Gallod Welsh Fashion and Taylor Lemmon Photo Gerald Morse
WCSN asked Taylor Lemmon about the search for her next Welsh Cob eventing partner.
WCSN: When looking for your section D eventing partner, what is the most important characteristic to you?
TL: When I am seeking a section D as a partner in eventing, there are several important characteristics they must embody. Bravery is key as I must have a horse that faces challenges head-on and enjoys eating up a cross country course. My best eventing cobs have also had tremendous amounts of “try” and heart - they trusted in me as their partner and often gave me the moon when asked.
WCSN: How valuable are conformation photos and video to you in your search?
TL: Both conformation photos and video are key in my search. I hate wasting people’s time and am able to quickly rule a horse in or out based off of a quick video clip and good conformation photos. While there are many other important factors that make a good eventing partner (personality, trainability, etc.), my search always begins with conformation and movement.
WCSN: Is a pedigree with known sport cob lineage helpful to you in deciding to purchase a green prospect?
TL: Yes, pedigree with known sport cob lineage is very helpful in purchasing a green prospect! There are some breeders that are developing very nice sport cobs, and it is encouraging to me to see siblings or half-siblings of youngsters out doing competitive tasks. Though pedigree is not ultimately a dealbreaker, it is a useful tool in building a vision of what a young horse may develop into.
WCSN: Does your experience with your previous cobs influence what type of conformation, movement, and temperament you are looking for?
TL: Absolutely! I’ve had the privilege of having some great cobs along the way. Thornlea Wabash Cannonball (“Wally”), Lascaux Tabasco (“Toby”), Madoc Owen (“Owen”), Rangehill Abigail (“Abby”), and Gallod Welsh Fashion (“Sophie”). Wally was beautifully uphill and had incredible knee and hock action. Toby had an incredible amount of try - he took me to my C-3 Pony Club Rating even though it was a real stretch of his physical abilities. Owen was one of the kindest and most patient horses I’ve met. Abby was an incredible athlete with a huge jump and a ground-covering trot. Sophie was my true “heart horse” - she was an epic little mare who could do it all! She took me to my B rating and was brave, honest, a little sassy, and game for anything!
I’ve learned something from each of my cobs - I now seek something with uphill conformation, a refined neck (I fought the short, thick cob neck with a few of mine), snappy/active knee and hock movement, and an intrinsically brave and kind horse.
WCSN: How easy or hard is it to find Welsh Cobs for eventing?
TL: I think it isn’t hard to find a cob for Beginner Novice-Novice level eventing! They are typically great forward-thinkers and fairly athletic. The challenge comes in trying to find a cob that can go Training level and beyond - with the thicker body types they are hard to condition to have a true sustained gallop around a course.Given their typical height range it is also a big ask to take them around larger courses. I think this is where those breeding for eventing and sport may benefit from cross-breeding to produce some Cob x TB or Cob x warmbloods. Those crosses exist but they are hard to come by!
WCSN: What would you, as a potential buyer, advise owners and breeders of Welsh Cobs to do in order to make finding and purchasing a Welsh Cob easier or more efficient?
TL: As a potential buyer, I have found it very helpful when breeders have an established facebook page with their cobs organized by album and listed as AVAILABLE or SOLD. Putting something in your page descriptor such as “Breeder of Welsh Cobs and Ponies Located in the USA” (or something along those lines) can help their pages to be discovered in Facebook searches. I also appreciate whenever video and conformation pictures are included in ads. There are several good facebook groups for posting ISO’s as well as sales ads. I’m old school and still frequently look on Dreamhorse, but I think that it has become less popular over the years.
WCSN: Anything else you would like to communicate about your Cob search?
TL: I have really enjoyed reaching out to various breeders across the country! They have offered great suggestions, often have inside knowledge as to cobs that may potentially be available, and are generally members of a really kind and welcoming community that just so happens to be obsessed with very cute, very athletic welsh cobs.
