Am I too heavy...

L

ljpinkhorse

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 April 2009
Messages
673
Location
Hants/surrey
Visit site
for a 13.2hh New forest pony? I weigh 63.8kg so about 10st 4lb and I'm 5"7 so I know I would look a little silly but I dont mind , main concern is whether or not I'd hurt the pony's back.

I'm not a beginner and have a relatively light, well balanced seat( I like to think so anyway :p) just curious as to whether people would be happy with someone of my weight/height on a pony of that size?
 
I would have thought you are too heavy I'm afraid, bear in mind that you would also be adding the weight of tack.

Obv riding light is better, but how ever you ride the horse or pony still has to carry the same weight stress though their body and joints. Being heavy and bouncing is def to be avoided, but the constant weight in the saddle, through the joints in the legs etc is no less due to being a more sensitive and balanced rider.
 
I would say no you are not too heavy but i would not ride for too long or hard work, a light ride for 20mins would be fine, but everyone has different views on the subject, i am 8 stone and still ride a freinds little 12hh pony.
All you can do is try the pony and see how he feels under you.
 
You would be completely fine [=

The rule is 1stone to 1hh

I am about the same weight as you, and used to ride a 13.2hh new forest, who would take me round open XC courses, and 1m10 sjing.

As long as you are a light rider, you will be completely fine [=

bexcy-bee x
 
I am afarid I agree you are both too tall and too heavy. You will be very un balanced being tall and too heavy with saddle etc. Certainly if you came to me for a ride I wouldn't let you ride a 13.2hh, sorry I know this isn't the answer you wanted.
 
New Forest breed show used to (possibly still do) run a class for ponies to be ridden by someone of a similar weight in stone to the ponies height in hands.

I'll admit to having done worse - but only to a pony who was being exceptionally badly behaved (and managed to continue the bad behaviour whilst I was on him). He learnt his lesson quickly with no ill effects and the owners commented the following week how much better he had been for their daughter. I wouldn't do it long term and I wouldn't stay on longer than absolutely necessary but it didn't hurt for a short time.

I would say you would be fine on a 13.2 native providing it is reasonably fit and well.
 
Gilbey said:
I am afarid I agree you are both too tall and too heavy. You will be very un balanced being tall and too heavy with saddle etc. Certainly if you came to me for a ride I wouldn't let you ride a 13.2hh, sorry I know this isn't the answer you wanted.
Click to expand...

If you adapt your riding height isn't an issue. At over 6ft, I can ride tiny and tall horses without any issue for my balance or theirs. And I thought newforests used to carry grown men over rough terrain for full days?
 
bexcy-bee said:
The rule is 1stone to 1hh
Click to expand...

What on earth rule is that?! The height of a horse or pony counts for very little when considering what weight they could carry. Height of the horse/pony, girth, amount of bone and muscle development taken together would give a much more realistic estimation. There is a good reason that sought after weight carriers tend to be 15hh ish solid cobby types and not 17.2hh tbs!

New forests can be fairly light of bone compared to many of our native breeds which is why I suggested that op may be a little too heavy for the 13.2 mentioned.
 
not too heavy at all IMO. i thought i was too heavy for my 12.2hh NF but when i got my vet out for his jabs, i double checked and she said he would happily carry 10 stone all day. (i weight 8.7 but my two sharers weight 9.5 and hes happy with them) so id say go for it :)
 
Actually 63kg is about 9 stone 4, not 10 stone so I think you will be ok. I'm 60kg and regularly (at least once a week, sometime more) ride my 13.2 jumping pony for up to an hour, sometimes pop her over a course of jumps too. I have been riding her for a year now and she has never any problems. Obviously she is ridden mostly by kids, but why should they have all the fun?!
 
No you are not too heavy or tall to ride a 13.2hh NF if the pony is fit and well. I have a 13.2hh NF and I am 5’6 and look fine on him. (He rides bigger than he looks if that makes sense) With regards to weight I am 9 ½ stone and hunted him all day last season with no problems. The girl who keeps him fit for me is just under 11 stone and he is completely fine with her, She competes him in XC and SJ and we have never had any issues.
 
It depends on what you are doing. If you want to jump lots don't go near it, but gentle hack are ok.

My freind has ruiend her horses back and it is a 14.2 pony and she is only 9 stone or less. And I was stoped from getting a 14.2 jumping pony and I am 10 stone.
 
Gosh I thought NF ponies carried men around for working. Ponies can carry alot more weight than think.
 
The problem is that horses don't complain - they are trained to accept and carry their rider! and usually do sometimes even after there is obvious clinical damage.
I would be pro active on this one and think that if you need to ask the question then yes, you are probably not suited to a 13.2 pony.
 
I would have thought you'd be fine. New Forests are a hardy breed and although I wouldn't personally use the 'stone per hand' rule for foresters (this is well known and there are even classes at the new forest pony breed show for riders over 13 stone). Our 13'3 NF has carried a 13 stone man for a short ride with no problems at all although I wouldn't do more than that. I ride and compete her and I'm 9 stone 2 and 5'9''. You learn to adapt your riding to a smaller pony so that you keep in balance. Also natives can carry more for their height than larger horses. Your pony would tell you if she wasn't happy
 
bluebellfreddy said:
It depends on what you are doing. If you want to jump lots don't go near it, but gentle hack are ok.

My freind has ruiend her horses back and it is a 14.2 pony and she is only 9 stone or less. And I was stoped from getting a 14.2 jumping pony and I am 10 stone.
Click to expand...

These must have been super fine built ponies then or had poorly fitting saddles?
 
ThePony said:
What on earth rule is that?! The height of a horse or pony counts for very little when considering what weight they could carry. Height of the horse/pony, girth, amount of bone and muscle development taken together would give a much more realistic estimation. There is a good reason that sought after weight carriers tend to be 15hh ish solid cobby types and not 17.2hh tbs!

New forests can be fairly light of bone compared to many of our native breeds which is why I suggested that op may be a little too heavy for the 13.2 mentioned.
Click to expand...

cob&onion said:
Not sure on this rule............my mare is a 16.1hh TB and i wouldn't be happy with a 16 stone rider onboard!!
Click to expand...

Sorry, should have explained. That is the rule for New Forests specifically, hence why they do the weight classes at county shows [=

bexcy-bee x
 
Oh for goodness sake - my 13.2 18 year old NF mare has been carrying me at between 10 1/2 and 12 stone for 8 (yes EIGHT) years - we have done 22km long distance rides over mountains at 10k per hour ( gold award for fitness) she has won s/j up to 1m ( Ok I have my eyes shut!) she has won NPS Scotland Best of Breed performance award two years running - only entered her two years - she was wh champion last week having won her open wh class. She is as keen as mustard, her back is not damaged - her saddle fits! - and goes out marching forward with her ears pricked EVERY TIME.There are races across the NF for ponies ridden by adults, galloping across bog, moorland, streams, rough ground. Get a grip! They are native ponies, designed to do a day's work and live on poor grazing, 'gentle hack with 10st!'
Yes of course the ponies fitness & build do make a difference - but a NF is designed to carry a stone per hand (Previously said) so OP enjoy your pony as much as I do mine!
 
I think the OP is borderline weight for this type of pony and it would depend on the individual pony concerned. I am 62 kg and 5 ft 10. I regularly hack out and school a 13.3 hh section D and a 14 hh cob. I look ridiculous of course because of my height :D, but the ponies are fine with it.
 
northernnewfiediva said:
Oh for goodness sake - my 13.2 18 year old NF mare has been carrying me at between 10 1/2 and 12 stone for 8 (yes EIGHT) years - we have done 22km long distance rides over mountains at 10k per hour ( gold award for fitness) she has won s/j up to 1m ( Ok I have my eyes shut!) she has won NPS Scotland Best of Breed performance award two years running - only entered her two years - she was wh champion last week having won her open wh class. She is as keen as mustard, her back is not damaged - her saddle fits! - and goes out marching forward with her ears pricked EVERY TIME.There are races across the NF for ponies ridden by adults, galloping across bog, moorland, streams, rough ground. Get a grip! They are native ponies, designed to do a day's work and live on poor grazing, 'gentle hack with 10st!'
Yes of course the ponies fitness & build do make a difference - but a NF is designed to carry a stone per hand (Previously said) so OP enjoy your pony as much as I do mine!
Click to expand...

You can't complain that myself and others suggest that op is too heavy. Opinions have been sought. We don't all agree - that is the idea otherwise it wouldn't be all that informative would it!!!

Thanks for the info on the height per hand thing, I hadn't heard of it before, didn't realise it was a breed thing!

Although all of our native breeds would have carried much more weight than we generally would put on them now, they also wouldn't gererally have had such high care levels and they would not go on to enjoy such long working carrers before a long sound retirement. Many are also being breed finer to suit todays tastes and the show ring, so it really isn't comparing like with like for alot of situations.
 
ThePony said:
You can't complain that myself and others suggest that op is too heavy. Opinions have been sought. We don't all agree - that is the idea otherwise it wouldn't be all that informative would it!!!

Thanks for the info on the height per hand thing, I hadn't heard of it before, didn't realise it was a breed thing!

Although all of our native breeds would have carried much more weight than we generally would put on them now, they also wouldn't gererally have had such high care levels and they would not go on to enjoy such long working carrers before a long sound retirement. Many are also being breed finer to suit todays tastes and the show ring, so it really isn't comparing like with like for alot of situations.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. Horses are not 'designed'. A stone per hand is obviously just too convenient a 'calculation' for weightbearing ability. Just because it is traditional for a breed, does not make it right. It used to be traditional to dock tails in horses and dogs and crop ears etc, but it is not 'right'. The most accepted current estimation of weight carrying ability in horses is one sixth of their bodyweight. Of course, in reality, there are other considerations such as condition, amount of bone and breed. Arabs, for example are stronger (per inch of bone) than cobs.
 
bexcy-bee said:
You would be completely fine [=

The rule is 1stone to 1hh

I am about the same weight as you, and used to ride a 13.2hh new forest, who would take me round open XC courses, and 1m10 sjing.

As long as you are a light rider, you will be completely fine [=

bexcy-bee x
Click to expand...

I try not to be contentious, however this 'rule' is completely wrong and dangerous. Would you put a 12 stone man on a 12hh pony? There is a formula chart for working out the weight a horse / pony can carry. I will post it tomorrow when Im at the yard. It depends on the size of the pony, age and fitness.
 
Just got back from the yard and was very surprised to find 3 pages on this thread!!

And very mixed views - I think I may be more confused now than when I started :p

Atm I ride (part loan) a 15.3hh Shire X who obviously has no problems carrying me (could probably carry two of me!) but in august I was thinking of taking out a full loan of a NF. It would probably get ridden (hacking) for about half an hour - an hour three days a week so nothing overly strenuous but I would like to possibly do some schooling and very small jumps. I shared a NF when I was younger , and much skinnier and fell in love with the breed!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top