can cob?

[shebie]

can you tell me
can a cob 14hh do dressage or is it for only beutiful tb's so sleek and elegant looking?

not saying my pony is ugly far from it but he is a gypsy cob
feathers and long flowing mane and tail
best regards
shebie

http://sc.groups.msn.com/tn/C4/C2/horsewebbers/96/1104.jpg

[Gemma16]

any horse can do dressage. Well as long as its physicllay possible ( no injurys etc )
It benifits lots of horses to do dressage.
I plan to do som on my welsh cob. What makes you think your pony couldn't?

[shebie]

dont know really proberbly because he dont look the part
you know feathers tail to floor and mane past the shoulder
i know that might sound a bit silly but only ever seen tb's performing and forgive this phrase skinney people riding them
as i am 5ft and a not a 14
and was told dressage isn't ment for people like me and my cob
only slender types and elegant looking horses

[galadriel]

"Dressage" means training, literally. Basic dressage is simply flatwork: horse and rider communicating such that horse understands the aids and does what the rider wants.

Any horse (or pony) ought to be able to do dressage. And truthfully, those tall slender TB types are actually not the best suited for dressage! Something with a great big engine and the ability to really put his weight on the back end is more desirable. But balanced, and not built downhill, as unfortunately many QH types are; an uphill QH type (stocky) would probably be better at dressage than many TB's I've known.

[galadriel]

Originally posted by shebie
and was told dressage isn't ment for people like me and my cob
only slender types and elegant looking horses

That's just silliness.

[Alibi]

Of course your can!!!

Presuming that you only want to do Prelim and Novice classes(?). Ideally you should platt up for dressage, but i've seen plenty of natives do unaffil. in their natural state. Dressage has nothing to do with how the horse looks, it can be the ugliest horse in the world, but aslong as it moves well there is no reason why not to have a go! Doesn't matter if your horse is blemished either as long as it doesn't effect its movement.

Whoever told you that dressage isn't ment for you or your horse is talking utter cr*p, if you want to do it then have a go and good luck to you if you decide to have a go.

p.s. i'm 5ft4, and my bum is nearly as big as my horses and it never stopped me from doing dressage!

[shebie]

awwwww so excited
thanks for all your support i feel great after reading your input
had to laught at alibi cheers chucker for that
will keep that in mind and will no doubt chuckle to myself every time i think of your comments lol thanx again peeps
will have ago at prelim will tell you how i get on but i'm sure it will take me a while to train for it as never done it before
regard
shebie
PS
where do i get a prelim rule guide from
(showing what route to take in areana for the test)

[galadriel]

I don't know about other countries, but I can't find anything in the USA Eq. rule book about having to be braided. In fact, what it says is:

"Any decoration of the horse with unnatural items, such as ribbons or flowers in the tail, etc, is strictly forbidden. Braiding of the horse's mane and tail, however, is permitted."

"Permitted" really isn't quite the same as "required"...

Dressage is about performance. I can't see that whether or not your horse is braided affects your performance--unless his mane gets caught in the reins.

[Ginger Thing]

I don't plait for dressage - in fact last time I hadn't even pulled his mane and he looked a right scruff!(this is a TB, not a native who is supposed to have a natural mane!)
I also don't bath him - some people I know do this even in the winter - and don't spend hours beautifying him.
It is NOT a beauty contest or fashion parade - I saw a woman with a threadbare numnah last show.It is all about how your horse goes, not what he looks like, and although I have got a slender TB 'dressage-y' horse, I have friends who compete a piebald cob and and a VERY heavy cob,who actually does very well at novice!
You can get copies of the tests from the BHS bookshop www.britishhorse.com
Go for it and good luck!

[shebie]

cheers ginger thing
nice to hear about the cobs and the none beuti thing
my pony is a piebald
thanks for the website also
cheers
shebie

[Lgd]

Cobs are not that unusual, particularly in the lower level classes. A friend's daughter was on the British Pony Dressage team with her Welsh Cob and was placed 8th in the SENIOR elementary affiliated National championships (she was 14yo at the time) - she actually won it with her other horse! He was sold for a 5 figure sum last year as a 15yo :eek:

My friend competes a Fell Pony - Full mane and tail flowing. He competes up to Medium level in affiliated dressage and has been to Nationals as well.

[amadeorider]

dressage is for any one. if you have a good communication with your horse, why not show it off. i used to do dressage a few years ago on my 13hh dartmoor pony. dont mean to brag or anything, but i beat all the adults on their fancy tb's! i cant do it any more though coz i am under horsed.

[G.Gracious]

I bought a Cob (not a Welshie) a couple of weeks ago and i am amazed at her learning ability! She's only 4 but she happily leg yielded and did shoulder in without any problems! She'll bend nicely and although we haven't quite got the hang of an outline yet i'm sure it'll come in time :) I know a lot of people with Cobs who do dressage and do very well. Don't let comments from ANYONE stop you from having a go!!!

[Kanuma]

i do medium level dressage on my connemara and he is no way a light weight horse!!! (14hh 6ft 2 rugs!!!) cobs can do dressage and i never plait!!! if you need to plait do a running plait down his neck!!

[shebie]

wow he must be a BIG lad nearly choked when i saw the size of his rugs LOL kanuma

thanx for all the possative feed back peeps
its great hearing all the things peeps friends cobs and children have achieved
but i cant see me going that far
maybe in my dreams i will
but in the cold lite of day? cant see it
never done it before
ill be happy just to complete the test and for my pony to be happy doing it
thanxs again peeps
shebie

[Kanuma]

i have great trouble finding rugs for him though as most go past his knees!!!!

i have 4 horses and ive found that out of all of them stan is the best!!! closely followed by harvey (12.2 sec b) rian my arab is useless!! and pride hates it he bucks his way round or refuses to go forward!!

[shebie]

rugs i bet you do lol
sorry trying to emagine a 14hh with such a large rug never seen a pony of that hieght with a 6ft 2
my previouse horse she had a 5ft 9 rug but she was 14,3 and a right chunk
your's must be built like ARNIE bless him bet he is a brill ride aint he and i bet he is oh so sweet natured:D
regards
shebie

[Kanuma]

stan is a sweeety!!!! he will try anything if it doesnt include jumping, he does county level showing with ease and medium dressage with good scores normaly in the high 60%'s he is the ideal competition horse if you dont like jumping!!!
also i think that if he hadnt been rapped he would quite happily jump!!! some people are barbaric!!! he is such a caracter and so calm at shows but if you warm up in a ring with a jump in he flat out panics!! he is my favourate out of all our horses and he is the best to hack out and just ride generaly!!! he has just the right balance of forward goingness but it all has ample breaks so i can (and have!!) let a 6 year old ride him at a show!!

[Jamey]

My friend took his shire horse into prelim and novice classes and did rather well at it too!!!!

[xxsezzxx]

Hiya, i used to dressage on my cob all the time! He is a 14.1hh cob x and he is great, we even won a few beating the posh elegant tbs!

[Rags]

I think any horse is capable of doing dressage, obviously some can go further than others but to me dressage is all about obedience. If you want to give it a go, no one can stop you just because your horse doesn't look the part! I have seen cobs beat big flashy thoroughbreds, looks aren't everything :D

[diplomaticandtactful]

I'm sure you can - the only problem you will have is that judges will overlook you at the cob may not have the extravagant action of other horses, and also being short necked usuaully they find it harder to work on the bit as when they bend their neck too much they can cut off their breathing.

So you probably weon't win lots of prizes due to the cob's basic conformatoin and action, but you can still have fun

[Kanuma]

not true big ears!!!! stan wins loads even against warmbloods ant tb's, my dressage instructor wanted to take him to higher levels but ive decided not to go any further than medium!!! a true cob should have no problems in an outline!!! stan has a shortish neck but he can do it, it is all down to the schooling that you put into them!

[Wally]

I'm not sure the judges would over look Heather Moffetts Cob mare. I think she is maybe a Percheron X They don't come much cobbier than that. If you've seen the Video you'll see her in action on that.

Now there's a horse who is front row Rugby player but can do Ballet.

Okay you wouldn't take her out and try to compete with the Dutch warmblods, but she'd give them a run for their money.

Any one who has ever looked at a Dorling Kindersley bok of horses will see a Haflinger dipicted. This Haflinger, "Nomad" is a real contender in medium level dressage. He can pirouette, counter canter, flying change and passage with the best of them. Small cobby pony....yeah, right, they are what you make them and what they have the mind set to be.

We have a Fjord mare and a stallion, the mare is a CART HORSE in mind and makeup physically. The stallion has the mind to be a dressage horse. If they don't want to show off and be a "dressage" horse then forget it. If they have the build of a navvie but the mind of Rudolph Nuref (sp , I mean he ballet dancer) then you stand a chance.

[Mossy]

A vanner cob complete with full feathers and mane and tail looks SUPERB doing dressage. Of course they can, if as Wally says they want to.

[makebelieve]

Any horse can do dressage, but the ones that you typically see going far are Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods. It also depends on the horse itself's confirmation and elegance. I know I have seen some truly elegant cobs, but others just don't have that.

[Lovecat]

Well, if Murphy's up for it, eventually my intention is to do prelim (is that the very beginner level?) dressage on him - he is a stockily built clydesdale/cob cross and has gorgeous long feathers and a long thick mane and tail - I think he looks stunning (when he's clean - atm he's a mudball!), but I could be biased!

Anyway, he's got beautiful paces and a long bendy neck (!) and has taken to leg yielding like a star, just got to work on his bends and collection now. If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be, but if he enjoys it I'm definitely going to go for it! Your cob sounds really lovely, shebie!

[shebie]

thanxs peeps for all your great words of wisdom and believe me it has stuck in the old grey matter lol(brain)
it has been so up lifting reading all your post on this matter and i really do value your input
thanx lovecat for the comments on guinness he is lovely and yours sounds even better long strides and a long bendy neck
i to am biased as guinness has a long tail and feathers
i just dont think you beat that sort of look un spoilt
a lot more work and up keep in my opinion but worth ever hour of wrist ache lol
:D :D :D :cool:

[mellie]

Hi,i'm currently training me and my horse for dressage,and he's a big boy 17hds of him but he walks on air,my old employer told me he wouldn't be any good but i don't care,i wont let negative comments stand in my way,also he's also ear shy so plaiting is out of the question. and people who give bad comments don't deserve being listened to any way.

[shebie]

cheers mellie
but since all the feed back from all the peeps
it has given me loads of comments to peeps that i know
and now i dont give two hoots what they all think
i will succeed in what i want and will do what i want
and no silly
tunnel visioned idiot
will tell me that my little cob cant do it
as i am more determind than ever now
onward and upward
shebie

[LynneAC]

Originally posted by shebie
dont know really proberbly because he dont look the part
you know feathers tail to floor and mane past the shoulder
i know that might sound a bit silly but only ever seen tb's performing and forgive this phrase skinney people riding them
as i am 5ft and a not a 14
and was told dressage isn't ment for people like me and my cob
only slender types and elegant looking horses

What a stupid thing for someone to say! One of our school cobs does Medium tests although you'd never it think to look at her! She isn't plaited either, just cleaned up a bit :) Maybe you'll not do Grand Prix on a cob (but who knows ;) ) but you'll certainly be able to do dressage on a cob!

[RachelEvent]

Every horse can do dressage - some obviously to a higher standard than others. But a cob is often a good, fun enjoyable ride, and they can turn their hooves to anything.

Admittedly I am usually on my slender horse, but last year when he was on box-rest, I was lent a HEAVYWEIGHT cob to ride, and in our first prelim dressage test scored 69% although it was rather generously marked!!

Even if you are normally a happy hacker, dressage will just be a simple continuation of the skills you need to ride out - turning, transitions, obedience. :)

Heres a photo of the cob I was riding... not the nicest picture.. but it shows her size!

[vickie]

hopefully i'll be in a positon to buy another horse sometime this year. i will specifically be looking for a nice quality cob, and what will i want to do with it?? dressage! i would really like to get up a decent level too, i'm going to be aiming for medium (eventually!). a nice quality cob working correctly can look fantastic. when they lighten their forehand and use their hindquarters to push themselves along they can really move. i wrote for a listed dressage judge the other day and had a chat with him afterwards, and the one horse out of all the tests he marked that he said he personally would like to take home was a 16.2hh mw cob :D

[LynneAC]

I have just started helping to reschool a 7 year old piebald cob with a beautiful long, flowing mane and tail (he'll be even more beautiful when it's warm enough to give him a bath!). He has great paces and naturally holds himself in a good outline (but it's not fixed, he also stretches down well too). His trot especially is very even, 'springy' and is the MOST comfortable trot that I've ever sat to and that INCLUDES warmbloods and thoroughbreds. I can't wait until we've got him working properly :) I WISH that I could get a picture of him in motion with his mane and tail flowing, who'd want to plait a mane like that?

I have never been a cob lover (much preferring TB's and warmbloods) but since starting to ride him I've fallen in love .......