Part-bred Gypsy Cobs?!

Although most societies for this breed are to promote, register and keep a stud book for the purebred Cob/Vanner, I expect the Gypsy cross-bred to be a popular option for a variety of disciplines. Not the least being they would be more affordable with one parent not having to be imported, but also because by crossing the cobs, you often keep their great temperament and parcel it with a more athletic body type. The Cobs are usually great little jumpers on their own but due to their usually smaller size and thickset bodies they can usually only go so far in competition. However the Cob/TB cross is used extensively in England/Ireland as hunter/jumper horses and excel. The horses below have a lot more Cob blood than TB but look at them go!

Team Clononeen showing how it's done!

The most popular Gypsy cross in America is of course what they call the Drum Horse. Although mostly a Gypsy crossed with a Shire or Clydesdale, with it being made into a breed of it's own the Gypsy proportion can be much lower. For the most part the Drum Horse seems to be reminiscent of the coloured Shire that existed once in Europe's/UK history. The Gypsy horses in the not so distant past also had a high proportion of Draft blood and were very similar to what is being called the Drum Horse today. The modern day aim of the Drum is usually to keep the feather and broken colour but in a taller package to the traditional Gypsy Horse. Drums are great for either riding or driving.

The gypsy people themselves also have many various crosses with the Cobs. A Gypsy Cob/standardbred cross can be very popular with many of the younger generation of Romany/Gypsy/Traveller people. Road racing with the trotters is common sport and a bit of cob blood bred in before crossing back to standardbred again can add a bit of colour. At the fairs many of the coloured standardbreds and standardbreds with varying amounts of Cob in them, pace or trot at great speeds in harness up and down the flashing lanes.

A more unusual cross to our way of thinking, but one I've certainly seen in the UK, is the Shetland/Cob cross. Although on occasion it might be done as way of bringing the size down in the cobs, mostly it would simply be to breed a smaller pony for their children. To hopefully have many of the characteristics they admire in their cobs.

In the UK showing world the coloured traditional cobs are also very popular and although many are proper Gypsy Cobs bought from the Gypsy people at a young age. Many are also being bred as a type of their own, with the hair and feather not so targetted. Popular crosses are Welsh and other native ponies. I am amazed at the variety of classes on offer for the cob type of horses!

Crosses in America I have also seen include, Haflinger, Arab and QH just to name a few.
In Australia I can imagine the TB/ASH/warmblood crosses with the Gypsy giving a good sport horse type and our various pony breeds giving a completely different type but a cute one that could be popular as a kids pony for Pony Club. Also the Clyesdale cross giving us our own version of the Drum Horse. All crosses seem to offer something unique and although non of the crosses should be confused with a purebred they will all have a part to play and in showing the versitily of the breed. There is nothing quite like them here.