Does size really matter?

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SarahK

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Just out of curiosity, what do you feel is the largest horse that someone who is 5ft 3 can ride?

Will be buying a horse with my friend who is 5ft 3 and she has a thing about not wanting a horse bigger than 15.3hh. Well i am 5ft 8 and prefer to ride larger horses. We want a very safe happy hack that will also do low level rc stuff someties.

Does size really matter if the horse has a good temperament?
 
I know at 5 foot 4, although I have never had a big horse, personally I wouldn't look over 16 hands. For me, size does matter. A 15.2 being a prat on the ground I feel I can deal with, and 16.2 and I get nervous. I would much rather be under horsed than overhorsed. Thats just me though
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I think she should get a pony
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. I know of one
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.
 
It depends on the individual... personally i feel happiest on a 14.2/15hh.. and wont look for bigger even though im 5'7.

To me, big horses are scary after i got thrown off a big 16.3hh and its a huge mind over matter but its there nonetheless!!
 
It really depends on how you ride and the temperament of the horse. Some big buggers turn out to be more ladies horses and some are better with a man. As long as you have the capabilities to what that particular horse needs then I dont see a problem with being little, are you both at the same level in yr riding?
 
I am 5' 3" and am happier on my 14.3 Welsh x ... and do not like riding anything bigger
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.... you can get some really nice cobby types at this height that will quite happily take your height and you will not feel underhorsed, I promise
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I am 5' and have a 16.2. I am so used to her though, she doesn't feel or seem big anymore.

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However stick me on a 17.1 and....

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That's just plain silly!

Jojo x
 
i am 5' 2" and i have a 14.2 hh pony. i wouldn't go much bigger than this.( don't like heights)
its the getting on and off you have to consider here aswell.
if your friend was hacking out alone and needed to dismount to open a gate or another reason, would she beable to get back on a bigger horse. i know i wouldn't.
you can quite easily get a heavier , smaller horse that will accomodate both of you.
good kuck with the search!
 
because i am 5ft 8 nothing below 16.3 for me....agree with above post...i have fell off my lad 17hh and it is a bloody long way to fall,lol,however it didnt affect me,however his manners on the ground are impeccable,a big horse with no manners is a danger to anyone
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,have dealt with a few piggish big boys and they are sods
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im 5ft3 and i dont mind riding anything up to 16.2hh, but it also depends how the horse rides, if it rides small then im comfortable but if it is long striding then nothing over 16hh.
i do prefer riding ponies though, but i dont think size really matters x
 
At a push I can get back on my mare. Thankfully she's sensible enough for me to launch myself at her from gates etc.

I always swore I would never get anything over 15.3, she was 16 and a bit when I got her and just over the 16.2 now.

I definately wouldn't let size put me off the right horse.

Jojo x
 
I'm 5'8 and like the bigger horses - Kalli is a very big 16.2ish (I look tiny on her!). and I think she's normal sized.

At 5'8 I think most horses over 17hh are 'big' and over 18hh and they're Far Too Big- I feel overhorsed if they start messing about.

However, someone who's 5'3 is 5 inches shorted than me - that's more than a hand. So to them 16hh horses are 'big' and something Kalli size (to me, 'normal') is Far Too Big.

It does depend what you're used to too - I spend two weeks away, working with ponies (well, 15.2hh) and when I got home Kalli was HUGE!!! I used to ride proper ponies all the time (14.2 and under) but not they are just tiny and I wouldn't feel happy sitting on them.
 
Nooo I'm 5ft 8 and ride a 14.3, 15hh and a 16.3! Tbh I feel way more comfortable on the smaller ones both on board and on the ground. Plus the good old natives take weight and are cheaper to feed etc! Pony squashing all the way for moi!

But honestly within reason it doesn't matter what size you ride, as long as you and the horse are happy.
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Im 5"7 and have a 15.2 but im more than happy to ride anything bigger. But for some strange reason i will be reluctant to ride anything smaller than my horse. I find i feel safer on a bigger horse.

But if you and the horse are happy what does size matter.
 
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I find i feel safer on a bigger horse.


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I think it's because things USUALLY happen alot slower than on a pony with same level of naughtyness! Plus theres normally more to grab hold of. I prefer a big strapping irish or a big handsome Magnus any day!
 
Well P is 16.2hh and i am 5ft11 and I feel big on her. I have allowed a 12 year old to ride her recently who is novice, a big wuss and only about 5ft3 and she has gotten on so, so well it is proof that it isn't the size, it is the horse!
 
I'm just shy of 5ft4, and ride a 17.3hh TBXShire regularly. I rarely feel like he is too much horse for me, only when doing any tricky schooling when I can't wrap my leg around him. Despite the fact I would probably look less odd on a smaller horse, I feel HUGE on anything smaller than 16hh. I think its all in what you are used to, as before him my regular mount was 14.3hh!
 
ive ridden from a 14.2 connie x to a 18.1 ISH and feel safer on anything over 15.3. The 14.2 just felt plain strange. Not big enough and felt like there was nothing in front of me. like i was sat straight on his neck and that the shuolders had dissapeared LOL

Am actually going to view a 17.2 warmblood in the next couple of weeks.

Oh and BTW - Im only 5ft 4!!!!!!!!!!
 
I am 5,3 and looking to buy a horse at the moment - would prefer something around 16.2-3 and think 16h is too small. My last horse was 16.2. But I want to SJ and a bigger horse tends to have a bigger stride and reach which is obviously an advantage in the bigger classes. (not that I will be riding those!) If you think about that a 138cm pony jumps 10cm smaller classes than a 148, but that horses from 15hto 17.3h compete over the same height, it highlights that there really can be an advantage to have a bigger horse.

Basically, I will go as big as i can as long as my stumpy smurf-like legs legs reach beyond the saddle flaps!
 
I'm 5'4 n have ridden every size horse from little shetlands(i only weigh about 8st) up to a 17.2ish warmblood but i find 14.2 is a good size for me. I probably wouldnt look at anything bigger than 16h but dont mind squashing the ponies.
 
I dont think it matters as long as you get on well with the horse.. I am 5ft 4in and my boy is 17.2 Warmblood and I dont feel too small on him
 
I'm 5ft 7 and ride my 17.1hh, however I am used to him now and he is an absulute star both to ride and to handle on the ground. In many ways he is easier than some ponies at my yard. There are some very young kids who are much happier tacking up pickle (using a mounting block for saddle!!) than doing certain ponies!
 
i'm 5ft1 and have ridden everything from 11hh, to 17.2.

I can now conclude that for me, it is the build combined with the personality that matters more than the height itself. I feel safer on a naughty 16.2 warmblood than a naughty 14h lightweight pony, because theres more to hang onto.
I rode 17hh IDx and felt completely comfortable galloping about but on a 17hh brick **** house ploddy shire i was nervous because he was so much stronger and stockier that if he did ever bolt i was a spec on him.

Probably had no chance on the Idx either but its a mental thing.

i wouldn't rule out looking at horses just because they're big/small but i would take it into account alongside personality.

Oh and i got on the 17.1 shire from the ground when i had to. Even tho it was a struggle it is possible.
 
I echo the thought that it depends on the combination.

My share horse, Kali is a big 16.2hh but I feel safe on her (I'm 5'2" just!!!). Before her i'd not ride anything above 15.2hh as I felt it was too big but I didn't have much choice with Kali as her owner chose her. Only problem is getting used to her big strides!
 
I'm actually struggling a bit with my 14.1 sec D at the moment because he feels too small & his stride too short & quick. It's silly because he isn't too small & his stride isn't really short & quick! The problem is I'm used to riding something too big for me who has a slow, rhythmical stride with lots of power behind it. I suspect it isn't so much the actual size that people struggle with but rather how it compares to what they're used too - I know that's my problem.
 
I am just under 5ft3 and my ideal size of horse is anything between 15.2-16.2hh.

I can ride pretty much any size of horse, but I prefer the feeling of a bigger horse, and having some neck infront of you - which is why I would tend to avoid anything below about 15hh - though it does depend on the horse. With regards to bigger horses, I am comfortable on a 16.2hh, but it very much depends on the individual horse. I've ridden some *big* 17.2hhs and though I can ride and control them, its just not really comfortable for me, because I don't have the length in the leg to easily keep them up together.

The horse I ride regularly at the moment is a large 16.1hh - she is long in the back and neck, and fairly chunky, so I look really tiny on her, but I find her about right to ride because she goes more like a pony, and doesn't have a huge stride.

So yeah, in my opinion it comes down more to the individual horse - a big striding 15.2hh can feel much bigger to ride than a ponylike 16.2hh.
 
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