Bigger horses pros and cons

[skint1]

Pros -
You can see into people’s gardens

Gasps of amazement “look at that horse, that horse is amazing” and you feel all smug.

when you are cantering, if you close your eyes you feel like you are heading into an ancient battle.

trim branches around gates and pick apples and sloes with ease.


cons -
If you drop something, no one really wants to hold them for you.
also if you drop your phone out in the middle of the field during a schooling session it’s an eff on to get back on.

they break everything

if they trip, you have a week off with whiplash.

You can’t take a good selfie together cos their head doesn’t fit in. Always chop ears Or nose off.

if you’re not in their eye line, you’re not on their radar.

Hahah omg this is all just so true!

 

[huskydamage]

I have a 14hh and 15.3/16hh. Having always had ponies I never realised till I got my horse how much more comfortable stuff like grooming, picking out feet etc is. I don't have to stoop! I clipped both the other day and the pony was so much harder on my back and I constantly got hair in my eyes. The horse was easy, no crouching no face full of hair

 

[Pippity]

My share horses were 17.1hh and 16.3hh. I'm 5' and a sparrowfart. I wouldn't have gone looking for something that size, but they were what was available and suited me.

Upsides: Fun to ride! Admiring gasps! I got to be tall!

Downsides: The 17.1hh was half-Shire and her feet were so big she needed shoes specially made, which cost a fortune. Getting on and off is hell. Tacking/rugging is hell (bridling was no issue, because training, but getting the saddle up there was a case of throwing it and hoping). Very painful when you fall off.

Basically, if I was just riding a horse, I'd love something around 17hh. But when it comes to the day-to-day handling, the 15hh cob I bought is pretty much perfect. I'd maybe like her an inch or two taller (or just with slightly longer legs to help her go a bit faster) but I certainly wouldn't be looking above 15.2hh.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

If the horse is tall enough the prices of rugs goes down my 17:3 had a whole range of rugs I bought for around £12 in the sale.You could argue everything for the bigger horse is better value , full livery prices are usually the same for bigger horses, shoeing likewise. It amuses me Some if you think 16.2 is particularly big. I’m 5ft 10 and would not consider a horse under 16.1 I prefer riding bigger , IMO any size can go wrong and there is a lot of factors but obviously size is one of them particularly as a taller horse when young needs to be given more time to strengthen , that contributes to the long term soundness of a horse.

This always makes me laugh too...16.2 is just horse sized to me...anything under 16hh is tiddly ??

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

If the horse is tall enough the prices of rugs goes down my 17:3 had a whole range of rugs I bought for around £12 in the sale.You could argue everything for the bigger horse is better value , full livery prices are usually the same for bigger horses, shoeing likewise. It amuses me Some if you think 16.2 is particularly big. I’m 5ft 10 and would not consider a horse under 16.1 I prefer riding bigger , IMO any size can go wrong and there is a lot of factors but obviously size is one of them particularly as a taller horse when young needs to be given more time to strengthen , that contributes to the long term soundness of a horse.

lol I am 5ft 8 and my new mare 16.1hh is big enough for me, all my others have been smaller. 16.2hh would be my max as I don't enjoy looking up and not being able to look my horse in the eyes and get crooked neck. Never buy anything bigger. I find she is big enough for me

 

[Ownedby4horses]

I've had bigger horses (got up to 17.3 at one point), my current mare is a Dales x standing at 14hh (i'm 5ft 9), I wouldnt go back to bigger horses, smaller is much more fun and easier to do everything with.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I describe my horse as a 16.2hh behemoth, not because I think 16.2hh is particularly tall in the grand scheme of things but because she's also about 16.2hh wide, has an extra full head and is generally a mammoth, makes most rugs look like mini-skirts even brands known to be "generous", so she fully fills 16.2hh worth of space. Despite "only" being 16.2, she's a big horse. I've dealt with up 17.2hh horses that felt like smaller horses than her.

The OP was asking about horse up to 16.2 so it's relevant in the context of this thread to talk about a 16.2hh horse as a larger horse. Especially as the disadvantages on a larger animal start to apply around the 16hh mark depending on how tall the person is.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I agree that I think of anything below 16hh as teeny and anything between that and 17.2hh as pretty average But as PF says, I have come across horses who are 18hh and don't feel so large as they're pretty fine and daintily built, and then a big ID heavyweight hunter who is 16.2hh and looks like the biggest horse on earth.. it depends on how chunky they are. My boy is 'only' a 7ft3 in rugs and a full size in bridles, he has a 17 inch saddle too as we need to sit it about 2 inches further back than normal due to high withers. So it largely depends on the horse in question.

 

[Annagain]

As I discovered yesterday, if they're big, they can't sneak themselves into the middle of a thicket you never knew was possible to get into and spend god knows how long gorging on crab apples. They just go a little way into the thicket (far enough so you can't find them and give yourself a heart attack thinking they've been stolen) and stand there staring longingly at their smaller friend who has ducked under branches to get to the apples. This isn't much help though as you then have to spend 20 minutes getting said friend out backwards (assuming he's got stuck) only for him to turn round and go straight back in once you've taken your big guy out of the field.

 

[windand rain]

I always rode big horses at riding schools but now have a 13.1 highland pony. If you intend to compete then bigger might be better for some things but generally speaking the taller they are the more likely they are to break. Think this has something to do with the mindset of owners of young horses. I was at a livery yard teaching when someone brought in a late yearling ID to back and lunge in the school being a bit appalled I asked if the horse was older than I remembered as had been teaching the year before when it arrived as a weanling. Their answer was "we are breaking him in now before he gets too big and strong" Cannot repeat my comment as I was horrified. So if thats the general consensus no wonder the bigger the are the more likely they are to break. Actually I know thats not the case but it illustrates a point. Scientifically 15.2 is the biggest skeleton a horse can sustain after that everything progressively gets strained beyond its limits which is why without the knowledge to ease that many big horses breakdown

 

[Widgeon]

My perfect size was 15.2, after a 16.2 and 16.3. He was just right and I liked he had more space in my lorry and stable ?
15.2 is the perfect horse imo!

Couldn't agree more....if you're going to size up from ponies then 15.2hh is perfect. My current one is 15.1hh and when I was buying, I knew I wouldn't go higher than 15.2hh unless it could tack itself up and pay its own vet bills.

 

[Green Bean]

Your weight has a lot to do with it, rather than your height, although people with long legs don't look so good on a small horse.
The smaller they are, the cheekier they are. The taller they are can (but not always) equal thinking everything is a fire breathing dragon.
Cob sorts seem to be a battle to keep weight off (although they are not all less than 15:2hh).
Temperament for me has a large role to play, no matter the size
It is a long way to fall off anything taller than 16hh (ask me, it happened this weekend)
What you want a horse/pony for, will dictate what you end up with really. Happy hackers can be any size, but PC and games are probably more suited to a smaller horse. Grand Prix dressage is another ball game, but that too won't dictate what you have at lower levels.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

I have a 17.1hh Suffolk gelding. Most of the positives and negatives have already been covered.

Medication: if he needs it he'll need double. This includes wormers, if he needs worming (we do counts and worm appropriately) you'll need to get him to take more than one syringe. Not a problem for mine, he's usually the one licking the syringe for more.

Farrier: you need a good one. As AA said earlier, these horses can go wrong if you don't treat them properly. Get a farrier who can take into account build and way of going. Mine works with the physio to consider a whole body approach. The shape of his hooves tells me how I need to school him better and what we need to work on.

Falling off: they have a much bigger centre of gravity so if they do decide to take off, you generally stay with them more easily. As previously said, when they trip you can end up with whiplash and any nearby children will learn a few more swear words. As previous have said, the power you feel on a full gallop is incredible.

Patience: people love seeing them out and about. You might have to stop and chat to people a lot. We don't mind. I hack out with a Clydesdale and a shire. We get stopped a lot!

They eat more simply because they weigh more, but that's only hay, mine only has a token feed for his balancer. In terms of bedding it's just like any other horse. My horse is quite clean in his stable so efficient with his shavings.

No one expects me to jump off and get gates, I will if there's a mounting block.

Tack can be made if he doesn't fit in off the shelf sizes and this doesn't cost more than off the shelf, sometimes less.

The biggest advantage is temperament. Through breeding and good training mine is polite, gentle, careful and nice to be around. Never scary or dangerous. I can happily leave a 7 year old to hold him while I run off to get a poo scoop. He's done in hand showing with a 7 and a 10 year old. I can trust him to look after them.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

The horse I bought for my 70 birthday treat is 17.3 ID cross hippo- I have had taller ones but I was much younger then! I like the bigger stride of a big horse, far more comfortable on old bones and joints. I just like looking at him he is so handsome and his handsomeness is enhanced by the size of him lol! The very rare spooks he gives are slow and comfortable to sit to.

cons - a new custom built mounting block was a necessity not a luxury. Never, ever get off mid hack as not a chance of getting back on him (I am 5'4"). He definitely lacks spacial awareness, sometimes I dont think he even sees me standing 2 feet below his eye level! You need to keep on top of his ground manners mostly because he just isn't aware of how huge he is compared to the person standing beside him.

Biggest con of all I am now unable to ride for at least the next 4 months due to injury and I have nobody here to help look after and exercise the big lump for me so his girth increases almost daily on fresh air alone. My retired horse and the donkeys I can deal with still, or one of my family can - nobody is keen to handle the big boy on a regular basis as he can get a bit bargy with non horsey helpers. Turning away a 17.3 very good doer is not a good idea compared to a 15.2 of a more reasonable frame and size.

 

[DottlebangBandersnatch]

It looks like the best height health wise is 15'2. How funny there was one for sale not too long ago that was 15'2 that I was very interested in but she got snapped up before I could do anything. I do love hearing all these stories of big horses and their various characteristics though! Very glad I posted this thread! I'm looking forward to going to uni or somewhere and loaning or getting to ride one of these big boys! It certainly sounds like an experience ?

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I describe my horse as a 16.2hh behemoth, not because I think 16.2hh is particularly tall in the grand scheme of things but because she's also about 16.2hh wide, has an extra full head and is generally a mammoth, makes most rugs look like mini-skirts even brands known to be "generous", so she fully fills 16.2hh worth of space. Despite "only" being 16.2, she's a big horse. I've dealt with up 17.2hh horses that felt like smaller horses than her.

The OP was asking about horse up to 16.2 so it's relevant in the context of this thread to talk about a 16.2hh horse as a larger horse. Especially as the disadvantages on a larger animal start to apply around the 16hh mark depending on how tall the person is.

My comment was tongue in cheek really. A 16.2 TB is going to look alot smaller than your beast of a girl so I know what you mean. The height doesn't always matter, it's the amount of horse around the height, if that makes sense lol

 

[DottlebangBandersnatch]

My comment was tongue in cheek really. A 16.2 TB is going to look alot smaller than your beast of a girl so I know what you mean. The height doesn't always matter, it's the amount of horse around the height, if that makes sense lol

Yes totally get that. Mine is a chunky monster and has huge "big horse vibes" the only time she looks small is when she is standing next to my dad. She used to be feel really big because of how fat she was bit she's slimmed down a lot now.

On reflection I don't think I would get anything smaller than 14'2 that isn't a cob. I'm not looking for a cob because that's all I'm used to and I'd like to try something a bit scopier. I also keep seeing these horses for sale that say "14'1 sadly outgrown" what does that mean? I thought 14'1 would be big enough to last until you're an adult? Perhaps outgrown the level of activity asked for rather than size?

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Yes totally get that. Mine is a chunky monster and has huge "big horse vibes" the only time she looks small is when she is standing next to my dad. She used to be feel really big because of how fat she was bit she's slimmed down a lot now.

On reflection I don't think I would get anything smaller than 14'2 that isn't a cob. I'm not looking for a cob because that's all I'm used to and I'd like to try something a bit scopier. I also keep seeing these horses for sale that say "14'1 sadly outgrown" what does that mean? I thought 14'1 would be big enough to last until you're an adult? Perhaps outgrown the level of activity asked for rather than size?

Quite possibly be that they have outgrown in terms of ability, could mean they they want to do dressage and the horse only likes jumping, or physically if the owner has put on a lot of weight.. Could mean all sorts, it can be a bit of a scapegoat reason.

I would advise you to have a good few rides on something of a finer build or more sporty before you commit to buying however, as it may turn out that it's not for you. Good luck though, you can start a thread on here to help you look if you like or to get opinions from the experienced posters, they're usually great fun to look through

 

[HollyWoozle]

I would definitely choose something smaller next time. Current horse (retired) is 16.2 and had a 15.3 before that. I've ridden quite a few smaller horses and I just can't see the merit in having a bigger one anymore, at least not as a happy hacker type rider. I'm 5'8" but should I get another horse then I'll be aiming for something around 15 - 15.2 mark.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

I have a 14.1 connemara and I'm 5ft 2. She's the best of both worlds because she is cheap to maintain, low enough that I can get on from the ground but she doesn't have horrible choppy pony strides. When we set up grids she copes perfectly well with the same striding as my friends 15hh ISH/cob but struggles if we set it up to suit my other friends 13.2hh welsh/arab.

I think you can't write off a certain height without taking into consideration the pony/horse as a whole.

 

[DottlebangBandersnatch]

Quite possibly be that they have outgrown in terms of ability, could mean they they want to do dressage and the horse only likes jumping, or physically if the owner has put on a lot of weight.. Could mean all sorts, it can be a bit of a scapegoat reason.

I would advise you to have a good few rides on something of a finer build or more sporty before you commit to buying however, as it may turn out that it's not for you. Good luck though, you can start a thread on here to help you look if you like or to get opinions from the experienced posters, they're usually great fun to look through[/Q



Thank you that makes sense. I may well post another thread I've found this forum really helpful in the past.
I will try and borrow someone's bigger horse at some point it makes me feel a bit silly with how much I ride and how much I care for my girl that I've never ridden anything bigger than 15'1.

That was even before I could properly "ride" it was on a friend's quarter horse who just kind of meandered down the path and I didn't even have to do anything. I couldn't even trot! Makes me laugh now at how hopeless I was but it was a lot of fun at the time. We keep ours at home and always have done but I've been volunteering at a local yard to get some more experience. Haven't ridden yet but I'll maybe ask (politely) if I could ride someone's larger pony. I really really don't want to come off as pushy though because I really value my time there and don't want to be dis-invited! Thanks for the thoughts everyone it's given me a lot to consider!

 

[exracehorse]

I have four. My biggest is 17.2. I’m 5.8. But my favourite ride is my 16h as I can wrap my legs around him. 17.2 is a good doer. But looks small in his stable. No problems with rugs as wears a 6.6.

 

[claret09]

my boy is 17.2 and i am about 5ft 5. he is a selle francais. he doesn't actually ride that big. he chose me. we go everywhere on our own even staying overnight at shows. i would never recommend buying a horse as tall as he is but i would never ever have missed out having him. he is now 23 and he is still in full work and we compete regularly showing, jumping (although not big any more - he is far, far too precious) and we do some dressage (generally badly). he has physio every week - yes he is very spoilt but not many big horses look like him

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

My warmblood was 17.2 and a big lad in trot! He needed shoes all round and that cost a few quid. At the time, 15 years ago, big rugs were difficult to find. He lost condition very quickly in cold weather and had every supplement going along with lots of hard feed. My much smaller almost 15.2 cob is barefoot (that has taken a lot of doing), is a standard 6ft3 in rugs, gets very little hard feed BUT I always felt like a giant on him-I’m 5”9.

I can’t think of many advantages of a bigger horse, but whenever there’s a 17hh warmblood on sales livery, I fall in love. There is a cob who is an inch bigger than mine at the yard, but he is massive comparatively, lots wider/bigger, so I guess it’s all down to body type.

 

[SheriffTruman]

As said before, I think you should get the horse that is appropriate for your weight, height, and purpose. So there would be a minimum height requirement, not a max (imo). I'm a small human, but I ride everything happily. Only problem is getting up there!

 

[Mule]

I find the one's over 16 hands are harder to ride, in the sense that they have big movement that you have to keep up with. If they are inclined to be on their forehand as well, it's harder because they are heavy in front. I'm 5'2 so I don't find that easy.

When I first got the beast (16'1) he was very heavy in the hand as his previous rider had held him in a frame rather than develop the muscles for him to carry himself. On top of that he has a long, low set neck so he'd naturally have a lot of weight in front anyway. Dressage lessons turned him in to a different horse. I was amazed by how much nicer he became to ride.

 

[MagicMelon]

Personally I wouldnt choose a big horse just for the hell of it. Obviously you may need to if you were tall, I am tall and look fine on a 17.2hh. Ive had two 17.1/17.2hh horses and didnt find many pro's, simply the con that it hurt a lot more when I fell off them than off a 16hh! I prefer 16 - 16.2hh's even though 16hh's are a little on the small side for me, but I prefer my horses to be short coupled and more pony-like as they're more agile and help me out a lot more when going XC. Big horses I find arent quite as agile in general, smaller horses can skip through adding strides etc. easier. So I guess it depends what you want to do with the horse. You also need a bigger trailer/box for a big horse, it needs more feed etc.

I think you either tend to suit something with a big movement or you dont. I prefer more pony-like buzzy horses personally.