Tinker Horse: breed description, pros and cons, maintenance rules and price

Tinkers, or Irish Kobs are spotted horses, which are also called gypsy draft horses. They are descended from medieval gypsy working horses. A distinctive feature of the breed is long manes and tails, thick hair on the shins. Outwardly, kobs resemble Dutch Frisians, but the piebald coloring betrays their nomadic past. Tinkers are versatile horses for work and for the soul.

Tinker historical data

The origin of the Irish breed is an integral part of the history of the nomadic gypsies. In the middle of the 15th century, the Romans arrived in Britain and spread throughout the islands.In Ireland, they pushed back the Tinker tribes. The old-timers hostilely accepted the settlers, there were wars between them. The nomadic way of life gradually reconciled the tinkers and the gypsies. They intermarried and united into one nationality.

Alien and local gypsies kept horses. After the union, the horses grazed together and interbred. This is how the gypsy draft breed or Irish cob naturally arose. From tinker horses they took over the strength and uncouth look, and from gypsy horses - long manes.

The typical piebald color is also due to the gypsy way of life. The suit was considered ignoble, so skewbald horses were low valued. They were not accepted into military units because of their unpresentable rustic appearance. Gypsies were not interested in appearance, but in the excellent working qualities of animals. Therefore, strong and hardy horses were given to them for next to nothing.

Gypsies did not engage in targeted selection work, did not monitor the purity of the breed and did not keep count of the livestock.Pedigree and selective breeding were taken up by American horse breeders after 1945, when Irish kobs became popular in the United States.

Since 1996, the Irish Cob Association has been active, and stud books are maintained. The tinker population is limited, so future buyers will become owners of rare breed horses.

Features & Description

Irish kobs combine the strength of heavy trucks and the beauty of friezes, but are inferior to the Akhal-Teke in speed.

Dimensions and weight

Tinkers are large and short - from 1.3 meters at the withers to 1.6 meters. For riding, you can choose a horse suitable for the height of the rider.

In the United States, there is a classification of cobs by height:

• up to 142 centimeters - mini;
• 142-155 centimeters - classic;
• over 155 centimeters - grand.

Irish Cobs' weight varies with height. Undersized individuals weigh from 240 kilograms. The maximum weight of a tall tinker is 700 kilograms.

Exterior

External features of Irish Cobs:

• tight wide body;
• strong shoulders;
• strong straight neck;
• head with a sloping rounded profile and beard;
• long straight ears;
• legs with prominent knee joints;
• shins covered with long hair falling over hooves;
• thick finely wavy mane and tail.

Tinker is short and angular compared to the thin-legged Arabian horse. The color of kobs resembles cow. Their hind legs are sometimes set with the letter "X", like those of cows.The hooves are completely covered with hair. Tinkers look like they are wearing natural bell-bottoms, which is why they are associated with hippies, nature and nomadic gypsy life.

In general, tinkers look like country mares, but their bushy manes and tails give them a festive, fairground look. Kobs look authentically harnessed to a cart, a painted wagon and like riding horses.

Animal color

A distinctive feature of kobs of all colors is irregularly shaped white spots. Piebald tinkers are distinguished by types:

• overo - spots are located on the sides, dark color on all or several legs, solid tail;
• tobiano - light legs, spots on the chest and neck, the tail consists of light and dark strands, a dark forehead is sometimes decorated with a white "asterisk";
• Tovero - a mixture of previous species.

There are tinkers of black, spotted, roan color.

Character and disposition of the Irish Cob

Phlegmatic horses are patient with the rider. Kobs are easy and convenient to learn to ride, but in a harness they can seem lazy. The presence of the tinkers acts as a sedative to the nervous riding horses, so they are led out together to start the competition.

Tinker heavy trucks don't take part in races, how they get tired of galloping so quickly. You need to develop their speed in hard training. But kobs naturally have high jumping ability. They move in a wide, free but soft gait.

Regions of distribution and areas of use of this breed

Tinker Applications:

• sport - driving, riding, training;
• entertainment - participation in shows, exhibitions, city holidays;
• hobby - home breeding and keeping;
• medicine - hippotherapy;
• agriculture is draft power.

The natural habitat of the breed is Ireland. The Gypsy Draft Horse has spread throughout Europe and is very popular in North America. The harsh climate of the homeland hardened the kobs. They adapt well in warm and cold countries.

Pros and Cons of Content

Tinker ancestors lived in the open air. The gypsy breed is unpretentious to the conditions of detention. The undeniable advantages of cobs include:

• beautiful exterior;
• exclusivity;
• soft move;
• calm disposition.

Gypsy mares give a lot of milk. In stables that contain several breeds, they are used as nurses for other foals. With milk, the docile disposition of kobs is transmitted to newborns.Children of restive riding parents, fed on the milk of an Irish mare, grow up more obedient.

Disadvantages include:

• unsportsmanlike;
• high price.

Horse hooves and manes are a source of concern for breeders. Cobs need to be carefully looked after.

Raising and caring for animals

Modern gypsy horses are considered an elite breed, so they need a comfortable stable, balanced nutrition and a stylist.

Stable

If tinkers share a room with other breeds, they will need separate stalls. As the only inhabitants of the stable, simple stalls will suit them. An Irish Cob stable must have three sections:

• running room;
• room for water and veterinary procedures;
• compartment with stalls.

Separately allocate space for storing food, ammunition and cleaning equipment.

The size of the stall depends on the dimensions of the tinker. Standard parameters - 3x2.5 meters.

Stable setup requirements:

• ventilation, hoods - fresh air should enter the room, but not a draft;
• central heating or space heaters - horses heat the room naturally up to +8 degrees, additional heating is needed in cold winters;
• bedding - the floor of the stall or stall is covered with straw, sawdust, peat;
• water - plumbing in the veterinary compartment and for automatic drinkers.

The bedding is changed every two days. Removable feeders are hung at the chest level of the horse.

Diet

Tinker food includes all types of food:

• green - field grass that animals eat in the summer pasture;
• coarse - hay, spring crop chaff;
• concentrated - cereals;
• juicy - root vegetables;
• silo - sunflower, corn.

The daily norm of hay depends on the weight of the animal. For 100 kilograms of mass give 4 kilograms of product. Hay contains calcium, protein and fiber. The basis of roughage is crushed oats and barley. The proportion of cereals in the daily diet depends on physical activity. If the tinker walks 2 hours a day and is not involved in hard work, it is enough to mix whole oats with chopped straw in a ratio of 200 grams per 5 liters. At low loads, horses are given 2 kilograms of mixture per day, at high loads - 7 kilograms.

When actively exercising and sweating, tinkers need to eat 30 grams of table s alt per day to restore the water-s alt balance.Irish kobs benefit from boiled, steamed and raw potatoes, raw carrots. Beets serve as an additional source of calcium. Silage is mixed with hay.

The daily ration of food for gypsy horses is divided into 5 doses and given out at the same time. Cobs should not be watered immediately after exercise. You need to wait 2 hours and give water in small portions.

Hygiene and horse care

In the summer, after active training, tinkers are rinsed with warm water. In winter, water procedures are not carried out. The wool on the sides is cleaned with a scraper. The mane, tail and hooves are combed with a comb. Before a walk, it is advisable to braid the horses' braids, and undo them for the rest. The mane and tail are washed 2 times a week with shampoo, hair conditioner is used. The hooves of unshod horses are cleaned with a special hook and rinsed after walking in the fresh air. Kob nostrils also require special care - you need to wash off the dust from the nose and wipe it dry.

Grazing

In the summer, Irish Cobs can be kept free range. In herd farms, horses themselves get food from the fields. For the winter, stocks of hay are prepared for them and placed near the grazing site.

Kobam is better to spend the winter in a shelter, and for the summer they can be released into the field. Grazing horses should be taken to water 2-3 times a day, fed with grain and vegetables, and the condition of their hooves should be monitored.

Horseshoe

Gypsies didn't shoe horses. If a tinker spends a lot of time in the pasture, it does not need to be shod. For work in urban conditions, the Irish Cob is better to "shoe" so that the hooves do not stray on the asph alt.

Vaccinations and disease prevention

How to keep tinkers he althy:

• observe hygiene rules;
• avoid drafts in the stable;
• make a diet according to the recommendation of the veterinarian;
• examine ears, eyes and teeth every day;
• bring a horse in for a medical check once every six months.

Main diseases to be vaccinated against:

• anthrax;
• flu;
• rhinopneumonia;
• dermatophytosis;
• brucillosis;
• tetanus;
• rabies.

Once a year, animals should be examined for glanders, infectious anemia, dourine, leptospirosis.

Gypsy horse breeding prospects

Tinkers are in demand as an ornamental breed. They are bred for sale in private hands, for horseback riding or sleigh rides. Gypsy draft horses can be used as heavy trucks in agricultural work, so there will be buyers among farmers.

Average cost

Tinkers are among the most beautiful and expensive breeds in the world. Their cost in the USA is 10-25 thousand dollars. In European kennels, you can buy cobs at a price of 6 thousand euros. Shipping costs must be added to the price of a foreign horse.

Purchasing from private owners allows you to save on shipping and not worry about the well-being of the animal after a long transportation. According to the ads, you can buy a young colt for 250 thousand rubles. Also, private owners offer stallions for mating for 10-20 thousand rubles.

Interesting facts about the breed

Irish kobs have an interesting history, appearance and behavior:

• tinker is a derogatory nickname for gypsies. In Ireland, horses are only called kob, which means "strong horse";
• there are tinkers with brown and blue eyes. If the white spot on the head falls on the eye, the color of the iris will be light;
• Irish kobs are phlegmatic even in protest. A stubborn kob cannot be moved.

Not only is the gypsy draft breed as a whole unique, but each cob is unique thanks to its spotting pattern that never repeats.

Recommended