Adults on ponies!

I ride Exmoor ponies. I have two 13 hh ponies and I am 5'5" and weight between 9 and 9 1/2 stone.
I love being a pony owner as they are just so practical and economical and can be kept as nature intended if that is the way you like to do it. So field kept, unrugged and not shod. They eat half as much as a horse and don't need the extras. Your biggest problem is going to be keeping them slim!
I love riding ponies as they are just fun. I can do all that i want to do as a happy hacker and have hunted, completed 25 mile EGB endurance rides and multiple day long distance rides, and also jumping (pony sized) jumps.
I do sometimes like to ride big posh horses just because it makes me feel good but I think I prefer to be a pony owner.
 
Just make sure you have a really good saddle fitter - if you're tall and slim then you need somewhere to put your legs, and can create a lot of leverage on a little back, if you're shorter and heavier then you may need a wide, flat seat, or there just may not be enough room for a big enough seat. And if you're both then please help us fitters out and move onto something with a longer ribcage! There is no magic solution to very tall/large riders on short backs, especially with English saddles (though the weight of Western and stock saddles etc means that you lose some of the benefit of spreading weight further, and are not an option if you're near the weight limit anyway as they're so heavy), and remember ribcage length has little correlation with height or rug length, and sometimes horses won't even tolerate a saddle fitted to their back rib.
 
sbloom said:
Just make sure you have a really good saddle fitter - if you're tall and slim then you need somewhere to put your legs, and can create a lot of leverage on a little back, if you're shorter and heavier then you may need a wide, flat seat, or there just may not be enough room for a big enough seat. And if you're both then please help us fitters out and move onto something with a longer ribcage!
Click to expand...

This is what I was going to say. I am 5'5" and roughly 55-60kg and I am currently riding a 13.3 welsh cob. He can easily carry me but I do sometimes find it quite uncomfortable as I have to ride with shorter stirrup then I would like and I then find my knees come past the knee rolls:confused:
 
sbloom said:
Just make sure you have a really good saddle fitter - if you're tall and slim then you need somewhere to put your legs, and can create a lot of leverage on a little back, if you're shorter and heavier then you may need a wide, flat seat, or there just may not be enough room for a big enough seat. And if you're both then please help us fitters out and move onto something with a longer ribcage! There is no magic solution to very tall/large riders on short backs, especially with English saddles (though the weight of Western and stock saddles etc means that you lose some of the benefit of spreading weight further, and are not an option if you're near the weight limit anyway as they're so heavy), and remember ribcage length has little correlation with height or rug length, and sometimes horses won't even tolerate a saddle fitted to their back rib.
Click to expand...

agreed. if both you and the pony are at extremes of shape its almost impossible and my fitter freely admitted i was the limit of what she thought would work.

just by way of example i am 5'7 but only 7 stone 10 and straight up and down so find it easy enough to ride in a small saddle.

this is a 15 inch saddle on a 13hh pony-you can see although i ride shorter on him than i would on a 16hh the knee roll is up above my knee to give me a bit more room, and ive got a little pair of spurs on so i can touch him a bit more accurately.

ive gone as small as a 11.2hh in a 14.5 saddle for short terms schooling and my knee was very much over the front of that lol!

rafsaddle.jpg
 
sbloom said:
Just make sure you have a really good saddle fitter - if you're tall and slim then you need somewhere to put your legs, and can create a lot of leverage on a little back, if you're shorter and heavier then you may need a wide, flat seat, or there just may not be enough room for a big enough seat. And if you're both then please help us fitters out and move onto something with a longer ribcage! There is no magic solution to very tall/large riders on short backs, especially with English saddles (though the weight of Western and stock saddles etc means that you lose some of the benefit of spreading weight further, and are not an option if you're near the weight limit anyway as they're so heavy), and remember ribcage length has little correlation with height or rug length, and sometimes horses won't even tolerate a saddle fitted to their back rib.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hi-jack! I popped over to this thread because I was wondering if I was wrong to think Izzy would be outgrowing Jenny. So I came to look at pictures of adults on ponies! This is the problem though. A very long thigh bone on a short backed pony. Do you have any advice - what would a 'really good saddle fitter' be able to do with that? Ie styles, shapes of saddle, stirrup length etc.
 
Such gorgeous ponies, thanks for sharing pictures of them all!

And thanks for all the tips and advice. Saddle wise - will keep this in mind with viewing, as realistically I think I’d need a minimum 16” to be comfortable. I’ve got longer legs than body, so something that takes up the leg well is a must!

The pony attitude is partly why I’m considering one! I used to ride ponies all the time and love how their brains work. Part of the reason I bought my TB was because he had that pony mentality (and was sold as an Irish big pony 🙄).
 
pixie27 said:
And thanks for all the tips and advice. Saddle wise - will keep this in mind with viewing, as realistically I think I’d need a minimum 16” to be comfortable. I’ve got longer legs than body, so something that takes up the leg well is a must!
Click to expand...

My 13.2hh is comfortably in a 17.5” saddle. It has been fitted/checked by 2 different very well respected saddlers and the length is fine on him. He has a very well sprung back!
It is possible to get ponies that take the bigger saddles, when you go see the pony check the size of the saddle it is currently in and have a feel for the last rib to see if the size it has on is the biggest it could take or has been fitted to a much smaller rider.
 
sbloom said:
Just make sure you have a really good saddle fitter - if you're tall and slim then you need somewhere to put your legs, and can create a lot of leverage on a little back, if you're shorter and heavier then you may need a wide, flat seat, or there just may not be enough room for a big enough seat. And if you're both then please help us fitters out and move onto something with a longer ribcage! There is no magic solution to very tall/large riders on short backs, especially with English saddles (though the weight of Western and stock saddles etc means that you lose some of the benefit of spreading weight further, and are not an option if you're near the weight limit anyway as they're so heavy), and remember ribcage length has little correlation with height or rug length, and sometimes horses won't even tolerate a saddle fitted to their back rib.
Click to expand...
This is so true, the pic that I posted of my daughter on the grey connie/tb had this problem, we could find a suitable dressage saddle but the jump saddle had to be made to measure with the saddle cut more forward to take up the length of her thigh (hip to knee was too long to fit in the usual 16 and half saddle that was the biggest the pony could take). I think we tend to forget that we, as riders, have different conformations, if you are relatively short legged but long in the torso, it's easier to unbalance a smaller pony.
 
Ambers Echo said:
Sorry to hi-jack! I popped over to this thread because I was wondering if I was wrong to think Izzy would be outgrowing Jenny. So I came to look at pictures of adults on ponies! This is the problem though. A very long thigh bone on a short backed pony. Do you have any advice - what would a 'really good saddle fitter' be able to do with that? Ie styles, shapes of saddle, stirrup length etc.
Click to expand...

I have saddles with 17 1/4 seats on 16 3/4 panels for my ponies, both on half panel designs so I can get away with a ludicrously forward cut saddle that doesn't interfere with the horse. They're made to measure but not overly expensive. I've just had one made for Skye so she doesn't have to share Dae's!

Chippers1 said:
ah @JFTD-WS I don't think I've seen your grey before, love him!
Click to expand...

Which one - there's two up there :p I haven't posted many photos lately as they're feral, hairy and muddy. But they're epic!
 
JFTD-WS said:
Which one - there's two up there :p I haven't posted many photos lately as they're feral, hairy and muddy. But they're epic!
Click to expand...

Oops sorry! Early morning and being at work to blame for that :p I can see now they are different. I like them both, I love greys, but particularly the jumping one :D
 
I have had a few 14.hhers as an adult. I’m 5ft 4 and 8 stone 10 and I ride in a 17” saddle.
Currently got two 15hhers, although one is very pony-like in build whereas the other is much more like a small horse.
 
Chippers1 said:
Oops sorry! Early morning and being at work to blame for that :p I can see now they are different. I like them both, I love greys, but particularly the jumping one :D
Click to expand...

No worries - I do call them the "evil twin" and the "stunt double" because they're basically identical! Daemon, Dae, the jumping one, is particularly hilarious - he's a proper idiot. Fergus is the sensible one - he prefers dressage to leaving the ground.

Gratuitous dae photo...

15590743_559860510889666_7005543841227185168_o.jpg
 
Tarragon said:
I love being a pony owner as they are just so practical and economical and can be kept as nature intended if that is the way you like to do it. So field kept, unrugged and not shod. They eat half as much as a horse and don't need the extras. Your biggest problem is going to be keeping them slim!
Click to expand...

this bears repeating, I dont worry about mine in bad weather, the Fell (the Exmoor isnt ridden right now) has amazing feet and doesnt need shoes, I feed them a token feed daily and this year I didnt even buy any hay-they are getting oat straw if/when they come in. They are very easy to keep in the winter although you have to work harder keeping them in the summer but hey, thats when I want to be outside lol. The Fell gets a rain sheet if I need him clean apart from that, no rugs-heaven! And black ponies are awesome in that they can wear any colour and look amazing :D
 
*slight hijack* JFTD-WS what make of saddle do you have for your pones?

Back to thread I'm an adult and have never owned anything bigger than 15hh! Current beast are all 14.2hh and smallest is 13.3hh. The 13.3hh had been ridden by a 5'9 friend who although looked a little big she carried her fine. I'm 5'2 :)
 
Last year I saw a 14.1h doing a BE90 with a 6' + chap on board. The two of them were having the time of their lives out there on the XC course.
 
Tarragon you remind me I did enjoy our joint meet with the new forest, if only to get some more adults on ponies out instead of being the only one ;).
 
ester said:
Tarragon you remind me I did enjoy our joint meet with the new forest, if only to get some more adults on ponies out instead of being the only one ;).
Click to expand...
I must admit when I have been out on hunt rides or hunting it is amazing how it is automatically assumed that I will be the gate opener!
 
Tarragon your boys are gorgeous! I used to ride an exmoor years ago - don’t think I’ve met a horse with a better sense of humour since!
 
pixie27 said:
Tarragon your boys are gorgeous! I used to ride an exmoor years ago - don’t think I’ve met a horse with a better sense of humour since!
Click to expand...
Thank you.
You are right about the sense of humour though! Life is never dull with an Exmoor Pony.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top