One of the most interesting horse breeds today remains a tinker. Sometimes these beauties are also called Irish cob. Tinkers belong to the group of draft horses and are very popular in the world.
A bit of history
The tinker breed horse, like many other draft horses, was bred by folk selection. For the first time such horses began to be kept in Ireland. In the XV century, a large number of nomadic gypsies arrived in this country. Of course, they brought their horses with them. Gypsy horses, since they were never spoiled, were very hardy and unpretentious.
Over time, in Ireland, these horses began to cross with local. As a result, an unpretentious tinker was bred. Since gypsies are a nomadic people, almost all horse breeds that were bred in Ireland at that time took part in the creation of this variety. The ancestors of tinkers can be considered, for example, Welsh ponies of all kinds: Highlands, Fellas, Dales and, of course, Shires.
For a long time, this gypsy breed of horse was unrecognized. It was officially registered only in 1996. The breed standards were then determined by the exterior of a stallion named Kushti Bok, who has since been considered its founder.
General Description of Tinker Horses
What do these unusual horses look like? Tinker - a horse is not a horse, but a harness. Therefore, it does not differ in too elegant forms of the body. Tinkers are medium in size. Their head is massive and rough, with a beard. The profile of these horses is hunchbacked, and the bangs and mane are very thick.
The features of this breed, among other things, include:
- short and strong neck;
- short and straight back;
- powerful shoulders;
- strong muscular croup.
You can recognize these horses, including by the thick friezes on the hooves, which begin from the hock joints and reach almost to the ground (photos of tinker horses are presented in the article). As you can see, these shaggy beauties look really very impressive.
Color
The Irish nobility once treated tinkers with contempt because of their pinto coloring. The military of this country did not want to buy horses that looked like cows. Gypsies, on the contrary, really appreciated just such a color. Pinto horses, including tinkers, usually have strictly individual colors. Therefore, in the event of theft, such a horse in the market would always be easy to identify.
Currently, three types of tinker horses are recognized:
An interesting feature of representatives of this breed, among other things, is also the fact that their skin in those areas where the coat is painted white is always pink. In addition to piebald tinkers, there are also clumpy, black and roan.
Height and weight
The sizes of tinkers, as already mentioned, are medium. Moreover, a feature of the breed is that its representatives can vary greatly in growth. At the withers, horses of this variety can have from 135 to 160 cm.
The horses of this breed are quite different in weight. The body weight of tinkers can range from 240–700 kg.
Horse character
The history of the origin of the tinker horse is very long and interesting. Brought out these horses, as we found out, are gypsies. And they are appreciated by breeders and horse lovers not only for their unpretentiousness and endurance. The undoubted advantages of this breed include the calm, and often even the phlegmatic nature of its representatives. Horses are tinkers obedient and kind, love their masters and treat all animals on the farm, including other horses, well.
Mares of this breed are very good moms. They have a lot of milk, and foals are always under supervision.
Ginky horses of the tinker breed are often also kept by breeders of elite riding horses. Of course, such animals cannot take part in races. But they are sometimes used as riding horses, although they are not developing very fast speeds. Racehorse breeders contain tinkers for another purpose.
At stud farms, mares of this breed are lined with elite riding foals. Their parents often do not differ in complaisant disposition. Therefore, it is believed that calm tinkers in the process of education (as they say, with mother’s milk) affect the elite youngsters very beneficially.
The main purpose of the breed
Tinkers are used in farms, of course, most often as draft horses. That is, for the transportation of various kinds of cargo. Tinker horses are also in great demand in the tourism business. Such horses look unusually impressive. And therefore they are often harnessed to pleasure carts for tourists at various resorts.
In some cases, as already mentioned, tinkers can also be used as riding horses. The pluses of these horses, among other things, include a soft and comfortable gait. At a gallop, such horses, unfortunately, get tired very quickly, but at the same time they can easily overcome various obstacles. The ditches and ditches of these horses, for example, do not scare at all.
Where else used
In Europe and America, such horses can often be found in riding clubs. They are used here mainly for training beginners. A peculiarity of the character of the tinker horse is some phlegm. The temperament of these horses is calm, and the movements are smooth and comfortable. Therefore, these horses are just perfect for training beginners in horse riding.
How much are and can I buy in Russia
The Irish Cob Association is currently involved in supporting this breed. This breed is very spectacular, fashionable and quite in demand. However, tinkers have gained popularity relatively recently. Therefore, such foals are currently very expensive. Abroad, paying for a thoroughbred little tinker, those wishing to get such a beautiful and interesting horse will have at least 10-25 thousand dollars. The amount is, of course, huge.
In Russia, a horse of this breed is currently quite difficult to find. However, some breeders still sell such foals. For example, tinkers in our country are bred in Karelia. Foals of this breed are brought to Russia from Holland, Ireland and England. In Russia, the cost of adult tinker horses starts from about 350 thousand rubles.
How to care
In maintenance, these horses are very unpretentious. Even a novice amateur can take care of the tinker. The premises for these handsome men are equipped the same as for any other harnesses. The same applies to the diet of horses of this breed.
The only feature of tinker care is that their owner will have to pay some attention to their thick bangs, mane and friezes. The hair of these horses should be washed periodically with shampoo and a special conditioner, then combed thoroughly. Before walking, the tinker’s mane is usually braided.
Also, the owner of such a horse must necessarily monitor the state of his hooves. Gypsies did not shoe their horses before. So the tinker hooves are strong. But the owners of such horses, of course, still need to use the services of coval.
Interesting Facts
Tinkers - the breed is truly unique and quite unusual. This is evidenced by all sorts of interesting facts about her:
- The name of the breed did not appear by chance. That is how in Ireland the owners of these horses, the gypsies, were once dismissively called. At the moment, the word "tinker" is not used in this country. Such horses are called cob here.
- Some representatives of this breed have the so-called magpie eyes. That is, the iris of their eyes lacks pigment.
- Very often, breed horses are confused with shires. And indeed, on the exterior they are very similar. But shires are still more bulky and powerful horses. In addition, pinto coloring is a rarity for them.
It can also be considered interesting that the gypsy draft horse of the Tinker breed is very often used to pacify the evil Arabian horses. Often these small phlegmatic beauties even independently accompany them at the races to the starting boxes.