Am I really that big?

My boy is 23 and I have had him on loan for the last 10 years, not a black cob so no dont think its the same one. I just want a younger version of him!!!
 
I have a Cob Normand who would easily carry 17st, have a look at Safecobs as this is where she came from, and they do have some heavier type horses, Clip Clop traders is also worth a look.
 
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How about a Highland? They may not be tall, but they can carry a lot of weight! I've seen them carry very burly men no problem.

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they are generally considered to have an upper limit of 16st - and that would be the larger ponies
 
Agreed you will find something..

type wise depends, when I was looking a couple of years ago I worried about how people would look at me I was 5'4 and 16.5 stone. However I went and tried a 16.2 TB type of all things ,he carried me and a leather saddle happily, absolutely no issues, his owner agreed when I raised the weight thing with her.

I then got a 17.2 Warmblood who felt uncomfortable with me at 16.5 stone but as soon as I lost weight and got to 15.5 he was happy as larry but Im still dieting lol
 
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How about a Highland? They may not be tall, but they can carry a lot of weight! I've seen them carry very burly men no problem.

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they are generally considered to have an upper limit of 16st - and that would be the larger ponies

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Ok, thanks! Not so used to thinking in "stones" yet rather than plain ol' pounds...so maybe I'm over-estimating the weight of said burly men!
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I agree that you need to be looking at bigger horses - at least 16.3 I'd say, and yes something with good bone, but horses are as individual as we are and some are better equipped than others. I'm 5'8 ish, and approx 11.5 stone, and I ride a 16.2 Irish (TB x I suspect) and I don't look too tall but I would want something bigger all over if i were heavier. Its easy to forget about the added weight of all the tack too. Don't despair, I know lots of people in a similar position to you, and they don't all ride massive hairy mammoths, some are super smart and very sporty! Some horses are advertised as 'men's horses' as they are built / used to carrying heavier and taller men, but there's no reason they may not suit a woman too! Let us know how you get on. x
 
i am just short of 5'11 and about 16st ( am losing) and i have a 16.3 normandy cob x

i would go for shire x hunter types (any large heavy horse crosses)
 
I agree that a 15.3hh is far too small. My horse is 16hh conn x TB and (I don't want to seem rude) but I wouldn't let someone over say 12 stone on him.

To be honest I don't think it's fair . I have seen some rather large people on horses that are far too small/lightweight to be carry them and it makes me feel awful when I see them making these horses carry them round xc whether the horse wants to or no (cue rider kicking and hitting horse round)

I am no lightweight and could do with losing about half stone but, if I wouldn't expect my horse to carry me if I was very heavy. It's mjust not on.

I think you have to be realistic. At 5'8 you're not short so i would say 16.2hh minimum and you are going to have to look at Clydesdale/Shire full ID types I would say. If you are wanting something finer built then (you'll hate me for saying this probably) but I think you are going to have to seriously consider your weight! I mean, at the end of the day why should we expect horses to carry us just because we want them to? We need to think about ourselves physically as well if we want to horse ride as a hobby.
 
Would it not be an idea to think about reducing your weight to increase your choice of horses??

It is not meant as a rude comment, so please dont take it that way, but you are limiting yourself to a large, well built horse that will cost you more in every way.

If you were to lose some weight then you would have your pick of anything you want.

Again, I would like to point out that I am not in any way being nasty....
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I dont take offence, i am surprised no one else has said it!!! I have tried and failed dismally on that unfortunately, being diabetic, with a bad back from falling off a horse, I am sumwhat restricted in the type of diet and exercise I can do. believe me I would love to be a ten stone fit rider, ........
 
i sympathise with you im 5"4 and about 13.5 stone currently have a 14.2 cob who carries me easily i am currently looking for something around the 15hh mark to do some jumping with a lot of people think that if your not a stick insect dont apply iv e mailed a few and they come back saying not be over 11 stone and one of those was a 15.3 idxcb 9 yr old quite a chunky fella i didnt see a problem really just fussy owners good luck with your search you will find one thats right for you tbxshires are nice and some that are on the shire side look lovely
 
I was the same weight as you when I went horse hunting (and 5 foot 7), and I only looked at chunkier horses with a lot of bone. I rode a chunky Han at my riding stables, and Irish Draught sort and a MW Tb, but to be honest, I felt very uncomfortable on the TB as I felt I was just too heavy for him.

What i did was to go through adverts looking at photos. I was looking for a full Irish Draught (most of the crosses will be a bit lighter, so probably not capable of carrying you) or something like that. I am not a lover of cobs, but more because they are generally too small for me. Then I rang the sellers, and was very honest. The first thing I said was 'this may be a problem, but I am about 17 stone. Would you think that your horse was capable of carrying that?' Some said no (but most were very polite about it!) and eventually I got in touch with a lady with a gorgeous looking ShirexTB. when I rang up and told her my weight, she told me she was around the same weight as me
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This is Sidney

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He actually looks lighter weight than he is, because he has massive great Shire dinner plate hooves! I have talked to my vet before, and he says that Sidney would carry two of me. I have had him for two years and he is my pride and joy
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So in summary, look for a cob, heavier draught cross, or full ID. Ideally you want to be looking for something with more than 9 inches of bone, but conformation is very important - if they have any weaknesses, they could have problems due to having to carry more weight.

Good luck and I hope you find something as wonderful as my boy
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Isabelle
 
We have a 15.2hh shire X dartmoor who is more than happy to carry a good 16 stone, so height is not the main issue. He used to hunt carrying this weight and is now getting on a bit, but appears to have no issues from having done this (which was before we bought him, we are not that heavy and don't hunt).
Being diabetic and having a bad back are not really big issues when it comes to losing weight. I have both, struggle to walk, but have recently lost just over 3 stone. It is do-able.
 
very nice but it could be a 12hh pony when you get there i rang them last yr to go see a 15.2 after a hour travelling he was 17.2 i couldnt get on him so wasnt a happy bunny but only my experience found it so so funny to say the least still think about it and chuckle lol
 
I am sure you'll find something but I think you do have to be realistic. Personally at your height for a start (I am 5ft 6) I wouldn't look at anything under 16hh as I think you'll feel too long anyway regardless of weight.

I have to say I lost about half a stone a year ago and I felt me and my horse went soo much better so i do think rider weight does affect the horse. Of course when/if you get the horse the mere fact of having a horse may help shift a few pounds! Lol
 
It is a big ask for a horse to carry 17 stone plus tack - you are getting up towards 20 stone so really it is more than most mainstream horses could comfortably carry. Definitely not something crossed with a Connie as they are ponies after all. There will be horses out there for you - like the poster with the Shire cross who is clearly the perfect horse for her. Either a shire cross or a pure ID would be your best bet. My current horse could be up to half ID but he could not carry that weight plus he is young and still growing. Bigger horses often mature later so maybe look for a horse age 8 plus?

I remember years ago going to look at a horse who was advertised as 16.3hh. The minute it came out the stable I could see it was more like 17.3 and built like the proverbial outhouse. I'm your height but was under 10 stone and no way could I have held such a massive horse together. I did say to the seller - a very large gentleman himself that I thought it was not really a ladies horse. He took great pride coming up to me at a future show saying a lady bought it but she was 6 foot tall and 17 stone. So you could find that horses that don't suit some other people are your ideal horse. They will be out there but just be realistic in what you are looking for. I certainly have never had a horse that I would have let anyone over 14 stone on but mine were all TB/ TB types and had somebody come to view that had not disclosed they were that big I would not have let them try the horse I'm afraid so I do think you are doing the right thing by being upfront about it. No point in wasting anybody's time especially your own!
 
Oh, another thing with the heavy horse crosses - they have absolutely lovely temperaments! Mine is a dressage horse, but the kindest, easiest horse you will ever meet. I did look for him for quite a while, but I had to try and be patient and not go for any of the lighter unsuitable horses and just wait until a nice one came along!

If you look on horsequest they have a section just for cobs, and there are quite a few of the taller ones (I wouldn't be happy on anything less than a 15.3 at 5 foot 7.)

Isabelle
 
If you want to PM me i am more than willing to help you regarding weight loss. I am diabetic type 2 and have been for 15 years and 10 years ago had an injury falling off a horse, chipping my hip bone and injuring my lower back so am restricted to the exercise i can do too. While i was pregnant (my daughter is now 2) i put on 5 stone and have now lost this plus more-i have warmbloods and i felt rediculous on my 16hh German warmblood stallion as i felt too big on him even though he was more than happy carrying me. My point is that weight loss can be achieved which will make you a lot more happier with yourself and life and will help you find your dream horse, you just need a pointer in the right direction with some support. PM me with your downfalls on diet, whether it be cravings etc and maybe i can try and help you with a diet plan because believe me i have tried them all and know the successful ones haha! You will achieve your dream and im sure we will all try our best to try and help you
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QR - Dear God!! There is some tosh on this thread!

A) The weight carrying ability of a horse is NOT dictated by it's height, but by it's type.
B) The type of horse a rider rides if not ALWAYS dictated by their weight, but by their skill in the saddle.

I am 5ft10/5ft11ins and my old horse (a heinz 57 cob type of the very best variety) was PTS last March after 21yrs together. He was 15hh - though I reckon he shrank a bit towards the end - he was approx 26/27. He was NOT a HW cob, he wasn't even a true cob type in the show ring sense. Those who know me know I am no LW, but that I DO ride lightly. Ask PF of CBAnglo.

It's worth noting that the following pics were taken over a 16 year period and in ALL of them I am heavier than the OP!

This is he and I the night before he was PTS - and yes I know I am not wearing a hat!
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Taken by PF in 2008
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The previous winter
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Other photos from our life together
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snowynight he is a stunner of a horse u look like a right good team hope me and a lot of other bigger built ladies have the same luck finding one sorry about him being pts
 
Agree with SnowNight. Weight carrying ability isn't always dictated by height and that rider ability does come into it. Do agree that conformation does play an important part. As long as your comfortable in the knowledge that you can ride with good balance and lightness of seat and your willing to search and look for the right horse you can sometimes find something under 16hh that can carry you. It's all about each individual horse and rider combo. I get on fine with my boy but other people smaller than me and it's obvious hes struggling as they ride heavier than me in the saddle if that makes sense.

I'm 5ft 6 and I was looking for a horse that was 16.2hh plus HW horse as I weight around 16/17 stone and I ended up with a 15.1hh cob with 9 3/4 inch of bone but other than the bone he isn't a true HW as his frame is just too small. I've had him 5 years and we do everything together. Just some hope for you of finding a horse under 16hh if you look hard enough
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No ur not really that big and there will be lots of horses out there for you.
Horses are often underestimated in their weight carrying ability, and I dont agree with the idea that at your height u ought to be on a certain sized horse. Ask any adult pony rider, they will tell you the same.
If a horse can carry you comfortably and you feel comfortable, its height is pretty much irrelevant.

Good luck x
 
Some of the comments on this thread re height are silly imo. Being 5'8" does not restrict you to horses of 16.2 and over! Plenty of smaller horses take up the leg just as well and make a perfect mount for the rider.

However I do agree that a nice heavy weight cob of something like a clydesdale x would probably suit you best - even if it is under 16.2
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