bigger horses

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clairefeekerry1

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i'm looking for new horse and i have always been pretty much a pony person, most of my horses have been between 14.2 and 15.2. i am actually quite a tall adult rider-apprx 5ft7 and 9.5st. have always discounted big horses i.e 16.2, 16.3 and god forbid 17.h upwards just coz i'm not used to riding them but this narrows my search. somebody sell big horses to me!!! would i feel okay on one??
 
I know where you are coming from.

My fav girl is nearly 17hh, and we get on great from the ground, and have a lovely realtionship.

I plucked up the courage to ride her at the beach a few weeks ago( figured if Ifell it would be a softer landing
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I should not have worried, it was great, her trot, I could rise to all day, and the canter was so smooth.

Why not have a few lessons on a bigger horse, the horses that I thought were big before seem to be getting smaller each time I see them now
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I'm only 5ft2 and like you had spent my whole life on smaller horses/ponies and I now have a 17.3hh. It felt like going from one extreme to the other but loved it. It took some time to get used to riding him and his strides but well worth it I think
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I'm 5'6 about 9 stone, have a 15.2hh lightweight tb and a 17hh middleweight hunter - prefer to ride the big horse - nicer strides - no 'pony trot' so is far more comfortable, makes jumping seem easier as all seem smaller when on the big horse which givesme false hope/confidence!!

Canter is a long stride and so easy to sit to compared to the shorter strides of the small horse. But I love them both equally in their own ways.
 
well interestingly enough my instructor thinks i will feel more safe and secure on a bigger horse and deal with the strides better etc. just seems so weird tacking them up etc!!!!!
 
Big horses and small horses (especially 17hh ID / Warmblood types compared to 15.2hh TB types) are like comparing handgliders with jumbo jets!!
IME big horses are rarely 'nippy' and aren't commonly 'sharp' either, even the buckers out there normally only put you at risk of sea sickness, rather than getting catapulted to the floor!
Granted the difference between a 15.2hh heavy and a 17hh heavy are minimal, but surely in this case that is a good thing??
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Very welcome to come over and sit on a couple of my 17hh and see! They react slower & move more comfortably - but yes, the rugs are bigger and the saddle has to go up higher! I always feel much less like I'm going to fall off on them than a 14.2!

Takes some getting used to but I love them now - i always used to ride 15.2 -16hh 7/8 TB types but my partner is 6'3 so he won't countenance little ones
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I have always had bigger horses, my current being 16.2. I absolutely love big horses, my old one was 17.1 and it was like riding a mountain!!
 
ali_m - I beg to differ! my lad is both nippy and sharp - but only when you want it.

I have a 16.3 IDx. he's short backed, and built like a body builder (muscles in places I didn't know needed muscles!). he is a pocket rocket, can turn on a sixpence and accelerate like a F1 car! you say go and before you've finished saying it he's gone!

he's so calm and gentle and cuddly in the stable, and only gets fired up when you are (or he spots a jump! ;-) ).

his stride is smooth and comfortable, he can go all day. His canter eats away at distances, and his gallop is like flying. And he stops when you ask, except for out hunting when he stops with everyone else!

Don't get me wrong ponies and small horses can be excellent fun, but I like to look down on my fences, and be able to get strides in comfortably between fences - no half strides please!

sold?
 
I'm around 5ft7 and used to share a 17.2hh wb x tb. Now i share a 16.2hh tb. I prefer big horses myself.

I agree with jenhunt. (My share horse sounds pretty much like her horse!)

I also used to ride a 15.1hh cob who, even though i loved riding, he still was hard work to get moving. I used to have to wear spurs on hacks and he still only plodded along.
 
They're not so big....!

17.1 8 yr old dark grey ISH
17.1 10 yr old tri coloured
17.2 10 yr old dapple grey
17.3 6 yr old bright bay (yes he's quite big - but the easiest to stay on!)
also 16.3 chestnut maxi cob type - the smallest and the most lethal!

They're easy to jump - point & sit still - all good in traffic etc - just need to stand on a box to pull their manes!
 
I love big horses, I look stupid on anything even 16hh with quite a narrow barrel, my lad is 16hh but suffolk cross and perfecct for me. I feel safe on a big horse, there's so much more there, the downside is they can be strong but you just need to learn to ride that (and many aren't anyway!).
 
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