When do cobs stop growing and........

[Flibble]

I know you guys will love this 50 questions all rolled into 1 mostly entitled how long is a piece of string so :-

If you are rising 5 gelding cob cross summat you had a poor start and you measure 15.2 how much will you grow ?

Is it better to buy a very quiet laid back horse and feed up for energy than a hotblooded type and feed for calmness ?

Why are you asking these questions I hear you say well because I have seen a 15.2 rising 5 and wonder if it might chunk up to 15.3/16hh if its fed up and muscled up?

It is a very laid back quiet horse if I want a bit more buzz do you think that would come with time. Quiet appeals as I lost my nerve once so it is fragile and needs protecting but I dont want to under horse myself?

Cant post piccy of horse as I dont have permission but if I say it is cobby but not a chunky gypsy cob.

 

[be positive]

I would think it could well make up the extra inch or so, cobs are late maturing and if it is not yet 5 has another 18 months to grow.

I would always prefer to add the energy, by schooling, feeding and fitness rather than try to calm a fizzy type that is much more difficult generally.

It sounds like this could suit you well, it should build up as you progress with your confidence.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

At 5 it isn't going to get any taller but will fill out with muscle etc My 'little' cob is 15hhs but is chunky she is also very nippy - when she wants to be

To fill out and feed up just go down the fibre route - mine is plenty whizzy on that and gets faster when fitter she adores hacking and would rather do that than school but it does keep her fit so all good

My WB is the most laid back/horizontal horse ever I fed him Power & Performance to get some more 'spark' on him but after 2 bags decided to save my money as it made no difference again the more work he does the more energy he has I once and once only gave the cob pasture mix - would have been safer to feed her crack cocaine or speed she totally lost her head on it - took about 3 days to get it totally out of her system

 

[Flibble]

Its difficult to tell with horses in Wellies how chunky yours is but there is a lot going for this horse so we'll see taking him for a blast in the woods to see if its a stimulation issue I must admit it would be lovely to own a horse where I didnt feel the need for a parachute.

 

[debsey1]

I once and once only gave the cob pasture mix - would have been safer to feed her crack cocaine or speed she totally lost her head on it - took about 3 days to get it totally out of her system

Like, very funny!

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Flibble I'll see if I have some more piccies for you but she takes a 6'6" rug as she has a big chest and shoulders My WB is about 16'3" and is in 6'9" rugs

 

[spike123]

my cob is 9 and only just finished growing this year. I haven't yet measured him but he was 15h last year and bum high. This year he has levelled out and is possibly 15.1. I brought him as a rising 6 15h cob who measured 14.3h when I got him and he has both filled out alot and grown in height so yes it is quite possible. From the feed perspective it is always easier to feed for energy rather than calmness. However in my cobs case he has more than enough energy. He is pocket rocket by nickname and by nature

 

[sbloom]

A lot of cobs only get a wither after 5 - he almost certainly won't grow higher than his backside though - presuming he is croup high. I think more than in inch is less likely.

 

[Flibble]

Doesnt need to grow loads just expand really. I expect I will go back on Thursday and go right off him because I told OH I wouldnt dream of getting a new horse this close to Christmas :-( so of course I wouldnt would I.

 

[Cocorules]

I once and once only gave the cob pasture mix - would have been safer to feed her crack cocaine or speed she totally lost her head on it - took about 3 days to get it totally out of her system

Curious what is in pasture mix? Cobs seem so sensitive to food and trying to work out what it is.

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

I don't know about height, but I bought a cob cross aged five, had to put him on loan rising six and got him back a year later, he'd gone from a medium width saddle to extra wide, and put on an inch of bone - his brushing boots no longer did up!

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Curious what is in pasture mix? Cobs seem so sensitive to food and trying to work out what it is.

Pasture mixes tend to contain Barley, I know several cobs who go well on oats, but crackers on barley.

My mare came up an inch 15 2" to 15 3"and filled out loads (rug size went from 6'3" to 6'6"), between 6yrs and 7yrs.

 

[Rose Folly]

Disagree with OP's remark that your cob, at 5, will not grow any taller. My current cob at was 15.1 at 5, and she reached her current height of 15.3 when she was 7 (she's an'old-fashioned' type, not a feathered vanner).

I'd go for your quiet horse. Mine was quiet when she came, but boy did she blossom as she found her strength and fitness. And it's so much easier to gee up than to deflate!!

 

[Tnavas]

Horses stop growing around 5 - 6years with hocks and spine fusing last.

After that it is a question of muscle development - so they may broaden and develop muscle making them look larger

 

[traceyann]

My cob as a three year old was 14.2 thought he grow 15.1 or a little bit more hes now 16.2 maybe 3 he grew up to seven years of age he now 21 so i hope he stopped growing now.

 

[superted1989]

My traditional is nearing 20, so, I assume he's not going to grow anymore! He's 15.1 but looks huge, people refer to him on the yard as 'the big horse'.
When I bought him, he'd been out of work and was quiet and ploddy. Now, at a reasonably good level of fitness, he's more than sparky but still safe (and very comfortable). He only has a fibre based diet, it's the fitness that gives him oomph.
One of my biggest bugbears is people with overweight animals that are feeding oats to give them energy and sparkle. Grrrrrr, getting the weight off and doing some exercise will do the job much better!

 

[Ladyinred]

Our Sec D grew until he was 8, in all directions including upwards! He was bought as a 15.1hh 4yo and finished growing at a shade under 16hh and went from 6' rugs to 6'6". We won't talk about how many saddles this involved...

 

[sbloom]

Curious what is in pasture mix? Cobs seem so sensitive to food and trying to work out what it is.

Starch generally, maize specifically. You can see it in most pasture/leisure mixes. You don't just want low energy feeds you want low starch feeds - lots of threads on here about those.

 

[Tinseltoes]

My coloured cobblet,finally stopped growing at 8ish,hes now 9 and has gone wider.He originally was in a 6ft rug at 3 yrs old (14.1 hh and is now in a 6ft3 or 6ft 6 depending on make of rug.Hes made 14.3hh-15hh. Not measured him lately.
Cobs grow till at least 7 ish if not longer.

 

[Flibble]

Thanks Guys all really useful answers. I am of the opinion that rising 5 he will grow a smidge but should mostly chunk up with muscle fitness and condition.

I am going for a blast in the woods tomorrow so hoping I will feel a bit of buzz because logically he is made for me, right size very quiet I have done big frightening idiot and didnt like it I keep thinking on crop days here is a horse that wont terrorise you and as he is a rescue deserves a bit of spoiling.

And before you ask I know the poeple who have him and his history and he is very local.