height of horses, what are your limits?

16.2hh, I got an Ifor 505 and it only goes that high. Not really keen on much bigger despite being 5'7 I ride a bit short, so I think I would make the trailer height my limit.
 
I prefer ponies, but I have happily ridden 17hh+ and I'm only 5ft 3.

If I were buying though I'd want under 15.2hh as it's all just so much easier when they're small! Mine is 14.2hh and perfect for me :)
 
No limit mine is 17.2hh and one I'm bringing back to work to show is 18.1hh very big movement took a bit of getting used to but I love him! I don't know how people can say they are too big! He's a HW hunter it's his job to be big and he was bred to big a big lad!
 
I would not go over 16 hh by preference. Our largest is 16.1hh. I don't have a problem with other people having a big horse though, esp. if you are 6 ". I am not much over 5 ", so that is probably why. I would look silly on anything too big.

I do believe that the bigger horses (anything over 15 hh) tend to have more lameness issues, and find that ponies are tough and nothing much ever goes wrong with them, something my vet has agreed with, when I have commented on it.
 
I'm 5'6'" and my boy is 17.1. When I first saw him he was stabled with another 3 large hunters and I nearly passed out - I thought they were huge. It's amazing how quickly you get used to riding larger horses though, they were all sweeties to ride.
 
I don't have a height limit as such. Am more limited by how wide a horse is as I struggle with being comfortable on tank-like horses regardless of height or lack thereof. Have ridden horses 17-17.2hh and felt more at ease than on my 14.1hh Highland Pony. I am 5'4".
 
My preferred height is 15.3 - 16.1hh - I'm 5ft2, so actually look fine on anything from 12.2hh, but prefer the feel of a slightly bigger horse.

I'll happily ride anything up to about 17hh, but once they get above 16.2hh, if they're particularly wide, or strong, or unresponsive to the leg, I struggle to have the length of leg or the strength to hold them together. I can still ride them, but less effectively.

I think height itself is much less important than build though - I ride a 15.2hh narrow TB mare and she feels no bigger than a 14hh show pony that I also ride.
 
My first horse after returning to riding was a 17.3 nutter I had on loan. He was amazing to ride but had terrible manners and was extremely hard to handle on the ground for a 5'2" short arsed novice like me :)

Next horse was 16.3 but wonderful to handle, then went on to 14.2 and now ride a 13.2, which I am happier with as not as far to fall!
 
candyhorse said:
We recently bought a 17.3hh Irish draught, he is a lovely boy and I am 6 foot so I don't look small on him. However, I am constantly hearing "he is too big" and "what a stupidly sized horse". Personally, I have nothing against big horses providing they have manners and are light in the hand.


What are other peoples thoughts? Do you have a limit on how big you will go?

ps) Have attached a picture of the big boy!

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First off ignore them at 6 foot you are hardly going to fit a 14.2 pony.

I always said 14.2 was big enough for me (I am 5ft 4) and I ended up with a 17.2 and a 14.2 so we can say all we want but often fete tells us which horses we are having
 
When we looked for horses I deliberately didn't want us to have anything bigger than around 16h2", not that my daughter wouldn't be able to control them or would 'look stupid' on a huge horse. I was just being practical, if we bought much bigger we could have problems transporting them with the headroom in either a trailer or lorry. :)
 
I am 5.1ft and would not go any bigger than 15h as it is not just about the riding but the handling on the ground etc and with a big horse saddling up, rugging, getting on etc is going to be more difficult for a short person. Also I want to be able to get on and off unaided as in case I need to out hack or fall off.

My pony is 13.2.
 
I'm the same as OP just under 6ft and most of it leg so I don't really have a limit. My (almost) 3yo WB filly is currently about 17hh so there is a possibility that she will be a gigantor by the time she's finished growing (the string test makes her a good 17.3hh), but it doesn't really bother me I'm plenty tall enough and will be easy to spot on a ginger giant! :).

I probably wouldn't go as big if I was short however after watching my short friend attempt to remount her big WB out hunting/at competitions etc when he's excitable and won't stand still properly :p.
 
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I have no height limits at all! I ride 10.2hh Shetlands, 17.2hh racehorses and everything in between :D I'm 5ft4" and oddly enough I am comfortable riding my natives, I feel a little big on the Shetlands but I have ridden them all my life and know how to, I have a 12.2hh Dartmoor who is built like the proverbial outhouse and I feel and look fine on him. My 13.2hh Fell fits me just perfectly. I feel most at home on my 17.2hh TB though to be honest. I feel neither too big nor too small. The ones that I feel that I should maybe not ride as I am too big for at the 15-15.2hh racehorses at work. I don't know why, but then again I do like having alot in front of me.
 
Eventhough I'm hardly short and look perfectly fine on my friends 17.1hh, from my own point of view to buy I prefer them smaller. I like more buzzy, compact type horses (my current one is 16hh). I find they get a lot lankier as they get bigger which I just dont seem to suit. Also I dont think anything over 17hh would fit in my trailer ;)
 
I am tall (5 foot 10) and so look best on horses over 16.2 hh. But I prefer riding small horses. 15.2hh to 16.2hh is my ideal range. Unless a horse was exceptionally light in the hand and off the leg, I would not consider a horse bigger than this. My pet hate is small women riding huge horses. Unless they are exceptionally good riders and can ride them to their full potential, and then I'm fine with it. But I am bemused at why some women just love huge horses even if they can't ride them well, though sometimes they are completely ignorant of the fact.
 
My horse is 17.3 and im 5'6 but she not built massively just very tall. I feel fine on her, in fact I feel too big on anything under 16h
 
I'm not really fussed by height, I'm short and scrawny so anything 14hh plus - have competed sj on a 17.2 and dressaged an 18 hander :D. I do school the little ones at times but feel silly on anything much under 14hh. Ginger horse is 15.3hh.

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To ride, I don't have an upper limit. To own, it depends on build etc - personally I don't have any desire for anything over a chunky 15,2 simply because they are generall easy to mount, easy to get stuff to fit, no issues getting decapitated on hacks, etc. Generally I'm happy with the practical side of big ponies and not swayed by the competitive spark of smart lighter horses who are taller or big giants. But if I ha one I liked or had a reason to own one, all that would change ;)
 
13.2 - 15.2.
I'm only 5.2 so I need something I can see over the back of when grooming etc. I've ridden a 12.3 welsh and although she carried me easily I did feel a bit big, didn't help that she was really finely built. The biggest I've gone is 17.2 and hated it! its So far to fall! I needed a parachute to get down! I couldn't ride him well either and felt I was carrying his head all the time.
 
I'm 5ft 10 and put off anything over 17hh and 6ft 9 after my friend got her huge 17.2hh which has had to have a new horsebox and she can never share lifts with anything bigger than a pony!!!
 
I'm 5ft 5 and my horse is 17.2. If I was to buy another horse I would ideally like a 15.2 but I do get to see in peoples houses, gardens and see what's going on riding a 17.2!
 
I'll get on anything really providing it'll carry me. I have ridden an 11hh pony, up to 18.2hh HW chunky monkey. However, if I were buying, I'd look around the 15-16hh mark.

Current ned is a smidge under 15hh but very broad so takes up my leg nicely, I'd go smaller providing it still took up my leg but being 5ft7 and if I'm honest, quite chunky, I do tend to look silly on really small ponies.
 
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