irish cobs?

B

bubblensqueak

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 June 2020
Messages
110
Visit site
is there a difference between Irish cobs and normal (gypsy??) cobs? conformation wise are they the same? or do they just come from Ireland? to be an Irish cob do they have to have been bred in Ireland? unlike welsh cobs, who can be bred anywhere. are they lighter or heavier or no difference

thanks.
*edit- ive just realised it looks like im likening welsh cobs to normal cobs, i know the difference, and in reality, welsh cobs arent cobby, compared to normal ones*
 
Last edited:
A welsh cob is quite different in look to an irish cob or a gypsy vanner cob. You can tell a welsh cob. Irish cob and gypsy can sort of be the same but a vanner would be more flashy looking and if selling to the USA can be sold for grands vs £50 down the pub lol
 
equi said:
A welsh cob is quite different in look to an irish cob or a gypsy vanner cob. You can tell a welsh cob. Irish cob and gypsy can sort of be the same but a vanner would be more flashy looking and if selling to the USA can be sold for grands vs £50 down the pub lol
Click to expand...
yeah, i know about welsh cobs, i have one, lol. thank you for explaining though!
 
Theyre not in any way a different breed though...just some are better conformed and produced better. My neighbour has two rescue cobs (aka the £50 types) and she also happens to be a photographer. Well i don't like cobs in general...but when i see her horses...wow!!! Id happily spend a few k on them.
 
ahhh ok, thats a good way to put it. so irish cobs are more registered in breeding? rather than floating under the radar? as a lot of gypsy cobs are?
 
No not at all. The cobs my neighbour has are general normal irish cob/gypsy cobs. Nothing special about em. Breeding totally unknown. One came from a random field in a random place that was either dumped or fly grazed but was taken by authorities. But they have been well looked after, been well groomed, been well trained, produced and photographed...so look amazing! There are "good" cob breeders who breed them to be good...there are some great vanner lines etc. but i don't think the cob lines are as "in" here unless its the show cob types who tend to know a little more.

Basically they are all irish or gypsy "traditional" cobs, but some are back yard breeders and some are not. Same breed, same potential, less thought went into the production in some cases.
 
I have what I believe is termed as a "traditional" cob (profile pic). She was bred by gypsies and my understanding was/is that her sire is a well-renowned Appleby stallion.

There are "gypsy" (or "traditional") cobs, and there are "cobs". The real proper gypsy folk actually do breed some very good horses and take a pride in their horses and places like Appleby are display windows for what they produce. These horses are also known as "Vanners" and fetch good money.

Contrast this with the poor scratchy little creatures, poorly bred and poorly raised, which unfortunately pop up frequently on grass verges all over the country and emanate from what are termed as "traveller" sites..... sorry, am not wanting to sound disparaging here, but this is the way things are. No-one cares about their plight and the RSPCA who are the ones who could help, are terrified of going in.
 
I've also wondered this.
I have what I would class as an Irish cob - don't know her breeding but I think she originally came from Wales.

Screenshot_20200717-075122~2.png

I tend to think of Irish cobs as your heavier cobs, and gypsy/traditional cobs being smaller, more lightweight and with copious amounts of feather and mane.

I suppose it must stem from some original breeding lines in the beginning, but would also be interested in if there is an actual definition.
 
I always thought Irish cobs came from Ireland and traditional cobs were hairy, and a cob could be both...

Mine's an Irish cob, in that she came from Ireland. She isn't a traditional because a) I'm not dealing with all that hair, and b) she looks better shorn.

And then there are the 'traditional cobs' that are actually just hairy, coloured ponies. (Just because it's hairy and coloured, that doesn't make it a cob!)
 
  • Like
Reactions: JJS
My understanding of an Irish cob (and I had one once...) is that they are cob type horses - usually bred by crossing an Irish Draught with something more native/unregistered. In the same way that Irish hunters have now become Irish Sport horses (ID x TB type) the Irish cob is ID x unregistered!! I am very happy to be corrected on this but most Irish cobs that have been sold as such should clearly have some draught in their make up. Otherwise they are just a cob :)
 
I knew a lovely pony once who was passported as an Irish Cob. She was about 14hh, a good medium weight cob build, with about the same amount of feather as a welsh cob (more bone though and didn't look 'welsh') and she was plain bay. She was an amazing jumper, really athletic and I think they could have easily clipped her feather, hogged her and shown her as a show cob. Really smashing pony.
 
In my head an Irish cob is a predominately riding horse and a gypsy cob is predominately a pulling horse. My YO has a traditional gypsy cob bought off gypsies which is powerful short backed driving horse of a lovely stamp - absolutely too short backed and square to consider riding; he has only ever been driven. My friend has two Irish cobs which quite a different looking horses the YO's gypsy cob and definitely bred for riding.
 
I always thought an Irish cob was a smaller version of an ID. We had a bay 14.3 cob at the RS I worked for. He was Irish and a nice sort. Admittedly that was back in the 60's so things have changed a lot since then.
 
palo1 said:
My understanding of an Irish cob (and I had one once...) is that they are cob type horses - usually bred by crossing an Irish Draught with something more native/unregistered. In the same way that Irish hunters have now become Irish Sport horses (ID x TB type) the Irish cob is ID x unregistered!! I am very happy to be corrected on this but most Irish cobs that have been sold as such should clearly have some draught in their make up. Otherwise they are just a cob :)
Click to expand...

This has always been my understanding too. My current horse is what I'd call an "Irish cob" - bred in Ireland, coloured, 15.1hh, no feather, looks good hogged, loves to jump. A "gypsy cob" (in my mind) is smaller, lots more feather, and more of a ride and drive than a jumping horse. Although I don't suppose there are any actual definitions for this kind of thing.
 
Mine’s like Widgeon‘s but with feather! Passported as an Irish cob, from an ISH breeder, god knows what his breeding is, he’s very heavy but has a crap mane, so I suspect not both parents were cobs.
1594981891602.jpeg
 
i thought there was a stud book for irish cobs? i`ve seen them abroad, they were very nice, half feathered leg but looked rideable
 
I have a Irish sport horse but looks like a ID she is bay mare . She has the complete build of a ID . Breeding In Ireland is completely missed up .
 
so in conclusion, Irish cobs are essentially the same, but with traces of ID on their breeding? and they're a little bit sportier than traditional cobs?
please correct me if im wrong.

so how does a horse become one, must they have been bred in Ireland? or be registered as one?

also, how ones one identify a Irish cob from a traditional? are there any particular traits or looks to look out for?
thank you for everyone's replies so far.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top