is 'cob' a breed?

No, cob is a 'type'. However just to confuse things it is a breed if it's a welsh cob:D
 
Welsh cobs are a breed, like Yann says. Cobs are a type (like hunters). Cobs are not usually registered except that there is now an Irish Cob Society, formed in 1998, which registers Irish Cobs. There is also (I think) a Gyspsy Cob Society.

Welsh cobs are derived from the old trotters, hackneys and cobs, and have been registered in the Welsh stud book for over a hundred years.
 
ID is Irish Draft, which is a breed. TB is Thoroughbred.

A hunter would be a type of horse that could be used for hunting. A good hunter would be around 16hh, and can be lightweight (fairly finely built), mediumweight (bit heavier) or heavyweight (pretty hefty). They have a different conformation from cobs, which tend to be well built and stocky, with short legs, good deep girth, and good quarters and shoulders. Hunters are a bit taller and rangier, longer in the neck and leg and wouldn't have the same movement.

Then there's hacks... hacks are a kind of lightweight riding horse - they must have very correct conformation, and they're usually TB or TB crosses. They're much lighter and usually smaller than hunters - not so plain to look at either. Where a hunter might get away with a small blemish in a hunter class, a hack certainly wouldn't.

A hunter can be a horse of any breed really that conforms to that type. A 16hh Welsh cob might, or a heavier TB, and ID cross - as long as they are the right type. They should be trimmed (feathers clipped off if they have them, manes and tails pulled and so on). A hack would be trimmed in the same way but might also have 'quarter marks' - that is aptterns brushed into the hair on the quarters. Hacks are plaited for showing. Cobs have their tails pulled and feathers and manes clipped off for show cob classes, or can be shown with full manes and feathers in traditional cob classes (gypsy cobs are sometimes shown like this).
 
My girl is a Cob and she's pretty much a Heinz 57!! When i bought her i was told she was Clydesdale/TB x Fell but nobody has seen any TB in her and my farrier (who's dad breeds top class Fell ponies) says she definately isn't half Fell!!

Cobs tend to be crosses crossed with crosses, if you're lucky wnough to find a Cob's pedigree (not very likely) you'll probably find some heavier breeds in there and i was told a lot of Cobs also have Friesian blood in them.

Personally i LOVE Cobs, they're extremely versatile and about 90% of them have a lovely, calm nature.
 
I think a lot of cobs are mixed, G Gracious; my Barney's an Irish cob, and we think he has some Clydesdale in him, from his shape and his markings, and some Welsh cob, from his action. Definitely no TB, otherwise it's anyone's guess...

I have read that you can't breed a cob from cobs, but I've no idea if this is true or just an old wives' tale.
 
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