Can my kids New Forest pony carry me?

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Fhurley

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My childrens NF pony is 13.7 Would she be able to carry me comfortably? I'm 5.5 and about 11 and a half stone.

She seems sturdy enough, but am unsure.
 
Yes she will be able to carry you but won't be comfortable. IMO you are too heavy.


I lass I know put her pony (14hh) on loan to another girl, this second lass was heavy and the poor ponies back would dip as she mounted and NOT regain its shape so was ridden with a hollow back. The horse coped but had no choice, it is amazing what an animal will endure.
 
It depends on the pony's build. New Forest ponies are sturdy, but they are not all built like a brick out house.

If she has plenty of bone (nice sturdy legs) then she will be fine with 11 stone. My lad is 14.2hh and 'beefy' and I weight 12 1/2 to 13 stone, we regularly ride four to five hours a day up and down the hills of the Quantocks.
 
Our NF is 12.3hh and has carried me for ten years at ten and a half stone without any problems at all, although I am now nine and a half stone :) he still tanks off with me lol.

I think it depends on how old the pony is, how light a rider you are and how long you intend to ride him for
 
NeilM said:
It depends on the pony's build. New Forest ponies are sturdy, but they are not all built like a brick out house.

If she has plenty of bone (nice sturdy legs) then she will be fine with 11 stone. My lad is 14.2hh and 'beefy' and I weight 12 1/2 to 13 stone, we regularly ride four to five hours a day up and down the hills of the Quantocks.
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Yes and that :) Ours has 8 inch of bone!
 
KS1 said:
Yes she will be able to carry you but won't be comfortable. IMO you are too heavy.


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Load of old tosh! If you have an old fashioned forester it will carry you with ease!
My chunky monkey forester is 13.1 and carrys me with no problems what so ever and I am 10 and a half stone.
 
Thanks for the advice. My children would be riding her most of the time, but I would like to take her occasionally with a friend. I'm used to big horses so she seems quite small to me, but doesn't show any signs of slowing down with me on her back. She's great fun!
 
I've just been shot down:( enquiring after a 13.2 connemara that looks - in the phot on the ad - to have the proper pony build) - at 11 stone.
The 11 to 12 stone rider and the 13 to 14 hh pony seems to be a perennially debatable combination. I guess as always it's down to the individual.
 
If the pony has good conformation,bone and is reasonably fit he will carry you no problem. 'Proper' New Forest ponies can carry adults easily. At the NF Breed show held each August Bank Holiday weekend the Weight Carrying Pony class requires them to carry a MINIMUM of 12st 7lbs and the riders are weighed before the class!
My now deceased Aunt used to hunt and colt hunt her 12.2hh black NF stallion for full days, at her heaviest she must have weighed at least 13st. The drifts to herd the wild ponies off of the forest can be manic and you can easily end up going at full pelt over very uneven terrain for some distance. Great fun, quite dangerous and the only breed I, personally, would ever want to do it on is a genuine forest bred pony!
 
KS1 said:
Yes she will be able to carry you but won't be comfortable. IMO you are too heavy.


I lass I know put her pony (14hh) on loan to another girl, this second lass was heavy and the poor ponies back would dip as she mounted and NOT regain its shape so was ridden with a hollow back. The horse coped but had no choice, it is amazing what an animal will endure.
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When you are talking about NF ponies this is a load of old cobblers frankly. And if you don't believe me, I would respectfully suggest you contact the NF pony publicity group, the NF pony enthusiasts RC (Riding Club of the year this year no less!) or the Breed Society and seek their opinions. You should see them round here with men and heavy women riding them, I can't tell you how wrong you are, almost without exception these ponies are having a blast. You should have seen the opening meet of the hunt today!

OP get on and start riding!
 
PennyJ said:
When you are talking about NF ponies this is a load of old cobblers frankly. And if you don't believe me, I would respectfully suggest you contact the NF pony publicity group, the NF pony enthusiasts RC (Riding Club of the year this year no less!) or the Breed Society and seek their opinions. You should see them round here with men and heavy women riding them, I can't tell you how wrong you are, almost without exception these ponies are having a blast. You should have seen the opening meet of the hunt today!

OP get on and start riding!
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I think its a bit presumputous to say that surely. We don't know the level of fitness, build or tack for the pony. I have a 13.2hh forest bred pony and I ride him and i'm 5'4 and 9.5 stone. He is very well built BUT as he is young and muscles undeveloped and he only has a 16inch saddle I wouldnt dream of putting 12 stone on him for any amount of time. It is likely the rider will sit over the cantle putting undue pressure over the vertibrae of the back which is weakest.

I think if the OP wishes to ride him an adult saddle will be necessary, not a little childs saddle. The pony will need to time to fitten and adjust to the weight, and having seen some of the ponies at the NPS summer champs/Three counties Show/Royal London - they are far too 'light' to be carrying such weights. Many NF ponies these days have been bred lighter in the frame to account for more strenous/fast SJ courses and PC activities and as such have not been bred to carry the weights they were originally bred for.
 
I can see both sides here.. A lot of people are talking about the 'ideal' New Forest, the ones you see out competing in breed classes etc. Ones with good conformation and definitely sturdy enough to carry reasonable weight.

However, there are a lot of appalling NF ponies about, and a huge variation of 'type'. I have seen many NFs with terrible conformation and such a lack of bone that personally I wouldn't ride them (3+ stone less than the OP).

Fhurley - sounds like you know your pony well enough to judge, a 'good' NF should theoretically have no problem at all in carrying you :)
 
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