Kelly Hinton from Dellifay Gypsy Cobs and Performance Horses. Kelly’s stud is based on the Gold Coast and her stallion Gypsy Elite Anthony’s Quinn graced the cover of our 2010 Winter edition.
I first saw a picture of a Gypsy Cob many years ago and immediately fell in love. My obsession definitely started at that point! I spent many hours talking to people on the phone and researching on the internet, discovering that these horses sounded almost too good to be true, with their wonderful temperament, perfect compact size and, of course, all that hair. They seemed truly magical.
Originating in the UK and initially bred by the Romany people, Gypsy Cobs come in almost every colour imaginable and as solids and colour (tobiano). Their size traditionally ranges from 12.5hh to 15.2hh, with the majority falling between 13.3hh and 14.3hhs.
So, my search began and, after many months, my husband and I finally came across Gypsy Elite Anthony’s Quinn. We instantly knew that he was the one. Quinn became ours and finally joined us in Australia in January 2009.
The wonder of Gypsy Cobs is that they can do almost anything. Well, we don’t deny that you won’t be seeing them in the Olympics, but they certainly occupy a central position in the equestrian world. They really are a very versatile breed and are doing extremely well in the USA, where the breed is more established than in Australia. Over there, they compete in jumping, dressage, western pleasure, harness, pony club, eventing and even cutting.
One of my American friends is currently training her Gypsy Cob stallion for reining and has already been successful in the lower grades of jumping. Meanwhile, a friend of mine recently returned from a trip to Germany and told me they’d seen many Gypsy Cobs competing in the Dressage competitions, right up there against the Warmbloods!
The next few years are going to be interesting in Australia, as a lot more stock come of age and we start seeing many pure breeds and part breeds out under saddle and harness. The exact number of Gypsy Cobs in Australia is unknown, but is believed to be less than 200. However, the number is growing very quickly and more are being imported all the time.
With the foaling season upon us, I’m sure we’ll be seeing far more pure-bred gypsy cobs as well as crosses, which come in all shapes and sizes. There are a few people who have been crossing the breed with welsh ponies and connemaras to produce some really nice kids’ ponies. Others are crossing back to clydesdale crosses to get a bit more height and maintain more of the feathering. There are also a number of foals being born to Throughbred, Freisian and Warmblood dams, making very nice performance horses. One of the renowned Gypsy Cob breeders in the UK bred two Gypsy Cob x Thoroughbred eventers that competed successfully at Junior level – one representing Ireland, the other England. I believe the main attraction to these crosses will be the temperament and trainability of these horses, plus the added bonus of colour if a homozygous stallion is used.
Being involved with this breed is thrilling – Gypsy cobs are amazing and I feel so privileged to be able to be part of the breed’s development in Australia. Just be in the presence of these amazing animals is wonderful and every day I fall more and more in love with them. My website is packed with really useful information for anyone who wants to more, including some great information links to other web sites. I’m always happy to chat to people about these wonderful horses and visitors are always welcome to come and have cuddles with our horses.
Dellifay Gypsy Cobs and Performance Horses: www.dellifaygypsycobs.com , ph. 0427 332681
