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

You came to a discussion about overweight horses, with an overweight horse as your avatar. It was inevitable people were going to pick up on it, really...

Doesn't make your loss any sadder, or the horse any less lovely, but yes...
 
My horse was never a show horse that photo was taken about a month before he died the same week he became ill. Stop picking on my dead horse. He was never ever fat whilst I had him he was an old lad and you calling him fat is disgusting after I said he is no longer with us. You disgust me
 
Erm, didn't you put up pictures of your unfortunately dead horse in the first place? I'm sorry he is no longer with you, but lots of us have dear departed horses.
 
To be fair I had no idea he was dead until you pointed it out after you put up a pic of him. And I'm sorry to upset you!!

I've had people on here call my dead horse ugly. And you know what, I didn't mind, because it was true!! Didn't mean I loved him any less, and the people weren't attacking me personally, just picking up on a fact!!
 
Carrots&Mints said:
Yes before he died obviously. My god some people on here are sick and cruel!
Click to expand...

No they are not; you are immature and not listening. The horse, in the photographs, is overweight. The fact that he has subsequently died is sad, but does not change that fact. How is anybody being cruel?
 
It's beside the point. The horse of mine was no show horse he never got placed he didn't go well but that was my horse.....

Ill say it again though.... Not all show ponies and horses are fat!

Now delete that photo of my horse as its not yours to publish thankyou
 
Cortez said:
No they are not; you are immature and not listening. The horse, in the photographs, is overweight. The fact that he has subsequently died is sad, but does not change that fact. How is anybody being cruel?
Click to expand...


That horse WAS NOT a show horse but an old man enjoying his last month in earth. Get a grip
 
Carrots&Mints said:
It's beside the point. The horse of mine was no show horse he never got placed he didn't go well but that was my horse.....

Ill say it again though.... Not all show ponies and horses are fat!

Now delete that photo of my horse as its not yours to publish thankyou
Click to expand...

We didn't know the background, you posted a picture of a horse, that looked like a show horse, no-one knew he was no longer with us!

The one I posted was just on your public profile, I just assumed it was a clearer pic of the one in your avatar, which you had said was not fat, it was just the way it was silhouetted. I'm sorry to have upset you, but like I said, that's not what anyone set out to do. It's not like a personal attack on you or your horse!! Just discussing weight on a thread about weight...
 
C and mint you posted the picture of your horse ( now sadly dead ) so don't get upset when people comment on it .
No one has said all show horses are fat but a great many are .
 
I have quite a substantial grip, thank you. There was a photo of this horse quite obviously in a show class; the horse was, in all photos, overweight - this is a fact based on the images shown. Nobody is being cruel, you are choosing to become hysterical for no discernible reason. I am sorry he has died, my sympathies on this, but no one is being cruel or horrible to you. And for what it is worth, in response to the original question, yes, I believe a rounded show cob can be fit and healthy, and I do see some cobs that have been reduced too much for their build. Can we get back on track with a very useful and interesting discussion please?
 
That photo of my horse in his show is when he was at his lowest weight , yes he had a big neck and no it wasn't all muscle it was a crest but to then put a photo which isn't even yours on here looking his worst when I had already said he'd died was rather cruel and upsetting.
 
To get back to the original question yes I do think a rounded show cob can be fit and healthy

there are PLENTY are sadly arent I agree but these horses do get a lot of exercise and some of them spend their whole summer on the road so need to be reasonably healthy

Yes there are lots of fat show horses and ponies but there are also a lot of ones that arent fat and equally there are plenty of happy hackers out there that will never see a show but are wildly obese

I think its unfair to tar everyone with the same brush and think people should credit the show horse owners with a little bit of intellegence and common sense!

More judges are pointing out weight problems now and placing more muscled animals. The show world is listening and improving IMHO but attitudes will not change overnight

I was speaking to a leading M&M large breed rider and judge the other day asking for advice on getting my pony in to better condition and he was quick to caution against rushing the pony or overfeeding him and said that sometimes a native will be six before they have the right muscle tone - wise words I thought, a person looking to the future and a credit to the show world

C&M obviously feels very protective of the showing world and thats to be expected, I dare say if someone came on here criticising another equine sport with blanket statements others would speak out as strongly
 
I see that my horse, when hunting fit, wouldn't look good in the show ring but I would expect a show hunter to be fit enough for cubbing. As for the big-necks-are-muscle section on here, when you look at the hunt horses at the opening meet they are pretty well as fit as a horse can get (racehorses excluded) and they don't have big necks, they have topline, if you have a good groom, but theres not a lot there.

C and M - you think that section D stallion at the Royal Welsh isn't fat? Is that right?
 
How much muscle there is on top line of a fit hunter will depend on how much flat work type training they have had as well their conformation.
My cob has an enormous neck he works well on the flat and is easy to develop but hes got lovely muscle definition it's muscle not fat I worked it there by training him .
My hunter has a huge neck too like a dressage horse he always has it because of the way he's worked .
One day my TB will have a big neck too .
 
Cortez said:
This horse is overweight. Fact. whatever muscles it has are obscured by layers of adipose tissue. Adorable Alice's horse is in "show condition" but is not obese; i.e. it's not fit to go out hunting, but it's not a gross wobbling mass either.
Click to expand...

I agree on both counts - I wouldn't have as much weight on one of my horses as AA's, but I wouldn't be calling the RSPCA either ;)

Every single one of the horses from the Welsh Faracat posted up thread are hideously overweight too. (Except the arab obviously!) It dismays me that almost all the ponies I see placed at large shows are obese. I don't follow hunter/hack type classes and I hope it's better in those circles, but I do see a lot of natives and cobs out winning despite their excessive fat.

eta, really need to read the whole thread before posting - that went a bit barking there :confused3:
 
Last edited:
As an owner of a cob in the past, do i think a cob can be fit but rounded? No, not really. Mine was kept as lean as i could without making her look disproportionate.
This was her pretty much through her life, she dead by the way but dont worry im ok with that :p Unfortunately that means i cant get any better pics!
KSCN0001.jpg

I think she was only about 6 or 7 hear and she did bulk out but i know it was more muscle than fat, that said even at her leanest she still had a apple butt.

Image032.jpg

I think she was about 15 ish her and in the height of summer, i was pleased with her weight, she was in work 6 days a week and competing aff jumping most weekends. Yes you couldnt see her ribs but i can guaranty you could feel them. Oh and there isnt a crest just a mane that insisted on sticking up and out as it was pulled!
Heaving her great bulk over a fence
KSCN0011.jpg

She never in her life had a gutter on her back or even fat pads, even thou at the time i was prob quite ignorant to excess fat. Could she had been leaner? More than likely but as someone who looked at her everyday i knew she was as slim as i would allow for her frame.
I guess i had learned around horses of old school, lean riding school horses fed straights etc. so fat just wasnt an option.
I have more issues with my wb, it took me ages to come to terms with the fact he need to eat a lot more than i was used to!
 
cptrayes said:
Carrots n mints how long ago was that picture of your lovely horse taken? It's clear from older showing photos that this is a problem which has got worse over the years.


He looks good, but he does look as if he is carrying more weight than I ever allow a horse of mine to carry, unless his belly is naturally low in front of his stifles. Pictures can be so deceptive, I'd need to feel his ribs before I could really judge.
Click to expand...

The picture of him facing left was 2008 and looking right 2009. He retired after Royal Windsor in 2010. He had 156 competitive starts in hunter showing (M/W) and dressage to medium from 2005 to 2010, he won 136 of them, was placed above 4th in 16, twice 7th at HOYs, and left the showing ring twice before the class finished (once having over reached and once having bogged off with a judge who pressed the wrong buttons.

Here he is at his winter dressage weight. HOY's produced and finally retired. We were never told he needed more condition throughout the years he was shown.

001-3.jpg

083-1.jpg

1stAug12Ted010.jpg


He is 20 now and has signs of cushings. I do wonder if the fact he was kept in show condition at times has caused the cushings.

I went to HOYs last year to watch the cobs and there was not one of them any where near fit. When they cantered on they sounded like a load of grunting and wheezing old men. The vast majority had to swing their forelimb around the wedge of fat in their brisket area. So the answer to the original question is no.
 
Cortez said:
This horse is overweight. Fact. whatever muscles it has are obscured by layers of adipose tissue. Adorable Alice's horse is in "show condition" but is not obese; i.e. it's not fit to go out hunting, but it's not a gross wobbling mass either. I am actually occasionally a showing judge (fully qualified/accredited, in case you're wondering) (not in UK; Ireland, where a lot of show horses originate) and I DO see very fat horses in the ring, but absolutely nothing compared to the behemoths I see in your country - not being "judgmental", just what I see as comparison between the two countries.
Click to expand...

Hi Cortez, I think the fat thing is creeping in here too tough. I seen some wobbling behemoths this year in Dublin, there was a young one on a Connemara I seen worming up and I honestly held my breath when she went into canter-it was massive, heaving itself around. Seen some massive cobs wobbling around the warm up too. Some of them looked like they were going to have a heart attack! I think they have been getting bigger over the years. I hope it doesn't become the 'done' thing. Some of the pics in H & H are scary though. They can't have long careers hauling all that around every summer surely?
 
AdorableAlice said:
The picture of him facing left was 2008 and looking right 2009. He retired after Royal Windsor in 2010. He had 156 competitive starts in hunter showing (M/W) and dressage to medium from 2005 to 2010, he won 136 of them, was placed above 4th in 16, twice 7th at HOYs, and left the showing ring twice before the class finished (once having over reached and once having bogged off with a judge who pressed the wrong buttons.

My goodness AA what an amazing horse and an amazing record, a complete star!
Click to expand...
 
Liane said:
AdorableAlice said:
The picture of him facing left was 2008 and looking right 2009. He retired after Royal Windsor in 2010. He had 156 competitive starts in hunter showing (M/W) and dressage to medium from 2005 to 2010, he won 136 of them, was placed above 4th in 16, twice 7th at HOYs, and left the showing ring twice before the class finished (once having over reached and once having bogged off with a judge who pressed the wrong buttons.

My goodness AA what an amazing horse and an amazing record, a complete star!
Click to expand...

Amazing. I never tire of seeing those pics :)
Click to expand...
 
He does just have the most perfectly set on head and neck, it is a joy to look at pictures of such a magnificent horse (even if I do think he looked a little better in the winter pic)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top