Cobs v Hot blooded horses

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Myhorseeatsmoney

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I have ridden and owned many breeds of horses but I cannot understand why a lot of horse riders believe a cob is a safer horse than an arab, warmblood or Thoroughbred.

It depends on each individual horse. I rode a 24 year old ex-eventer recently who thought he was still a 5 year old and when he thought I was not concentrating enough promptly put me on the ground. It certainly taught me a lesson.

I have ridden TB's and Arab's who are calm and quiet to ride and then tried a welsh section D mare who literally bucked like a gymnast doing handstands all the way down the centre line.

Is your cob a dream or a devil in disguise? Do you have a TB, Warmblood or Arab that you would have no problem riding almost anywhere or is it so sharp that every ride is a challenge?
 
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Hi, i've got a laid back sec D and a very sharp TB so I ride 2 horses that r completely different. I love my TB but my welsh sec D is a very nice break from being chucked about all the time :) wouldn't change neither of them tho :)
 
My cob is almost a dream, safe in every situation, ridden bitless a lot of the time (not hunting though!), has never bucked, reared, bolted, napped etc but the down side is he's so laid back its hard to motivate him when schooling, he'll do the bare minimum unless really pushed and its quite exhausting! Other than that, he's brilliant :)
 
I have a TB who is a saint to hack out - an HGV lorry can drive past with a bus after it and he doesnt bat an eyelid. I feel much more safer and confident hacking him than my friend's cob! Think it's vastly unfair put a horse into a type based on their breed but i also have a friend who has a TB who is like the "stereotypical" highly strung TB that they get their name from - each horse is different!!
 
I rode a 17.2 DWB who eventually competed at GP dressage from a 4 year old to he retired at 22 - I never ever fell off him - not once - there were only 2 occasions where I needed a bit of glue. (and one of those was a 21 gun salute that no one warned me to get off for... I kid you not. The other was about a really scary piece of cow parsley but thats horses for you.) I put beginners on him and he was used for paradressage at the end of his career.

I now own a little 15.1 traditional cob - who is quite frankly, mental... I've fallen off him in the early days more times than I care to remember ... and is not safe now... I wouldn't let just anyone ride him - only those I know to be very competent...

it's a falacy that cobs are safe and hot blooded horses are dangerous... all horses are individuals and should be treated as such... I'm just hoping my new mare is not a nut job - but seems much calmer than the cob so that is all good.

Blitz

PS I will concede in my experience that the hot bloods generally are more forward going but this is not the same as spooky and naughty but just more in front of the leg ...
 
I've got an arab and a cob. Cob now retired but was perfect in every way. Arab is fab, such a personality and I can ride her tackless and hack bareback in a headcollar :D
 
We've got an arab, who is a proper schoolmaster for novices and nervous people. He knows exactly who's riding him, and behaves accordingly.
 
As you say they are all different
My WB was so backward thinking it drove me nuts. He also had a nasty eject button

My new welsh cob is awesome. Very forward a little sensitive but perfect for me
 
Both my cobs are 'hot blooded', and definitely not of the plod variety!

However if you put me on a tb that behaved the same way it would scare me more for some reason.....
 
My TB is sharp as you like so I can't add much of interest HOWEVER while we're on the subject, this has been bugging me for years. IS "cob" short for cold blood? I have this in my head but no idea where I've got it from or if it is true. Anyone know?
 
Big warmblood with a big heart, put my disabled aunt on him and he tiptoes, put someone experienced on him he makes you do it right.
 
In answer to your first question, because they have all the gear and no idea, i mean the people not the cobs
 
GLW said:
My TB is sharp as you like so I can't add much of interest HOWEVER while we're on the subject, this has been bugging me for years. IS "cob" short for cold blood? I have this in my head but no idea where I've got it from or if it is true. Anyone know?
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I've not heard that before. I thought it meant strongly/thickly built and sturdy. Maybe because of the cob wall?
 
I find misbehaving cobs much easier to sit than misbehaving tbs. While cobs can bronc and go nuts, I think a tb exhibiting the same behaviour is much harder to sit as they can twist and turn a lot sharper. They just move a lot faster and there is less of them to sit on. I find cobs 100% easier to sit as they are just wider and slower when compared to a tb.
 
There is a theory (and it is just that mind you), that the word cob is a contraction of the Hobby (or Irish Hobby), well known in the 16th century (c.f. Shakespeare), which is again a contraction of the Irish Hobelar soldier (who rode short, stocky horses).

P.S. I find cobs to be just as much little gits as any other sort of horse..........
 
My cob can be very sharp and strong but he is only 14hh, I wouldn't like to ride anything bigger especially anything hot!
 
Most section D's I've known have been a bit loopy! my friend said her's is a tb in a section d's body!

however, I have 2 horses both of the same breed, they couldn't be any more different if they tired!

both connie x tb! mare is 29 and has been retired for a year and a half, she was the fastest thing I've ever ridden, loopy in the head too, I couldn't hack in company because she would wind herself up so much!

the gelding I bought 2yrs ago thinking he'd be like her, but hopefully not so mental! he is just 4 and has been backed almost 3 months, hes a very fast learner, you show him once and he remembers but my god is he lazy! 10 mins in to my lesson and im half dead just trying to get him into trot! canter, well that's another story haha! hes so relaxed to hack, although we do tend to go on our own, but that is down to my person circumstances and not having anyone else to ride with! but he takes everything in his stride!

I love them both so much, but can't quite believe the difference in two of the same breed!
 
Faracat said:
I've not heard that before. I thought it meant strongly/thickly built and sturdy. Maybe because of the cob wall?
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Cortez said:
There is a theory (and it is just that mind you), that the word cob is a contraction of the Hobby (or Irish Hobby), well known in the 16th century (c.f. Shakespeare), which is again a contraction of the Irish Hobelar soldier (who rode short, stocky horses).
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Thanks both, interesting theories... I'm still none the wiser!
 
I have three welsh D mares. Two chestnuts. One hot as hell but incredibly talented. The other is a saint. Turned out for 9 months and got straight back on her with no bother.

Now don't get me on to the Black four year old beast. I defy anyone to call this a plod. She is bonkers. When she is good she is very good. When she is bad she is a monster who can turn herself inside out on a sixpence. I am told that all talented horses are quirky! Let's hope.
 
paddi22 said:
I find misbehaving cobs much easier to sit than misbehaving tbs. While cobs can bronc and go nuts, I think a tb exhibiting the same behaviour is much harder to sit as they can twist and turn a lot sharper. They just move a lot faster and there is less of them to sit on. I find cobs 100% easier to sit as they are just wider and slower when compared to a tb.
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I agree with this! My darling cob is so sweet, if he spooks it is literally 2 strides then he is totally back to normal. If I get unseated he waits til I have squirmed back into the plate instead of finishing the job! I have decided it's not whether something happens in the first place, its whether they cope sensibly when it does.. if that makes sense. No idea if TBs are more likely to 'escalate' but to me that's the difference btween something reliable and safe and something a bit scary!
 
Thanks for your replies and I do agree that if a TB does play up it usually happens at warp speed. My friend and I were walking around a field when something spooked her Welsh section C pony and my ex-racer. I saw her pony do a buck whilst in mid air but she said she never saw my tb spin she only saw me trying to pull him up after he had taken 2 strides in the opposite direction. She would never ride my ex-racer considering him to be too big and she felt she wasn't experienced enough. I didn't trust her pony because he was very good at watching other horses behaving badly and then trying it with my friend when she next rode him. When I look for a horse now or help someone else I go purely on temperament, I always leave the challenging ones for younger riders.
 
I agree that temperament and personality vary in each individual rather than the breed as a whole, but I suspect that cobs are more suited to novices in that they are easy to keep and tend to need less feed/rugging etc. That doesn't equate to them being any safer and some can be so strong that they really don't suit inexperienced riders.
 
I have 2 Crabbet arabs (google the Crabbet organisation for history). They are renown for making fabulous riding horses, very athletic, bold, corageous and level headed. Bouncey, forward going, yes but that is enthusiasm for working and having the undivided attention of their rider, they love people. I could never have something I had to constantly nag with my legs. I want a willing partner who enjoys their work as much as I do. If I was ever in a spot where my life depended on my horse, I'd trust my girls to bring me through.
 
Sharpest horse Ive known so far would be a cob and most chilled out horse I know is a thoroughbred, however have met sharp horses in all breeds but it really is down to the individual horse.
 
There are always exceptions to any stereotype, but breeds of horses do get stereotyped for a reason; in this case, most cobs are easy and quiet (hence the amount of novice riders buying them) and TBs are not (hence the amount of experienced riders buying them).
 
My TB ex racehorse is completely lorry proof, never spooks, and is SO lazy. He does put a buck in if I use the spurs a bit too hard though!
 
My tb can be anything depending on his mood, very quiet to wishing you'd taken out decent life insurance however when he does do something - spook and spin usually, he's as sharp as a razor blade.

He's generally quite laid back but when something upsets him, like a sheep or something perfectly ordinary given he is liveried on a farm, he can be wound up for hours.
 
What I have found with tbs is that whatever does happen, happens quickly. I had a big warmblood on loan, if he was going to spook, you could feel it coming on slowly. My tb while a very laid back character thinks quickly. So while the warmblood was thinking about spooking, he would spook, spin, decide it wasn't so bad after all, turn back and carry on as if nothing had happened.

Funnily enough I feel safer on longer horses than cobs, I feel like there is more in front and just feel more precarious if the ears are too close to me.
 
I just don't like the feel that a chunkier horse gives, but that's just personal preference :) I like a horse that's really narrow and manoeuvrable.

Welsh cobs are in a league of their own ;)
 
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