Early Saturday, on what can only be described as the perfect winter’s morning, I came to pass one of my favourite local landmarks  - a six metre high, two tonne galvanised steel statue of a gipsy horse, simply called ‘The Belvedere Cob‘.

With the sun rising, frost on the ground and just the right amount of chill in the air, it seemed like an apt time for me to risk my life by running across the busy road – the sculpture is installed on a roundabout – to capture the moment in all it’s glory.

Its creator, Andy Scott, writes: “I was inspired by seeing so many cobs grazing among the industrial buildings in Belvedere and I have tried to capture the essence of the horse.” In local Council’s view: “This striking sculpture reflects the rich cultural heritage of the traveling communities in this area and the contribution they, and their horses, have made – and are still making – to the area. The horse is vivid, alive and proud and represents everything good about the area.”

After reading the inspiration behind the statue I set about locating the animals that were its inspiration. After a five-minute trek over some muddy and difficult terrain – well, difficult for a city lad like me dressed in flash, multi-coloured, non-grip trainers – my efforts were rewarded. In a field no bigger than a football pitch were a dozen or so cobs. The amateur photographer in me, armed with just a smart phone, set about trying to capture their image.

For those that have never heard of this particular breed, Wikipedia classifies it as ‘in general terms, cobs are larger than ponies, standing 14.2 hands or taller, but are relatively small and compact, usually with somewhat short legs. It is said that good show cob should have “the head of a lady and the backside of a cook”‘.

Author: Brett Goldhawk, Account Director