I beg to differ.
Yes, some of them “jump as high as a horse” (Stroller won the silver medal at the Mexico Olympics, Grange Finn Sparrow competed successfully in the Open Jumpers in the US, and I know of several that competed successfully in Intermetiate and Advance Eventing- Hideaways Erin Go Bragh for one). And some of the very competitive ones can be “strong”.
But plenty of them are small (13h 2") and I know plenty that are PREFECT for “first pony or non-competitive kid”.
I’m seeing quite a few draft x at the horse trials near me and hold their own in dressage. As another poster said you don’t see many of the heavier types draft x or Irish Cobs going much past Novice or Training because speed and scope would tend to start being an issue. But that can be true of any breed of horse. I had a friend w/ a 16.2 Conn/TB who had a short stride and lacked scope. He made up for that with crowd pleasing rodeo-type antics in show jumping LOL.
So the answers is it all depends. But a shopping trip to Ireland could be a heck of a lot of fun.
I rode a great “Cob” in Ireland. Jumped around stuff I never dreamed of jumping here all with ease - such a confidence booster. Comfy as all get out too.
The legendary Charisma, Mark Todd’s horse was TB on a Percheron some way back, about 1/16th.
Hasn’t the PMU foal production been in a sharp decline correlated to the decline in demand for Premarin? According to this article “Wyeth — whose Premarin is the number-one selling estrogen-replacement therapy with 80 percent of the market — canceled one-third of its contracts with these ranchers late in 2003. The remaining producers will reduce their herds by about 35 percent.”
The two links to PMU baby ranches in that article no longer work. At any rate, PMU babies were never that common in my area (N CA) - perhaps they are where you are? No doubt draft crosses in general are a great option though, PMU or not.
I also agree that shopping for a brain is more important than breed. But IMEX when I was looking for a horse for my husband it was because my saintly 16hh OTTB couldn’t handle his weight comfortably - nothing to do with brains. So we got a Friesian x TB because we couldn’t find a cob.
I think that’s the thing that makes cobs viable for the US market - weight carrying ability plus great brains. And feet 
the horse from your pic wouldn’t be classes as a cob here in Ireland. It is a fairly typical style Irish sport horse or sport horse cross. they tend to be super all rounders and nice characters. you can pick them up fairly cheaply if you have a shopping trip here.a typical example would be the ad below
A gypsy cob or vanner would be heavier, with more feather. I have evented several, but they tend to struggle with fitness, making the time xc, and getting off the forehand for dressage. If eventing is your thing, they aren’t generally any good.
If you are looking for an Irish horse to event, go for an Irish Sports Horse, or a Connemara. Best of luck with the horse hunt
I am blessed to have an ISH by Puissance, a quirky but super kind boy who really looks after me and oh boy could he jump!
I agree, I don’t see a lot of PMU anymore.
The draft crosses I’m seeing seem to be Amish-bred to fill a niche that they smartly saw. Unlike the older full drafts I see for sale, these don’t seem to be working horse castoffs, they are young and not super cheap. I see mostly Belgian or Clydesdale crossed with TB, QH, and more recently Dutch harness.
Some are extremely nice, some are “committee built”. Fox hunters generally prefer second generation onwards so the draft is limited to 1/4. One can hunt or event a 50/50 but you will be slow. 
One of my favorite horses ever was the “pony on stilts”, a TB/Connemara cross who finished close to 17 hands. He got a lot of pony-tude, and the TB athleticism. IIRC he wore a size 75 blanket! I got to ride him a couple of times, and while not my cup of tea, it was very fun to experience his hand gallop. Eventers in New England may remember him from the late 2000s/early 2010s. He was nearly black, with one leg that had white splashes from the stifle down – very unique. Sadly no longer with us, but his owner now has an oversize (15.2??) grey Connemara gelding who is just wonderful.
It already has, years ago. It took cobs, started calling them Gypsy Vanners, grew their manes and tails out to ridiculous lengths, and started charging thousands more than the original travellers’ horses ever cost.
Gypsy Vanners don’t succeed in the hunters very often though.
No no no - traditional cobs (Gypsy cobs, vanners etc) are NOT the same thing as (lightweight, heavyweight or maxi) show cobs. Show cobs have flatter bone, lower movement and much less hair, which is all shaved off anyway - they’re also generally not piebald or skewbald like traditionals.
IDK about that. I’ve seen coloured (piebald and skewbald) show cobs for sale. Only difference is their manes have been hogged and their legs trimmed.
@Xanthoria and @Rackonteur I think both of you are right. A ‘show cob’ these days is often a pure Irish Draught trimmed (and fattened) up to look the part.
But there are also ‘traditional’ cobs that have their hair removed to become a ‘show cob’. Personal preference comes into play. Some people love showing a horse with loads of hair, others don’t. Hairy ‘traditional’ cobs may also include smaller animals without an emphasis on height. Finding a true cob is getting more difficult as the good ones have always been a freak of nature and modern breeding is after sport horses rather than hunters. One reason for ‘maxi cobs’ is because the type has become too tall to fit into the previous definition of a cob.
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