The most natural way of keeping a welsh cob and cost

[Louiseandmaddie]

Hi All

I have at last come back to horses after a good few years and would like a bit of advice.

I love welsh cobs and am in the lucky position to purchase one.

I am 13 stone and 5ft 5 inches and would like advice on what size I should go for. I do not want to look silly on something too small.

I would also like some information on the most natural way of keeping them (shoes, do I need to? which rugs etc) and your experiences/costs if you keep them this way?

Look forward to your responses

Louise

 

[Joanne_Stockport]

Hi All

I have at last come back to horses after a good few years and would like a bit of advice.

I love welsh cobs and am in the lucky position to purchase one.

I am 13 stone and 5ft 5 inches and would like advice on what size I should go for. I do not want to look silly on something too small.

I would also like some information on the most natural way of keeping them (shoes, do I need to? which rugs etc) and your experiences/costs if you keep them this way?

Look forward to your responses

Louise

Regarding size, I have a gypsy cob , he is 14.3 hands.
I am 5ft 5 and 11 stones...I feel that it just perfect but would not want to go smaller as I would feel I would squish them !!
If I could loose a stone it would be even better !

Mine is barefoot. I did not have to thing about making a choice because he was like that when I bought him but he had really good feet.
So it will depends if the horse can be barefoot or not. If he is shod you can try barefoot and see if it works for your horse.
It cost me £20 every eight weeks to have him trimmed. It cost a lot more when they are shod (3-4 time more and it is every 6 weeks I think).

The most natural way would be that your horse is out 24/7 with no rug but with a shelter. It is not the most practical way tough. You will need time to go at least twice a day. Depending of where you live it is not always possible too (lack of fields,etc..)

I keep mine on full livery as I work and I have a business so I do not have time to go turn him out in the morning and clean his stable and again after work.
It is expensive (cost me around £420 for the livery) on top of that there is the weekly lessons, farrier, teeth (every 6 months for mine), saddle check (every six months), vaccinations, extra food, insurance. All the tack, rugs, grooming tools, first aids kit, longing kit, saddle, bridle...cost quite a lot.

All my extra money is going into my horse !! But I enjoy it very much.. Good luck

 

[acorn92x]

All of the above advice is very good.

With regards to shoeing them, a lot of the decision on whether to shoe/not is based on the condition and confirmation of the animals hooves, as well as what you intend to do with him/her. If the horse is slightly flat footed etc, it is highly likely they will do better with shoes. I would also look at the terrain where you live. Are there lots of stony paths? What are your fields like? If there are lots of stones or the terrain is uneven or tricky, the horse might be better with shoes as stones can make some barefoot horses a little footsore. Bear in mind the cost of shoes vary greatly throughout the country. In the South East where I live, the cost of a full set of shoes is between £65-£75 so this is a lot of money every 6-8 weeks! That's not factoring in additional costs should the horse pull a shoe etc either!

Welsh Cobs are hardy animals so don't need to be rugged up to the eyeballs. How you rug the animal, again, depends on it's lifestyle and how you choose to keep it, EG: Will it live out 24/7 or just during the day etc? I would personally have rugs that I would put on it if it were to rain. This would purely be for convenience as I do not have the time to sluce mud off, and dry a wet horse when I want to ride. This aside, Welsh cobs are more than capable of living out 24/7 without a rug, providing the animal is not clipped, has access to natural shelter and good quality forage (But that also applies to a huge number of horses - whatever did we do in the days before rugs etc?!).

On a side note, if this is your first horse, whether you choose to go DIY or whether you want someone to do literally everything for your horse and you just turn up and ride (Full livery), I would advise that you keep the horse on a good, reputable livery yard, with a knowledgeable yard manager who you can go to for advice if you need it. There is no substitute for good advice from a person who knows what they are talking about!

Whatever you choose to do though, best of luck! I hope you have many years of fun and happiness with your new friend

 

[Louiseandmaddie]

All of the above advice is very good.

With regards to shoeing them, a lot of the decision on whether to shoe/not is based on the condition and confirmation of the animals hooves, as well as what you intend to do with him/her. If the horse is slightly flat footed etc, it is highly likely they will do better with shoes. I would also look at the terrain where you live. Are there lots of stony paths? What are your fields like? If there are lots of stones or the terrain is uneven or tricky, the horse might be better with shoes as stones can make some barefoot horses a little footsore. Bear in mind the cost of shoes vary greatly throughout the country. In the South East where I live, the cost of a full set of shoes is between £65-£75 so this is a lot of money every 6-8 weeks! That's not factoring in additional costs should the horse pull a shoe etc either!

Welsh Cobs are hardy animals so don't need to be rugged up to the eyeballs. How you rug the animal, again, depends on it's lifestyle and how you choose to keep it, EG: Will it live out 24/7 or just during the day etc? I would personally have rugs that I would put on it if it were to rain. This would purely be for convenience as I do not have the time to sluce mud off, and dry a wet horse when I want to ride. This aside, Welsh cobs are more than capable of living out 24/7 without a rug, providing the animal is not clipped, has access to natural shelter and good quality forage (But that also applies to a huge number of horses - whatever did we do in the days before rugs etc?!).

On a side note, if this is your first horse, whether you choose to go DIY or whether you want someone to do literally everything for your horse and you just turn up and ride (Full livery), I would advise that you keep the horse on a good, reputable livery yard, with a knowledgeable yard manager who you can go to for advice if you need it. There is no substitute for good advice from a person who knows what they are talking about!

Whatever you choose to do though, best of luck! I hope you have many years of fun and happiness with your new friend

Thank you Gays that's really helpful, exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. :-D

 

[Smogul]

Welsh Cobs are hardy animals so don't need to be rugged up to the eyeballs. How you rug the animal, again, depends on it's lifestyle and how you choose to keep it, EG: Will it live out 24/7 or just during the day etc? I would personally have rugs that I would put on it if it were to rain. This would purely be for convenience as I do not have the time to sluce mud off, and dry a wet horse when I want to ride. This aside, Welsh cobs are more than capable of living out 24/7 without a rug, providing the animal is not clipped, has access to natural shelter and good quality forage

Remember it all depends on the animal. OH's Section D dropped weight drastically at the first hint of cold or wet weather, had lousy feet and did not sleep when kept out 24/7. Fantastic temperament but very high maintenance. Personally I would look for a horse, not a breed!

 

[Tally-lah]

I have a welsh cob, she is a amazing. However, she needs a full set of shoes, she gets incredibly foot sore without shoes. She is quite forward going and gets hot quick so has to be clipped out, which means she then needs to be rugged up as she also gets cold quick! She loses condition fast and needs two feeds per day to keep weight on, we call her our TB in a Welsh's body.

My point is that each horse is different and it is very hard to tell what they will or wont need before you actually have the horse.

 

[Merlin11]

I had a15 2 welsh cob part bred and am a similar size to you and he suited me fine. He lived out 24/7 very happily. I only put a light weight rug on if very wet and I wanted to keep him clean for riding. He did have shoes but that was mainly because I bought him shod and I rode in forest which is quite stony. He was forward going but also sensible. He had a wonderful character but a bit cheeky at times. I mainly had him at home so costs weren't too high. I would guess around £100-200 per month. I now have a 14 2 highland who has still to be backed but he is chunkier than the welshie was. Good luck.

 

[Louiseandmaddie]

Thankyou all.
I love welsh cobs, i've had two on long term loans before as well as other breeds and types and although the welshies are complicated and quirky almost to a fault they are such loyal, loving, beautiful horses with fantastic personalitys and i have always got on really well them so fingers crossed i'll be looking for my new best friend very soon. soooo excited x