How Big Is Too Big?

Whatever happens - enjoy the ride! It's always an honour to ride an educated horse like that and whether you end up buying him or not, you will learn loads just by sitting on him

Let us know how you get on (and I look forward to seeing the photos :D )
 
You may as well go and see him, but I honestly think you will find him too large. Remember that he may feel fine when you go and ride him, as he will just have been schooled by his normal rider, but over time it will likely get more and more difficult to hold him together if you are not finding it easy to do that . He may also get wise to the fact that you are little and have a good old go at pulling you out of the saddle. You really need to get your legs round the horse, not bob about on top.
I have a friend who is very slight and an inch or so shorter than you, who has an established PSG horse bought as a schoolmaster. He is 16.2 and whilst she gets on ok with him now it took a long time, and she still finds he pulls her about (He is able to just pull her forward and out of the saddle and she has said to me she would never get something that large again). You are talking about something two hands larger. Remember that whilst relatively few people want a horse that size there are some big, tall men who do and they cannot ride a 15.3, which you can. I would honestly hold out for something a sensible size for you. I am 172 cms and have long legs and am built like the proverbial brick outhouse and I would not want a horse that size - around 17hh is my ideal size. My trainer has a horse over 18hh, but he has produced north of 10 horses to GP and whilst not a heavy man is over 6ft with long legs.
 
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Worried I might feel a bit like this when trying him out^^^

I'll definitely keep everyone updated and I'm taking my instructor with to go view and ride him - so I wont be numptying about too much:D:o
 
I am 5ft2 and fairly petite (was much more so at the time, yard work is good for the figure) and generally prefer ponies however one of the nicest horses I have ever ridden was a 18hh+ Irish sport horse. He was light, responsive and a pleasure to ride and jumps looked a lot less scary from up there. The YO actually had me ride him in the sales ring to prove his temperament - a sort of 'even a tiny little girl can ride him' moment.

HOWEVER he was exceptionally well trained and naturally very calm in temperament, at the time I was working full time on a yard and riding up to 5 horses per day every day. I was at my strongest and best riding ability at the time. I didn't need to be 'strong' with him, he was very light but I can't say that I might not have needed to be if I hadn't been able to (if that makes sense). I also did look a little bit silly up there.

I'd say it is worth going to see him if he otherwise sounds right. Try him, try him again and try him again. If he truly feels right, go for it. But don't let lovely, long, smooth paces which larger horses can have if compared to ponies get you carried away.

Try him alone, in the arena, outside the arena, in an open space and in company if you can - make sure whatever sillyness he might have in him is something you can cope with.

ETA - It also helped that I was riding him in a fairly jumping cut style GP saddle, in a dressage saddle I probably wouldn't have had the leg length to reach the bottom of the flaps. One can do dressage in a shorter cut saddle but if dressage is what you want to do primarily then it may be something to be consider.
 
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I'm about your height and worked with a 17.3.

I loved him but hated doing anything with him. I had to stand on the mounting block to put his saddle on or to groom him.

I couldn't sit his trot and his canter was far too powerful for me because I couldn't get my leg around him.

Good luck with the viewing!
 
QueenOfCadence said:
The big boy I am very interested in:

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To me he looks both heavily built and on the forehand so not going to be light to ride. I am 5'10 and prefer to ride horses around 15.2hh - 16.2 hh. I had a 17.2 ID and loved hacking him but hated schooling him as he was so much hard work to keep together. I have a 17 hh WB on livery here and he is medium/light weight, nowhere near as heavy as the boy you are interested in. I can ride him well, but don't enjoy it as I have to use all of my core strength and it leaves me exhausted for the rest of the day!
 
I have a 17.3hh ISH and he is ok for me, I am 5'7. My pal did a prelim on him, did well but then she is a, advanced dressage rider. However, she is 5ft nothing and said he was to big.

In saying that, she has my 16.3hh TB. BUT, he is narrow and light and she has ridden him since backed so they know each other.

I would say, looking at him, he is very heavy so probably to much in height and weight for you build.


P.s my photobucket not working on iPad so if anyone has an email, I can send photo of my lad with her on him for you to upload.
 
Agreed with everyone else. I've seen too many people struggle with horses that are far too big (including a lovely lady who was around 5'2 and bought herself a broad 16.3, she couldn't get her leg on him at all and had no control... she resorted to spurs just so that he could feel her leg), and at 5'6" I feel uncomfortable on anything over the 17hh mark.

Each to their own, but IMO, no.
 
Usually I would say way way too big, but then the nicest horse I've ever ridden was an 18hh warmblood. Fabulously light and responsive and I am 5'3 and 8.5 stone. Obviously not every horse is like that, but you may be lucky.
 
My friend is 5"2 and owns an 18.1hh. She competes a lot on him and has been at scope this year and did quiet well, he's just turned 6. She doesn't have problems. I got my 16.3hh at 13 and 5"3 - I did look like a pea and still do 8 years on in jumping stirrups ( my legs do come past the saddle though! ) However he behaves well for me and I seem to be the only person that can get him to use his back end, he'll behave for my 8 stone sister but is really slow for her, but for the lad who exercises him when I can't and is 6""1 he is an absolute monster! "Legs down there!?! Way too scary - I'm off and I don't want to stop! Why can I see that much person on my back?! No way is he getting on at a mounting block he's tall enough!"

I can't work out how to post a picture on here, but I personally think some horses prefer a smaller rider. I like to ride bigger horses anyway - I look fine on 15hh but I don't "feel" fine. It's how you feel when you get on his back and whether he really is "dope on a rope" as your YO described him as.:)
 
Horses vary so much in how they feel. I am 5'2 and my husband has a 17.3 ex racer TB who I handle every day. But though he is well mannered there has been the odd occasion when he is excited I really couldn't reach to get a head collar on him. I have ridden him and actually he rides quite small BUT I do think I would struggle if I wanted to bring him on to elementary dressage - though done so with several 14.2's to 15.3's ... In the end it will come down to the feel he gives - so you may as well meet him abd see if you get along
 
QueenOfCadence said:
Her advice was to go see him regardless of his size. But still a 4 hour trip is quite a long way to go if we get there and I can't even tack up the horse :o:o:o. I had hoped maybe someone on here was about my height and owned something of the same size - but it seems as if even taller people are weary of buying a horse of his height (for all the practical reasons like tacking up)
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I think if your concerned that you might not be able to tack him up then hes too big for you!
 
I'm 4"11 and share yard duties with a friend who had a 16.2 & while I could tack him up, put his head collar/rug on etc it wasn't always easy. But I always got on well with him when I rode him & he was rarely a pain on the ground, it was simply my height against his that was the issue.
My boy is 15.2 & I don't think I would want much bigger.
 
I am 5'2" and own a 17.2hh full ID. I get fed up to the back teeth of people telling me my horse is too big for me. I bought him for his personality, he is a star, i can ride him, compete at novice dressage. Go to pleasure rides, jump and he is a ace. I owned a 17.1hh mare before him who i competed to foxhunter bsja. I have also owned a 15.2hh connxid and hated it...its not about the height its about the relationship that you get with the horse. I have had to get my core body stronger and get fitter to hold him together but other than that he is perfect.

If you go try it and its perfect for you then buy with no hesitation. My friend is just a bit bigger than me and has a 18.1hh id and she wipes the floor with all of us at dressage......

Use a set of steps, we shuld not be getting on from the ground anyway as its not good for their spines...in get on mine from gates out hacking, edge of wagon when at shows and mounting block at yard...there is always soomething tall to climb on...xxx
 
There are a lot of naysayers on here claiming you will be 'overhorsed' but it all depends on what his temperament is like when you go to see him. I know my 17.3 isnt quite the same as 18+ but its not far off, and I'm 5"3 and tack up absolutely fine without any steps etc. Yes it is occasionally difficult to get a rug on him, but then again I used to struggle getting the rug on a 16.1!

No-one has ever said I'm overhorsed despite me being little and him being huge, we have a brilliant partnership and he is a real sweetheart. He lowers his head for you when you put his bridle on, same when you take it off, he's never too strong when leading out to the field and if he ever gets silly a stern word from me sorts him out. I've never felt scared or 'too small' around him.

He's an ISH so he's a well built boy too, incredibly strong and used to hunt so likes to go everywhere at 100mph but he is a very fast learner and with lots of schooling and transitions he has learnt that he cant rush everywhere and has calmed down very quickly.

Bigger is always better for me, so dont be put off by these people that go on about 'over-horsing' - to me you can only be 'over horsed' when you cant control your horse and your abilities are too low for the horse. That could happen with a horse of any size so forget about his size and focus more on how he is to ride and his temperament. If he is a gentle giant like my big fella then you will soon forget about his size, and having to launch his rug on with a huge swing wont seem so bad!
 
I'm 5ft7 and weigh approx 10 stone.

Largest horse I have ever ridden must have been about 18 hand shire cross. He was built like a shire, just a bit shorter in the body. I had to get a leg up from the mounting block to get on him. Because he was built like a tank he was hard to "steer". My legs barely reached the bottom of the saddle flaps. Asking for trot was a no-no. He did respond to saying "trot on" to him. I just took him for a quiet hack. I would not have wanted to do anymore with him. Although a lovely horse, he was too large and too strong for me.

Henry, my old tb was 16.3, and in 6ft9 rugs. He was huge as well, and made most other horses look like ponies next to him. He was all in proportion though, ie not long backed. He rode very lightly, and was not wide. (People have asked how large he is from photos, they have thought he was 15.3!) However, because he was just so long, he was hard to keep together on xc courses etc. I have now downsized to a 15.2 model.
 
Whoops:o! I completely forgot to keep everyone updated on how the viewing went:o

I'll start of by saying that he's a WONDERFUL horse and extremely well mannered. We got to the yard where he was kept and met up with his owner, I fetched him from his field and he came when I called him and lowered his head for me to put his halter on (and was promptly rewarded with a carrot). He didn't put up a fuss when I led him out of his paddock even though his paddock-mates were calling after him. He plodded along with me up to the stables. I saddled him myself (-victory dance), he lowers his head to have his bridle put on and I stood on a mounting block to put his saddle on (whilst he sniffed my bum:o:o:o - which is something he apparently always does because of his hidden-carrot paranoia). I got on him (with some effort despite the mounting block as I have really puny little stubby legs). The warm up was wonderful and he works like an angel on a long rein, he was sharp in his transitions and very obedient. His canter was a bit uncomfortable to me at first, though I quite like the bigger movement as it means less frantic hip movement to keep up xD.

Unfortunately I did enjoy the more difficult work on him, he's fine an does all the movements, but is very on the forehand and makes it very difficult for his rider to get him on his hocks (he struggles to keep moving forward and lift himself). I'm not strong enough to assist him into collection, so sadly he wont be suitable for me to compete on. He did his two time tempis and pirroutes like a pro, though because he loses impulsion his pirroutes get a bit big and they don't get as much cadence as they should. My instructor rode him too and agrees that he's wonderful, but wouldn't be suitable for me if I wanted to compete above the level I currently am. Over all he's a LOVELY horse and I don't doubt for a moment that he'd make a good mount for someone of my height not looking at getting to Grand Prix and he would probably even jump comfortably competitively up to about 1.40 (and then I would think his size would start effecting his efficiency). A real sweetheart and it's a pity he's not a hand or two shorter as I might have been able to help him into collection if he were.

I have no doubt he'll find a brilliant home soon though, in fact I think he'd make a wonderful ride for a tall man looking to do a bit of everything (and perhaps even event as he is bomb proof).

And so the quest for the perfect equine continues :o
If I really can't find something in SA by the middle of next year I'll start considering importing
 
Oh he sounds fabulous but yeah I did wonder about the practicality of a small person riding a horse that size! I would love a huge horse one day as nothing really takes up my leg. I did try an (apparently) 16.2 built like a brick outhouse and my legs were in contact with her sides just sitting there which was a bizarre feeling for me and felt a bit like I might be bounced off :-)

Hope you manage to find something more suitable, I think you are right that people are used to seeing smaller horses in SA, so probably would have been a bit strange to some!
 
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