Look for a sparkle in their eye — and other secrets for finding your dream cob

Canny, but kind, cobs are honest all-rounders who won’t let the side down, whatever the discipline – and once you’ve found a good ’un, you’ll be hooked for life. But how do you go about finding the perfect super cob?

Horse & Hound asks the experts…

1. “Apart from correct conformation, I look for freedom of movement and a good shoulder, as it’s a riding cob I want, not 
a driving cob.” — top showing producer Robert Walker

2. “We bought Will.I.Am from Goresbridge Sales as a just-backed four-year-old. He was a weedy pony no one else wanted, but we bought him for his attitude — he was a cool customer with a sparkle in his eye.” — cob owner Nicola Martin

3. “Go for good conformation and bone substance — and that ‘look at me’ quality. My cob Cointreau has a great overall outlook and a handsome head, a kind eye and is very correct for his type, with short cannons.” — Kate Slattery, heavyweight show cob rider

4. “They need character and a big personality; having spirit and wanting to work — then they’re capable of achieving anything.” — Adriana Vaux, cob convert

5. “For a family cob, safety needs to be your priority, but you have to like the look of them.” — Paul Harland, owner of a traditional gypsy cob

Continued below…

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If you glance at the cob entries in

6. “You don’t find one, they find you! When you go looking for one, they’re never that lucky. I’m a big believer in what’s meant to be is meant to be.” — top show cob producer Simon Reynolds

Don’t miss this week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (6 July 2017), with our cob special. We take a look at some of the greatest cobs of all time, find out why cobs make such perfect all-rounders and look at what makes a winning cob in the show ring when it comes to conformation

Martha Terry

H&H features editor

Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on dogs of all shapes and sizes. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs, one a street dog from Gambia who was abandoned at three weeks old. Now, her constant companion, whether by her feet at her desk or walking cross-country courses, is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.