Natives vs coloured cobs?

Clodagh said:
Many natives have been ruined by becomnig all movement and no bone, as MOC has said.
Click to expand...

the good ones are still out there, you just have to do your research and not be swayed by showing results (and of course, some good ponies do do well in the show ring).

If anyone is ever interested in a Fell or an Exmoor please pm me, I am not an expert but I know some good people involved with both breeds who have/have access to good, honest to goodness proper native types that can turn a hoof to anything.
 
I have one of each, love them both but the fell has that little bit more presence, gives you a bit more turbo oomph ridden and mainly is sooo much easier to keep clean !
 
MotherOfChickens said:
the good ones are still out there, you just have to do your research and not be swayed by showing results (and of course, some good ponies do do well in the show ring).

If anyone is ever interested in a Fell or an Exmoor please pm me, I am not an expert but I know some good people involved with both breeds who have/have access to good, honest to goodness proper native types that can turn a hoof to anything.
Click to expand...

I know exactly where I am going to get my next Fell when the time comes - Lownthwaite - my wee Jasper J was from there and his temprement was absolutely second to none! I wish he was still around :(
 
My Connie has a temperament to die for - genuinely the sweetest, easiest little equine I've ever met. Plus she's stocky and pretty and devoid of large amounts of irritating hair to look after. Oh, and she was £350 :D
 
Coloured cobs are 10 a penny cheap to buy cheap to run and generally affable. Native of almost all sorts are getting rarer. fewer than 200 highland foals registered for a good few years has them on the endangered list. Fells and dales are a bit interchangable in amy areas. Connies and Newfies too. My biggest observation is that showing has kind of homogenised the native the grey ones of any breed look like fat connies, the bay ones look ike newforests and the dished faced ones all look like welsh. Was watching a show class at the county show and the pattern chosen in every breed was the same which makes them bred more and more to match what is winning. My friend has a well bred but old fashioned connemara he is 14hh dark bay and has more bone than most modern highlands. The breeding to top height limits doesnt help either natives were designed to be farm animals shepherd ponies and sunday goes to market driving ponies or mining animals with tremendous power and strength. not one pony could be described as a working animal at the hoys qualifiers. Give me a short coupled, short cannon, dense boned and pretty head any day of the week over the ones I see now
 
Last edited:
SpringArising said:
New Forests can look nice, but I'm personally put off by the fact that they often have short, rigid necks and are thick through the gullet. I find they usually have very short, choppy strides too, unlike section B/C/Ds who can usually extend beautifully.
Click to expand...

That's generalising somewhat! I've never ridden a short striding choppy NF, agreed they are not and shouldn't be flashy, but they should cover the ground well. My 138cm is the opposite of everything you describe :D
 
DabDab said:
My Connie has a temperament to die for - genuinely the sweetest, easiest little equine I've ever met. Plus she's stocky and pretty and devoid of large amounts of irritating hair to look after. Oh, and she was £350 :D
Click to expand...

Bargain! You can't get a corner of a Connie that cheap here haha!! We have a yard full of Connies, from performance types to full on showring dazzlers :)
 
When we set out to buy a family pony in 2013 we were on the lookout for a 14.2 native. Didn’t need to be a world beater, or even a small county beater! Just safe and sensible, happy to potter about with a 10 year old and happy hacking/pub rides with me. Could have looked like the back end of a bus and very flexible on age, happy to go up to mid teens. I had a budget of 4K (might have been able to stretch it a bit), so not huge but reasonable at the time. Was happy to travel several hours in any direction.

I had never even thought about coloured cobs. Not my thing, too much white and hard work cleaning! Of course we ended up with a mainly white coloured cob! He’s a dude. He’s kind and forgiving which matters to us above all else. He was more than happy to trundle about like a beach donkey with a nervous child with confidence issues and do fancy dress, but has now stepped up, out competing with pony club, just affiliated BD with the no longer terrified child, and hopefully I plan to do BE80 next year.

We bought him from a girl who’d spent 3 years going PC with him. I’m so thankful she bought him and put work into him. Seeing pictures of when she bought him he looked like the stereotypical tethered on the roadside type. He’d come over with a lorry load of other cobs.

So I’m guessing that it’s availability and cost? There was a fells (I think, maybe dales) that seemed lovely that we were due to go see but cancelled as we viewed our pony first. He was 4.5k. But he was about 5 hours away. We found our boy fairly quickly I suppose, in about 3/4 weeks.

So after a ramble... we were aiming for a larger native pony but I couldn’t find one that ticked the boxes we needed (safe and sensible for low level PC and hacking).
 
You can easily get a family type Fell who's been there, done that wrt to local shows, fun rides etc for under £2K, I see them advertised all the time but of course they are concentrated in the North of England . A 'better' show prospect or experienced show pony for up to £4K.
 
This is a really interesting read, I love how much knowledge there is on this forum. I'm the proud owner of a Highland, he's a dream. I personally know three of them in my area but there are at least a couple more lurking around. I'd have quite happily gone for a well put together Fell but I'm rather porky and after struggling (and failing!) to keep weight down to ride my C, I opted for a Highland instead ;)

I'm not a fan of coloured cobs, I can appreciate a nice Trad but they're not for me...shame the quality ones are so few and far between, sick of seeing poor examples in the ring!
 
I love natives & have a wonderful Section D who is semi retired. I was looking for a larger native last year - ideally 14.2 ( I am 5' 8") and it was very hard to find any Dales/Highlands/NF that were broken and at the height I needed. A fair choice of Highland young stock and plenty of connies that were broken but virtually no Dales or Highlands that were 4 years plus and broken - most of the NF were under 14.2 . I ended up with a Fjord! I love my fjord and he is for life but would still like another native - I like the feathers/manes and chunkiness of Section Ds, Dales and Highlands - such a shame that other than D's they seem to be so difficult to find to buy. I would have another D but quite fancy something a little more "unusual" such as a Dales.

Like a lot of others posting "coloured" when I was a child were not popular. I think the relatively low price, huge numbers available and perception they are safe plods has made them popular particularly with adult first time horse owners. Some are lovely but a lot are very poor quality.
 
I rode a Fjord recently and he was tons of fun. Dales are hard to find but have you tried a 14h Fell? They are surprisingly 'big' at that height. Agree also that larger NFs seem thin on the ground and non-existant up here. I set out insisting I 'needed' an overheight Fell but when I tried them out, a 13.2h felt perfect, the 14h felt like alot of pony!
 
MotherOfChickens said:
I rode a Fjord recently and he was tons of fun. Dales are hard to find but have you tried a 14h Fell? They are surprisingly 'big' at that height. Agree also that larger NFs seem thin on the ground and non-existant up here. I set out insisting I 'needed' an overheight Fell but when I tried them out, a 13.2h felt perfect, the 14h felt like alot of pony!
Click to expand...

MoC I am absolutely having a Fell next time I buy, and I have written your offer to assist purchasers down and stuck it in my pony book.

The Fell I used to ride was a Wellbrow and he was only 13.2hh but felt bigger to ride than my 14.3hh who is 1/2 native 1/4 TB. I'm looking forward to having another one, but I have noticed in the ads I've seen that there is a distinct uptick in adverts saying 'can be sharp/not novice ride/very forward going' for Fells which wasn't my experience of my previous ride and that's why I loved him.

I wonder if too much heat has been bred in for the show ring leaving ponies unsuitable for your average rider, which I definitely am. I just want a safe and kind all rounder.

It seems there is a divergence in most pedigree breeds between 'gorgeously flashy' and 'rideable by an amateur'. Maybe the only way to sell your pedigree horses is if they are flashy in the showring, but maybe that also leaves your youngstock only suitable for the best riders. Maybe the role of 'sensible ride' is being filled by coloured cobs.
 
SadKen yes I have noticed the "sharp etc" comments recently - a shame as part of the attraction of natives to me is their calm sensible brains ( I know I have a Section D who are not known for their calmness!!) . What a pity if their lovely calm temperaments are being sacrificed for "showy " looks.
 
I dont think its honestly the case with Fells (ie that they are sharp as a general rule). I do think that people take them on expecting them to be plods and they just arent. I've also not met an Exmoor or Fell yet who doesnt hot up if stabled and then not worked enough (ie limited turnout in the winter)-they can do so much work on no hard feed that I wonder why some people feed them at all.

and sharp is relative-after a few years of lusitanos, the Fell is not sharp-while he's forward, I'm not sure he'd waste energy needlessly trying to do warp speed in all directions at once lol.
 
Clodagh said:
Coloured cobs do seem to be easier than natives, less challenging. (As a mass generalisation). Lots have dreadful conformation and to my mind are common, uncomfortable and unattractive!
I love a newfie, and also a connie although they are just too expensive now. Welsh too hot and 'araby', Fells and Dales are lovely but like hen's teeth. Highlands are just too wide. (All just MO).
Many natives have been ruined by becomnig all movement and no bone, as MOC has said.
Click to expand...

Agree with this 100%
 
I'd agree Fells aren't what I'd class as sharp. Mine is forward but that's not the same thing. She is very responsive with excellent brakes, and doesn't spook or shy at much at all. Not a novice ride as she could take advantage due to having the clever native brain, but compared to some of the horses I've had she's a piece of cake. So easy. So yes, it's all relative...if someone is used to riding plods then they're going to be a bit more horse to handle.
 
I’ve often considered a native but for me it’s the size that puts me off because most are 14hh and under which seems too small and unless they are pretty stocky wouldn’t be up to my weight. However saying that having seen some recently at shows they do in a lot of cases appear up to weight despite their height.

I’ve never personally wanted a coloured cob though and my last 3 have been Warmblood types. I had a naughty Connie cross as a teenager.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
I’ve often considered a native but for me it’s the size that puts me off because most are 14hh and under which seems too small and unless they are pretty stocky wouldn’t be up to my weight. However saying that having seen some recently at shows they do in a lot of cases appear up to weight despite their height.

I’ve never personally wanted a coloured cob though and my last 3 have been Warmblood types. I had a naughty Connie cross as a teenager.
Click to expand...
Unless you want to ride at the very top level in dressage sj or eventing there is a native for every job going. Some will even give the warmbloods a run for their money. They are sound, tough and trainable.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
I’ve often considered a native but for me it’s the size that puts me off because most are 14hh and under which seems too small and unless they are pretty stocky wouldn’t be up to my weight. However saying that having seen some recently at shows they do in a lot of cases appear up to weight despite their height.

I’ve never personally wanted a coloured cob though and my last 3 have been Warmblood types. I had a naughty Connie cross as a teenager.
Click to expand...


This. I really would love a native, and I would be so happy to be able to get on something from the ground, but I am concerned I would be too heavy. It's shifting a bit, but realistically I will never be lighter than 12st plus riding gear.

I've never been that attracted to coloured cobs, but I can see why people like them.
 
Another with a Lownthwaite Fell here - mine came from the Lownthwaite stud as a just about halter broken weanling, and has been given the acronym Wysiwyg as a stable name, as she's exactly that - there's no hidden agenda, she is exactly what you see. Over the years I've brought on loads of youngsters, and she's just the easiest one ever.

She's turned 3 this year, and is just doing some basics - being bitted, wearing a saddle, being introduced to traffic, etc - and you wouldn't believe how easy she's been. Nothing is an issue. I even had someone firing a shotgun about 10 yards from us recently, and she didn't even twitch. Hopefully this year she'll also go to a show or two and do some long reining - I'm not anticipating any issues at all.

Don't get me wrong - she's not a plod. She's clever, and she strides out (unless it's somewhere she doesn't want to go!), she's got a nice long stride for a native. But she's just immensely level headed. Quite honestly, I wish I'd discovered the Fell breed years ago.

I have had several coloured cobs in years gone by, and while they were wonderful in their own ways, all lovely animals, having had both cobs and Fells, if I ever buy another big native, it will be a Fell - probably from the same stud, preferably the same breeding.

My Fell is going to mature on the smaller side I think (not quite 13hh atm), but she is going to be so solid that she'll have no issues with carrying a sensible normal sized adult.
 
varkie said:
Another with a Lownthwaite Fell here - mine came from the Lownthwaite stud as a just about halter broken weanling, and has been given the acronym Wysiwyg as a stable name, as she's exactly that - there's no hidden agenda, she is exactly what you see. Over the years I've brought on loads of youngsters, and she's just the easiest one ever.

She's turned 3 this year, and is just doing some basics - being bitted, wearing a saddle, being introduced to traffic, etc - and you wouldn't believe how easy she's been. Nothing is an issue. I even had someone firing a shotgun about 10 yards from us recently, and she didn't even twitch. Hopefully this year she'll also go to a show or two and do some long reining - I'm not anticipating any issues at all.

Don't get me wrong - she's not a plod. She's clever, and she strides out (unless it's somewhere she doesn't want to go!), she's got a nice long stride for a native. But she's just immensely level headed. Quite honestly, I wish I'd discovered the Fell breed years ago.

I have had several coloured cobs in years gone by, and while they were wonderful in their own ways, all lovely animals, having had both cobs and Fells, if I ever buy another big native, it will be a Fell - probably from the same stud, preferably the same breeding.

My Fell is going to mature on the smaller side I think (not quite 13hh atm), but she is going to be so solid that she'll have no issues with carrying a sensible normal sized adult.
Click to expand...

I think we should all stop talking about the Lownthwaite Fells and extolling their virtues or there will be none left by the time we got to get another! Everyone will be buying them!
 
Highflinger said:
SadKen yes I have noticed the "sharp etc" comments recently - a shame as part of the attraction of natives to me is their calm sensible brains ( I know I have a Section D who are not known for their calmness!!) . What a pity if their lovely calm temperaments are being sacrificed for "showy " looks.
Click to expand...

Natives are more than smart enough to know when to turn on the turbo - ie IN the ring. What you see in the showring is not always what you actually have at home.
 
Surbie said:
This. I really would love a native, and I would be so happy to be able to get on something from the ground, but I am concerned I would be too heavy. It's shifting a bit, but realistically I will never be lighter than 12st plus riding gear.

I've never been that attracted to coloured cobs, but I can see why people like them.
Click to expand...

I've a 14.2 Welsh D who is, in my opinion, rather light on bone for his type - more than once he's been mistaken for an Arab x. I'm more than 12 stone & he gives every appearance of carrying me easily, and given the chance at a fair pace. I'd say at 12 stones most D's would carry you, or a Fell, Dales, of Highland. Probably a lot of Connemaras & New Forests too. It would be more a case of what type and temperament you liked, there's no lack of natives to carry a reasonable amount of weight.
 
Well I'm dales pony all the way, 😁 currently have 10
I think like everyone says, keep them in, feed them up, not enough work will blow their brains. Feed very little, work them more than you'd think possible and you'll have a superstar.
Very tricky to find one up and going (7plus) but they are out there
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top