Do cobs ever stop munching!

TrasaM

TrasaM

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I've been riding my friends cob while she's away and while it's been great getting in some extra riding his obsession with food is a challenge. I've been trying hard not to give him enough rein to graze but of course at the moment the grass is long and easier to reach and if he dosent succeed at getting a gob full of grass he will snatch any low hanging foliage. Today he grabbed a large branch of an ash tree and then we had to walk through the village with the evidence sticking out of his mouth. Another week of this and I'll have really great biceps!
 
Nope, done a dressage test once with huge length of cow parsley that he had pinched just as we went into the arena, the bell rang so quick as i entered never got a chance to get it out of his mouth. Done the whole test with this hanging out of his mouth lol.
 
Mine has turned into a contortionist to accomodate my "keep walking" rule whilst also not giving up eating. His body keeps going with his mouth stationary and clamped onto the plant, then his head whips back at the last possible moment! I also insist that chomping on a small tree branch is no excuse for slowing down or going hollow. If he can't move nicely AND chew he has to drop it. Or walk along sucking it. You'd think he was half starved.
 
There we were, walking along a rather muddy lane and the next minute, woosh, his legs slid sideways from underneath him and he was lying sideways in the mud with me still in the saddle. But hey, lying here there's grass within reach, so why worry! He tucked in with me struggling to release my leg and wouldn't move till he had a mouthful. My daughter was with me on her pony and we still chuckle every time we ride along the same lane.
 
Short answer.. No!

As you can see they even do XC with a mouthful! :D

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Cobs = equine equivalent of a Labrador = walking stomachs :D
My girl regularly snatches a sneaky mouthful as we go and is often accompanied by half a tree on a hack :D
Strange thing is - she will eat NO human food! Even turns her nose up at Polos and is mortified with disgust if I offer a bit of ice lolly :D Even horse treats are viewed with suspicion!
No, grass, hay, passing herbage, carrots and apples are Blaze's diet. She is still built like the proverbial Sherman tank :o
 
Well, that's it then! I'm not even going to bother trying to stop him tomorrow. When I'm jammed in yet another gate while he stuffs his face I will know I am not alone. I love the picture of the BB lookalike jumping with a mouthful of grass:)
 
Lol bless, this is why I have done so well with my cob baby, he thinks through his stomach and I can persuade him anything is a good idea!

But on a serious side, it is just plain bad manners for the horse to munch while you are riding, it's fine is you don't mind as a rider, but a cob is no different from any other horse, a little discipline and training to say munching is illegal while hacking, and believe it or not they do learn! XX:D
 
NOPE !!! Snacks on hooves, and the cow parsley is at the perfect height.

When the boy was really bad, I used a daisy rein (also to stop bucking) and that helped a lot - with what was below him. The giraffe - ing has almost been knocked on the head with a "NO" and a tap of the whip, and a good kick on. But when we go thru a certain wood , there is no hope even when we trot quite fast. No hope whatsoever.

He's so funny atm, he has his muzzle on, and the YO has just moved his electric fence a few feet into the longer grass. He's like a bobbing duck trying to eat.
 
My boy grabbed at some cow parsley on our hack the other day, its just the correct height, but what makes this story so funny is that we were cantering at the time!:eek:

My friend was behind us and could not believe what she saw, I must admit I could nt either.:D
 
They are so funny with the cow parsley, you can tell when they spot a juicy piece hanging out over the road, they eye it up, get it in the sights, aim aaaand grab!
 
I always knew my cob was abnormal. She doesn't eat!!! It's bloody June and is still getting fed conditioning feed! It's nice to not have greedy horse :P
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
Lol bless, this is why I have done so well with my cob baby, he thinks through his stomach and I can persuade him anything is a good idea!

But on a serious side, it is just plain bad manners for the horse to munch while you are riding, it's fine is you don't mind as a rider, but a cob is no different from any other horse, a little discipline and training to say munching is illegal while hacking, and believe it or not they do learn! XX:D
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I'm inclined to agree. He's been let do it and now thinks it's ok. I rode him earlier in the year and managed to stop him but since then he's gotten worse and the cow parsley is at such a good height! I finally broke off a small branch from an elder tree and he knew straight away that retaliation was immanent ..didn't stop his snacking though he just grabbed quicker! Took out the Arab x tb today so my arms got a rest. :)
 
Irishcobs said:
I always knew my cob was abnormal. She doesn't eat!!! It's bloody June and is still getting fed conditioning feed! It's nice to not have greedy horse :P
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Lol. If she ever has babies and pass that along to her offspring you could use it as a selling point!
 
No!! Our shire x cob is awful, however I have taught him that he's not allowed to on a hack. He has five to ten mins on the rich grass when we get back to field as a reward.

This was due to him turning in to eat out of hedge on a hack so his bum swung out and nearly into a passing car. He did it so quickly that I had happened before I could stop him. He is now never allowed to eat on a hack!!
 
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