to the cob haters ...

Vanner

Vanner

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I am playing devils advocate here, as I have loved the "why would you ride a cob" thread .. it has made me smile and giggle at you mad bunch. So here goes ....

Went out for a hack last night with 2 newbies at our small yard; one is a 17.3hh WB who weaves in the stable, kicks the be jesus out of his stable door with his front foot if anyone is In the yard and werretted and ferretted when he was being tacked up. The other is a 17hh TB, who windsucks like an old smoker, and I was told last night that "it was easier just to tack up in his stable rather than tying him up".

From the raised voices in the yard, I can only assume both were gits to get on and the WB had his head tied in so tightly with a bungee when we went out that he was looking at the floor (talk about roll kur!!) because it was easier and meant the chappie on his back could "have a relaxing ride". Once over the bridlepath the TB wouldn't canter and just rushed backwards ....

Meanwhile, my big fat hairy cob, tied up and stood like a gentleman while I got us both ready, and got on and tightened the girth. He was forward going on the hack without pulling me, and the chappie on the WM commented on his "outline" being good and how he was "on the bit", and it was my cob and me who stopped a nasty accident when the TB braked and went backwards when we had a canter, by pulling up immediately and standing calmly so the TB could see everything was okay. His rider thanked me for staying with her ...

My cob was the baby of the bunch and the least "schooled" of the 3 ... so they aren't all bad and not every big bay horse is wonderful!!!!
 
I'm not saying I don't like cobs, but my big 17hh WB is totally laid back too. If someone else on a hack gallops off, he'll stand and watch them, if they start prancing and playing up, again he'll just calmly walk. He is spooky, but without it he'd be plain and boring to ride.

It looks to be by your post that these two horses have been badly treated/schooled and is definitely not a breed characteristic. Same as some cobs can be complete nutters.

I'm not a cob hater and I can see why people buy them; but for me, I'd rather a WB anyday :)
 
Lol. Sounds like me when I ride my friend's ASBO cob. He likes to show up his flashy companions by being Mr Sensible and he too is the youngster of the group. would never chose to own one like him but he's a fun ride. Bit frustrating having to trot to catch up all the time though:D his little legs just don't walk as fast as his WB and TB mates :p however very proud of his behaviour just wish he had a faster gear at times as it's boring looking at everyone else's backsides .
 
I have both:)

A WB who in his younger days was stunning to look at and a pleasure to ride in a snaffle (although only by an experienced rider especially when competing BD)
I also have cobs one of whom always has been and always will be a nutter:rolleyes:

I agree you can't really judge by breed alone they are all individual.Horses for courses etc.
 
I don't hate cobs. My friend has two. Just not for me. Prefer Anglos, Arabs and TB.

Don't hate Labradors but wouldn't want one. Prefer whippets and lurchers.

Don't hate tractors, useful in many circumstances, but prefer to drive a car.
 
I agree about the constant trotting to catch up, hilarious, especially when the rest of the group turn a corner and mine has a minor paddy about them disappearing!
 
Each to their own and all that.......tbh and in the nicest possible way, I would probably find your cob a little boring to ride, and that is nothing personal as I am a fellow cob lover/owner too.

My cob is super charged - he can throw a huge buck, and spook and spin on a six pence, and out pace a tb - so not your average cob, and probably one that a 'normal' cob lover would hate!

However I adore the challenge of riding him and weirdly, despite his antics, feel very safe on him, and enjoy his silly moments for the adrenaline rush!
 
cinnamontoast said:
I agree about the constant trotting to catch up, hilarious, especially when the rest of the group turn a corner and mine has a minor paddy about them disappearing!
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I share your pain :p but I use this as a "just because you can't see them doesnt mean they aren't there" lesson. :D sometimes it backfires and then the little blighter can Really shift!
 
Vanner said:
I am playing devils advocate here, as I have loved the "why would you ride a cob" thread .. it has made me smile and giggle at you mad bunch. So here goes ....

Went out for a hack last night with 2 newbies at our small yard; one is a 17.3hh WB who weaves in the stable, kicks the be jesus out of his stable door with his front foot if anyone is In the yard and werretted and ferretted when he was being tacked up. The other is a 17hh TB, who windsucks like an old smoker, and I was told last night that "it was easier just to tack up in his stable rather than tying him up".

From the raised voices in the yard, I can only assume both were gits to get on and the WB had his head tied in so tightly with a bungee when we went out that he was looking at the floor (talk about roll kur!!) because it was easier and meant the chappie on his back could "have a relaxing ride". Once over the bridlepath the TB wouldn't canter and just rushed backwards ....

Meanwhile, my big fat hairy cob, tied up and stood like a gentleman while I got us both ready, and got on and tightened the girth. He was forward going on the hack without pulling me, and the chappie on the WM commented on his "outline" being good and how he was "on the bit", and it was my cob and me who stopped a nasty accident when the TB braked and went backwards when we had a canter, by pulling up immediately and standing calmly so the TB could see everything was okay. His rider thanked me for staying with her ...

My cob was the baby of the bunch and the least "schooled" of the 3 ... so they aren't all bad and not every big bay horse is wonderful!!!!
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I think this says everything about the owners and nothing about the breeds. :-))
Mark Rashid was talking at his clinic last year about how in the UK we generalise about breeds, colours etc and link them to behaviour. He thinks we're mad, says he doesn't come across these views in other countries.

As for speed, I've ridden a cob that overtook everything in front of him at a walk or trot, I've ridden TB's that dawdled along behind. It's a bigger picture than just breed or type.
 
There are definitely characteristics that are typical of each breed while individual horses are not always true to perceived stereotypes.

However the main influence is the owner's approach, how they are kept and trained. With a capable, thoughtful owner they are straightforward and willing, so suited for all the family to ride, which was what they were bred for.

Before the boom market for cobs by novice hackers, they were bred by gypsy breeders to be dependable, tough wagon pullers. Any cob without the patience of a saint around children was not bred from.

The current popularity for cobs makes me wonder what will happen to the breed as poor specimens are bred from because a fair proportion of buyers they attract cannot tell the difference between a quality animal and a poor one.
 
I am with u vanner. Everyone wants a horse like my cob but without him geing a cob yet, whilst I cant jump him well, my fault as much as his, he is a dream to ride, stands for hours at a time, does everything I ask of him, gymkhana, endurance, showing, le trek, dressage, u name it, travels with any horse, behaves impeccablyb& we trust each other implicitly. He is ridden by nervy riders, used to give lessons & We often escort hack & regularly see others come a cropper including last night, we waited for 20 mins while a friend tried to mount her new horse who then did a bucking bronco and broke her arm. I LOVE MY COB XX
 
I've ridden tbs that were a dream, tbs that were nutters and tbs that dawdled. Same for warmbloods, new forests, irish drafts, (arabs have all been lovely ;) ) and the same for cobs. This says a lot more about the owners than it does about the breed. If your cob is well behaved and young, then he is a credit to your training, and possibly if you had a young tb or wb they would turn out similar
 
Nice to hear about your horse OP :) however .... In defence of the warmblood (I own two! :D) they go right and behave right if they are ridden and handled correctly, as does any horse. I see the point you are making OP, but in my opinion it's not the breed it's the rider.
 
Cobs are fine.....................just anytime I see one I wonder where they left the cart and if I've got something needing chucking out that the "rag and bone" man will take.:D
 
Agreed. And while cobs may have their charms, there is nothing to match riding a horse with wonderful paces. I have a wb x ish whose trot is breathtaking. I also recently bought a tb who absolutely floats across the ground. The fact that he is tb put me right off because of everything I had heard about the breed, but he is the loveliest boy. Yes, he is sensitive, but he hasnt half improved my riding!
 
Each to their own, right ;)

My TB is a total gent to deal with, stands good as gold to be tacked up/groomed/vet/farrier/load etc, perfect at shows, sane and well mannered out on hacks alone and in company.. And he He's 16 now and he's been like this since I bought him as a 5yo. Plus he's great fun to ride :)
Everyone who meets him says what a lovely horse he is, it's not just cobs who are quiet/TBs who are nutters ;)
 
Aarrghimpossiblepony said:
Cobs are fine.....................just anytime I see one I wonder where they left the cart and if I've got something needing chucking out that the "rag and bone" man will take.:D
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I can so relate to this! I used to be just the same "bloody gypo ponies" I used to call them!

Have to say I am a convert now, and just to say, my boy isn't the angel he sounds, he was just better than the 2 horse mountains he was with!

Although to be honest, I couldn't help tittering at the picture we made: 2 large bay, somewhat boring, horses and a heavy weight, fully feathered, long mane, huge tailed gypo 'oss coming up the rear ... although he was desperate to be in the front and my shoulders ached like mad when I got off!!!!
 
Sidney said:
Each to their own and all that.......tbh and in the nicest possible way, I would probably find your cob a little boring to ride, and that is nothing personal as I am a fellow cob lover/owner too.

My cob is super charged - he can throw a huge buck, and spook and spin on a six pence, and out pace a tb - so not your average cob, and probably one that a 'normal' cob lover would hate!

However I adore the challenge of riding him and weirdly, despite his antics, feel very safe on him, and enjoy his silly moments for the adrenaline rush!
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I very much doubt you'd find him boring ... we usually have a mad axe mad that stalks us when we are out, who likes to run up behind us at great speed, causing my cob to shoot forward like something gone demented He likes to do a buck when he isn't getting his own way, or when he's excited, and I spent all my time yesterday trying to keep him a comfortable distance from the TB's back legs!!!

But he was the best out of the 3 yesterday, for sure!!! :D
 
We were at Coombelands x country course the other day and had just untacked Izzy and was sponging him off. This old guy came wandering up to talk to us. He kept telling me what a lovely horse Izzy was and how fit he looked and how he used to have horses when he was younger.

Then he said "Is he a cart horse then?":eek: My friend was trying so hard not to laugh and I have to admit I found it pretty funny too. Good job I'm not too precious to laugh at things like that or I might have wanted to punch him on the nose.:D

Izzy was much too interested in the grass to be bothered by such a comment. :rolleyes:
 
This post has nothing to do with the different breeds, more about the owners tbh and how the horses have been 'brought up' so to speak.
 
Yes I think the owners sound a bit neurotic and panicy, so why would their horses be calm and well behaved!

I have a friend that I have to give a lead to on hacks all the time - she has the cob and I have the highly strung sports horse, but the hughly strung sports horse respects and trusts me and does as she is told!

Equally, we had a lovely 13.2 cob that ga ve a lead to all the sporty horses on a PC XC lesson at nearly every fence.
 
Absolutely nothing against cobs, but what does grate on me is the ones that are just bred for money with no thought for conformation or breeding that seem to flood the market and cost less than some handbag dogs. It's not their fault I know it's the blooming dealers/breeders but it has for some unknown reason spoilt their image for me..

I used to ride one several years ago before they became the quick buck/staffie type of the horse world called Barney he was a gorgeous. He was well bred and he would jump and school and hacking on him was just so comfortable. He looked the business as well as was all hogged and clipped smartly. I like the fact most I have met live on fresh air. I wouldn't be allowed a cob anyway my dad would have a fit if I brought home 'some gypsy thing' its bad enough I have a PBA who's buckskin and white. .he calls her the gypsy one lol
 
Well today I dragged in my 17.2hh 4 year old warmblood amidst gales of wind, tacked up and lunged him (still almost being blown off my feet). He has been sat on a few times about six months ago and I walked him on the lunge a few days ago, but nobody was around to help today so I decided to try mounting without anyone holding him for the first time ever. Cue bemused horse being dragged around while I got my hat, sorted out the mounting block and got onto him, in the roaring wind while he stood like a rock. Sane and well mannered, with the added bonus of not looking like he should be pulling a cart. It's win-win. :D
 
Yep, have to agree, horse is a horse, breed is not a factor.

used to have a fantastic welsh cob x TB mare, she was rock solid, used in Dressage, XC, SJ and showing and was a fantastic hack. Good all round horse.
 
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