How big are you? How big is your horse?

[Fairy Dust]

I'm 5'10 and weigh approx 8 stone so have had a 15.2 TB (although she had such a big stride she felt much bigger!)

I now have a 16.3 sport horse but he's quite compact and I feel is the perfect size. Still ride my mum's horse sometimes though and he is 14.1!

 

[Degan]

Im 5'11 and my last boy was 14.3 (had a 17.2 before that!)

Oh and 3 foot nothing on 16.1

 

[Foxford]

I'm 5'10" and I have a 16.1 MW hunter type. I am quite long in the leg which is the only problem, as when I'm at dressage length my ankles hover around the bottom of his belly which can make leg aids a bit tricky.

Jump saddles are a minefield for me as the flaps have to be super-forward cut so I can get my stirrups up!

 

[abitodd]

I am 5ft6 and a bit and 8 stone. I was looking for a youngster to back around the 16h or under range. But the best horse of the 30 or so I looked at was 16.2.
I looked at him and thought TOO BIG,DISMISS....but saw him move and was gobsmacked.
I bought him after a couple of days deliberating and coin tossing,and dowsing etc.
He is now 8 and well above 17h,very capable of coming up through the wither so can be up to 18h in a built up area on dustbin day!
He is however very narrow for a warmblood,so we are suited in build.
The advantage with a big horse is that everything feels slower,giving you more time to act and because you are further from the ground you have more time to prepare your fall!
The only disadvantage I have come up against is when he 'sets' his back and ribcage against me,but I recognise the warning signs now and can 'unstick' him before he turns into 'vulcanite horse.'

 

[Weezy]

Just over 5ft10 and I have a 17.1hh...

Right size for me, although sometimes I do do a bit of pony squishing

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I'm 5ft 4in and my biggest is a 17.2hh TB, my smallest that I ride is a 42" Shetland. I have everything inbetween. I have 3 42" Shetlands of various widths so I am HUGE on one but ok on another.

I have a 12.2hh Dartmoor who is built like the proverbial outhouse. I look fine on him as he really takes up the leg.

A 15.2hh TB who has chunked out very nicely whilst still remaining refined - it's a shame about his hock as he would have made a CRACKING Show Hack! He is now my kick around horse so we just have fun and it feels like I am sitting on a barrel!

A 16hh TB who atm is on the finer side of a Riding Horse but when matured and filled out properly he will be a nice RH weight. I feel quite big on him but I think it's just due to the fact that he still has alot of beefing up and maturing to do. He is only 5 and he has raced since he was 2 so had no time to fill out really.

I have just gained a 17hh TB that is dainty enough to be a Show Hack so I will see how much he beefs up for showing to see what he can do. He's funny, he's quite narrow so it will be interesting to see what I have in a couple of years time.

And then the 17.2hh TB who again has filled out so much he is a Riding Horse but hopefully by this time next year after 6months of recovery work he might be able to do Lightweight Hunters. Sometimes I feel like a pea on a mountain - usually when he grows to 19hh because of something or another! But normally I feel the right size for him.

All of the TB's have been racehorses. 3 of them racing since they were 2 and so are taking longer to find their true builds. The other started at 3 but he was such a big gangly youngster he is taking time to fill out after racing.


At work I ride everything from the dainty 15hh's which I feel huge on to the big 17.2hh's who I feel right on.

 

[xRobyn]

5'7" and 15.1hh. I probably ride too short but am training myself to stabilise my lower leg with longer stirrups.

I rode another welsh D a few weeks ago, only about 3" smaller than Phil but I felt like I was sinking into his back and he felt tiny! In comparison, rode a few between 13-14hh and felt fine! I've also ridden my friend's 16.1hh TBx who was lovely, felt about the same as Phil, and her 17.3hh chunky mare! I didn't feel too small on her but looked like a pea on a drum!

 

[missparis]

I'm 5'2/5'3" and ride a 17hh Hanoverian. I dont think I look too silly riding him! I am comfortable riding horses between 14-17.1hh, although my preference is 15.3-16.2hh.

I was not looking for a horse bigger than 16.2hh in my initial search but my dream horse was for sale so was not put off by height. The only downfall is he is an extremely clean and scopey jumper and our height mismatch can make it a bit difficult at times. Either way, love him to bits and learning lots from him

PS I have lost 7kg since this pic so not so porky now!

 

[Vicki-Finn-Perry]

Not many pony riders so far!!

Im 5foot 1(ish!) and ride my chunky native type 13.3 ponio!

The biggest i would go on is 15h anything bigger is just to high up for me!

Here's my lad!

 

[Captain Bridget]

I'm 5'8 and ride a 16.2hh currently, I feel a good size on him. But because I'm fairly lightweight I can ride ponies too, although I have long legs so it does look a bit silly! At college I rode things from 13hh to 17.2hh but prefer 16.2/3. I do ride with pretty short stirrups for my leg length though, it's awkward as I have long upper legs so my knee is always quite far forwards.

My current 16.2hh [French Trotter so not hugely wide]

My previous ride, 17hh Irish TB

And a 15.1hh at college, yes she is wearing leg warmers!

I find it amusing that my leg look very similar in all these pics as in where it is on the horse... I wish I had pictures of me on something much smaller!

 

[myfatpony]

I'm 5ft7 and appros 8.7st and I have a 13.2hh

This is us at a show in July

 

[wench]

I am about 5th 6/7 currently have a 16.0 ish tb. Previous was 16.3 NH tb.

 

[LaurenM]

I'm 5ft5 and have a 15.2 & 16.0. The 15.2 takes up my leg and the 16 was bought prior to me riding her. She feels smaller than what she is but then I guess I'm used to her now!

 

[Donnie Darco]

Me 5'11"
Lyla is 16.1 ish (smaller than I wanted but she perfect in every other way!!!)

Old man Darco was 16.3 dwb

 

[soulfull]

5ft 6in ride 16h WB. which is perfect for me

 

[Waterborn]

My daughter rides her 16.3HH and has been doing a bit on my 1st home bred pony 13.1HH who's up for loan

 

[Fools Motto]

I am 5'4'' and have a 15hh (on tip toes!) and a yearling NF who ''should'' make 13.2hh. I don't mind what she does make, she is my 'future to loan PC pony'', so it's unlikely that I will ride her on a full term basis!
I weigh about 10.5 st, losing Ilbs daily (yippeee) and am very happy with the size of my horses. Doubt I would want anything bigger now.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I think it depends on (1) leg length to body size ratio and (2) with horses, how rotund they are!

I'm 5.3" but have short legs; and my horse is 15.1hh but is a chunky cob, so I do feel quite small on him.

I have ridden a 16.2, but because she was narrower my legs came down further and I didn't feel she was too big for me; the photo I had took confirms this.

I always thought that the "ideal" size was for the bottom of the rider's boot to be parallel with the underside of the horse's girth/belly line. Less was rider too small; more was rider too big.

 

[gina2201]

I'm 5'9, so fairly tall, and the horses I have owned have been 16.1 and 17hh, purely because I wanted a TB so although you can get smaller ones, I feel too tall on smaller horses even though I can ride them if I was required to as I'm quite slim. They just turned out to be the right horse at the right time, but when I have a look for horses, I do adjust my search to 16hh +

 

[Mildred]

I am 5'6 and my horse is 16.2 ish - I think she is a bit big for me, she's quite a hefty mare and I struggle to hold her together. I think a horse of similar build to her would suit me better at 15.2 or so, or bigger for a tb - my last tb was 17.2 but very short coupled - he only wore 6 ft rugs, and I felt ok on him, not over-horsed.

 

[SO1]

I am about 5.1ft and I have 13.2ish NF obviously he is small and has short legs but I never feel that he is small, but then sometimes I forget that I am small too! He also thinks he is a big horse as well.

 

[4faults]

Love the pictures of everyones horses

I also have a 16.1h coming next week, shes quite fine will be interesting to see how she rides compared to the bigger two.

 

[Evadiva1514]

Im 5'6, weigh just over 8st and ride my little beasties listed below:

15hh Anglo arab x Welsh:

15.3hh Con x Tb:

14.3hh LW Irish Cob:

15.1hh arab x Trak

16.2hh Trakehner:

...and last but not least 14hh Highland Pony:

 

[-Cadence-]

5 foot 8 (And a half, that's an important half inch!)
With Rossi, 17.2hh, Dutch Warmblood. I think I make him look smaller than he is!

Ansgar, 6y/o Dutch Warmblood, about 16.2hh, a big difference though!

And with my still growing yearling (oops!) also, this is us in the middle of a hurricane, singin' in the rain

 

[FigJam]

I am (at a guesstimate!) about 5'6 and pony squish poor Hopalong who is only 15.2 (15.1 on her passport, but I think she's a little bigger than that?!) She is a cob-x though and takes a 6'3 rug, so seems to ride a little bigger. Notice her shortness most when riding in dressage saddle at dressage length as I have to make sure to keep my toes out of the way of her elbows! Even still, I don't think we look too out of proportion?!

I ride quite short for jumping anyway and she doesn't let her lack of height get in the way of getting airborne!

 

[Ella19]

I'm 5'3" and pony is 14.2hh. Anything bigger than 15hh I feel over horses and too much to ride forward and collect effectively.

 

[Ella19]

 

[Stormy123456]

I'm 5'10 and I ride my 15.2hh, my 16hh and a friends 17.1hh

16hh

15.2hh

 

[Walrus]

I'm 5'8" with quite quite long legs, pony is 13.2hh. Backed him last year, first show and dressage this year. Before him I was hacking point to pointers - I felt bigger on some of them!

 

[HLOEquestrian]

I'm 5'4 and I have a 15hh and a 14.2

Here is my 15hh