Ideas anyone please?

Wizpop

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After a few difficult and challenging years with horses and my own health, I’m looking for a nice cob to do some lower level dressage and hacking/ clinics. I’ve been to see a few but no luck. I’m a “ mature” rider so don’t want any quirks etc- has anyone got any suggestions as to where I could look? I’m in the North of England so don’t want to travel right down South. This will hopefully be my last horse, and friend for life, so finding the right one is really important.
 

Red-1

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I would look for a more mature one as they will have life experience. I was looking for the same myself a few years back and they are gold dust. I took on an older one with numerous health issues, he is ace!

The dealers mainly seem to have young cobs.

I would perhaps look outside the cob remit, as dressage is more difficult for a cob. Not impossible, but a good dressage cob is very expensive.
 

anguscat

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Adds costs I know but could enlist a search agency. ‘Prestige Equine Search’ is one I’ve heard of but not used.
 

SadKen

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I’ve got a heavy traditional who is performing excellently at dressage, she is very light on her feet and gets excellent comments about her ability. 70%+ scores regularly at novice, hoping to progress to elementary this year. If I wasn’t lazy she’d have been there by now 😂 she’s 8 in May. I do think cobs can do exceptionally well at dressage (up to say Medium, where there is an increasing challenge against the elasticated warm bloods and more of the pro riders at that level getting the most out of them). Dressage is about rhythm, suppleness and accuracy in the lower levels and we can smash those! My girl also hacks nicely alone or in company, and is utterly non spooky.

I take the point that you probably don’t want a youngster and neither did I, but I got my girl at rising 5 broken 8 weeks previously and she’s been the safest horse I’ve ever had right from the start. I got her from Susie Shuttleworth who is a producer of top show cobs; there is a huge world of difference between a scrappy small badly bred poorly conformed piebald ‘cob’ that’s worth a few hundred quid and the top quality beautifully built cobs which move well. I’d recommend Susie with no hesitation, she only sells the latter; perhaps if you definitely don’t want a younger horse she would know of something suitable a bit older as she is so well known in the cob world? Might be worth asking, saints generally sell via word of mouth.

If you aren’t a member already, there is also the dressage cobs page on Facebook which again might have some recommendations for you if you put a post up.
 

anguscat

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I’ve got a heavy traditional who is performing excellently at dressage, she is very light on her feet and gets excellent comments about her ability. 70%+ scores regularly at novice, hoping to progress to elementary this year. If I wasn’t lazy she’d have been there by now 😂 she’s 8 in May. I do think cobs can do exceptionally well at dressage (up to say Medium, where there is an increasing challenge against the elasticated warm bloods and more of the pro riders at that level getting the most out of them). Dressage is about rhythm, suppleness and accuracy in the lower levels and we can smash those! My girl also hacks nicely alone or in company, and is utterly non spooky.

I take the point that you probably don’t want a youngster and neither did I, but I got my girl at rising 5 broken 8 weeks previously and she’s been the safest horse I’ve ever had right from the start. I got her from Susie Shuttleworth who is a producer of top show cobs; there is a huge world of difference between a scrappy small badly bred poorly conformed piebald ‘cob’ that’s worth a few hundred quid and the top quality beautifully built cobs which move well. I’d recommend Susie with no hesitation, she only sells the latter; perhaps if you definitely don’t want a younger horse she would know of something suitable a bit older as she is so well known in the cob world? Might be worth asking, saints generally sell via word of mouth.

If you aren’t a member already, there is also the dressage cobs page on Facebook which again might have some recommendations for you if you put a post up.
Yep…I defo think you can have young horses that are chilled/saintly and that you really can’t assume that ‘quirks’ vanish with age. Indeed I think they can get worse as the horse knows it’s strength and business more.
 
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