An Irish cob has wowed the audience at Claremorris Agricultural show in Ireland at the weekend, by clearing 1.80m in the puissance.

Tara Brandon and her nine-year-old gelding Crosswell Blue faced stiff competition from showjumpers to take joint second place along with Shane Goggins, Adrian McElroy, Gavin Daly and Wesley Ryan. Lee Carey won the puissance at 1.90m on Joan Fallon’s French Touch.

Tara, who has owned Blue since he was a yearling, told H&H: “I didn’t think it would go so high and I didn’t think the show would be as big as it was!

“He’s never jumped anything that high. He competes up to 1.25 showjumping — he’s just a freak. He’s a freak of nature because he’s heavy, with hooves the size of dinner plates and he’s as athletic as any blood horse.”

Blue is out of a 14.2hh coloured cob and by a Clydesdale stallion.

“He definitely is not bred to jump — I think the jump must come from the pony,” Tara said. “He’s so brave so I will absolutely try some more puissances, he’s just so scopey. I pulled up at the 1.90m. I wish I had given him a better ride but when it went up to 1.90m I thought ‘oh my god!’ I think he has more in him, but I just need to get braver so we can find out — I’m an amateur and he’s a cob.

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Tara hopes Blue’s video will show that cobs are just as capable in the showjumping ring.

“A lot of people pre-judge cobs. I know when I went into the warm-up, people thought ‘look at the hairy cob’! Cobs are extremely talented but they are judged; I just want the world to know cobs can do it just as well as blood horses.

“I would never part with him. I trust that horse with my life which is mad, but I really do. I’m so proud of him; he’s such an honest genuine horse.”

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Filed under: Riding Tips

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