Breed Standard

“The Traditional Gypsy Horse will have heavy, flat bone. His body must be comparatively short. He will have a thick neck and a sloping shoulder, which should tie in well down his back. He should have a wide and powerful chest. His hindquarters should be round and large. He should sport a very thick mane and tail. His feet should be covered with a profuse amount of long hair or feather. This should start behind the knee or hock and fall to the ground and be on both the front and back of the leg. Feather can be noted as curly, woolly or straight and silky within the breed. Many prefer straight, silky feather but it is not usually demanded. What is demanded is that there is 'profuse Feather' which covers the hoof.”

Watermark The Phantom & Dorothy Green

Size

The Gypsy Cob will be of any size and may be of the pony, cob or horse variety.

General Appearance

The overall appearance of a Gypsy Cob should

Give an impression of intelligence, kindness, strength and soundness.
Be of good bone, either medium or heavy weight.
Be well muscled, with a sturdy compact body, and abundant mane, tail and feather.

Head

The head should

Be neat, noble and expressive; a sweet head, meaning without coarseness.
Be in proportion to the overall body.
Have a generous jaw, even bite and rounded cheek bone.
Have a good width between the nostrils.
Have a straight profile (a heavy roman nose or overly dished profile is discouraged).
Have ears which are neat, well-set, in proportion to the head and not too large.

Neck

The neck should be

Clean through the throat with a slightly deeper throat latch that lighter breeds.
Slightly arched, more prominent in stallions.
Strong and well muscled.
Not too short, in proportion to back length
Tied in well at the shoulder and withers

Shoulders and withers

The shoulders should be

Deep, well laid back and sloping.
Powerful with well developed muscles.

The withers should be

Well covered and rounded.
Level with the croup.

Chest and body

The chest should

Be well muscled, broad and powerful, allowing for a large lung/heart cavity.
Have the muscle along the bottom of the chest appearing as an inverted "V" shape as it ties into the forearm.

The barrel should

Be deep with well sprung ribs.
Have a solid covering of muscle.
Have a flank as deep as the girth.

Back

The back should

Be short coupled, broad and strongly supported.
Have ample muscle sloping slightly upwards towards the croup.
Have a short, wide and strongly muscled loin.
Be in proportion to the rest of the overall body.

Legs and movement

The legs should

Be well set under the body.
Be straight, clean with plenty of dense, flat bone and well defined joints.
Have hocks which should be broad and clean with the modified closer hock-set of a pulling horse, but not as close as the modern draft type.
Have a pastern angle which matches the angle of the shoulder.
Have medium sized, round shaped hooves capable of carrying the frame without stress.
Well developed frogs, hard strong hooves and wide heels.
Show a stride which is correct, supple and powerful, showing good impulsion from behind. It should be effortless in appearance.

Hindquarters

The hindquarters should

Be well set under the body.
Be straight, clean with plenty of dense, flat bone and well defined joints.
Have hocks which should be broad and clean with the modified closer hock-set of a pulling horse, but not as close as the modern draft type.
Have a pastern angle which matches the angle of the shoulder.
Have medium sized, round shaped hooves capable of carrying the frame without stress.
Well developed frogs, hard strong hooves and wide heels.
Show a stride which is correct, supple and powerful, showing good impulsion from behind. It should be effortless in appearance.

Hair

The hair should

Be thick and luxuriant in the mane (Double manes are common but not required).
Contain a forelock which is full and long.
Have abundant leg feathering, starting at the knee and hock, and run down the front and back of the leg (though silky, straight feather is preferred, curly or wavy is acceptable).
Most importantly, have feather which covers the hooves all the way around.
Be abundant in the tail.
Often include a beard, whiskers and muzzle hairs(moustache).

Colour

Gypsy Cobs come in a large variety of colour.

All colour, markings and patterns are acceptable.
All eye colours are accepted.

Gender

Stallions must portray the male characteristics of the breed including

Prescence, a "look at me" attitude.
Curiosity
Muscling and pride while being controllable and willing.
An arched, well crested neck.
Two fully descended, normally shaped testicles from 3 years of age.

Mares must reflect the feminine qualities of the breed, being

Easy going, sensible and willing. The disposition of the mare is critical when raising her foal.
Perhaps slightly longer in the back than males.
Perhaps slightly longer in the ears than stallions whose ears are usually shorter and shapelier.

Disposition

The Gypsy Cob should, above all else,

Be a strong, kind and willing partner; loyal and eager to please
Display a very intelligent character.
Be manageable, mannerly and respectful.
Be alert, confident and courageous
Display a docile temperament, tractable nature and sensible disposition with a genuine sociable outlook.

Australasian Gypsy Horse Society Inc.

Gypsy Cob Breed Standard