to the meet, let alone trot to the first cover.

And the nice 4 year old inside, can't remember her name, she was OBESE! So, it isn't just cobs. I think they should be fit for purpose, so a hunter should be able to look like it could hunt.
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Im sorry but I have to disagree with some of the comments on here, especially the one about Oathill. Some of the horses & ponies ARE overweight yes I must aggree, BUT the majority of the ones that are placed are just muscle and not fat :)

I know this as we go ou showing every weekend around the country at the moment mostly for the HOYS qualifiers and starting to do next years RIHS qualifiers, and my friends 13hh show hunter pony is not getting high in the line up due the fact that she has not enough muscle on her neck than the ones that are getting placed. The ponies that are placed, their necks are a solid mass of muscle and cannot be moved unlike a big fatty crest. It takes allot of hard work and effort to get these show horses and ponies to the condition they are in, and its definatly not just fattening them up :)
 
A couple of years ago at a county show my friend entered her very well bred Sec D in the Trekking Horse class, and the Sec D class. He was incredibly fit, well muscled and lean as he did a lot of long distance work. In the Trekking Class the judge placed him first and said he was the only horse there fit for a day's trekking. In the Sec D class half an hour later, against many of the same horses, the same judge didn't even place him - and said the reason was that he was lacking show condition :confused::confused::confused:
 
Carrots&Mints said:
Im sorry but I have to disagree with some of the comments on here, especially the one about Oathill. Some of the horses & ponies ARE overweight yes I must aggree, BUT the majority of the ones that are placed are just muscle and not fat :)

I know this as we go ou showing every weekend around the country at the moment mostly for the HOYS qualifiers and starting to do next years RIHS qualifiers, and my friends 13hh show hunter pony is not getting high in the line up due the fact that she has not enough muscle on her neck than the ones that are getting placed. The ponies that are placed, their necks are a solid mass of muscle and cannot be moved unlike a big fatty crest. It takes allot of hard work and effort to get these show horses and ponies to the condition they are in, and its definatly not just fattening them up :)
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sorry but no, those crests are fat and you can tell its fat because the rest of the pony is just as round with absolutely NO defintion over shoulders or flanks and you would have to dig inches down to find ribs.

as someone previously involved in high level showing i can tell you those ponies are just plain overweight. Look at the shape of a top showjumper or dressage horse, thats muscle mass for you, then compare to the show horses..............................would be interested to see pics of these super fit, hard muscles how ponies.
 
IMO, the majority of show horses and ponies are just fat.

Sorry.


Seen too many of late and it makes me cringe. You cannot class the majority of them as athletes in the same way you would eventers, SJers or dressage horses.

I really am disliking showing more and more and tbh....seeing it more and more as just pointless? It NEEDS to be judged more on way of going rather than just who the top names in the class are as otherwise what is the point?!
 
Yes, my show cob is 'rounded'. Extremely muscular and incredibly fit, went on a 4 hour ride on Saturday with plenty of jumps and gallops and he barely broke a sweat!
 
A firm large crest is a warning sign of impending laminitis... not necessarily muscle C&M especially when you look at the overall shape of the horse/pony! Oathill TTB is FAT as are just about all of the hunters - and I'd say it's pig fat personally.
My TB is currently as fat as she's ever been as she's only being worked a couple of times a week due to me being heavily pregnant. She's still about 1/3 lighter than the horses I watched in the ROR final at the Hickstead Derby meeting - TBs should also never be that fat in my opinion!
 
i was being told by an owner not so many months ago that her horse's wobbling shoulder fat pads were "pure muscle". Some people just cannot see fat for what it is, even when they hear of lami deaths - they just do not register that Fat = LAMI RISK.
 
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ST...s%2Fmedia%2FPARKHILLBECKHAM.jpg.html;1024;720

This pony Parkhills Beckham.. always placed won RIHS 13hh SHP class... show me where this pony is overweight?!? No its not, its very fit very healthy and very muscular

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ST...%2Fstory-19133461-detail%2Fstory.html;448;300

Another pony Chinook Jannaba 2nd in the RI class is this pony overweight? Nope

http://www.google.co.uk/search?um=1...urce=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=nskMUqnBGtP20gXX74HAAQ

Another one pumphill ragamuffin... no fat on this pony either, just very musclar

http://www.google.co.uk/search?um=1...+ross&sa=1&safe=active&tbm=isch&um=1&imgdii=_

Hello Dolly... another fit and healthy horse, lots of power and very muscular again... I can go on and on and on naming horses and ponys that are ino top showing YET arnt fat!!

You should just say all show horses and ponies are fat as this is not the case
 
Carrots&Mints said:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ST...s%2Fmedia%2FPARKHILLBECKHAM.jpg.html;1024;720

This pony Parkhills Beckham.. always placed won RIHS 13hh SHP class... show me where this pony is overweight?!? No its not, its very fit very healthy and very muscular

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ST...%2Fstory-19133461-detail%2Fstory.html;448;300

Another pony Chinook Jannaba 2nd in the RI class is this pony overweight? Nope

http://www.google.co.uk/search?um=1...urce=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=nskMUqnBGtP20gXX74HAAQ

Another one pumphill ragamuffin... no fat on this pony either, just very musclar

http://www.google.co.uk/search?um=1...+ross&sa=1&safe=active&tbm=isch&um=1&imgdii=_

Hello Dolly... another fit and healthy horse, lots of power and very muscular again... I can go on and on and on naming horses and ponys that are ino top showing YET arnt fat!!

You should just say all show horses and ponies are fat as this is not the case
Click to expand...

This!! ^
 
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