Safecobs/The Cob Company

Cortrasna said:
It doesn't surprise me that horses may behave in one way at a dealers yard when in full work with professionals riding, and then their behaviour changes once in a novice riders hands.

True enough - but I imagine that Safecobs, by their own use of a grading system of suitability, very often ARE selling as suitable for a novice thereby giving the novice a false impression of how the horse might be when it has left their yard and is being cared for and ridden by the unsuspecting novice.
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This is what i wanted to say but you have put it better :)
 
candyflosspot said:
but i dont think that safe cobs are your average dealer - they advertise their cobs as being being very well trained. How much training can take place in a couple of weeks?a month? There website states that they give their horses time to develop - A few weeks isnt enough time to justify the astronomical prices they charge. Like i mentioned earlier if i am shelling out £4.5k plus for a cob that is adverised as being schooled, trained etc i expect that the horse to be at a certain level - infact i would be wanting a RS horse for that kind of money.

If a horse has only been at the dealers for a month and hasnt had as much schooling then no problem but the price should reflect this - IMO this isnt something they are doing though . A majority of the cobs they have for sale are advertised as one star but are still just under £4k - its a lot of money to spend on a horse thats true character that may not have had enough chance to come through ( if the horse has only been at a yard for a couple of weeks )

I dont know i am explaining myself very well....
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Yes you are! She is selling over-priced, under-produced cheap cobs at a HUGE markup and claiming they're 'safe' cobs when that hasn't been established. £4K is a phenomenal amount of money to pay for a green cob when there are hundreds of those being GIVEN AWAY all over the country and by the various horse charities! A green cob is no fun for a novice to ride, you need something that will teach you the ropes - and as cobs are fairly hefty beasts they're actually harder to manage should they develop an attitude and decide to start taking the p*** out of the novice. Lots of novices (and I know this because it was me a year ago) can't tell the difference between 'green' and 'kickalong' and dealers prey on this. A horse that won't go because it hasn't been educated is not the same as a horse that's been there, done that and knows the ropes but isn't going to put in any more effort than it has to, which is what a lot of novices want.

While I am on the subject, the expression 'dope on a rope' (which comes up a lot on dealers' pages selling these types of horses) makes me grit my teeth. I hate it, such a horrible use of language!
 
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When I say hard on them, I mean that the same saddle goes on all the horses (look in the pictures if you don't believe me) and it gets dropped onto their backs from a height. Their legs are washed but their feet don't get picked out. And so on. No outright cruelty that I saw, but inconsiderate treatment by my standards.
 
Jane&Ziggy said:
When I say hard on them, I mean that the same saddle goes on all the horses (look in the pictures if you don't believe me) and it gets dropped onto their backs from a height. Their legs are washed but their feet don't get picked out. And so on. No outright cruelty that I saw, but inconsiderate treatment by my standards.
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Oh right, I wasn't sure if you meant they were ridden lots. That sounds a bit off using the same saddle!!
 
couldn't agree more! Some horses require very consistent, 'strict' handling (young cobs definitely do!) and things can get out of control quickly if the new owner is not in a position to do this.
 
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I can't find anywhere on the website which states that the cobs are aimed at novice riders. Some of the adverts state that they are suitable for nervous riders, but a nervous rider (like myself) is different from a novice rider.

Also, there is no where which states that they are safe. While the name 'safecobs' implies that the horses are safe, there is nothing in the content of the web sites which guarantees their safety - plus the name is now 'The Cob Company' which removes all suggestion that safety is their selling point. They do say that they are well trained, but if they get a horse in, assess it and find that it ticks all the boxes on their list (i.e riding in company, standing still to be mounted etc.) I cannot see why they wouldn't put it up for sale within a couple of weeks. That's what all other dealers do.

Personally I wouldn't buy through any dealer, but I don't think that this dealer is any different to other details. Many dealers will put the price of a horse up if they feel that someone will pay for it - that's simply business and if there are customers to pay that price then they will continue to sell.

I don't understand why this dealer has been singled out for such bad press. What about Stubley Hollow Farm? They import similar young horses from Ireland and sell them for lots of money. What have they actually done wrong to warrant such bad publicity?
 
MP, I believe the reason that Safecobs has been singled out here is that this is the dealer the OP asked about, and the reason for the quantity of bad publicity available on the internet regarding safecobs /cob company is due to the lack of after sales support and the attitude of the dealer if things go wrong as experienced by a significant number of buyers.
I have actually heard on the videos posted on the safecobs site the dealer herself speaking about people who have bought from her in a very belittling fashion when things have gone wrong. I cannot see this is either professional or pleasant behavior.
 
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Well MP - what 'they' have done wrong in the eyes of others I really couldn't say. I am only able to quote my own limited experience of the particular dealer, through my friend's dealings with them. They are not being singled out at all for some bad press. The OP asked if anyone have any information (as you do on forums) - and has been pointed in the right direction regarding their reputation and also people have posted their own experiences.

I really think that is reasonable and I could also state good or bad things about a few other dealers too - but OP hasn't mentioned them, if they do I will certainly relay any information I might personally have on them, good or bad. I just can't see the issue TBH.;)
 
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MTF Cobs on fb is a good dealer :) I have yet to hear bad press about her. I got neala from her and the after care service was 2nd to none. And she is hinest. Will openly say a horse is not suitable as a first horse or it is quiet but does need schooling on, that to me is then buyers beware and wheather or nit they decide to be honest enough to admit they can or cannot bring a horse on, she gets a good range of horses in, not just cobs but that is her main forte. I would go back to her without hesitation. Peoole buy abroad from MTF cobs unseen as such and still nothing I can find bad. Highly recommend them. I do think she is in the minority though.
 
After sales and customer service is paramount to ANY business reputation. If you dont have that, you will soon be having a trail of bad feedback and reviews. Even if the customer is at fault ( that old saying the customer is always right!) you need to work at resolving it to the best of your abilities. You cant just take the money and run.
 
I understand that the owner of Mysafecobs and of the Cob Company once worked together, but went their different ways. I am a great admirer of Avril at Mysafecobs. Haggs who used to be on here got her gorgeous chap from her. If you look at their website and how they go about their training I think you'll see a great difference.

BTW there's a great video on that Facebook page of a French girl doing flying changes, half pass, piaffe and extended trot with just a neck rope and no saddle. Fantastic!
 
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You're right Jane - they did.

Mysafecobs is a completely different set up. Avril does a lot of work assessing and retraining any she gets in. I have seen the difference first hand in a pony she retrained and it's remarkable.
 
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