People are starting to buy more and more cobs - interesting !

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horse.love92

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5 years ago now many people had the finer breeds of horse , myself included I owned a 17.2hh Warmblood . It's so interesting to see now how when I drive past the competition livery yards on the way to my horse , there are more cobs than ever before.

It's starting to prove that cobs are versatile and they can do just what any other finer breed can do . In times like these too they are much cheaper to look after.

One of my friends said to me a few years ago " I never want a coloured cob , I don't want to be known as riding a cob " now she has just messaged me asking if I know of a cob for sale as she wants it for her and her mum to ride as an all rounder !!!

Yes I now have a cob x ISH , he is fantastic , he has the athleticsm from the ISH side but the brain of a cob . Yes he is only 4 , yet I can take him to a show and he will stand there all day long fast asleep , he will hack alone and will not change his level of calmness if spooked by something ( rarely) , any vehicle can pass him and he will not bat an eyelid at what ever speed it's travelling at . He will jump anything I put him at ( first set of fillers at show last weekend and he just flew them).

Even Badminton has had a gypsy cob go round !

I think it's time the people who underestimate cobs and turn their noses up at them start to realise how versatile they really are !
 
I do understand and appreciate all your points. But the reality does still stand that cobs aren't bred to do a competition horses job, and they lack the athleticism of a horse bred for the purpose. Perhaps they often make up for this in good temperament, but I don't think its entirely co-incidental that I hear of so many of them breaking down when pushed up the levels....
 
I think the reality is the majority of riders are hobby riders now. Not necessarily born into horses, who don't want a world beater, and have probably been over-horsed at some point.

A lot of people wont jump over 90cm, wont do more than an intro dressage test and are only interested in local level showing. Something cheap to keep and low maintenance is perfect.
Its swings and roundabouts :)

I'd still not have a coloured cob though(!)
 
Yes obviously if you do want to go up to the higher levels eg novice + then a more athletic horse would be your answer but the point is so many people before would buy a TB just to look great or another flashy horse but now reality is starting to hit I guess ....
I think coloureds look amazing if they have great markings
 
Cobs are not low maintainance they have feathers that have to be clipped or regularly treated for mites. Also laminitis and getting fat are major problems which are much more likely that with a WB or TB! I had a friend who brought a lovely HW cob thinking it would be easier than a more atheltic horse and she spent 2 hrs this am washing his feather as they cant be clipped off as he is sensitive to the sunlight!!!
 
True, holidays are coming - that's why my two purchases since my hairy cob have been natives. Super low maintenance and versatile as they come...

Wouldn't like to try and get one fit enough to go round Badminton though...

And of course, they'd bank all those terrifying tables :eek:
 
JFTD said:
True, holidays are coming - that's why my two purchases since my hairy cob have been natives. Super low maintenance and versatile as they come...

Wouldn't like to try and get one fit enough to go round Badminton though...

And of course, they'd bank all those terrifying tables :eek:
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Seen a hipo x go round grass routes!
 
Or you could argue that with affiliated being dumbed down that they are now able to try affiliated as coming out at Novice in eventing or Newcomers is beyond it for the majority.
I have a pathological loathing of coloured horses. There is not a single decent one at 4* at the moment which says something.
 
Anything a cob can do my sport horse can do.

She's easy and bombproof to hack, sensible under saddle, even after a break, behaves at shows, can do handy pony with a child and hunt with an adult.

She might not be cheap to feed but then I don't have to bother with grazing muzzles or double netting or hogging or clipping feathers or feather mites.
 
I have tried and tested both...
I my old boy was IDx and looks like an Irish cob. Not coloured though. Now my 6yo is a finer breed (tbxwelsh d, but has read the tb book very well and it's hard to spot the Welsh in him, especially at 17hh. Anyhow, my old boy I competed up to BE Novice and we got up to medium level dressage. He was great always got me round safe always jumped but struggled with the speed and would usually drop a pole sjing. I could make huge riding errors and he would help me out, I always felt safe.
Now my finer boy I would say is more talented is a very careful jumper can be bold but if you don't ride great he won't go on the flat or jumping. He's a quick jumper and covers the ground easily (45 too fast time penalties at our first HT at 2'6-2'9, he just eats the easy jumps). Has the scope and athleticism to go far, IF I can ride well enough as he won't be so forgiving. Good example is that I asked a young girl on my yard who rides brilliantly on her little cob on him when I was ill one day. She tried schooling but she just couldn't get a tune out of him, he stuck his head in the air and get faster and faster! If I ride well he goes well if I ride rubbish it falls apart... but I have to say he's an angel out hacking, probably better than my old boy :)
Basically I'm trying to say, from experiencing both they both have their advantages and disadvantages. I'm am pleased I had a cob type because he gave me confidence and experience in a safe, fun way. Now it's time I learnt to ride better on something that has the talent and athleticism to take me further :)
 
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Highlands said:
Seen a hipo x go round grass routes!
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I may be contemplating a similar future for my current 3 y/old... If he jumps under saddle like he does for fun in the field, he'd eat up 90s (and bigger, but I have no balls!)... I reckon he'd take on the 4* course if someone let him :eek:

The only thing holding us back will be me and my lack of skill / fitness :o

Kat said:
Anything a cob can do my sport horse can do.

She's easy and bombproof to hack, sensible under saddle, even after a break, behaves at shows, can do handy pony with a child and hunt with an adult.

She might not be cheap to feed but then I don't have to bother with grazing muzzles or double netting or hogging or clipping feathers or feather mites.
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My highland does all that (well he's not bombproof hacking alone, but he's pretty good - and is a super TREC pony / plays horseball etc too) and is cheap to feed, never muzzled, double netted, hogged, no significant feathers or mites :D

Down side is he's a bit of a midget :o
 
Dukey said:
I have tried and tested both...
I my old boy was IDx and looks like an Irish cob. Not coloured though. Now my 6yo is a finer breed (tbxwelsh d, but has read the tb book very well and it's hard to spot the Welsh in him, especially at 17hh. Anyhow, my old boy I competed up to BE Novice he was great always got me round safe always jumped but struggled with the speed and would usually drop a pole sjing. I could make huge riding errors and he would help me out, I always felt safe.
Now my finer boy I would say is more talented is a very careful jumper can be bold but if you don't ride great he won't go on the flat or jumping. He's a quick jumper and covers the ground easily. Has the scope and athleticism to go far, IF I can ride well enough as he won't be so forgiving.
Basically I'm trying to say, from experiencing both they both have their advantages and disadvantages. I'm am pleased I had a cob type because he gave me confidence and experience in a safe, fun way. Now it's time I learnt to ride better on something that has the talent and athleticism to take me further :)
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I love my cob, but agree, they can only take you so far, then you need a horse with more blood.
 
My mum and sister have cobs, I have a tb and a ISH so often have these debates ;) I think cobs are great but aren't physically built for high levels of competitions. It's like racing the formula one in a land rover!
 
RachelFerd said:
I do understand and appreciate all your points. But the reality does still stand that cobs aren't bred to do a competition horses job, and they lack the athleticism of a horse bred for the purpose. Perhaps they often make up for this in good temperament, but I don't think its entirely co-incidental that I hear of so many of them breaking down when pushed up the levels....
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^^^^ This. I have seen this happen a number of times, tendons blow out after a few seasons at a decent level. I have a theory that there is extra pressure on tendons etc. moving heavy bone. Think of the evolution of birds, those long migrators have lighter bones than birds that cover fewer miles. You can take a Fiesta around the Nuremberg ring, but it isn't built for it and will burn out quicker and go slower than a Porche.
Cobs, bar the exceptional few (and those don't tend to last as long as the purpose breds) are just not built to be natural athletes. Correct work can do a lot, but you can't turn a Fiesta into a Ferrari no matter how much blood sweat and tears you pour into it!
Thay have another, arguably more important these days role for novice and nervous everyday riders.
 
Interesting thread. I think it's a case of horses for courses TBH. No, a cob is not going to take you round a 4*, probably not even a novice track but they have their place and I think there are so many new people to horses who would benefit, and do quite well with a more chucky guy or gal.

Below is a pic of my mums old horse today (doing a showing class with my novice pal), I'm not sure if you'd quite call him a cob but he's won an open team chase and beat the TB's round, evented well at BE100 and hunted up front with the best of them. On the other hand you can skick anyone on him and know they will be completely safe.

Most people don't need a world beater.

 
I have always had a disliking for coloured cobs until I started riding one occasionally for someone and she is so very trainable, really forward thinking and great fun. I am more used to full TBs and warmbloods so it is quite interesting how much i like this mare. They definitely have there place, this one will make a very good showing horse/low level BD horse.
 
I've just starting riding a 6 yr welsh at the end of last year and he's proving to be one of the most talented horses I've ridden yet the most quirky! He is so athletic and jumps the moon on a horses stride and shortens for pony distances, is nearly ready to do novice level DR. He's totally changed my view on non TB/WB types as he's doing far more than my old TB was doing and he's only been in proper work a year! I think its ultimately down to the horse as you never really know what your going to get! x
 
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^For me welsh cobs are completely different to your average cob.

They do have that bit of "blood" in them and are far more athletic than say a coloured cob. Crossed with a tb/wb you will get a smart mid level competition horse.
Put a thick driving coloured stallion on a warmblood and you're likely to get something that's just a bit thickset and clumsy to be much use competition wise IMO
 
I have down graded from a confidence and time issue, I'm having lots of fun and enjoying riding - hacking/training, even the odd jump :o
While I would love an Arthur or a Blitz I don't have the skill, reactions or confidence to do them justice, at 36 I have realised my limitations, while I'd love to cruise round in a Ferrari a discovery is far more suited to my current needs and abilities!!!!
CP is limited (but then again so am I!) so I doubt we will progress beyond Medium but I'm sure we will have a ball along the way and CP tries so hard that what she lacks in ability she more than makes up for in attitude and I'm afraid ill take attitude any day of the week!
 
When I was a child, spotting a coloured was rare and generally looked down upon as "common" - if you ever spotted a feathered one being ridden, well then it's owner was SURELY a gypsy ;) I would never have predicted that my attitude would change so much that three of my four are coloured AND feathered! :o
 
It seems to me that all breeds, types and colours go through fashions but I'm not sure that is necessarily a good thing. My first pony was a coloured cob as that was the cheapest horse you could get then. Everyone wanted ponies with tb or Arab blood, crossed with a native to give a good all rounder.

Now it's cobs and warmbloods with a few imported breeds getting popular.

Maybe people should think first about what they want to do and then look at what is best with temperament top of the list if they are lacking in confidence.

Personally I take confidence from knowing what I am asking is well within the horse's capabilities, if I was working closer to the limit of what a horse can do then my lack of experience would show. So I prefer to have more scope and ability than I need. But always I look for a laid back easy temperament ( not unconfident just want a quiet life.) and with my current horse that happened to come in a tb body.
 
xloopylozzax said:
I have a cob cross warmblood.....she is a powerhouse, yes, but too thick set to be much use?? eh no, I can assure you she is hugely talented.

Im on a competition yard full of dumbloods and sport horses and she more than holds her own. Apart from the now retired PSG horse she has the highest level of schooling, she hacks with very fit eventers and often is in the front, or pulling my arms out because she wants to be in the front. if the jump is less than 90 she has no respect for it and acts like it is an insult to ask her to jump it.
She is possibly the sharpest horse I have ever rode, and yes I struggle with this as I had wanted the quieter life, hence why I got something with a bit of cob in. My last horse was an Irish TB who had raced, but we used to laugh and say he was a cob trapped in a TB body as he was so laid back, now I have the opposite, try telling my girl she cant do what the others can do...in fact if you try and TELL her to do anything she will put you in your place...you ask, never tell x
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councillor said:
often is in the front, or pulling my arms out because she wants to be in the front.
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Whereas my tb goes in front, behind or in the middle without complaint and slows down if I change my weight.

councillor said:
She is possibly the sharpest horse I have ever rode,
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But that's the problem if people go to buy with a preconceived idea that they fancy a cob (or a warmblood or a PRE or a Hafflinger or whatever is fashionable) without thinking about the temperament and talents of what they are buying. They could easily find themselves overhorsed by assuming that a cob will be easy.
 
My daughter has a 14hh coloured cob and it can out pace my eventing wb every time! she is super whizzy, spooky, bonkers and competed very successfully BSJA with previous rider, never having a pole down. I love her... but wouldn't have one myself!
 
Whereas my tb goes in front, behind or in the middle without complaint and slows down if I change my weight.

As did my TB who had a much more biddable nature than my current horse,and I didn't say I couldn't keep her where I wanted, just trying to put across she is keen and far from a plod, she too goes where she is put and will do as I, her rider and leader, asks, but it isn't always easy, said I rode a cob x who is sharp, didn't say I was an incompetent rider ;)

But that's the problem if people go to buy with a preconceived idea that they fancy a cob (or a warmblood or a PRE or a Hafflinger or whatever is fashionable) without thinking about the temperament and talents of what they are buying. They could easily find themselves overhorsed by assuming that a cob will be easy.

I didn't buy her as a fashion statement, nor because I thought she was flash. I also didn't even want a cob, as I had yet to find one I liked as I always rode TB's/sport horse types. I bought her as I enjoyed riding her, I clicked with her, and she is more than capable of doing the job I planned for her to do..ie..no longer wanted an event horse, just wanted to do RC as getting on a bit. Im not "over horsed" I was well aware of her temperament and talent as it was my friend and instructor who informed me about her when she became available, I will stick to trusting her opinion as to whether my horse is a match for me. I admit I have had a blip recently, not because Im over horses, but because at times when you have one who is hard work(as talented ones often are)and other aspects of your life are getting difficult or complicated it can all get on top of you, but she has reminded me again than she is worth the hard bits cos the good bits are so good....even for a cob who just cant have the talent of a TB!
 
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