Breaking the mould

Cobs might have a reputation as being safe and steady, but that certainly doesn’t mean they can’t excel at their jobs. Camilla Swift tracks down five cobs who are truly challenging the stereotype

Racing cob “INCREDIBLY FAST FOR A SHORT-LEGGED PONY”

A RACING cob might sound like a bit of an oxymoron but – as Rebecca Harvie points out – “cobs can be very fast over a short distance, but they run out of steam very quickly”. The cob in question here is Arthur (pictured, main image), a 14.1hh cob who belonged to her son, Oscar. Rebecca was looking for a safe pony that Oscar could hunt and came across Arthur on Facebook.

“They clicked from day one,” she says. “Arthur hadn’t done a lot of hunting, but he just gave Oscar so much fun.”

She suggested to Oscar that it might be fun to take Arthur to do some of the Pony Club racing, and together they competed at Ascot, Lingfield and Wincanton, as well as at Parham point-to-point.

“The first race he did was Wincanton which was for ponies and children who had never raced before. He did quite well – fourth out of eight.”

After that, things stepped up a notch.

“At Lingfield and Ascot, Arthur came last. I thought, ‘Oh no,’ but both times Oscar came back with a massive smile on his face and said: ‘That was the best fun ever!’ That’s what it’s all about, and Arthur gave Oscar so much confidence.”

He might not have been the fastest, but Arthur usually won best turned out “because he had so much presence”. But where he really excelled was with his excellent behaviour.

“Going down to the start he was amazing. A lot of the other children were terrified because their ponies were launching all over the place. But Arthur walked very calmly to the start, and was very sensible.”

When the race began, he was “incredibly fast for a short-legged pony”.

That didn’t stop them from getting some strange looks in the paddock, however.

“Everyone was surprised to see him there, but afterwards they were very complimentary: firstly about how well behaved he was, and secondly about how quick he was coming back again – considering his build! So many people think of cobs as being plods, but many of them really are not,” says Rebecca.

Arthur is now in a new home with Lucinda Stapleton, where they are enjoying doing fun rides and going hacking. Lucinda had always had polo ponies in the past, but decided to go for something a bit different.

“He is a complete doddle to ride in company, and he is more than happy to do pole clinics and fun rides,” says Lucinda.

“For 14.1hh he feels far more horse-like, and he’s very forward. People have the impression that cobs are ploddy, but he really walks out, which I love.

“He’s very clever as well; he doesn’t take two seconds to learn something.”