Gypsy Vanner

[LCQH]

Just curious, what are all the other names that Gypsy Vanners are called?

[CMR]

I know they're called drum horses. I think over in the UK they're just called colored cobs. Basically all they are are horses that gypsies bred for their color to pull their caravans.

[chev]

Sort of. In the UK a vanner was a big heavy horse used to pull vans - the commercial bread vans, coal vans, butchers vans and so on. They averaged around 16hh, were usually of unknown breeding, usually heavy cobby things and actually more usually solid colours. Vanners were the ordinary nags that weren't quality enough to do another job.

Gypsies came to use coloureds for one main reason; that was that the army wouldn't use coloured horses in service because they were too visible. The gypsies took on the coloured horses because they knew the army wouldn't take them off them; the gypsy vanner then developed as the hairy cobby horse that pulled the caravans they lived in.

Drum horses were different again; they were not vanners at all - the vanners were plain, ordinary horses with a job to od, drum horses were more quality.

It's only in recent times when people started to develop enthusiasm for vanners that the whole idea of actually breeding them and promoting them came about. Until then vanners were just plain workhorses.

[Wally]

Chev , in a nutshell!

[*Sez*]

We call Jake a "Traditional Gypsy cob" - not a traditional cob which seems to be the complete opposite! Jake is all long mane and feathers, where as the view of "traditional cob" is clipped and hogged.

[nicolaj]

What is that with hogging for cob classes? I prefer my boy with his feathers and mane etc.

Sez your descriptiong of jake as a 'tradtional gypsy cob' is proabably the same as mine. If I show him it tends to be coloured classes, as he doesn't seem to fit in any other classes. The term 'cob' seems to be attached to any horse that doesn't really fit elsewhere, but when reading the showing guide for cobs, my boy wouldn't fit in as he doesn't really fit the bill. I also refuse to hog and clip him. He'd look really stupid!

[herbyhorse]

We lovingly refer to them as

Bog-trotters and Pikey ponies.

[vimto92]

We lovingly refer to them as

Bog-trotters and Pikey ponies.
Can I ask why? Because someone on here posted after she had viewed an advertisement wondering what a bog-trotter was.:)

[herbyhorse]

Ah the bog trotter!

Dubious breeding,
Usually a piebald cob type. mostly brown with mud, tail containing half a bush, mane either filled with thistles or caked into buffont up do with mud. Up to hocks and knees int he muddiest part of field with feathers also filled with thistles and mud.

You know the sort you see on rough ground along side duel carridgeways or on waste land where gypsy's leave them

or just Archer, Sam and Patch out in their field.

[vimto92]

Ah the bog trotter!

Dubious breeding,
Usually a piebald cob type. mostly brown with mud, tail containing half a bush, mane either filled with thistles or caked into buffont up do with mud. Up to hocks and knees int he muddiest part of field with feathers also filled with thistles and mud.

You know the sort you see on rough ground along side duel carridgeways or on waste land where gypsy's leave them

or just Archer, Sam and Patch out in their field.
Thanks:p
Will PM that lady now.:)

[Vicki&Milo]

That'd be one of these then................ :P
(my old lad)
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/vickiollie/e2b68475.bmp
vicki xx

[herbyhorse]

that's the one.

HH

[Danyele]

There are two gypsy vanners at my friend yard! her horse Dilly...
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b394/BassettsDanyele/dilzwalking.jpg
And another called Oliver...
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b394/BassettsDanyele/Image012_10A.jpg
sorry just had to add them as they're so cute ;)

[Skye08]

irish cobs thats what they are

[ponylover88]

irish cobs thats what they are
Theyre not all Irish!!!

Someone told me my horse was an Irish cob, yet why does he look part Welsh sec d?! :p:p
Apparently true Irish cobs also dont come as coloureds? Chev is that right? Apparently this is because neither connemara or draft come as coloureds...:confused:

[CrazyMare]

My boy is an Irish cob, sent all the way over from Ireland when he was a baby!:p must admit though I haven't heard of Irish cobs not being colourds, in fact I don't think I have ever seen a 'non coloured Irish cob!! :p lol!

[chev]

Vanner - type of working horse used originally to pull commercial vans. Averaged around 16hh, plain, workmanlike, common type of horse with nothing special about it particularly.

Cob - a stout, workmanlike horse used primarily under saddle. More quality than a vanner, heavier than a hack, more of an allrounder than a hunter. A gentleman's horse for ridden work.

Irish cob - cob bred in Ireland.

Gypsy cob - hairy type of cob, not usually as quality as other types, utilised by the gypsy folk to pull caravans. Often coloured because the army didn't use coloured horses - so keeping coloured stock meant that gyspies were unlikely to have their horses taken off them for use in the army.

Gypsy vanner - modern incarnation of the original vanners, bred with height and colour in mind and not actually as traditional as some might think. The original gyspsy horses were not usually as big as the modern 'gypsy vanner' and today's gypsy vanner is really a derived type rather than a traditional type.

Vanners were usually solid coloured.

Irish cobs come in all shades, colours, and patterns, depending on what has gone into their make-up. Which varies quite a bit.

Today's Gypsy vanner is usually derived from the coloured cob stock the gypsies used, with a good dose of heavy horse thrown in - most often Shire, sometimes Clydesdale.

None of the above are breeds in the UK - they are types, just like the riding horse, the hack, and the hunter.

[XdenbyX]

I kno they are called Irish Tinker ponies,Romany Cobs and Gypsy Cobs,but i prefer Gypsy Vanners.:)

[joey_olop]

I call them Tinker Ponies!!

My horse is a cob but dosnt come under any of chev's catorgorys!! So does that mean he's not a cob??

Hes not irish, not heavy enough to carry a man, not hairy(has no feather), not a gypsy vanner and not coloured-so what is he??!!

Sorry for hi-jacking your thread!!

[iloveshearer]

Shearer just called the pikey pony but he isnt any of the above names :p he's just a mixture of everything- He's got a lot of trotter in him though!

[XdenbyX]

Joey do u have any pictures of your cob?He may be an English show cob type,if he doesnt fit any of the other catergories.Id have to see a pic of him.;)

[chev]

Not every cob-like horse or pony is a cob though!

Some horses and ponies are just Heinz 57 types; not anything in particular. Call them cob-type, or native-types... but they don't really fit any particular category. They're mongrels. Gelfy's a mongrel. He's a little, cobby, native-type. Doesn't make him any less loved or valuable though!

[Pink's lady]

Out of interest, what would you class Pink as Chev? She's 15.2, 15.3, solid and furry ;) I'd call her as a 'sports cob' (if there was such a thing ;)) as she's very solid but also long legged and althletic -

looking really bum high, which she's not - she's standing on a slope ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Pinkslady/Pink/Pinkandmum.jpg
Probably the best picture I have showing her build (when not fat ;))
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Pinkslady/Pink/Pinkyawninginfieldedit.jpg
And the only nice one I have of her working
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Pinkslady/Pink/Pinkinoutlineatdressageedit.jpg

Up close she is VERY heavy, and many people comment on how big she looks - there is a hell of a lot of her :eek:. But from a distance, and when moving, she's very athletic and 'sporty' to look at. I'd hate her to be a mongral ;) Maybe I could start up a 'sports cob' category :D

[chev]

She's a cob! Hogged and trimmed she wouldn't look at all out of place in a light/mediumweight cob class. Don't think she has quite enough bone for heavyweight but you'll probably measure her now and tell me different! :D

Thing to remember is that the cobs you see in cob classes are usually good plain hairy cobs until they're hogged and trimmed and those feathers come off.

She's a beaut. Lovely mare. :)

[Pink's lady]

Really? I've always been told she's too big to be a cob - she's verging on 16hhs. Thinks she's registered as 15.2, but she's certainly bigger than that.

Whats the classification for heavyweight? I don't think I'd describe her as heavy weight - there is a hell of a lot of her, but she's not 'heavy' like Tia (proper heavyweight cob, but only 14.2) - she's actually quite leggy to look at. But she looks a lot bigger than the average cob.

oh good, that bodes well for the show next sunday. I'm biased of course - I think she's an unually nice example of a cob, but I'll see what the judge thinks. Barring her disgrasing herself :rolleyes: But feathers and hair isn't going anywhere ;) she needs it ;)

[chev]

I had a feeling that for showing the upper limit on cobs was 15.2hh. Now I'm wondering if it's 15.1hh maybe? I know when I read she was registered as 15.2hh I thought she'd just scrape in.. maybe not. And if she's nearing 16hh then she is definitely too big as far as showing goes. I'd have to ask someone who knows!

To be honest though even if she's overheight for showing purposes she's still a lovely example of a cob. Downland Chevalier was one of the most perfect examples of a Welsh section B ever bred. He was the most popular stallion of his time and one of the most successful of all time. He was also never shown beyond a yearling; because he went overheight. Didn't make him any less stunning an example of a Welsh though!

[Pink's lady]

Yep, thats what I though. Oh well, I can't stand showing anyways ;) Far too many rules and regulations and poncing around ;) Put a jump in front of my anydays. Thankfully Pink thinks the same :D

*having said all that - off planning how to chop a few inches off - teach her to crouch if measured, or drastic foot trim time I think ;) *

I have considered breeding her again though - she has the most incredible temperament and is very nicely put together. ONLY fault is she's slightly cow-hocked (due to clysedale influance somewhere along the ways). She was accidently covered by a 18hh clydesdale (unknown until 4weeks before she foaled :eek: ) and produced a stunning coloured (tobiano) colt who's now 4yrs old and 17hhs. We'd like to cover her again eventaully - to a nice, straight limbed, coloured cob probably. If I got an exact replica, I'd be thrilled (and would choose a stallion as closely similar to her as possible). If I got a coloured replica, I'd be even happier. Apart from the slightly cow-hocks I wouln't change anything at all, and not sure I'd satisfied if it wasn't exactly the same as Pink ;) hum........maybe I could clone her.

[Just.Jump]

Does anyone know the marketability of a crossbreed drumhorse foal?

I'm thinking of breeding my clyde/qh mare to Galway Warrior next spring- I need to call and ask the breeder if her sire and dam are registered (followed by speaking to clyde or qh crossbreed registries, warmblood/sporthorse registries, etc), but I'm thinking she'll be 16 HH+, and Galway, I believe (too lazy to check!) is 17.2 .

So, what would a foal like that go for- lighter on the feathering than a pure horse, because Shaia basically has full fetlocks on front and back, but thats it. Sporthorse potential? The horses at GW's farm go for usually $10 000+ (around 4000-5000 pounds minimum), usually more like 15-20 thousand for most regular quality horses/foals.

The reason being is that I'm not going to breed her to him unless I can make a steep profit on the foal to afford a second horse.

[joey_olop]

Joey do u have any pictures of your cob?He may be an English show cob type,if he doesnt fit any of the other catergories.Id have to see a pic of him.;)

Here he is

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b368/joey_olop/showoffBlackie.jpg

Ive since cut the bit of feather he has off!!

[XdenbyX]

:confused: He looks like quite a mixture,im not sure wat breeds hes made up of but he is a cobbish type build.Sorry Joey:p Sweet horse by ** way.:)

[Rips]

He might not fit exactly into any type Joey but he's beautiful :)
He looks irish cobby - do you know anything about his breeding? He's got such great bone and its cool that he's naturally not feathered.

[chev]

Hoe big is he joey? He actually looks more like a heavy hunter type to me. Nice horse :D

[joey_olop]

Hoe big is he joey? He actually looks more like a heavy hunter type to me. Nice horse :D

Thank you and thanks for all your comments on him.

He is only 14.2hh so I think we can rule out heavy hunter!! He must look quite big in that photo!!

He came from southall market-so I have no idea on his breeding-would like to know myself!!

He is a right devil tho:p