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Welsh Cob Breed Description
Welsh Cob Breed Standard
General Character: Strong, hardy and active with pony character and as much substance as possible.
Height: No upper height limit.
Colour and Markings: Any colour except piebald and skewbald.
Head: Full of quality and pony character. A coarse head and roman nose are most objectionable.
Jaws and Throat: Clean and finely-cut, with ample room at the angle of jaw.
Neck: Lengthy, well carried and moderately lean in the case of mares, but inclined to be cresty in the case of mature stallions.
Shoulders: Strong but well laid back.
Forelegs: Set square and true and not tied in at the elbows. Long strong forearm. Well developed knees with an abundance of bone below them. Pasterns of proportionate slope and length. Feet well shaped and round. Hooves dense. When in the rough a moderate quantity of silky feather is not objected to, but coarse, wiry hair is a definite objection.
Body: Muscular, strong and well coupled back and loins. Deep girth with well sprung ribs. Hindquarters Lengthy and
strong. Ragged or drooping quarters are objectionable.
Tail: Well set on.
Hind Legs: Second thighs strong and muscular. Hocks to be large, flat and clean with points prominent, to turn neither inwards nor outwards. The hind leg not be too bent. The hock not to be set behind a line from the point of the quarter to the fetlock joint. Pasterns of proportionate slope and length. Feet well shaped and hooves dense.
Action: Free, true and forcible. The knee should be bent and the whole foreleg should be extended straight from the shoulder and as far forward as possible in the trot. Hocks flexed under the body with straight and powerful leverage.
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Here is the 16th century Welsh Cob Description extracted from the poem by Tudur Aled written in the early 16th century.
16th Century Welsh Cob Breed Description
16th Century Welsh Cob
Extracted from poem by
Tudur Aled 1480-1526
In exchange for a song he asks for a stallion,
With a stags sidelong glance and a dished nose,
A head to hold a bridle, should we catch him,
A nostril wide like a French cannon,
A bear's nostril with a quivering jaw,
A bridle to hold his head in a loop,
Eyes like two pears,
Keen and lively, dancing in his head,
Two slim restless ears,
(like) sage leaves, above his forehead,
A glazier has been furbishing his hooves,
As if he were polishing a gem,
His coat like new silk,
And his mane (lit horsehair) of the colour of wood-gossamer,
(There is) silk in the garment of this lark,
(There is) a chamlet as a covering for this young stag.
(He is) like the deer with (his) fierce look,
And his feet, weaving through wildfire,
He would spin (though) without hands,
Or weave silk…..
He would pursue a thunderclap's course,
And when he wished, trot with a high short step.
He would (sometimes) leap into the sky,
As if he were about to fly(?),
A sturdy colt devouring the roadway,
Hark, the alarm bell, clear out of his way,
Stars or lighting-flashes will rise from the street,
At the rapping of his hooves,
A spirited one on his four eight nailed (shoes),
Each nail head is (as) a spark,
He twists about above there on the hill-side,
He holds to the sun of the heads of the nails,
Sparks arose from them,
Eight stitches had been sown in each one,
I would compare his spirit,
To that of a red deer (fleeting) before hounds,
If he had his will he would be swimming,
He was the most vivacious of creatures,
If he is send out into a hay meadows,
He will not cut with his hooves even eight blades of grass.
He was a jumper of rivers,
His jump was like that of a roebuck from a snake,
He would face anything he wished,
Even if it were a roof beam he would attempt to clear it,
It is never necessary to cause him to jump,
To put a steel (spur) to his belly,
Under a lively and skilful rider,
He would read his mind.
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