Stepping Cob Breed Standard

Source: http://steppingcobassociation.com/what-is-a-stepping-cob/

Setting the Standard

We have as a collective decided to set the standard for the Stepping Cobs and to tighten up our specification to be entered into our database. Since starting the SCA over five years ago, breeding has evolved.

We are not saying if your horse does not fit our specification, it is a bad horse. i.e only steps on the front. We fully understand that the cobs over the years have different breeds bred into them, but we must be clear on our standards. To this end, this is the Stepping Cob Standard:

What is a Stepping Cob?

A Stepping Cob is a traditional Cob type with a natural ELEVATED knee and hock action.

Description of Elevated Action

This action should be visible at a steady trot as it is not a forced action, therefore, they do not need to be moving at a fast pace to show the ELEVATION.

The Stepping Cob sometimes display this action from birth and others as they mature, the action develops. It is not a forced action and becomes more pronounced as they become more balance and mature.

This is the correct example of a Stepping Cob Head carriage up working into the bit but soft, high balanced level knee and hock action. The hind quarters engaging from behind in an upward elastic motion. Forward front action is suspended for a moment, thus seen as a suspended folding placement down to the ground.	Incorrect Movement This movement is normally seen in a horse that is being forced to step, thus moving out front only. They are unable to engage the hind quarters, note the back foot still almost on the ground. The horse has the profile or look of a horse pulling a heavy load.	Incorrect Movement Although this movement shows front and back hock action, note that the hind leg is out the back, this is known as being behind the movement. This horse is moving at speed to achieve the action, and as such the hind legs is pushed out behind instead of being engaged up and forward.

Conformation

A Stepping Cob has to be balanced and display a compact even conformation as in the diagrams below.

How They Were Produced

These horses have been around the United Kingdom for over 40 years however they have improved greatly over the past 20 years.

They were produce by a handful of breeders that only bred from selected horses, those that displayed a high gaited action.

Some research has found that one of the founding breeders used the influence of Clydesdale blood lines in some of his breeding, selecting mares that carried the heavy drum horse lines even going back to Royalty.

The most prominent and influential stallion was a horse know as THE OLD BLUE HORSE. Many of the Stepping Cob progeny and bloodlines today can be traced back to theses breeding lines.