Am i really too big !!!!!

[stitch]

I am looking to buy my first horse however i have a slight perdicament (sp) !!

Now, i absolutley adore riding ponies, to be honest i find them a lot more exciting and less painfun to fall off - however i am 6 foot tall and weigh 10 stone and feel like i have to buy a horse to not look stupid. I was thinking that hopefully i would be able to get away with a 14.2 upwards cob or welsh d type and i was just wondering on what your oppinions be on this would be ?

Thanks

 

[Stacie_and_Jed]

I think if a pony is round enough to compliment your long legs (meaning they are not dragging along the floor) then you should be fine. Weight wise you will be fine too as long as they have good strong bone and they are not too fine.

Hope this helps.

 

[MerryMaker]

Stitch, sorry, completely unrelated but where in MK are you? I might know of a few horses/ponies round there, I am in MK too. PM me if you like x

 

[ladyt25]

I still ride my 14:2 21 yo pony and I don't think I look too big. I am. He's a medium build but I, although bit heavier than you, I am only 5'6". I would say something about 15hh to 15:2hh would probably be more ideal for you height wise but still maintaining a pony like brain!

Mind you look at WFP, his legs appear to be near to his horse's knees half the time!

 

[Kenzo]

Well I my other neddy was 14.1 (a cob) short coupled, good deep girth and I'm 5'6'' 9 1/2 stone and I didn't look too big on him, nor was I too heavy (I went into with with a lot of depth...confirmation, strength and fitness and a saddle that fitted both him and myself correctly) so as long as you take the necessary steps to ensure your not too big or heavy then there is no problems with you finding a pony/cob to ride....there's a great selection of natives or coloured cobs etc that will easily accommodate you..even your height!

 

[Ezme]

Yep, its all to do with how they "take up your leg" I'm 5ft 6 and i ride a 17hh shire and we look made for each other. But he's a horse in a million anyway!

 

[Kenzo]

Forgot to meantion actually, if anything I look bigger (not meaning too big, just bigger) on my horse on the sigi 15.3 than I did on my 14.1 ...crazy!

 

[stitch]

Thats great news - its just you know what some people are liek - very judgemental just because there is somebody who is 6ft riding a pony.

It annoys me that people think just because your tall it automatically means that anything under 16h is out of the question for youu to buy because it will be too small

 

[BigBird146]

Going to go against the concensus here and say yes, I would have thought you'd look too big for a pony! (maybe not weight wise). I'm 5'10" and feel silly on anything less than 15.1-15.2, but I agree it does depend on your leg length and the 'roundness' of the horse. I have long legs and would not want my feet to be below the bottom of it's belly, as I just don't feel like I can get my leg on properly if it is.

 

[Fransurrey]

Well, you on a 14hander is probably like me on my 12hh exmoor (I'm 5'5"), so I think you'd be fine. Just be prepared for rude comments is all I can say. I get them all the time and people really ARE rude about it. The fact that he's powering on seems to escape them and I've just had x-rays done which show perfect bones that a 16yr old pony should be proud of!

I would go for a rounder breed, like a Haffie or Highland, or a proper gypsy cob. There was a lovely one in H and H last week, but I think it was 13.2hh, so you might need roller skates, lol!

 

[Lyndz]

If you are thinking 14.2hh upwards then that sounds ok to me! Obviously the cobbier and rounder the better for taking up your leg! I know what you mean about judgemental people though! At the end of the day, as long as your legs aren't half way to the floor and the pony can take the weight, then as far as i'm concerned there isn't a problem! Good Luck, hope you find your perfect partner!

 

[Kenzo]

Oooh yes a lovely highland, there beautiful...besides, talking of roller skates (even though that did make me chuckle) on a serious note, you do actually see lots of very tall ladies riding in the M&M breeds and very tall young girls in the riding pony classes at county level shows where either they are riding too short (to the bring the leg up a bit so they dont look too big) or purely don't care and do ride with the heels dangling behind the girth....which I'm not criticising about but next time you think someone is sneering at you, just bob along to a big show and take a look around, you'd be surprised what you see, might make you feel less daft and more confident next time someone tells you your too big etc

 

[ttt]

I would say it depends on the pony. My daughters flatwork trainer is 6ft3 and he has jumped on both of her 14.2s. Because they are both 'built' natives, he didn't look too big for either of them.
Go find yourself a native pony and have fun!!!

 

[Ezme]

If you think about most of the MM breeds they were bred as working ponies for adults