The Traditional Cob 1

The Traditional Cob

Country of origin: Ireland

Because Ireland is the country of origin of the Traditional Cob, all Traditional Cobs in the world are either Traditional Cobs from Ireland or the descendants of Traditional Cobs from Ireland. 

NOTE: Ireland (green on map below) is not part of Great Britain or the United Kingdom (blue on map below). However, because the British Isles include the island of Ireland and the island of Great Britain, many people mistakenly think that Ireland (aka the Republic of Ireland) is part of Great Britain or the United Kingdom.

The original Traditional Cob

The original Traditional Cob is the Irish Cob, which was bred in Ireland by Irish Travellers (historically referred to as Tinkers). Watch A short history of Irish Travellers.

Some of the world-renowned original Traditional Cob (Irish Cob) stallions born in Ireland are: The Lion King, The Road Sweeper, The Paddy Horse, The Coal Horse, Bob The Blagdon, The Sham, Shampoo Boy, The Lob-Eared Horse (aka The Lob), Old Henry, Eddie Alcocks Old Black Horse of Ireland, The Checkity Horse, The Old Horse Of Ireland, The Old Paddy Horse, The Kerry Horse, Shambo and Sonny Mays. 

The Irish Cob

On 18th July 1996, the Irish Cob Studbook (for Ireland's original Traditional Cob) was officially recognised in Ireland.

The Irish Cob Studbook (Ireland)

On 16 July 1998, the Irish Cob Society (ICS) - the society (body) which was established by Evelyn Flynn (formerly Evelyn Murphy) - was officially recognised in Ireland and by the EU Commission as the breed society (body) which was approved to maintain the Irish Cob Studbook (which was established by ICS) as the studbook of the origin of the breed (the ‘Mother’ Irish Cob Studbook).

NOTE: The Irish Cob Breed Standard - which was authored by Evelyn Flynn (formerly Evelyn Murphy) for the ‘Mother’ Irish Cob Studbook - is the original Traditional Cob breed standard.

• The 1990's Irish Cob

  It is the athletic and versatile up to 16.2 hh all-purpose (ride and drive) original Traditional Cob from Ireland (Irish Cob), that from the 1990s made the Traditional Cob so popular as a leisure horse, not just in Ireland and the United Kingdom,  but also in countries such as Germany, Holland, France, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Czech Republic, Spain, Italy and also in the USA and Australia, etc.

  In addition to being ridden and shown worldwide in its full 'traditional splendor' of abundant leg feathering and long, thick flowing mane and tail, clipped out and hogged, the Irish Cob remains a common sight on the hunting fields of Ireland and the UK/Britain as well as in cob showing classes in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

  Daughter Irish Cob Studbooks

  Since the Irish Cob Society (ICS) established the ‘Mother’ Irish Cob Studbook in Ireland in 1998, ICS trained and approved breed societies (bodies) in other EU Member States to establish their own Irish Cob Studbooks, which the other breed societies (bodies) were subsequently officially recognised in their EU Member States and by the EU Commission to maintain as ‘Daughter’ Irish Cob Studbooks subject to the Principles laid down by ICS (the organisation or association which maintained the studbook of origin of the breed).

  The Gypsy Cob

  The Gypsy Cob was developed in Great Britain (England, Scotland & Wales) by Romany people (historically referred to as Gypsies), by selectively breeding the original Traditional Cob from Ireland (the Irish Cob), to maximise the stockiness and heavy bone and feather of the Irish Cob, to reduce the height of the Irish Cob, and to add driving cob characteristics attributed to the Welsh Cob – including a more driving cob type shoulder, withers and chest and a sweeter ‘Welsh type’ head. Although the Gypsy Cob is typically 13.1hh to 15.2hh, a Gypsy Cob that is from 14.2hh to 15.2hh can be more akin to the Irish Cob insofar as it can have a more athletic structure and longer legs than the smaller 13hh to 14.2hh Gypsy Cob.

  Some of the world-renowned Gypsy Cob stallions born in Great Britain (England, Scotland & Wales) are: Vines Lloyds, Hercules, Bullseye, SD Big News, Top Gun, Warrior, SD Wooly Mammoth, SD The Rocking Horse, SD Street Fighter.

  NOTE: The Mini Gypsy Cob (aka Mini Cob) was developed in Great Britain (England, Scotland & Wales) by Romany people (historically referred to as Gypsies), by selectively breeding their Gypsy Cob to reduce its height.

  The Traditional Gypsy Cob Studbook (UK)

  In 2012, the Traditional Gypsy Cob Association (TGCA) was officially recognised in Great Britain (England, Sc and by the EU Commission as the breed society (body) that was approved to maintain the Traditional Gypsy Cob Studbook (which was established by TGCA) as the EU studbook of the origin of the breed (the EU ‘Mother’ Traditional Gypsy Cob Studbook).

  Because the Gypsy Cob (aka Traditional Gypsy Cob) was developed in England/UK by Romany people (historically referred to as Gypsies) as a second Traditional Cob Breed type, and the Traditional Gypsy Cob Breed Standard is therefore different to the Irish Cob Breed Standard (the original Traditional Cob breed standard), that in 2012, the Traditional Gypsy Cob Studbook could be officially recognised in as the EU studbook of the origin of the breed (the ‘Mother’ Traditional Gypsy Cob Studbook).  However, from the time the UK left the EU in 2020, the Traditional Gypsy Cob Studbook could no longer be the EU studbook of the origin of the breed (the EU ‘Mother’ Traditional Gypsy Cob Studbook). As a result, although TGCA could continue from 2020 to issue passports for Traditional Gypsy Cobs in the UK, TGCA could no longer continue to issue passports from 2020 for Traditional Gypsy Cobs in the EU.  

  NOTE: Because Ireland is not in the UK, TCGA cannot issue passports for Traditional Gypsy Cobs in Ireland.

  The Tinker

  By the mid-1990s, hundreds of unregistered Irish Cobs from Ireland had already been imported into Holland (the Netherlands). However, it was not known in Holland that on 18 July 1996 the breed an officially recognised name and studbook (the Irish Cob Studbook) in Ireland (the actual country of origin of the breed), or that on 16 July 1998 the Irish Cob Society (ICS) was officially recognised in Ireland and by the EU Commission as the breed society (body) which was approved to maintain the Irish Cob Studbook as the studbook of the origin of the breed (the ‘Mother’ Irish Cob Studbook). As a result, Ireland's original Traditional Cob (Irish Cob) was colloquially referred to as the Tinker in Holland.

  The Tinker Studbook (Holland)

  It is because it was not known in Holland (the Netherlands) that there was already a studbook of the origin of the breed in Ireland for the Irish Cob, that in October 1999 the Nederlands Stamboek voor Tinkers (NSvT) was officially recognised in Holland and by the EU Commission as the breed society (body) that was approved to maintain the Nederlands Stamboek voor Tinkers (NSvT) as the studbook of the origin of the breed (the EU ‘Mother’ Tinker Studbook).

  It is because the autorities in Ireland failed on 16 July 1998 to act (in accordance with Article 5 of Council Directive 90/427/EEC) to notify the other EU Member States of the existence of the ICS established and maintained Irish Cob studbook of the origin of the breed ('Mother' Irish Cob Studbook), that the Nederlands Stamboek voor Tinkers (NSvT) was officially recognised in Holland and by the EU Commission in October 1999 to maintain the Nederlands Stamboek voor Tinkers (NSvT) as the studbook of the origin of the breed (the ‘Mother’ Tinker Studbook) and which therefore caused a serious reduction of Irish Cobs that would otherwise have been registered in the Irish Cob Society (ICS) ‘Mother’ Irish Cob Studbook in Ireland - thereby negatively impacting the worldwide Irish Cob breeding programmes. This failure of the authorities in Ireland, which resulted in the existence of a Nederlands Stamboek voor Tinkers (NSvT) - and therefore of a ‘second’ studbook of the origin of the breed but under a different name - caused a legal anomaly under the EU studbook legislation, which led to continued confusion and argument as well as division and segmentation of the breed.

  NOTE: Although NSvT did give Ireland's Traditional Cob (Irish Cob) a second breed name (Tinker) in Holland, NSvT does recognise and acknowledge the fact that it is Irish Travellers in Ireland who created the breed, and that Ireland is therefore the actual country of origin of the breed.

  The Gypsy Vanner Horse

  By the mid-1990s, hundreds of unregistered Irish Cobs from Ireland had already been imported into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). These unregistered Irish Cobs from Ireland were used by the  Romany people (historically referred to as Gypsies) in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) to develop their Gypsy Cob (aka Traditional Gypsy Cob) as a second Traditional Cob breed type. Some of these unregistered Irish Cobs (originally from Ireland) were imported to the USA in 1996, where they were given the name the Gypsy Vanner Horse.

  The Gypsy Vanner Horse Society (USA) 

  The Gypsy Vanner Horse Society (GVHS) was established in the USA on 14 November 1996. Although GVHS established the first registry for Traditional Cobs in the USA, the Irish Cob Studbook in Ireland, which was officially recognised in Ireland on 18 July 1996, is the first registry for Traditional Cobs in the world. 

  NOTE: Although the original 1990's Gypsy Vanner Horses were big Irish Cob from Ireland, because of the influence of the Gypsy Cob from Great Britain (England, Scotland & Wales), the Gypsy Vanner Horse has changed since the 1990s to become more true to the Gypsy Cob (aka Traditional Gypsy Cob) breed type.