Cobs-A Changing Breed?

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Gypley

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Does anyone else think that the old stereotype of cobs being safe old reliable steady plods is becoming a thing of the past?

While being perfectly sane and sensible, mine is most definatly not a plod. Shes incredible forward going and outwalks her tb boyfriend massivly!

I personaly think they are more of an allrounder than they have ever been. Anyone else feel the same?
 
The only experience I have with cobs is with the little one we own now, who is no way a plod! He is an allrounder who just loves to jump but is still sane & sensible too. He's not bad at jumping either - happily competes 1.10m & loves a puissance having cleared 1.60m before!! Certainly not a dead head cob as I've heard people call them :D
 
I have one that doesn't fit the stereotype too.

He's 15.1 but walks out much more than any of the other horses I go out with - we have to continually stop for the others to catch up. He is quite spooky, really sensitive and is also a complete wimp temperature-wise. I've never known a horse that feels the cold so much!
 
I really do think the breed has changed so much in rescent years. Its like they have evolved infront of my eyes haha!!
 
I have a 14.2 traddy that is consistently faster than his much taller, finer boned friends. Can be quite sharp at times and is a far cry from the stereotypical dope on a rope people think he is. He is also very calm in a crisis and rarely loses his head when others are losing theirs. Perfect combination for me.
 
I dont know about a changing breed, but although mine is as safe as houses when you are on board, he isnt a plod. He's not the fastest horse in the world, but my god can he be sharp when he puts his mind to it. He has a mean trick in stopping and reversing if he feels mummy is not taking any notice and the plastic bag on the floor looks like it is going to eat him.

I bought him from a riding school, where he had become institutionalised, and they sold him to me as my first horse as a safe, steady happy hacker, but he gradually realised that a numpty owned him and we had some err 'fun' for a while, which took my instructor and the YM to help me sort out. To be fair, he is as daft as a brush with anyone really and very friendly and affectionate, but my god can he pull some stunts if he thinks he can get away with it. However, everyone on the yard loves him as he is such a character.
 
How the horse is, is a reflection of the person handling/training ultimately in my view.

Of course, all horses have different quirks and temperaments, I'm not doubting that...but ultimately, manners and how they are training wise, is down to their upbringing essentially in my view.
 
Traditionally cobs have had very steady natures because the true travellers bred for a good strong horse that had a steady personality, thats what they wanted from a horse. Personality quirks and poor conformation weren't tolerated or bred from.

However, in recent years, I think a lot of cobs have had a touch of some hotter blood bred into them.

Mine too certainly isn't a plod!!
 
I used to have a gypsy cob who had a screw loose. She would buck and rear and bolt (in a trot!!) but i adored her and just laughed at her when she started, probably why she was like it. If you fell off her she got quite upset as you was supposed to stay on her. I lost her 4 years ago. I now have another one who is as sane as they come. They are so different to each other but i adore both of them. Both have such different personalities and ride differently.
 
Sorry to upset the apple cart but my cob is like eeyore. The only time he shifts his big hairy butt is when he doesn't want to be caught if he sees the vet. Other than that, he has good stamina and will trot for miles but he is mostly a lazy on the buckle dope on a rope. At the moment we are questioning whether the lad even knows how to canter properly cos he just bucks a little and trots again?! (waiting for back lady to take a look before we push that one any further)
 
I have a cob. I have been told I have 'the most sensible horse on the yard' and I know that people think he is a dope on a rope. But he isn't. Sure, he is sensible, generous and clever and most of the time is nice and steady, but he can be very spooky, can jump like a stag and can go bloody fast when he wants to. I love him with all my heart.
 
stargirl88 said:
Agree! Other than those in riding schools, I've not met a single one that fit the stereotype.
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Not even there now. :) have lessons on a coloured medium weight chap who is the sharpest horse I've ever ridden. He tries so hard to please but when confused always offers more speed. Definately one you have to say whoa to :o :D The more traditional cob type I share has a good turn of speed but is usually quite lazy if he thinks he can get away with.
 
I think folks misunderstand cobs to be plods - they are as able bodied and minded as the next tb and just cos they got a bum like cook doesn't mean they can be played with. Get on cobs.
 
Cobs were bred to work all day everyday and survive on a grass verge or a haynet at night. There lifestyle has changed and so have they. I'm pretty sure if I put my cob to a gypsy caravan and drove her for miles everyday she would probably go back to the old cob stereotype
 
I have to be honest I am not a fan of certain types of cob we used to have a piebald (not a term I hear anymore coloured seems more popular) gypsy cob called Geronimo and he was exactly as his name described '***** of a shovel' and a brute to boot. He broke my jaw kicking out in a lesson, he broke my toes stamping on my feet whilst grooming (he could actually push out his leg and get you from several points in the stable needless to say I was not his only victim) and was never a plod. If you liked the wind in your hair and a bit of ummph you rode Geronimo :D

This was around 1980 - 1985 so I don't think its anything new. Its just a generalisation
 
I like your post ridefast, ESP a haynet at night, without hogging this thread, on a previous thread I made I was knocked down because it was wrong for my cob to have only a large haynet at night, ad lib would be better, dear god, he is a cob was my thought, he has put on 10ks in a week. So back to a haynet a night I am afraid.
 
Lol!!! No way, definitely not. How can a cob type just change??!!!

It is the people what have them that has changed. They are coming into thier own now they are not seen as peasants mounts.
 
ridefast said:
Cobs were bred to work all day everyday and survive on a grass verge or a haynet at night. There lifestyle has changed and so have they. I'm pretty sure if I put my cob to a gypsy caravan and drove her for miles everyday she would probably go back to the old cob stereotype
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Agree. The cob type are predominately work horses bred for driving and riding. Their origin goes a long way back to the Romans, who brought Arabs over and bred them with hardy hill ponies, and later on the Crusaders brought more Arabs and Spanish horses back from the crusades and bred them with ponies on the Welsh hills. The result was generations of hardy, strong, resiliant types with amazing stamina from the Arab side, you can really see this in a proper Welsh cob.
 
Our 10yr old traditional style cob is fantastic in the safe and sane label that cobs are stamped with but is definatly no plod ! She walks with a mission to her, and put her on a stubble field she goes crazy thinks she is a tb racehorse. I love that mixture that she is hard to spook and very sane but also not a slug :)
 
I must admit I am not a cob type person, given the choice I'd have a TB, but I started to ride an, at the time 5yo, rescue gypsy cob, to keep my bum in the saddle - and he is not the stereotype at all! (Hence why 18mnths later I still love riding him!)

However, I did then do my stage 2 this year and the majority of the RS horses were cobby types and fitted the stereotype 110%, there are also some that hack past here and look half asleep!

I think it totally depends on the predisposition of the individual horse (and probs what they do and how interesting it is!) - Apparantly one of the very ploddy RS cobs is totally different when hunting!
 
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