Rant - why do people look down on you if you own a cob?

Mildred said:
TB's angular little bottom instead of settling snugly into my cob's butt gutter.
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That has just got me into big trouble with the OH - I just woke him up howling with laughter at 'butt gutter'.

So reading through this I'm not sure where I will stand when my little Fell arrives. I'm going to fall into all sorts of catergories!!! = pony squisher, chunky pony (as in not a fine breed), she's a Fell not a Fresian etc etc And I'm sure my ample bootage will spill over the saddle. :D
 
Why is it that I never met those people who are snobby about cobs, but found a LOT of inverted cob snobbery over the years? I must have been very lucky ;)

I prefer cobs, but that may be because I'm unlikely to ever be slim enough to look ok proportion-wise with a finer horse :o
 
melony73 said:
because GENERALLY cobs are more laid back, steadier/plods , easier to handle, better for novices and sports types are GENERALLY foreqrd going, spooky, sharper to ride and not for novices. Thats pretty much how most people perceive it and I do to an extent , I DO NOT think anyone who rides a cob must be a crap rider though!!
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laid back???? easy to handle??? steadier???? jeepers my coloured cob x is very strong...he bucks and leaps through the air in moves worthy of the Spanish horses :eek: [as quoted from my fellow livery out on hacks as she has a good view of his actions:D].... my ex Irish hunter mare was more sane:D;)

My point is that all horses are individuals and cannot be sterotyped by breed/looks :)
 
Must show this thread to my cob (she prefers the term miniature sports horse) as she is a 16.1 tb in a 14.1 cob body. Mind u except for when he's bucking, the other one is a 14.1 cob in a 16.1 tb body so maybe i'd best not rock the boat!
 
Gwena said:
That has just got me into big trouble with the OH - I just woke him up howling with laughter at 'butt gutter'.

So reading through this I'm not sure where I will stand when my little Fell arrives. I'm going to fall into all sorts of catergories!!! = pony squisher, chunky pony (as in not a fine breed), she's a Fell not a Fresian etc etc And I'm sure my ample bootage will spill over the saddle. :D
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The only safe thing you can do is start a new thread under one of the following titles, most would cover it.

Am I to big for my silly little pony?

I wish I owned a proper horse

One day I will be good enough to own a proper horse?

Balaclava or bag? Which should I put over my head when I ride my silly little pony?

Phew, thank goodness it's not a cob.

Please don't tell me it's actually a cob!

Nobody on the yard wants to ride with me. Why?
 
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Bizarrely these threads always seem to turn into a competition for who has the naughtiest/craziest cob!!!! :D "my cob bucks", "well that's nothing, MY cob rears and is strong and spooky" errr good for you?! :D
 
I used to keep my old boy a coloured cob on an event yard near my home. No one wanted to be seen out with us we were the plods of the yard then Jeanette Brakewell who had an interest in one of the horses saw us schooling with him bombing around and giving it his all she laughed and said he was the best horse on the yard and what a great boy a proper horse for a change. Suddenly he became the coolest dude on the yard as everyone saw him thru Jeanette's eyes. He sadly passed away last month aged 30 something and to me he was always the coolest dude and my Teddy bear.
 
Been there, done it, got the t shirt etc. I dont think people actually really do. I agree some people dont like cobs or cobby types, but some people dont like tb and tb types, or wambloood types, or coloures, or bays, or horses with wall eyes, I personally dont like white noses on horse, but ts each to their own.

IMO the only reason people look down on cobs is that most of them arent that tall. In fact on our yard, I have the smallest horse (a 14.3hh cob) so when I go hacking with my yard friends, they literally look down on my from their 16 handers. Mind you, I have the last laught when their horse wont go past a tractor, or a load of off roaders zoom up behind us. My cob is utterly bomproof and justs glances at it all and walkes straight past, when their 16 hand non cobs are having a head fit.

However, I have a cob and a warmblood, so have feet in both camps.

PS he is not ploddy, just 19 years old, safe, sane and very, very wise.
 
Suzie86 said:
Bizarrely these threads always seem to turn into a competition for who has the naughtiest/craziest cob!!!! :D "my cob bucks", "well that's nothing, MY cob rears and is strong and spooky" errr good for you?! :D
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Utterly bizarre, isn't it :confused: I'm rather more proud of the fact that my old cob, though by no means a plod (jumping 95cm sj as a veteran / some massive xc / bouncy fun hack) is anybody's ride and has basic manners. He never rears and I could count the number of pathetic mini-bucks in 13 years on one hand. He nannies kids and novices but often even the experienced riders who take him out come back wanting more :D

Are cob owners the perpetuators of the "my horse misbehaves so I must be a well good rider" myth?
 
Agreed, my pony sounds similar to jftds cob. It's a whole other topic really, but I suppose it comes down to confidence in your own ability. I'm secure enough in mine to be proud my 14.2 is a safe schoolmistress, that can turn her hoof to practically anything with anyone. It took more skill to do that than sit a buck etc. I don't need to pretend she's a lunatic, or that I'm proud to ride a nutter to boost my confidence. Can't quote from phone but jftds last sentence could well have hit the nail on the head.
 
My current YO always said she liked my cob, but didn't ever think she would ride one, as she preferred a more sporty horse - she then bought a TB ex racehorse. Poor TB is now badly lame and has been turned away until she can find a new home for him. He was a very forward ride and would gallop off with her on any piece of grass. He was spooky and regularly spun into oncoming traffic on the lanes we ride on. YO has admitted her confidence has now gone (she is only in her mid 20's) and so is buying a little cob. I have warned her that not all cobs are like mine (bombproof, safe and gentle) but she is taking on this new cob without even riding him :( Oh dear, just hope he is as good as his previous owner says.
 
guido16 said:
Cobs are for riders that can't cope with proper horses.
Consider the difference between a Ferrari and a mobility scooter. .

TB is the Ferrari, cobs are the scooter...

Cobs should be harnessed on to a plough.
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Oh this made me laugh. My Archie is my mobility scooter, safe and dependable. Unlike a Ferrari, driven by d*ckheads mostly, too much power for the over horse - powered driver and they don't look so pretty wrapped round a tree.

Cobs are fab x
 
Suzie86 said:
Bizarrely these threads always seem to turn into a competition for who has the naughtiest/craziest cob!!!! :D "my cob bucks", "well that's nothing, MY cob rears and is strong and spooky" errr good for you?! :D
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That is so true, I knew as soon as I opened the thread that this would turn into "my cob is faster than a TB POST", well my cob must be the best in the world then because she would never dream of bucking,rearing or in general miss behave. Which is exactly why I went cob shopping in the first place, I wanted a typical safe dependable cob and thats exactly what I got.
And as for cob snobbery, I have never come across it. My friends and the horsey people I meet new and old have never once looked down their noses at me because I own and ride a cob. Poster may need to change the horsey circles she moves in, because if anyone was to look down the nose at my mare will very quickly have a flat nose :eek::D
 
mmm, interesting thread this!

IF anyone ever looks down their noses at me & my traddie and/or makes a pointed remark, or even hints at "dope on a rope" status: the answer is an easy one, simples - just offer them a day's hunting, or at a show, on him.

They'd soon shut up then by god ;) - coz "plod" on those occasions he would certainly NOT be!! :) LOL
 
guido16 said:
Cobs are for riders that can't cope with proper horses.
Consider the difference between a Ferrari and a mobility scooter. .

TB is the Ferrari, cobs are the scooter...

Cobs should be harnessed on to a plough.
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I love these threads, so funny! I did get annoyed when he arrived at my very BSJA yard and some fool, on the day I bought him, went past and said 'Oh, *ike* horse'. Yeah, thanks. :mad:

Pmsl! Mine would die of fright if I harnessed him to anything! He's a TB in a cob's body, sensitive little flower, jumps anything, extremely forward, can look a mess but wins shows when hogged and trimmed.

Yes, it's the same horse as in my sig!
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Beau.jpg

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I love cobs. Mine is the salt of the earth. Due to a knee and shoulder problem, I only ride a couple of times a year, and my cob has carried me safely on the Sunday evening performance in the Supreme at HOYS in the main ring with 1000s of people watching and gave me THE most perfect ride. Wouldn't want to swap him for anything else out there - even if it can go faster, jump higher etc etc.
 
I have an exracer - i would actually love a cob well a welsh section D to be truthful but thats my cob type lol theres nothing wrong with cobs theyre hardy cheaper to feed good looking and i cant understand y anyone would look down on them. when i see them in m&m classes i love them so god knows how i ended up with mine lol
 
robynandTilly said:
I have an exracer - i would actually love a cob well a welsh section D to be truthful but thats my cob type lol theres nothing wrong with cobs theyre hardy cheaper to feed good looking and i cant understand y anyone would look down on them. when i see them in m&m classes i love them so god knows how i ended up with mine lol
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Remember a cob isnt a Welsh Cob. I do think some might look down on cobs but I dont think many generally look down on Welsh Cobs as they are often fiesty and difficult to handle / ride! Certainly the one I had was the most challenging horse I've ever had (and thats compared against light breeds like my current Luso x TB, anglo arab etc.).

I dont think its an anti-cob thing in particular. I think anything heavier is looked down on a bit in the competition world because they generally cant compete at a high level. Doesnt make any difference IMO though. I dont look down on those with cobs, but Id never have one personally.
 
Nawww, I love my little cobby. She's sensible enough for my 6 year old cousin to have a plod round on, and cobby knows she needs to look after her. She goes hacking with my nervous mum who can take her anywhere/past anything. She jumps like a stag, hunts all day, and knows that if I take her out to a hunter trial/xc schooling, that she can crank it up a notch and its playtime. She's my horse of a lifetime, has manners to burn and is a clever, sensitive soul. I don't ever feel like people are looking down on us, but I think we get underestimated. The first time I took her hunting I got a lot of "ahhh look at your sweet little cob! She looks lovely, awww cute. She'll be nice and steady. Follow me if you don't want to jump..." And she did me proud, as the only cob out, keeping up with the field master all day, jumping everything I put her at, having a whale of a time. Cob lover and proud! :)
Where do I stand with my Irish cob X tb youngster though??! Oh god, I feel so confused! :D
Horses for courses, isn't it?
 
Well I ride tons and tons of what would be deemed big flashy horses and I tell you what I love my little hunting cob to pieces. She is a freak of nature, who would ever expect a v heavy 14 hh cob to jump a 5 bar gate out hunting? But she does all the time. We have often toyed with the idea of selling her because she's not a competition horse but she's such good fun and ballsy out hunting we love her too much to do it. We can also put all our friends on her for the day and know they are safe to slug port jump whatever try want and be safe despite being novices. If she was a hand and a half bigger she would be a cracking show jumper despite her bone. It's her brain she is as ballsy as anything. Although I wouldn't have a cob because I need something with a bit more speed I am really very partial to a sports cob I think their great. Dissing cobs is silly, how often do u hear someone moaning about or being scared of their cobs? Think it's much worse when people go out and buy flashy over bred horses they can't stay on therefore become scared of and do nothing but lunge them for years.....
 
Oh and in a double bridle fit and clipped on the hunting field I think a cob is super smart, much nicer on the eye than a poor doing tab that you can't keep the weight on. And this is coming from someone in the market for an ex racer lol
 
Cobs aren't for me (Crabbet arabs are my 'thing'), but would never dream of looking down on anyone for choosing one. If they make you happy & you enjoy them, no-one elses opinion matters.
 
I don't get looked down on for having a cob?

But then they are welsh D's, so turbo cobs :D:D

I can still ride the finer types at college/work so the horse you have isn't a reflection on your riding. :)
 
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