18 + hands... gawd help me!

I used to do horses that size. I always groomed off a chair, couldn't reach otherwise. I taught them all to drop their heads for attention there and learned how to throw a saddle on and then climb on my chair again to sort it all out before I got off and did girths up etc. It is surprising how you get used to dealing with large people. Good luck with it. They do have a lot of acreage to cover with a brush!!
 
I'd suggest desensitising the 18 hander to your stool/step/crate so they don't move sideways at a crucial moment mid saddling (see 5'4 me vs. 16.3 who thought the crate was a pony eating monster) and teaching the verbal command 'Stand' which is dead handy however big or small they are.
 
AdorableAlice said:
nearly 2, I think the photo was at Kings Heath Horse Show which is in May. He was a big boy, Coleman was the dam sire and he tended to put a lot of size in.
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Lovely boy!!

I have 4 Shires. One of my mares is 18h1". My other Shire mare is 17h2". Their 2 rising 5 years old gelding sons are 18h1+" and growing. I don't ride, but I do groom. I've learned to use a step stool. I also try to source all my grooming brushes and combs with handles, so that I get a few extra inches of "reach." It really does help. My biggest problem right now is trying to groom my boys' manes at the crest when they lift their heads. They have very long, reachy necks, which makes it physically impossible without a ladder (and I'm 5'6" tall). Even putting head collars or halters on when the boys raise their heads is problematic. Luckily, they have lovely temperaments, so anyone watching me struggle just has a good chuckle.
 
Get yourself down to B&Q, they do a brilliant foldaway stepladder. It only has 3 steps but it's fabulous!!

I adore big horses but they do have their drawbacks - the 'no man's land' on top of their bum that you just can't reach with a brush. Dismounting - always better to slide of gracefully (it's a long way down). Rugs - there's nothing like getting tangled in a 7'6" heavyweight turnout!!

Wouldn't have my lad any other way though, he's 18hh of gorgeous.
 
Bribery! Bribe with treats to get them to lower their heads, they soon get used to you. My young horse seems to think I am minute as he virtually puts his head on the ground to get his bridle on so its too low! I also have a little plastic step from Ikea but I usually can't be bothered using it. I also dismount onto the mounting block! Out hacking I never seem to have any difficulty if I need to get off and on as I just use a stone wall or a gate to drop on from.

I do think that for riding competitively it would be better to have a longer leg to wrap round them, but you have to work with what you've got, and plenty of top riders are quite short anyway so balance must count for something.

I'm 5 feet 1 and have a 17.1 and a 17hh, plus a 16.1. The 17.1 can be such a bolshy character that it wouldn't matter what size of person dealt with him, but he likes me so he (usually) complies!
 
Mithras said:
Bribery! Bribe with treats to get them to lower their heads, they soon get used to you.
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I've recently taken to keeping some Bailey's High Fibre Nuts in my pocket. The only time I give them some is at bedtime (they're really good and never mug me for treats). I offered them a few nuts with my hand through the head piece of the halter and, BINGO, it worked a treat! The funny thing is that my 17h2" mare always drops her head when I go to put a head collar on her. And, I consider her small in comparison to the other three.
 
;) 4 Year old Irish Sport Horse

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I'm the opposite, in that I think of spike as "small" - he's 16.1hh. I've always liked big horses, and I'm pretty tall, so don't have too much trouble reaching, although I often find that I've left an ear out when putting head collars on Alf and Lola to bring them in. Luckily they don't seem to mind.
I stand on a beer keg to do anything to the top of Alfs head - he usually takes that as a cue to put his head on the floor
 
I used to look after an 18.2, and I loved him far more than his owner. I am 5'4" and weighed 8 and a half stone at the time. He was fine with me doing things from a stool, but I found chucking rugs over was the most difficult thing to do. Much to his owners annoyance, he always went better for me than her (she was 6'), but that was because he was so big I rode him very sympathetically and never pushed any buttons, in case I started something I couldn't finish! He was great for having a good view over garden hedges, and five bar gates looked like you could just step over them.
 
I've got an 18hh Shire x Clydesdale and a 19hh shire horse. I'm 5'6 and the height is something you get used to very used to the size very quickly. I've had them for 12+ years now and have never had a problem with their size. Got a step ladder to put on their saddles and they would put their heads down for me to put their bridles/headcollars on. Big horses are amazing and people shouldn't be put off by their size. They are wonderful and I wouldn't have any other horse now. Love my boys to bits
 
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