Our Registry

The Traditional Cob Registry

Founded in Ireland, our mission is to preserve and promote the Traditional Cob originally bred in Ireland which was officially recognised in Ireland in 1998 as a native Irish breed under the breed name Irish Cob. In order to achieve our mission, we created an online platform that serves as a worldwide registration hub for Irish Cobs.

Registering all Traditional Cobs

Because our online platform also serves as a worldwide registration hub for all Traditional Cobs we also register Traditional Cobs under its breed name Traditional Cob and also under its breed type names Gypsy Cob, Mini Gypsy Cob, and Stepping Cob. It is fitting for Ireland to have an online platform that serves as a worldwide registration hub for all Traditional Cobs because the breed was originally bred by the nomadic traveller people of Ireland and Britain (now called Irish Travellers and UK Travellers) using mainly Irish-bred Traditional Cobs. Some of the most renowned Irish-bred Traditional Cob stallions that contributed to Irish and UK Traditional Cob breeding are The Lion King, The Road Sweeper, The Old Coal Horse, The Lob, and The Henry Horse.

Ireland is famed for its 'Piebald'

Ireland is famed for the Piebald

Protecting Heritage & Culture

Since the early 1990's thousands of truckloads of Traditional Cobs have been leaving Ireland without having had their pedigrees recorded in Ireland. Many of these Irish-bred Traditional Cobs ended up registered in studbooks and registers outside of Ireland, and because their pedigrees were not recorded in Ireland their pedigrees are therefore recorded in studbooks and registers outside of Ireland as 'Unrecorded' or 'Unknown'. As a result, much of Ireland's precious Traditional Cob bloodlines has been lost.

The situation has not improved in Ireland because most of the Traditional Cobs in Ireland have an EU basic ID passport with no breed or pedigree record and most Traditional Cobs in Ireland are still being exported Ireland without having had their breed or pedigree recorded in Ireland. If this situation were left to continue Ireland would be on course to lose a magnificent native Irish horse breed and a significant part of Ireland's heritage and culture. Our mission is to protect that part of Ireland's heritage and culture.

Preserving Bloodlines

Traditional Cobs owners in Ireland can play a major role in preserving the bloodlines of the remaining Traditional Cobs in Ireland by registering their Traditional Cobs online with us in Ireland.

Retrieving Bloodlines

Traditional Cob owners outside Ireland can play a major role in the retrieval of Ireland's lost Traditional Cob bloodlines by doing either of the following: -

  1. If their Traditional Cobs are not registered with another registry outside Ireland then they can register them with us in Ireland.

  2. If their Traditional Cobs are registered with another registry outside Ireland then they can either: -
    (a) also register them with us in Ireland or,
    (b) record them (free of charge) directly on our online database in Ireland as External Traditional Cobs.

The Traditional Cob (in particular the Irish Cob) holds great cultural and historical significance in Ireland, and it is Traditional Cob owners outside Ireland that can make the retrieval and recording of Ireland's Traditional Cob bloodlines possible.

Encouraging Community

Considering the fact that the Traditional Cob originated in a small corner of the world, and that the breed is now in so many corners of the world, we invite anyone in the world who is a passionate breeder, a proud owner, or simply an admirer of this extraordinary breed, to join our community and/or to join us as a member. Together, we can preserve and promote the rich heritage and beauty of Traditional Cobs on a global scale. A strong community can act as a unified voice to advocate for the breed's welfare and protection.