Cob snobs and jealous people

Hedwards said:
Well re-reading the original post, the friend actually said Cobs dont do well above Prelim - and i completely disagree with this and see plenty of Cobs competing very well at Novice and elementary...
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She said lower levels and considering that up to elementary is easily accesible through 90% of all riding clubs I'd say it was the upper end of lower level.
 
Hedwards said:
Well re-reading the original post, the friend actually said Cobs dont do well above Prelim - and i completely disagree with this and see plenty of Cobs competing very well at Novice and elementary...
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Yes? As in whole classes being filled with cobs or as in 1 or 2 cobs per show? I see the odd 1 or 2 so I couldn't class the amount I see as "plenty" hence my saying that it's rare to see cobs doing higher level dressage en masse.
 
Given that the majority of Riders never get past elementary dressage, 1m sj or 90cm eventing it would seem the breed of horse is not the major limiting factor so not really worth fretting over. ;)
 
ohh you just have to giggle to yourself don't you.

I get the snobbery over my cob, shes only a baby but people are still rude, I also have a warmblood bred in germany for dressage yadayada my response is " I also have a WB does that make me a better person? " of course not, I never have and never will understand the attitude.
 
Spring Feather said:
Yes? As in whole classes being filled with cobs or as in 1 or 2 cobs per show? I see the odd 1 or 2 so I couldn't class the amount I see as "plenty" hence my saying that it's rare to see cobs doing higher level dressage en masse.
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i think my *friend* was a bit miffed at me doing so well so the whole cob thing was bought up :confused: i don't think she secretly wants one ;)
I agree even at lower levels there are not too many cobs to be seen, but its not unheard of.
I believe my cob has what it takes to get up to elementary level at some point, and has the potential to do very well in showing classes too. its early days, time will tell but am going to try my best to get there!!!
 
superted1989 said:
Having now got my big heffalump cob, I experienced it earlier in the summer after he did really rather well in the showring (posted about it!). It's just jealousy as, deep down, they all want the comfort, brains and reliability of a cob!
Mine's just gone round a 2'9" XC, no spurs, no hesitations, the only other clear was another (albeit, lightweight) cob!
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Sorry but no - I don't want a cob, much as I think they can be handsome and, at the lower levels, can indeed do very well, it is a sad fact of life that they do not do well at the higher end, elementary is about as far as they can go.

OP, I don't think that your friend's remark was necessarily aimed at you and your boy, on the other hand, she may well be jealous of your success and I do feel your pain having been in the same situation.

Try not to take it to heart, easier said than done I know, carry on doing what you are doing (it is obviously working :D ) and enjoy your boy and your success.
 
Never judge a horse by its colour.
I have just bred a coloured cob, he's by a heavy graded traditional out of a Connemara sports pony type mare and he really moves, so light on his feet. I would expect to do well in the future because he starts off with a straight action as well as excellant paces.
He still has his foal hooves and expect one morning I will find he has sprouted huge cob feet.
When everyone is looking down their noses feel smug because yours probabely costs less to keep, and is sane nice person.
 
Everyone has their favourite type/breed etc, and is more then entitled to an opinion, hopefully politely,

I did have chuckle to myself the other week after getting ridden at in the warm up by the scary big dressage warmbloods on my coloured show cob, so much so that I hardly warmed up as he was getting flustered as only a baby, only to have one of them reverse across from their arena into mine during our tests as I was coming down the long side!! Judge had to stop the test! LOL, added to that I got the highest Novice score in a big mixed class of unnafiliated and affiliated. Oh the joys!
 
superted1989 said:
Having now got my big heffalump cob, I experienced it earlier in the summer after he did really rather well in the showring (posted about it!). It's just jealousy as, deep down, they all want the comfort, brains and reliability of a cob!
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BTW, I was joking as I love cobs, always have. I also love proper, substantial TBs and Arabs but, sadly, am not of a build to look 'nice' on them!
 
Obviously OP your friend hasn't heard about Omar Rabia and his cob mare Ketchup.

"Omar has been riding along classical lines since he was 15 years of age. In the past, Omar has run his own riding school, though as a result of his Primary School Teaching career, now has a small livery yard in its place. Omar enjoys classical riding and competing in BD dressage competitions with his little horse Ketchup. A former lover of the hot blooded horses, Omar is now converted to the traditional or Gypsy cob as a result of his time training Ketchup.

Omar has more recently been learning in-hand work in both the Iberian and the Viennese styles with the successful use of the clicker. Omar now uses clicker training to complement his classical riding, and even teaches using these methods. Omar enjoys teaching all standards of riders though he relishes teaching novice riders and schooling young horses."

Or heard of his book: Cobs Can!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cobs-Can-Omar-Rabia/dp/0851319769

:D ;)
 
I do think some cob people are quite sensitive. I don't think people are that snobby about cobs but you have to be realistic as I don't think horses originally bred for driving or hacking to the hunt on are going to be able to make it as top dressage horses, show jumpers or eventers. This does not mean that they are not great horses as lots of top competitions horses could not do a lot of the things cobs can do.

I am afraid I agree with your friend if she defines doing well in dressage as wining at affiliated level. My instructor thinks any horse can be trained up to elementary and then it gets harder and conformation, paces etc starts to make a difference. You don't see many heavier breeds in the upper levels of dressage as their conformation makes it harder to perform the advanced movement not impossible but harder. A horse bred to pull tends to have a lot of power in its front end and shoulders and a shorter neck. Dressage horses tend to do better if their power comes from behind so they need strong hocks and back end.

I have seen lots of cobs and heavier sorts do really well in RC level dressage. However in affiliated level I have not seen many cobs win the regional or nationals at novice and above. There is a big difference when you are doing affiliated and up against professionals on horses bred for the job and I think the cobs are at a disadvantage when up against these combination.

I am not being snobby I don't have a dressage horse myself but a native pony.
 
Personally don't see it as a jealous comment. Cobs typically don't tend to get to gp dressage. My tb would never as he doesn't have that power, we're working on it though.
 
Meh, it's only a tiny percentage of warmbloods that make it to high level dressage. Loads more fall by the wayside. The fact that a horse is a WB doesn't automatically make it good at anything. Plenty of them are rubbish.
 
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Worth bearing in mind that few cobs are ridden by people who have the skill or desire to progress beyond elementary - if professional dr riders were to take up turning out cobs for higher levels you might see more of them ;) But I can't see that happening...

As it stands, I would call it a confounding factor in your observations about a lack of cobs above elementary...
 
rhino said:
To be fair, I have yet to see a coloured cob competing at GP dressage (and no, I don't mean a wb with a bit of bone, I mean a true cob). But that's fine, that's not generally why people breed, buy and ride them. It's like saying Shetlands don't make great eventers (although Teddy O'Connor was 1/8 American Shetland and he did pretty well :D ) or that my horse wouldn't do well in a coloured showing class - because he's not coloured!!
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This. I dont see what the problem is. Cobs in general are unlikely to do brilliant at higher level dressage, thats just common sense. Some might of course, but unlikely because thats not what they're bred / built for. My current horse is a lightweight TB type so very much an eventer-type but he also has lusitano paces (higher action in front) thus we'll never excel at dressage because he simply doesn't have the nice floaty WB paces. Whats wrong with realising your pony will have limits? Do you really think your horse has the potential to go GP?
 
Don't let it get to you - I do BD on a 13hh new forest pony! Despite being small and fluffy, he's done very well and absolutely loves it - as far as he's concerned he's just as big and beautiful as the warmbloods! I get some hilarious comments about him :) but they have to eat their words when he does well!
 
I know someone who is always slagging off my Arab because I do dressage with her. He keeps saying no one would buy an Arab to do dressage! But I didn't buy her to do dressage; she was meant to be a happy hacker and when I had some lessons on her I found that has an aptitude for dressage. At Novice at the mo, aiming to reach Elementary and I am very happy! I think people should be more tactful and keep their opinions to themselves; I think your friend was suffering from a stab of jealousy and just wanted to bring you down a peg.......
 
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