How big do you like your horses to be?

How big would you like your horse to be?

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kippen64

kippen64

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thinkingabouthorses.blogspot.com.au
What is your ideal size for a horse? For instance I have a 14.1hh Highland Pony and a 15.2hh Thoroughbred but my daydream is for 17.2hh lump of a hunter with a huge Roman nose. Which of course is silly because I am 5'4" or 163cm tall and cannot even justify on the basis of being heavy because I am not.

I look forward to your answers. Cheers.
 
Im only eight stone but quite tall 15.2 would be perfect for me. Sadly the smallest i have now is 16.2 TB 16.2 cob built like a tank 17 maybe bit more WB built like a tank
 
I am, as my OH says, a pixie. 5'2" at best and 120lbs soaking wet.
I like my horses small, my current riding horse is a 14h stick insect.

I can't get any enjoyment out of having to struggle to see what the top of their back is looking like, or having to literally launch a blanket over them, and as for saddling up - forget it.

I have a 16.2h here and when he's being rude and won't put his head down I can't even get his halter on :(
 
I'm not big, and if I were to get another one, it wouldn't be much over 15.2, but then I go for arabs, and they aren't generally huge anyway! My favoured child is 13.2, but thinks she is much bigger!
 
I got Mike as a yearling, expecting him to top out around 16hh, which would have been ideal. I haven't measured him since his bum was 17hh at age 4 but he's huge, his girth is 5ft long. My 16.2 TB looks like a dog next to him.

I broke him in myself and one of the first things I taught him to do was stand still next to something I can climb on!
 
I've always preferred smaller horses, usually around 15.1 - 15.3, but for some reason have ended up with a 16hh and a 16.2hh. To be fair, my 16hh hunter is perfect, and i've trained the 16.2 to stand next to anything thats handy!!
 
I am 5'7" and weigh between 10-11stone (i say a range because its fluctuating at present)
for that reason I'd never ride anything under 16hh with a bit of bone. I know people do, but personally I'd feel too guilty!
 
I'm 5ft 7 and about 7st so weight wise I'd be fine on tiny ones really but the smallest I'd buy myself would probably be 13.2hh just because of my height. I do like the slightly larger ones though, but I don't think I'd want a horse bigger then 17hh really because although I'm tall i'm really thin and people would probably think if it injured me I'd break haha. I have a chunky IDxCob mare who is 15.2hh and she's a nice size - not too small and not too big! :)
 
I like horses around the 15hh mark, cobby or fine, I'm not fussed as I'm only 5'3".
The horse I ended up with is 17hh :o Shes fairly finely built though so I don't look overly tiny on her ( I do have to stand on a crate to brush her quarters though...)
 
I'm 5ft6 and 9 stone at my heaviest. I have 1 15hh very very fine and lightweight tb and a rising 15.1hh slightly chunkier tbx welshx appy. I also have a 12.2hh exmoor.
I do not look overly stupid riding any of those 3. Maybe a tiny bit big in the body for the exmoor as she takes up a lot of leg but not so stupid people would point and laugh lol.

I like all my horses to be between 15- 16hh. I would possibly have a 16.1hh at a push if they were really fine and lightweight. I have had a very chunky 16.2hh ISH in the past and it didnt go well and just feel so much more comfortable on the ground with the smaller horses. Also they eat less and dont poo as much ;)
 
Im 5ft 11" and 8 stone so ideally the smallest horse I would ever buy is 16.1hh.

I currently have a 15.2hh who is now rather outgrown

I prefer ISH horses as for me there build is just right anything chunkier that size I struggle to stop!

I ride a 17hh ISH sometimes and my legs are nearly over his side!
 
It depends on what I'm doing, I've been riding a 17hh hunter who is a dream to ride in the menage. His big, powerful movement is fab and he jumps like a giselle.
However, for everyday riding and hacking, I prefer smaller horses who feel light and nimble. My 15.2 WB X TB fits me like a glove and she's a handy size for popping on and off where ever we happen to end up.
 
I dont like very "big" horses, in that I dont like long chunky warmbloody sorts of horses - I prefer my horses to ride like ponies so more buzzy, TB types. Saying that I loved my 15.2hh Welsh Cob I had but he was pretty buzzy anyway. My current horse is 16hh but very lightweight, Im far more comfy on him than a friends 17hh chunkier horse I ride. So build definately comes into it for me more than height as such. But generally I find 16hh pretty much the perfect height for me (even though I dont look small on a 17hh), just because they're a practical height and striding-wise I find them easier for jumping courses etc. and still agile. As they get bigger IMO they lose their agility a bit.
 
14.3-16.1 max

dont like bigger horses for various reason.:)

i know this is not the case for all but any bigger horses here have always had lameness problems .

i like to look my horse in the eyes , big horses mean

big rugs
big appetites
more problems IMO.

I am 5ft 8 have ridden many 17 hh in my training so have loads experience just like smaller horses
 
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My boy is 15.3hh and i really wouldn't want any bigger , i'm fine whilst on board but i can get quite intimidated by size when they start assing around on the ground.
 
I'm 5'6" and about eight stone, and I like my horses big! I currently ride a 16.3hh ex-chaser and occasionally sit on a few others 16.3hh plus. Never felt over-horsed. I have a 14.1hh to ride as of next weekend and I'm wondering how I'll cope!
 
I think in the last 15 years as dressage has gradually become more popular with you're average riding club level rider, so has the fashion to own and ride HUGE horses that massively over horse us! At one time a 16hh ID x TB was quite the desirable all rounder but it seems that most yards have several dinosaur sized warmbloods with a tiny petite lady dangling quite proudly on the end of the leadrope.

My ideal size is something around 15.3hh to 16hh. I'm 5'9 and I like something I can really wrap my legs around and feel I get the best from horses this size both on the flat and jumping.

I have a 15.3hh Irish type and a 14.2hh highland. I can struggle to feel such a pretty picture on something over 17hh although it does entirely depend on the type! As much as I admire a warmblood I just don't think I'd ever choose to own one.

Having said that if it's the right horse for me I'd happily it on no matter how big or whatever breed.

Of course on some levels being hugely over horsed is required. Last summer I was in Manchester and was speaking to a mounted police officer and her mare was 18.2hh she was beautiful and her head was probably the size of my entire upper body! I reckoned my highland could probably have used her as a nice shelter.
 
I'm 5'6" and at the age of 48 I'm far more aware of my safety and fragility these days. I'm down-sizing from horses to ponies as I feel safer and more confident on something under 14.2. I ride shorter paces better too... have only recently discovered this :o
 
I'm 5"8 and about 8 stone. My mare is 15.1hh although she is quite wide. My OH did have doubts about us having her as she is on the small side for him. However she has completely changed my view of small horses and I wouldn't swap her for the world!
 
I'm really pleasantly surprised by the majority of these responses, I'm only small so my 15.2 is as big as I would go, but you see so many (mainly women) riding HUGE big horses these days that I thought there would be lots of "the bigger the better" comments-I don't see the point of big horses myself, it's just a longer way to fall and so impractical for grooming and tacking up etc :)
 
my fave is a sporty little number of a little over 16h but not quite 16.1

Apart from him, I prefer the larger end of the scale to pony types (although I also have a 14.2)
 
I'm 5'4" and I voted 15 - 16hh as my chestnut mare is 15.2hh approx and I feel totally 'right' on her. :)

However if the horse/pony is cobbier then I like them to be shorter. I felt quite at home on my friend's 14.2hh Welsh D. Another friend had a 15.3hh chunky warmblood and he felt far too big, so it does depend on the horse's build too and not just their height.
 
I like small clever tanks just like my little mare but I feel tiny on anything over 14.2hh. I also think the smaller the pony the cleverer it is. Ponies are easier to tack up or rug and eat less with the majority being good doers. Nothing better than a cheeky little bugger!:D
 
I prefer big horses, I like their movement, and I like to have something in front of me. Both mine are 17.2hh but I voted 16-17h as actually I'd rather they were a little smaller; but IMO it doesn't matter how big a horse is, it's more about the horse, a bit like colour - a good horse is never a bad colour.

However, being "over" or "under" horsed to me isn't about the size of the horse, surely it's about ability and scope :confused: You can get small horses that need an experienced rider, so a novice on a 14.3 might be over-horsed yet may well suit a 16.2 more ploddy type. Whereas an experienced rider may well under-horse themselves with a large horse that doesn't have the ability to do the sorts of tracks that they want to do.
 
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