Why do people want to own cobs?

[Minxie]

I will never understand it.
They are fat, lazy, hairier than Bigfoot, and usually bad tempered.
Their paces are so stilted, that they look as though they've had their legs tied together, which gives the rider a nasty jolty ride.
I suppose I can understand riding schools having them, for the scaredy novices, but once you can rise to the trot, surely you'd buy a decent blood horse, or at least a Warmblood?
Your thoughts?
S

OMG why would anybody want a poofy TB or warmblood. They are such a bunch of big girls blouses who cry if a crisp bag blows by. They mess around completely incapable of putting one foot in front of the other without making a huge show of it and end up looking like their arse is chewing a toffee and can't go out in a drizzle of rain without 4 rugs on

If we were to personify horses I'd say.

TB = Paris Hilton. Nice to look at but truly vacuous.

Cobs = Russell Crowe. Equally nice to look at but considerably more interesting.

Now in all honesty - who would you rather have dinner with

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

lol...how funny!

i have never, and never will, own a cob.just dont like them (i exclude D's from this BTW), but i teach a couple and can appreciate them for what they are, and how much fun they give their owners.

 

[The_snoopster]

My cob mare is in foal to a WB will that make her foal a tepid blood ?

 

[trendybraincell]

lol...how funny!

i have never, and never will, own a cob.just dont like them (i exclude D's from this BTW), but i teach a couple and can appreciate them for what they are, and how much fun they give their owners.

Glad to hear we are exempt

I don't like TBs but would gladly make an exception for your lad

 

[Theresa_F]

Evil Shils - you have been down under for far too long.

Simply - because I can put two very novice riders on my two 5 year olds and they go out for a hack and come back with the riders onboard and safe and happy (I assume clydes are included in cobs). I can then get on Stinky and go and and pop a 1 m course and win loads of prizes at shows, and he attracts attentions whereever he goes as he is such a stunning looking lad and really stands out, ditto Farra.

Plus, in the case of Stinky, he knows just where to nudge your boob so you find the cancer growth - so you can't beat a gypsy cob for medical knowledge

I also have to admit that watching one of the TBs the other day playing around, I am at the age now where I like to have just get out and have fun with no faffing over crisp packets etc and really don't miss that side of riding how.

 

[Meeny Miny Mo]

Wow! What a grand selection of narrowminded people there are on here.

I dont own a cob - in fact i have 2 TBs but as a horse lover in general i find the majority of these posts insulting cobs and their owners highly insulting.

I agree you are entitled to your own opinions, but implying cobs are only good for the meat man, making rude personal remarks about other people's horses and just being plain ignorant is below the belt. you should be ashamed of yourselves.

You in your 'cliquey' groups, I can imagine, would be the same group of people on livery yards or shows looking down their noses at the young girl on her not so perfect pony.

Like I said i have 2 TBs, my friend has a Welsh section D, he is hairy and round but he runs rings round my two, before he was diagnosed with navicular, he did a lot of dressage. He moves beautifully - far better than my gangly TBs!

For those 'dissing' cobs you have clearly never met a good one, most are far from ploddy, even the one i rode at my local riding school had no brakes and he was a traditional cob!

 

[aimeejay]

Meeny Miny Mo- I dont think everyone is being serious, take everything said with a pinch of salt.

 

[ester]

Tis partly true though, I have a cob because I would be terrified of a TB or warmblood and happy to admit it!

Theresa I think you will have to change his show name to Dr Stinky

 

[Spudlet]

I love cobs They are much better than prima donna horses that need 25,000 rugs as soon as the temperature drops below 25 degrees Celcius and that can't go out for 25 seconds without doing themselves an injury and they look much nicer than horrid skinny horses, that come out of winter looking like rubbish and can't deal with wetness, coldness, hotness, dryness, windiness, calmness, or any other kind of -ness you care to mention...

It was Highland ponies (OK not cobs but equally beautiful) that went all the way around Scotland to raise funds for World Horse Welfare last year - never mind prancing about like pratts in an arena - now that's what I call a horse! http://www.afinehorse.co.uk/a_thousand_miles.html

People own cobs because they are not too scared to leave the indoor school every once in a while and get out and about in the big wide world, unlike all those people that own what they call 'proper' horses but never actually leave the arena...

 

[Tinkerbee]

Wow! What a grand selection of narrowminded people there are on here.

I dont own a cob - in fact i have 2 TBs but as a horse lover in general i find the majority of these posts insulting cobs and their owners highly insulting.

I agree you are entitled to your own opinions, but implying cobs are only good for the meat man, making rude personal remarks about other people's horses and just being plain ignorant is below the belt. you should be ashamed of yourselves.

You in your 'cliquey' groups, I can imagine, would be the same group of people on livery yards or shows looking down their noses at the young girl on her not so perfect pony.

Like I said i have 2 TBs, my friend has a Welsh section D, he is hairy and round but he runs rings round my two, before he was diagnosed with navicular, he did a lot of dressage. He moves beautifully - far better than my gangly TBs!

For those 'dissing' cobs you have clearly never met a good one, most are far from ploddy, even the one i rode at my local riding school had no brakes and he was a traditional cob!

Dear me...

 

[Vixxy]

Why am I buying a hairy cob type?

I have owned a fair amount of different horses and ponies since I was first bought a pony as a child. (Warmbloods, Arabs, Sports Ponies, Welsh D's, TB's to name a few breeds). I competed as a kid in affiliated jumping until I turned 15 and was told if I did not give up competing I would be in a wheelchair by 40.

I like horses like Ollie in my sig owned for 5 years, truth is with my illness I need a horse that can live in the field for a month or two and be sane when I get back on, I often need time off riding for hospital and treatments. A few days ago I had a nasty fall when riding him after 2 and a half months off. My old Welsh D would easily be turned away and brought back to work with no problems at all (I miss him so much PTS a few years back).

I do not any longer want a horse that drops condition in winter if there are periods I cannot ride (last warmblood I owned, easy to ride and get a nice tune out of but what an effort to keep her looking good). I do not want huge vets bills from accidents caused by the horses stupidity (Last TB I owned was always up to something).

That leads me to my black and white hairy cob type being vetted today, I am no less a rider than years gone by. I am not a nervous or a novice, I do not need a warmblood or TB to prove I am a good rider. I do not like the fluffy feet but then I have my trusty clippers and fully intend to use them. I want to have fun on my horse, I have an immune system that is really messed up and a whole load of other medical issues. I just want to reduce my risk of needless falls from bronking and stupidity.

You are more than welcome to hate my new cob, I just wanted to explain why I am buying one

 

[Theresa_F]

Just to let you know Shils does this regularly and she is really a very nice person though she will hate me for letting you know. She also has her own guilty secret with regard to the chunky side of life horses.

Don't get wound up but take this post in the fun but naughty way it has been put forward.

 

[TinselRider]

This is still going?!? oh my.......

 

[Vixxy]

Ohh I am not offended, I just thought adding a genuine reason (apart from being a novice) for owning a fluffy, fat, hairy, bad tempered monster would be a good thing


I have only just read the thread as I have not been on so much.

 

[Mynyddcymro]

how many cobs do you see doing "proper" affiliated competition? Im not talking low level dressage, I mean PROPER competition. Advanced eventing, grade a show jumpers, advanced dressage? No hairy cobs there! Theyre usefull to riding schools and for novices and for pulling carts. Not really youre sporty type of horse They have their place and its not being owned by me.

those of you offended by the send them to france and eat them post surely you can see thats a joke, if not, you take this too seriously!

Have to completely disagree with that statement! Does anyone remember Reesh? He was a GRADE A WELSH SECTION D! Admittedly he was the only one in the world during his time but he was a cob all the same. He easily jumped around 1.50m courses and successfully did so for a number of years. He’s still alive and kicking at the age of 24 And is definately hairy right now!

 

[MrsMozart]

OMG why would anybody want a poofy TB or warmblood. They are such a bunch of big girls blouses who cry if a crisp bag blows by. They mess around completely incapable of putting one foot in front of the other without making a huge show of it and end up looking like their arse is chewing a toffee and can't go out in a drizzle of rain without 4 rugs on

If we were to personify horses I'd say.

TB = Paris Hilton. Nice to look at but truly vacuous.

Cobs = Russell Crowe. Equally nice to look at but considerably more interesting.

Now in all honesty - who would you rather have dinner with

You made me splurt my elevenses all over my 'pooter!

 

[ester]

*mentions to frank we will be doing 1.50s next weekend*

iirc when this cropped up a while ago the first thread was antiwarmblood......and shils posted an anticob thread in response to that if that makes any difference to people. We have also had anti arab and anti TB at some point. We all love our horses (and cobs ) dearly it doesnt mean anyone else has to like them

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

Originally Posted by Prince33Sp4rkle
lol...how funny!

i have never, and never will, own a cob.just dont like them (i exclude D's from this BTW), but i teach a couple and can appreciate them for what they are, and how much fun they give their owners.

"Glad to hear we are exempt

I don't like TBs but would gladly make an exception for your lad "

awww thanks but honestly i know he's not everyones cup of tea and there are a lot of people who would never ever want a TB.....thats fine, leaves more for me lol!

be uber dull if we all liked the same thing...my best friend has a mega flash WB......which totally doesnt rock my boat as a horse, but as a personality i still like him and can appreciate why she adores him. she wouldnt want to swap me for my TB, but i wouldnt want to swap her either, and we dont scrap about it!!!!

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

Because, Shils,I like having a horse that's more opinionated than I am

*AAaaaahhhh its hideous-look away now*

Dex in the SkySports advert with Mike Wedderburn

 

[MrsMozart]

My cob mare is in foal to a WB will that make her foal a tepid blood ?

Thanks TS That's just made my tea follow my elvenses all over my 'pooter

Shils - thank you for this post, I really and truly needed a good laugh. The day may yet go down the pan and join the others of late, but for five minutes you and others have made me laugh

And for the record: I'm a fully paid up Cob owning Warmblood owning member of the equine world. And a Gold member of the BHS

Oh dear, off to clean up the pooter

 

[cundlegreen]

how many cobs do you see doing "proper" affiliated competition? Im not talking low level dressage, I mean PROPER competition. Advanced eventing, grade a show jumpers, advanced dressage? No hairy cobs there! Theyre usefull to riding schools and for novices and for pulling carts. Not really youre sporty type of horse They have their place and its not being owned by me.

those of you offended by the send them to france and eat them post surely you can see thats a joke, if not, you take this too seriously!

I can't let this one pass. See my post on the breeding forum http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=356750
Heres my hairy stallion pulling a "cart" please note off the ground movement,

and heres a pic of his 2 year old Welsh cob son "playing"

and yet Andrew Gould has ridden him, and said he'd do really well affiliated dressage. He's also jumped clear at the Royal International Horse Show. Its the size that limits to what level they can perform at, and the cob crosses can go right to the top.
OK Rant over!!

 

[Minxie]

Thanks TS That's just made my tea follow my elvenses all over my 'pooter

Shils - thank you for this post, I really and truly needed a good laugh. The day may yet go down the pan and join the others of late, but for five minutes you and others have made me laugh

And for the record: I'm a fully paid up Cob owning Warmblood owning member of the equine world. And a Gold member of the BHS

Oh dear, off to clean up the pooter

Now see this proves it exactly.

The fact your incapable of doing something chewing while reading without needing a bib is the clearly the warmblood owner in you.

The fact you find the posts funny is clearly the cob owner in you

 

[dreamcometrue]

Pffft!!! Hahahahahaha!

Why would anyone want a warmblood. Wrap its legs in cotton wool in case a grain of sand touches it. Rider is scared of it. Dadada could go on.......................

I don't have a cob btw.

 

[Scheherezade]

oh silly me, i quite forgot, your warmbloods have been round baminton already

Hah, I love that steamroller effect when something goes COMPLETELY over someones' head. And they just keep going... and going










And going.

 

[zoeshiloh]

OK, so I haven't read through the entire thread (can't be bothered!) but in response to the OP' first comment, here goes;

I have ALWAYS ridden nutters - WBs/TBs - lack of funds meant I could only afford to buy horses with problems, so I ended up with the psychos! I am not a nervous rider, and I am capable of schooling a horse to a decent level. I have never really seen the appeal that cobs have to offer - give me a nice hunter/sportshorse anyday.

However, having spent a year watching cob classes at affiliated shows, and seeing some rather stunning hairies I started to think "hmmm I quite fancy one of those". I have never been a cob person, my OH was taken aback when I commented that I quite fancied a traditional. I did a bit more research and found that choosing the right one can mean you do not have to compromise on what the WBs and TBs offer. I wanted one with good confo, straight, fluid movement (yes, that is hard to find, I admit) and a nice attitude. I found the perfect little filly sitting just down the road. Her movement is easily as good as some dressage horses I have ridden, and her confo is superb. She has beautifully straight action.

I have to say your first post does contradict itself somewhat - firstly you say they are stroppy then you say only novices should ride them - to get the best out of a cob, you have to be an extremely talented rider, not just gutsy like most of those riding the TBs and WBs. In my opinion those getting a cob to go well are far more talented than the likes of the teenagers clinging onto some of the hairbrained "proper horses" that people on here favour.

There is **** in every breed, there are opinionated, firey, even dangerous horses in every 'type' with bad movement and confo, it does not give anyone the right to brand the entire 'type' with the same closet statement. It would be a bit like someone saying "why would anyone want a TB - they are prone to injuries, nutty, headcases, and only bought by people who can't afford a proper horse because there are so many out there given away for free". One statement does not suit all!

Anyway, I chose to have a cob for a bit of a change, and I am loving it. Yes, she has spark about her, but I am capable of putting her in her place. She is a nice looking filly, has good confo and paces, and is far more relaxed than my hyped up WBs that she shares a field with. She is NOT easier to look after (contrary to popular belief) as her feathers need tending to, she has a pink nose, and I am paranoid about the likes of lice and sweet itch. I have in all probability taken on a more high-maintenance horse, but she is such a character that I don't mind.

Am I a novice? No. Am I nervous? No. Do I like a challenge? Yes. Do I appreciate a horse as an individual rather than what 'type' it is? Yes.

That is why I want to own a horse, and if the horse that fits the bill happens to be a cob, then so be it.

 

[Puppy]

QR - Funny thread! I especially love those who are outraged at one type of horse being slated, cobs, and whom then in response start to bash other types, WBs/TBs - genius!

 

[Indy]

Ryan's Son wasn't exactly a TB was he?

 

[amandaco2]

:rolls eyes:

 

[zoeshiloh]

QR - Funny thread! I especially love those who are outraged at one type of horse being slated, cobs, and whom then in response start to bash other types, WBs/TBs - genius!

Hmmm I did not 'bash' other breeds in my post, I stated I had always had WBs/TBs that were nutty because of my budget, NOT that all WBs/TBs are nutty. I went on to say that you cannot tar all by the same brush, and used most people's perception of TBs as an example, it was not a statement to say that I thought TBs were like that.

I am not anti any type/breed of horse - as I said, there are good and bad in EVERY strain. Was it Mark Rashid who said "a good horse is never a bad colour"? - Well, my thoughts are "A good horse is never a bad breed/type"

 

[dreamcometrue]

QR - Funny thread! I especially love those who are outraged at one type of horse being slated, cobs, and whom then in response start to bash other types, WBs/TBs - genius!

I don't see anyone "bashing". However, OP did state that warmblood was the better alternative to cob in OP's opinion. People are responding to this.