Tinker Horse

Tinker, Irish or Gypsy Kob, Gypsy Harness, Irish Worker, Local Pinto - all this is the name of the same breed of very beautiful and interesting horse, which in just twenty years of its official existence has gained immense popularity throughout the world.

Breed origin

As you can guess from the above names of the breed, it is a hybrid of Irish and Gypsy horses.

The Roma, famous horse connoisseurs, first entered the territory of modern Britain more than six centuries ago. Apparently, the process of the birth of a new breed, which absorbed the blood of local horses and introduced genes of gypsy horses, began from those very times.

About gypsy horses should be said separately. With all their love for horses, eternal nomads and wanderers could never provide their four-legged friends with proper care, good nutrition, or, especially, high-quality veterinary care.

Even such a habitual thing for a domesticated horse as a horseshoe in a camp could be an inaccessible luxury. In this case, the horses had to drag the kibits full of people and belongings all day long, feeding in the literal sense of the pasture.

And if any problem arose with the horse, the cunning Romale immediately got rid of him in the usual way - they sold more expensive than the first comer, not forgetting to paint the unprecedented merits of the living goods.

However, such difficult conditions ultimately served a good service for the formation of a future breed: Gypsy horses are remarkable for their stamina, unpretentiousness, excellent health and excellent immunity (otherwise you will not survive).

From the point of view of genetic qualities, the constant mixing of gypsy horses with local breeds that can be encountered on a long and erratic way is also very useful. Health and good genetics can not look ugly, which is why, although the gypsy horses are far from super-expensive race trotters, they look more than attractive.

Given the lifestyle of the Roma and the absence of any hint of any conscious breeding work and especially its documentary fixation, there is no clear information about the origin of the hybrid and which breeds participated in its creation.

It is for certain only known that in the tinker the blood of such British horses as felp, shire, highland, cledesdal, welsh cob and even pony dales is flowing. It is precisely because of the above mentioned confusion of crossing that the Irish Cob could not for a long time receive the status of an official breed.

So, despite the fact that after the Second World War, the breed almost completely took shape and even acquired a certain orderliness (they began to purposefully and systematically breed horses), it was able to receive legal status only in 1996, in which two significant events occurred at once:

the official ancestor of the breed was registered - the stallion Cushti Bok (by the way, the breed itself was given the name "Gypsy sled horse", all other names are secondary and unofficial), and also created an organization that registers the breed - The Irish Cob Society, ICS. Today, the Irish Cob Association is practically not engaged in selection, its main function is the paperwork for the export of young breeds to the United States and European countries.

Currently, there are several tribal books of tinkers, only in the United States of America there are as many as three. It is in this country that Gypsy sledges are most loved, Americans especially like their docile nature and bright color, as well as their grace, amazing for a workhorse.

Characteristics and description of the breed

Tinker horses appeared as workers, but they are very beautiful.

Height and weight

Strict requirements for growth do not make the breed standard, in general, like all cocks, tinkers are medium, fluctuations are allowed in the range of 1.35-1.6 m. Such a wide run up in growth even allows you to select three groups Americans): horses with a height of 1.43 to 1.55 are considered classic, below this limit are characterized by the prefix "mini", and more than that - the prefix "grand."

An even larger run relates to the weight of an adult horse. It can range from 0.24 to 0.7 tons.

Exterior

The body of the Irish cob is massive, strong and wide, with well-visible muscles and a short straight back, gracefully turning into a tall croup.

On a powerful graceful curved neck, a well proportioned, slightly coarse head with long ears is well set. A distinctive feature is the humpback profile and a small beard under the lower jaw. The withers are low.

Also, the gypsy harness can be recognized by the unusually lush and long bangs, the same epithets refer to the mane and tail. Moreover, even the tinker legs are covered with thick nap.

The legs are strong and powerful, the hooves are massive (the above mentioned neglect of the Gypsies to the need to shoe their horses affects). The breed standard allows an X-shaped set of hind legs, which is considered to be a marriage for other horses, but is considered the norm for sled breeds.

Suit

Tinkers are distinguished mainly by the piebald color (white spots are scattered on the main dark background).

However, pinto is a common concept. Today, among the Tinkers, there are three main varieties of it: Overro, Tobiano, and Tovero.

Overo (this suit is sometimes called “calico”) - asymmetrical white areas are scattered throughout the body, however, as a rule, they do not cross the conditional line drawn on the horse's back from withers to tail. At least one (sometimes all four) legs are completely dark, and there is also no "variability" on the tail. Coloring tobiano As a rule, white legs (at least the lower part) and dark sides (one or both) are assumed, in addition, dark spots of a regular oval or round shape cover the front part of the body from neck to chest with a symmetric shield. Both colors are present in the tail, the head is mostly dark, but there may be white markings, for example, a "star" on the forehead, "bald spot" or a light area on the nose).

Tovero - a suit that combines the two types mentioned above.As a rule, it occurs when crossing horses of different stripes, when none of the parental signs receive the predominant influence in the color of the offspring. In the gypsy harness, the skin itself is not only multicolored, but also the skin itself: it is gray under dark spots, and pale pink under light spots.

Piebald - the main, but not the only color of gypsy sledding. These horses are also black with white spots, forelock (small contrasting spots of oval shape all over the body, including the legs) and chaly (frequent white hairs all over the body of any other color).

Character and temper

The main feature of the character of the Irish Kobov - truly Olympic calm and absolute friendliness. Temperamental riders such horses can even seem sleepy and lethargic.

However, this feature is the hallmark of the breed and one of the reasons for its growing popularity, which we will mention.

Distinctive features

The complex and intricate history of the breed has identified the main features of the gypsy sled. The main thing that characterizes these horses is the endurance and unpretentiousness developed as a result of centuries of natural selection.

Running such horses is very smooth, confident and soft, in addition, they jump pretty well, easily and fearlessly overcoming various obstacles.

At the same time, cobs are stayers, not sprinters, the horses quickly get tired of fast gallop, because in such conditions their ancestors have historically been little used. However, excellent health and docile nature makes it possible to successfully train such horses and train them to long and fast races, but, on the other hand, there is hardly a lot of sense in this, because the breed was not created for this purpose at all.

But to look at the gypsy sledding, walking graceful, honed and wide trot - a pleasure!

Breed use

By their very definition, Tinkers are universal horses. Their main use, of course, was associated with labor and harnesses, but kobas are also suitable for riding.

Moreover, for an inexperienced rider who only masters equestrian sport, a tinker is the best choice. Even a child can easily be put on such a horse without fear that it suddenly bucks or carries.

There are other ways to use the breed associated with its amazing temper. Tinkers make excellent nurse and teacher for foals more frisky and temperamental riding breeds.

In addition to the "positive effect" that such "nannies" have on hyperactive babies, the mares of Irish cobs can boast a large amount of milk, which is a separate advantage.

In addition, Gypsy sledges are often specially kept on racetracks in order to reassure the frisky and hot Arabian or English racers with their help. That tinker often escorted to the starting boxes of the participants of the race.

average cost

Today, tinkers are becoming increasingly popular, especially in the United States.It is there that these horses account for the maximum demand, although the breed is not at all cheap.

A good breeding stallion will cost from ten to twenty-five thousand dollars, while quite a decent workhorse can be easily earned for just a thousand "green" and even cheaper. In Europe, on horse bazaars, the price of tinkers ranges from 6-9 thousand euros, approximately the same prices are relevant in Russia.

In general, if you want to learn to ride or just have a calm, hardy and friendly horse "for all occasions", and at the same time are ready to lay out for such an animal a "tidy sum", the Irish Kob is a wonderful option.