How big is too big?

[spacefaer]

As title really...

In dressage horses, the fashion seems to be for larger, more impressive types but in other competitive spheres........

what do you prefer? Is there an optimum size?

Bigger horses make the jumps look smaller (partic a puissance wall I should imagine!) but obviously there's more horse to break down......

what are your thoughts?

 

[DanaHart]

I don't think it's a case of how big is too big...... dressage horses are bred for big, expressive paces which aren't the horses natural way of going, this is why we see so many cases of DJD (degenerative joint disease) and horses with suspensory ligament/joint problems, predominently WB's..... which happen to be big horses...... (think of pedigee dogs being 'in-bred' and the problems which come with in-breeding)

I have to have a big horse, my horse is a 5yo ISH x HOL currently standing at 17.1hh and still growing, but I am over 6'2" tall!! Years ago I did lose a papered Hannovarian mare to DJD as a 4yo, and my vet told me that the in-breeding for these big paces was the reason WB's have so many soundness issues.

I don't think you get as many problems with TB's, ID's or ISH's, purely because they aren't bred for their paces..... they are bred for a different purpose such as hunting and eventing......

 

[xloopylozzax]

theres a point where big just means more strain on everything and they tend to break faster you see ponies living into their 30's but horses struggle past mid 20's.

a pain for bucket sized bridles, humungous rugs and all that jazz aswell

I currently have ponys (welsh cobs we bred, just looking to move onto horses when the right one comes along) and manage fine, but realistically a 16hh would suit me better cos I've got long legs... any bigger and you lose the 'fun' atm i can hop on bareback and gallop round the fields and easily do gates and stuff. jumping is tricky though.

thats not to say i dont like big horses, have ridden a fantastic 17hh+ middleweight hunter type who was enormous but he was compact and together not lanky.

 

[Tnavas]

Years ago my dressage coach told me there is no need to go over 16.2hh - any bigger costs you so much more in specially made bridles, headcollars, covers, trailers, stables, the feed bill is enormous too. Also it is far easier for the majority of us to manage a 16.2 in a dressage arena.

 

[trendybraincell]

I like compact, but then I do dressage with my Welsh Cob. I think its safe to say that he can look a little lost in a 20X60 arena, FrodoBeutlin has commented on how smaller horses can look less impressive in a large arena...we sort of get eaten up by the sheer size of the space.

 

[JustMe22]

Weeeelll...for me, I would think in terms of practicality (say, for dressage) a 17.2hh is going to find the 6-8m canter circles a fair bit more tricky than a 16.2hh. Obviously, said 16.2hh would struggle more than a 15 hand and so on, but there comes a point when if you're aiming at high level (and I assume 6m canter circles would indicate this ) that like trendybraincell said, you want to compromise between ease of training, and the 'wow' factor.

Having said that..I think anything between 16 hands and 17 hands is a decent size for dressage.

Jumping..if it has the scope..whatever. Most of the top level jumpers seem to 16.2hh or above though.

We forget too, that at the high levels there are a lot more men than in the horsey world in general (esp SJ and eventing). Obviously, men in general are taller, and therefore would need slightly bigger horses.

For me..I like 16.2-16.3. When I get on a horse and think 'Jesus if this pisses off with me I'm in trouble' then it is too big

 

[Emma S]

I have a 17.2hh TB and at the age of 15 (even though he thinks he's 3!) has only just learnt to get himself together. We work upto advanced medium at home but he loses the plot a little too quick to produce the right sort of test in a dressage arena!
Jumping has aso ben quite challenging as he was typically strung out but now he's finally riding like a more compact horse we are starting to get some clear rounds.
It is true that the fences look smaller though!

 

[MegaBeast]

Depends what you want to do with your horse. I prefer to ride something about 16.3hh to 17.1hh as I'm tall and have long legs so they "fit" me well. But practiacality means something smaller is more handleable.

So far as eventing goes, I want something where it's brain isn't too far from it's feet. Slightly smaller horses (16-16.2hh) tend to be more manouverable and often have some of that "pony cleverness" which can be invaluable.

I think for dressage a bigger horse (17hh +) will look more impressive in the arena, however a smaller horse (16hh) with presence will also stand out and have that wow factor.

 

[little_flea]

My mare is 17.2hh and she never feels too big to ride - dressage wise, she doesn't have huge movement and is easy to hold together, is very balanced and light even for me and my sister who are only 5'3 and 5'5. Jumping wise, I love that a huge fence seems tiny! She does find related distances tight of course, but that can be the same for small horses with big canters.

On a more serious note, her body has aged prematurely with a lot of stress on joints due to her size - it was caught early and can be managed, but at 11 her joints are those of an older horse. I think big horses just have to be managed a bit more carefully in terms of them going right, the surfaces they are ridden on, maintenance etc.

Unfortunately big horses also cost a fortune in feed and bedding, produce more poo than the average sized elephant and are a nightmare to squeeze into trailers...

 

[ArcticFox]

I have a 15h TB mare, who I have put in foal to an ID as I feel I'm too big to ride her (not in the sense I'm too big but i feel big - size 12 5'5). I used to BS a 16h horse who was an ideal size/length, he was short coupled so easy to keep together (6'3). I recently bought a 17h horse who again is short coupled, he is a bit more work but I don't notice his height as he is short (6'3 rug). Personally for me, I'd ride anything between 15.3 - 17.2 but my riding would alter according to the horse.

 

[Shortcut]

I realise that warmbloods tend to come in big sizes but I loved my 15.2hh danish gelding! He beat the big flashy warmbloods when he competed and I fitted him perfectly and always felt in control. Its not really the size of the horse, its wether your fit it and you can ride it. You see tiny women on 17.2hh warmbloods and when it works its lovely to watch but if it doesnt it looks dreadful and somtimes abit scary! I am currently riding a 16.3hh oldenburg and own 2 16.2hh's my self. The belgian warmblood is very wide and long but the Irish is short in the back and narrow. I look small on both of them though!

 

[Sol]

Is it just me who finds more dressage/show jumpers look 'over-horsed' (in size) than say, eventers? There are a few women who event on BIG horses, but they never seem to look so out of place as the small people on 17.2hh dressage horses, or equally ginormous showjumpers! I'm not sure why....

Personally, I wouldn't want anything bigger than a FINE 16hh.... if chunky, not over 14hh! 15.2 is perfect I don't need a big horse, and it's further to fall!

 

[TheoryX1]

I think its each to their own really. I personally dont like, need or want a big horse. I have a 14.3hh cob and my daughter has a 15.2h 8 year old wb/tb who she events and we also now have a petite 15hh 5 year old dutch dumblood which will go eventing next year all being well. Neither of us really want to ride a strapping great big thing which costs more to feed etc, and you have to buy outsize rugs, tack etc for. Unless you need a large horse because you are very tall etc, whats the point. Its also further to climb up on and fall off from.

 

[Apercrumbie]

Well I have a 15.2 and a 16hh and I don't feel the need to go any bigger, but I compete at a fairly low level so I don't think I count As others have said, once you get over 16.2, it just puts so much stress on their joints that it's probably counter-productive to have them so big. And there are plenty of incredible smaller horses. Cruising was 15.2 or 15.3, Phoebe Buckley rides a pony round Badminton so size isn't everything.

 

[bigboyrocky]

For eventing, i wouldnt want anything over 17hh personally, becuase its just so much horse to hold together XC. A man however could probably handle a 17.2 just fine, but it totally depends on the the horses brain aswell. A big horse has to have its brain tuned in with its feet and be pretty nimble, otherwise it just makes everything much more dangerous imo!

 

[ShowJumperBeckii]

i have a fine tb x whos only 15.1hh and im 5.10 and still growing... i was told iv outgrown her and i wont have much longer as shes going to be far to small, me weighing at 11stone...
And shes a nice little showjumper, but the jumps seem to look bigger when your horse is smaller or that could just be me x

but i would LOVE some big horse

 

[LEC]

I was supposed to downsize from 17hh but have ended up with a 17.2hh. I think they have huge wear and tear on their bodies at this size. I really worry about it and I am really fussy about the ground. I like big horses and find no differences between cleverness but I normally end up with slightly quirky ones. All our horses fit 6'9 we currently have 15.2hh, 16.3hh, 17hh and 17.2hh all in 6'9! It makes life much easier!

 

[Gamebird]

It's all down to how balanced they are.

I ride a 17.2 5yo and a 17.3 4yo. The 4yo rides much, much bigger than the 5yo as he is unbalanced and ungainly. I think he is 'too big'. Not too big for me to ride - I fit him pretty well - but too big for his own good and for his brain. The 5yo rides like a 16.2 and manages standard striding etc. just fine so he isn't 'too big' at all.

The 4yo may improve with age and correct schooling but he strikes me as a horse which will alway struggle due to his size.

So in summary, I don't think it's out and out height, just how they deal with it.

 

[redmerl]

My TB is 16.3/17 but he is 6'3 rung. He not a deep body either, we say he ws supposed to be 16 hands but his legs kept growing

 

[millitiger]

I was thinking this the other day as my 4yro Vinnie is now standing 18hh...!

Would I go out looking for an 18hh horse to go eventing?
Definitely not!

However, he wasn't bred to be that big but has just grown and grown and grown.

He is VERY balanced and light on his feet though- we have a lunging area that is 15m and he can canter around there much more easily than my 15.3hh tb!

I am more concerned about him in a 20 x 40 dressage arena than i am about jumping him.

I am also very aware of his joints and size so he has been brought on extremely slowly and i doubt will be in 'proper' work until he is around 7.

 

[FestiveSpirit]

LMAO I was just about to answer this but I dont really need to do I IMVHO size really doesnt matter, although if I were dressaging I wouldnt want anything over 16.2hh cos I have short legs and a 20 x 40 arena is rather small

 

[spacefaer]

I could post pics of short legged Carey riding my 17.2 hunters and doing a good job of schooling them too - I think the arena is much smaller on an unbalanced small horse than a well schooled big horse TBH!

I was jumping a 15.1 ex hurdler this summer and 90cm looked HUGE while I was popping a fence on the 17.3 a couple of weeks ago and was stunned to discover it was 1.20 - he made it feel tiny!

 

[Glayva]

i think its depends on what you do and what you feel comfortable on. I an 5ft 5 with short legs!! My Holsteiner is 17.1hh (last time i measured when he was 5, bit too afraid to measure again really!) but he is a chunky boy but in a hunter type way and short coupled (just a 6ft6 and a smidge in rugs)
He moves big but not ridiculous, he can move bigger is someone with legs that go further past the saddle flap gets on him!

He is a big lad but i feel far more in control and more comfortable on him than the 15-16hh cob types. Jumping he makes me feel like i can actually get over the fence without much effort. But i think once you go over 17.2hh and they are large boned all over warmbloods you start getting more problems.

I think also more problems with the big WB occur because maybe people do more with them early thinking they have to due to the size. A bit like the racehorses in that they dont really get a chance to grow into their frame before they are out doing comps and being asked to work correctly.

 

[RuthnMeg]

My pet hate is getting (appologies for bad spelling here) discrimanated against while I ride my small 15hander, competing against 'step ladder needed' 17 hh +. I like those of the under 16hh variety, and think most over that is big. When I was 17, 18 and 19 I had 2 16.1hh and didn't think anything of it, now I look back and can't believe it!
Meg is such a good jumper, Iam happy to jump 3'6'', so I guess the height ratio to jumps doesn't affect me when riding her.

 

[ecrozier]

I think it depends hugely on what you are used to and also on the length of the horse. I always felt spot on on my smaller one, til I got used to the big one! I think he is spot on size wise (not that I am biased) at 16.2 but short coupled 6'3 rug. He makes jumps seem a LOT smaller than my 14.2 and his paces look much more impressive. I wouldn't want anything bigger/longer personally, but then I am only 5'5!

 

[Stormy123456]

I mainly do eventing in the Summer, and at 5'10, I feel too tall for my light-ish 15.2hh, but I love riding my fairly compact 16hh Chunky TBx (signiature), she is powerful more than anything. I look bigger rather than smaller on her, but she was my first horse, and I didn't want to go too big, too soon (And I was shorter back then)!

Tried a 16.3hh warmblood in the Summer and thought it would take me a while to get used to him, as he was built like a tank (V. powerful SJ type), but possible, eventually walked away as he ended up having soundness issues.

Next time I'm looking for a horse, I think I would be looking 16.1hh +.

 

[showjumpergirl]

When we sell my 14.2 (in a year or two), I think I'd be looking for something no bigger than 16hh because that's big enough to make the SJ distances easily but small enough to hold together and turn etc. and because there aren't many 15.3s doing what I want (but if one was for sale, it'd be considered, but I'd be looking for something bigger). Plus feed isn't cheap at the moment so I wouldn't want anything massive (particularly because I'm never going to be tall ).

 

[Eventer96]

I event a 17.0hh dutch warmblood. He honestly doesn't ride that big, I only notice his size when I a) fall off or b) when I get off and floor is further away then what I thought! He has got big floaty paces but they are controlable.

I am 5'4 average length legs and am 14. He doesn't feel too big to me, however I have been riding him for 2 years (during competitions anyway) and it is now what I am used to. I will also ride anything from 14.0hh onwards. I think it does depend on what you are used to, how 'big' they ride and the brain inside the skull.

 

[Charem]

My TB is 16.3/17 but he is 6'3 rung. He not a deep body either, we say he ws supposed to be 16 hands but his legs kept growing

I too have a 16.3hh Tb that is in 6'3 rugs that he shares with my 15.2hh cob!

 

[rowy]

i am a lover of small horses. I have a 15hh tb who i do dressage with. A 3 year old very fine like a tb appy who has amazing flowing paces who im hoping to get to psg with but even though he lacks size (currently about 15hh) he stands out because he is nr leopard spotted and his paces are like one of a 16hh horse when i rode him when he was 14.2hh earlier this year and his paces have gotten even better since then!
a 12hh exmoor 2 year old who im gonna sell in a couple of years once backed etc and buy a small young dressage horse again, no bigger than 15.3hh maybe an andulusian or appyx again.
I dont see the point in over horsing myself. I had a 16.1 tbxid 4 year old and he was fine majority of the time but sometimes, mostly with other people, took advantage of his size and messed around scaring people. even knocked me to the ground and trampled me one day when spooking at something. So i would never go back to bigger horses, i think small ones can have just as much success. in dressage anyways.