Height vs weight.

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Sizzlea89

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So there's been a subject floating around my yard that I thought I would share to see peoples opinions.
I'm 5 foot tall, 7 and a bit stone. I have a 12 hand welsh section A.
I don't ride my pony as he hasn't been backed.

what would you say is the rule of thumb for weight limits?

someone told me a stone per hand of a native pony.

I'm just a little confused. I bought pirate for my little girl with views that In future I can get myself a 14 hands or round about that kind of height.

many people on the yard have said that I would be able to ride him once he's old enough to back. Just looking for opinions of others as it's good to get advice.

If your not shy can you give me your experience of weight vs height?
 
Hi Sizzlea89 :)

I was brought up riding Fell Ponies, maximum of 13.2hh. I'm 5ft11 & 11 stone. I have done showing on my Fell to a high level, 1m showjumping, Elementary dressage. People always made the odd comment through Pony Club that I was far too big for my pony but weight has never ever been a problem, especially for natives. The only issue I've recently started to have is when schooling in a dressage saddle, my legs cannot reach his side as they hang too long.

A 12hh pony could easily carry 7 and a bit stone without a question & even better that you're only 5ft tall!! It's only this year that I've moved onto a 17hh Dutch Warmblood but I do still love a good hack out on a 13.2hh Fell!
 
A stone per hand is fine for some natives, a 14 hand Highland would carry 14 stone but not many 12 hand sec a ponies would be happy to carry 12 stone, your size sounds fine though for your pony, many small ponies benefit from being ridden by a small adult.
 
Your weight sounds fine for your pony, you are very light. However I have always found a stone per hand bizarre. No way would I have let an 11 stone person ride my shetland, equally not a 13 stone person on my 13.2 Sec C. And definitely no way to 16 stone on either of my current 16hh pluses!
 
I thought I was too heavy for him because when I was younger I always had TBs and highlands to ride. If love a wee hairy highland. They are my fave!
 
Yeah I agree I wouldn't stick a 12 stone person on him as I thought 7 and a bit stone was too heavy. At least I know the sand bags iv got for next year won't be too heavy haha.
 
Until a few years but I was riding my 13hh pony Welsh C, I'm 5'7/8" and around 10 stone, she never had an issue with my height or weight. The only issue was jumping as I would catch the poles with my feet and they would get dragged with us. Luckily she was pretty bomb proof!
Vet never had an issue with me riding her so I didn't worry about peoples comments! If she was still around now, I would have spent the weekend hacking and galloping around!
Ponies are the best!
 
When I worked as an instructor I often used to school and escort hacks on the small ponies, I am 5' 2" and would have weighed about 8 stone - more in the winter with all the added layers. The ponies never had an issue and often needed schooling as most of them could be pretty whizzy. I now have a 14hh Fell that I actually look pretty small on as she takes up my leg so well.
 
You sound fine to me. I don't agree with the stone per hand though. There is no way I would let a 17 stone person on my big boy. More to the point neither he would he lol.
 
I go by the 20% of their weight rule. i wouldnt allow a 13st person on my 13.2. im just under 10st at 5'9 and a bit and i would say that that is his limit.
You are tiny so i would think that you would be ok on him.
 
You'll be fine! I did a lot of riding on a 13.1hh pony last summer. I was just under 10 stone. We had a ball. Probably the most fun I've ever had on a horse. And she popped jumps with me like I wasn't even there :)
The stone per hand rule is stupid but, in general, I think we underestimate horses strength.
 
MrsD123 said:
My main concern is backing any pony while immature, and op' s weight is of minimal concern.
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I'm leaving my pony until he's 4 or 5 before he is backed. Way too many horror stories about backing youngsters too early. They need the time to grow and if you stick extra weight on him, his bones won't allow the growth plates to expand.

Better safe than sorry. I'm a worrier hahahaha.
 
20% of body weight is a good one to go by. I hadn't thought about it before though. I just remember having riding lessons on a very ahem overweight new forest called chubby. She would buck you off when asked to canter. Safe to say she went on a diet and was exercised by lunge. After she lost all the excess weight she was an absolute dream to ride. This is why I worry about being too heavy. She must have been struggling for years.
 
20% of the horses FIT bodyweight. Very important not to get confused with that.

Mind you, 20% for my 13.3 mare is 11st 3, I have had her 9 years and was riding her when I was nearly 13 stone-she didn't bat an eye. I am 11st now though and she's retired but the point is, every horse is different. She's a sec D with dense bone structure and rather compact, plus she was fit when she was sound. I wouldn't have been riding any other 13.3 at that weight!
 
It's not height you should be looking at but width across the loins. A broad backed 14 hand cob will be able to cope with more weight than a 17 hand narrow thoroughbred for instance
 
I was given a formula as a teenager, but can no longer remember it Your weight shoul not be an issue, but I think your height might be,
 
I was always taught that it is amount of bone and breadth of loins that is important, not height of horse - after all, Highlands are bred to take 20st of dead weight and Heavies used to carry men in full armour to battle.
 
I think for heavyweight type horses such as Highlands and chunky cobs then the 20% (including saddle weight) may be okay so long as you were not doing cross country or strenuous jumping.

For lighter-boned horses I think it is fairer to go with 15% (including saddle weight).

A typical wooden tree saddle with metal stirrups would weigh around 7-8kg so you need to add that to your own fully clothed weight before using the formula.

But to be honest for eventing you want to be even less than 15%.
 
Darremi said:
I think for heavyweight type horses such as Highlands and chunky cobs then the 20% (including saddle weight) may be okay so long as you were not doing cross country or strenuous jumping.

For lighter-boned horses I think it is fairer to go with 15% (including saddle weight).

A typical wooden tree saddle with metal stirrups would weigh around 7-8kg so you need to add that to your own fully clothed weight before using the formula.

But to be honest for eventing you want to be even less than 15%.
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What about the minimum weight requirements for endurance? I believe it's 70kg or 75kg depending on the class and some of the arabs competing are pretty diddy. Or the old format eventing system that also had a minimum weight? Was Mark Todd really under 15% of Charisma's weight?
 
I cannot speak for endurance because I have never done it. But I know that male event riders do diet in order to get their weight down as much as possible.

To be honest the lighter the better (within reason, obviously you want to be strong enough to still do it!).
 
Faracat said:
What about the minimum weight requirements for endurance? I believe it's 70kg or 75kg depending on the class and some of the arabs competing are pretty diddy. Or the old format eventing system that also had a minimum weight? Was Mark Todd really under 15% of Charisma's weight?
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75kg is still only 15% of a 500kg Arab.
 
Darremi said:
75kg is still only 15% of a 500kg Arab.
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A TB in fit condition and maybe 15.3/16.00hh + will be 500kg, so one might expect arabs to be less, however, from a "mechanical" point of view it is "bone" that matters.
This is why hunters are measured, up to weight, nothing less than 8" for an adult male rider.
Arabs should have "quality" bone but one may sometimes see "spindly legs" on a smaller T.B., they would not be any use as a hunter.
A fit well muscled and mature horse/pony is better able to carry weight than a poor, unfit, young skinny thing, that is obvious.
A good rider rides a lot "lighter" than a "sack of potatoes".
 
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That would be a pretty big arab to weigh 500kg, my anglo is around that weight when she's fit and she's a much bigger animal than my grey purebred.
 
Faracat said:
That would be a pretty big arab to weigh 500kg, my anglo is around that weight when she's fit and she's a much bigger animal than my grey purebred.
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It's just common sense. If you want to do aerobic horse sports such as eventing or endurance, the lighter the rider the easier for the horse. That is why the jockey's weight is so important in racing.

If you want to just hack at home then it will be less of an issue.
 
This is all very interesting! Glad to see people have basically got roughly the same type of views. Although I was a bit confused about weight of riders and their horses. I do however still think it's a good idea for me to stick to my plan of getting a highland. Just so when my little girl is wanting to go on jacks I can go along with her :) but that means a war with the mr because he wants another dog haha.
 
Darremi said:
It's just common sense. If you want to do aerobic horse sports such as eventing or endurance, the lighter the rider the easier for the horse. That is why the jockey's weight is so important in racing.

If you want to just hack at home then it will be less of an issue.
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I'm not disagreeing with you. Just pointing out that some competitions have minimum weights that horses have to carry. A fine, 14.2hh arab is not going to weigh anywhere near 500kg. Of course I'm sure that most/all riders get as close to the minimum as they can. Charisma was only little and Mark Todd is very tall, so I'd love to know how much % of C's weight he was. RE racing didn't Red Rum win the Grand National carrying 12 stone?
 
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