A Little Bit of Magic - A Look at the Gypsy Cob

By Ellen Feld

Photo byPhoto by Tony DeCosta

What happens when you take some flash, mix with lots of "feather," and add a little fantasy? You get a horse that grabs attention wherever he goes- the Gypsy Cob.

History

The history of the Gypsy Cob is steeped in the traditions of the Romany people of Europe. More commonly referred to as Gypsies in this country, the Romany people (which does not refer to Romania as many people think) take great pride in their horses. Unfortunately, due to the lack of written records on the breed, most of what is known of the Gypsy Cob has been passed down from generation to generation through the spoken word.

What is known about this wonderful breed is that they were developed to meet the demanding needs of a nomadic people. With heavy wagons that served as the Gypsies' home, a sturdy, strong horse was needed. At the same time, because the families lived in these wagons and kept all their treasured possessions such as fine china within its confines, a horse that would never go running off was a must. Finally, because the children were often put in charge of caring for the horses, an animal that was gentle enough for youngsters to handle was an absolute necessity. Of course, a nomadic lifestyle meant that food was often simply what was available at the side of the road, so the horses had to be easy keepers. The result of all these requirements was a breed that combined the best of the Clydesdale and Shire for size and strength, plus the hardy qualities of the Fell and Dale ponies.

The Traveler breeders, dedicated to breeding the best cobs, carefully selected the horses according to their needs and fixed the traits that they wanted. Soon, the Gypsy Cob gained a reputation in Europe as a strong, steady, dependable, easy-going horse that could subsist on very little food.

Once primarily a solid-colored breed, this changed in the twentieth century when the English government began to conscript horses for the army. Nobody was exempt from this need to fill the cavalry's ranks, and so the beloved horses found themselves being taken away. The military, however, only took the solid-colored horses as the pinto pattern was too obvious in the field. Within a short time, the dominance of the solid horses subsided, with pintos replacing them at the front of the Gypsy wagons.

Today the Gypsy Cob has developed into a very recognizable breed and comes in all colors and patterns, including solids. First imported into the United States in the early 90s, it is estimated that there are fewer than 1,000 of these horses currently living in our country. Those making the long trip to the United States come from many countries in Europe.

Breed Standards

After many generations of selective breeding for the qualities that would meet the needs of the Gypsy lifestyle, a horse emerged that was consistent in temperament and conformation. Many people, upon seeing these unique horses, refer to them as spotted draft horses, but that is incorrect. Coming from a mixture of draft and pony blood, the Gypsy Cob has characteristics of both. They are medium to heavily-boned with a well-proportioned head that has a broad forehead and a large, well-defined jaw. The neck of these horses is compact but not short, and carried with a nice arch. The chest of the Gypsy Cob should show the powerful muscling they are known for while the shoulders are expected to be well-sloped and again show the powerful muscling that allows these horses to pull the heavy caravans of their owners. The body is normally short and compact with well-sprung ribs and the back too, should be short.

The hindquarters of the Gypsy Cob are well-rounded across the croup with a nice long hip. The legs will show the strong, muscled qualities needed to carry such a distinguished animal. They are set well under the body and also exhibit ample hair and feather. As for coloring, all colors are found including bay, chestnut, sorrel, dapple gray as well as the more common variations of pinto which include black and white, gray and white and bay and white. "Solids," explains Jo Griffin, a member of the North East Gypsy Horse Association, "are sought after by true breeders both Traveler and non- Traveler, as when combined with a pinto pattern sire or dam, the offspring, if pinto, exhibits more color than when breeding two pintos together because white is dominant."

The height of the Gypsy Cob can vary greatly from pony-sized animals under 14.2 hands to gentle giants of 16 hands and more. Each size has its devotees and is valued for what it can do. Overseas, the larger ones are used to pull the wagons, while the smaller ones make wonderful riding horses for both adults and children.

Characteristics

What distinguishes this breed and causes so many to fall in love with them? One of their most popular attributes is their incredibly docile personality. Having been handled by the young children of the Gypsy families over time, only the most gentle horses were allowed to breed on. Jan Easter, the President of the Gypsy Cob Society of America, recounts the story of a friend and her first encounter with the Gypsy Cobs. "She was in Spain, and the Gypsies had come to the village where my friend was staying. The horse that had been pulling their wagon had been unhooked and was resting. The children were climbing all over the horse, pulling on its feather, climbing up its legs, sitting on top of the horse and the horse was just standing there. This is what is so entrancing about these animals; their temperament is wonderful. They are gentle, gentle, gentle!"

Another distinguishing trait of the Gypsy Cob is their eye-catching movement. They exhibit high front action at the trot which really gives them a stylish look. What is probably even more impressive is their long-strided extended trot. Continues Jan Easter, "They have a really nice extended trot which was bred into them because of the way they traveled. You can just letthem trot and go. If you look at some of the old photographs of them in Europe going down the road, you'll sometimes see that nobody is driving. The people would be in the back of the wagon doing something. This certainly isn't recommended," laughs Jan, "but it gives you an idea of how dependable the horses are. You just set them down the road and they know what they are supposed to do. This extended trot is valued by the Gypsies because it is a fast moving gait and is economical, meaning the horses can continue for a long time and cover a lot of ground."

Fabulous Feather

One of the biggest misconceptions of the Gypsy Cob is that abundant feathering is preferred over excellent conformation. It must be understood that conformation comes first and foremost in this breed. Feather is a wonderful extra with the Gypsy Cob!

Many breeds of horses sport feather, the long, ground-length hairs that hang from the back of the hoof. But few can match the truly thick and full hair that Gypsy Cob horses have that completely surround the hoof, both back and front. Explains Jan Easter, "If you see a horse coming at you, trotting down the road and the feather is flying, it will take your breath away! The feathering is just massive and when they trot, the feather doesn't just flash back and forth. It does all kinds of things; it flows up in the front and you get all kinds of action out of that feather and it makes the horse look so flashy. Sometimes in this country, you won't see a lot of feather because our grass is different. With so much rain in Europe, the grass is more plumb and soft. Over here the grass may break the feather."

In addition to the feathering, Gypsy Cobs have an abundance of mane and tail hair. They also have a lot of facial hair that gives them a lovable appearance. Known as a beard, this hair includes a lot of jaw hair, and some of them carry heavy mustaches, which means hair on the front of their lips, on either side under the nose. Adds Jo Griffin, "To the Travelers, a moustache is believed to be a sign of good luck."

Coming To New England

The first Gypsy Cob was imported into New England in 1998 by the Griffins of East Hampton, Conn. Recalls Jo, "My husband was looking for a horse for a beginner that could carry a person all day. We had seen the Gypsy Cobs at the Equine Affaire and decided to learn more." Jo and her husband first made a trip to Florida and then traveled to Europe to learn more about the breed. They talked to several registries and eventually found the perfect horse in Germany. "We imported a stallion that we intended to geld," says Jo. "But when he got here, his disposition was amazing and his conformation was flawless. We had him trained and he was fabulous. Everybody was encouraging us to get involved with breeding and that's what we did. We went overseas and put together a group of broodmares to import." The Griffins' love for the breed continued to grow and today they have a herd of 28 horses.
As the popularity of the Gypsy Cob has grown in the region, a desire to have a club to represent all the breed's fans developed. In 2004, the North East Gypsy Horse Association was formed. With the goal of fostering camaraderie and enjoying their horses, the group quickly got started and already has 40 members. The club has a website (www.negha.org) and sends out electronic newsletters. "Currently," explains Jo Griffin, "the NEGHA is open to all Gypsy horse and pony owners regardless of registry affiliation, and any owner or person interested in learning more about the Gypsy breed is welcome to join. Gypsy horse owners with non-registered animals are more than welcome to participate as well. The club hosts a few shows a year and is working on a schedule for fall 2005 as well as the 2006 schedule to allow events to be held throughout the Northeast for Gypsy owners to get out and enjoy their horses together riding or showing side by side."

What Can They Do?

Seeing a Gypsy Cob, you might think, they're cute, but what can they do? "They are absolutely not pasture ornaments!" exclaims Jo Griffin. "Overseas where they are so prevalent, they are used as show cobs and are often seen exhibited as jumpers and fox hunting mounts as they can clear fences and walls with ease. I can tell you that these horses are fabulous jumpers; they launch themselves right over the jumps. I've got a horse that is trained highlevel dressage. He does absolutely everything including piaffes and he has won at it. I have another that was trained western in Germany! Their high level of intelligence and willingness to please make them excel at many disciplines today including dressage as well as all types of riding and driving. They are simply a joy to work with and a trainer's dream."

Let's Show!

As a relatively new breed in this country, the breed has had limited showing opportunities in the past. But within the last few years, classes have been popping up at various events for these wonderful horses. In 2004 there was one show that had 22 horses participate and this summer there was the Medieval Fair and Gypsy Cob show held at Shadowhawke Gypsy Farm in New York as well as the Gypsy Cob classes held as part of the Topsfield, Mass., North East Friesian Horse Club Classic Show.

An exciting development is the first United States Gypsy Stallion Inspection to be held in the spring of 2006. "This is something that is needed in the breed to protect the preservation of the purebreds and to ensure the proper characteristics," says Jo Griffin. "We are bringing over judges from Europe. These judges have done inspections and horse shows in Europe. We hope to have 15 to 20 stallions. Horses will get rated as many of them already are in Europe. The plan is for this to be an annual event, with stallions and other stock if time allows."

The Gypsy Cob is certainly a breed that captures the imagination. They are a loving, gentle horse and there is probably one just waiting to follow you home.

Gypsy Cob article from the Horseman's Yankee Pedler

 

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