Maxi cobs and jumping

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I'm looking to view a 5 year old what I think is a maxi cob (he's a solid unit) although only 15.2 in height. He is working pretty nicely on the flat but hasn't jumped yet.
I was just wondering what people think about heavy cobs and jumping in general? Can they do it or is it too much strain on their joints? I would only jump for fun, not competitively, and no more than 2ft9 or 3 ft max.

Interested in people's views and experiences!
 
My old boss had a cracking cob. No idea on breeding but she was a chunky girl about 15.3. She came to us having competed be100 and novice JAS. We only ever did 90 with her but she was awesome. Pulled like a train but so kind. Unfortunately her joints gave in, in particular her stifles. Tried joint injections but they were hard and expensive to do. Relatively young but not scarily so. She was hard to get and keep fit so did a lot of cantering. Who knows if the jumping and cantering was the cause.
 
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This shows his shape a bit better he has about 10 inches of bone
When I worked at a riding school we ran stage 2 bhs exams with some questionable jockeys turning up to jump 2'6" and we used a real heavy weight cob for those, with probably 12 inches of bone and he took plenty of folk round their exam courses
 
She even made it to the pc championships. Would have won if her saddle hadn’t slipped in a very daring turn to the last! She certainly wasn’t lazy. Her flat work wasn’t the best. Not from her not trying but her conformation made her neck very short and thick!
 
Oh thanks, do you mean a maxi or a heavyweight? A maxi is over height a heavy is solid. My dude isnt massively heavy but hes a fair dude to get as much air as he does with scope for more
 
Of course they can! Just don't fall into the showing concept that overweight is ok. They aren't fast, they often won't beat a blood horse in a jumpoff - although the tight turn can be a saviour. They will jump all day. Teach him to have a 5th leg and he will make an amazing hunt horse. You want something nice and traditional - lots of bone, lots of stamina, lots of sense. Perfect for pretty much everything !
 
I have a maxi cob who loves to jump and is a real game type. The only thing alarming is her keen and willing mind far exceeds her athletic ability and if allowed, that turns dangerous over fixed fences because she will keep going and tackle something beyond her capability. She does not stop, she simply turns into a bull dozer. The picture below was taken at Bissell Wood, with the cob carrying a 7 stone girl who should have been on another more suitable horse, but it was lame. The cob took her own line and jumped everything, leaving her group of 4 mates behind, before heading back to the lorry park alone. There had been some very disparaging remarks at the beginning of the fun ride about the cob being slow and ruining the ride. The little rider had a beaming smile, told me she had the best time ever despite having no say in the entire ride. Apparently the cob had bounced the water complex barging past other horses that were napping.

I do think it would be easy to break a maxi cob with a lot of jumping, they are not built for it and most have big loaded front ends.
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This is the horse he's 15.2. Not sure if he would be a heavy or a maxi?
I would only jump for fun and not all the time, just want the horse to be agile enough to do a course of 3ft max but most likely smaller.
 
Silly Servant said:
This is the horse he's 15.2. Not sure if he would be a heavy or a maxi?
I would only jump for fun and not all the time, just want the horse to be agile enough to do a course of 3ft max but most likely smaller.
Click to expand...

If that is sound and straight, he needs buying quickly because he won't be on market for more than a nano second. Off with his mane and 2 foot off his tail. A maxi is merely an over height cob. Looking at his limbs he doesn't look like he has a ton of bone, he is overweight so slimmed down maybe a lightweight maxi cob. He looks like a super type.
 
AdorableAlice said:
If that is sound and straight, he needs buying quickly because he won't be on market for more than a nano second. Off with his mane and 2 foot off his tail. A maxi is merely an over height cob. Looking at his limbs he doesn't look like he has a ton of bone, he is overweight so slimmed down maybe a lightweight maxi cob. He looks like a super type.
Click to expand...
Yes I thought he was overweight too. Hopefully there won't be any signs of laminitis!

Can anyone recommend a vet for vetting in Yorkshire? Or anyone not to use? It is too far for my own vet to go unfortunately. I have learned the hard way that vets are definitely not equal in their eye and skill im afraid!
 
Had a riding instructor once who had a very good jumping cob but she was very careful about the ground she jumped on. If it hadn’t rained for a while and was too hard, she wouldn’t jump him.
 
I knew a beautiful maxi cob when I was much younger who jumped to foxhunter then stepped down to be a pony clubber for younger members of the family then retired sound to be a broodmare she went on forever but was always fit as a flea. She was maxi in height with decent bone, I don't think I ever saw her fat.
 
I have heavy horses and they both enjoy their jumping. Like many others have said I am conscious to only jump on good ground and not do too much of it. I also like to keep them fit not fat.
Any sound horse can enjoy a bit of jumping as part of a varied lifestyle.
I am always slightly confused by the idea that any jumping is "too much strain on a heavy" horse. How is it more strain for my big horses to pop a few 2'6" poles with little me on (about 8% of their weight dressed and tacked up) than some of the showjumpers who do grand prix classes with full grown men on?
I have been asking to see scientific studies about chunkier horses jumping (and the adverse impact on them compared to lighter counterparts) for 10 years but have yet to see anything approaching a study.
 
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