How many adults riding smallish ponies?

I'm 5'3" and I compete my 13.1hh Welsh C at Advance dressage. We have qualified for the Petplan Winter Champ's at Advance Medium and also off to the Winter Regionals next week. As he is getting more well known at the dressage comp's, I don't get as many funny looks as we did to start with.

I have his 3 year old sister to back this year too.

I'm doing a Pas De Deux at the South of England Carriage Driving show held at Merrist Wood College on 21st April. My friend is riding her 18hh, we thought it would be good to show that any size horse/pony can do dressage.

I love my ponies and wouldn't go back to having horses, even though I ride and compete a 17hh part bred shire for someone. Ponies are so much easier and cheaper to keep.
 
Joining in 12st 5ft 6" riding a 14.1hh welsh x hackney

IMAG0801-1.jpg



Next horse will be full bred welsh section D.
 
I've gone from big horses to owning two ponies & i'm loving it. I have a NF & a cob. They live at home so I really get to see their 'character', they are hillarious. And as someone else said, husbands seem to love them, which comes in very handy ;)
I'm 5'2 & 9.5 st so hardly need a gianormahorse!
 
HaffiesRock said:
I am 29 years old, 5ft 3in and weigh about 10 stone.

I have a 13.3hh Haflinger. He is my only pony and I use him for everything. We hack, jump, school, bit of local showing and he is amazing! He costs peanuts to keep (grass livery is only £10 a week, barefoot, naked, minimal hay and feed as hes a good doer etc)

Id have ponies over horses any day!

Benji0092.jpg
Click to expand...

O.m.g you're haffy is handsome ..I to have a haffy although she is 14.2, and I'm 10 and a half ..
I always feed hard feed in the winter as well as hay ..but come summer all she needs is lush grass so reasonably cheap to keep ..
I would love a field full of haflingers ...
:)
 
what a lovely thread - and some cracking natives.

I'm 5' 10 1/2" and have a 13.3 Icey. I'm not as skinny as the other tall folks on here but am getting closer to my 12 1/2 stone target. He came to me a few months after leaving Iceland, took 16 months to "let me in" and we now have a brilliant trusting partnership.
Jumps ditches as too lazy to go long way round. Love him to bits.
He hadn't been ridden in a month as I broke my leg 4 weeks ago ...and tootled along with me in the forest on Friday - stookie an' all. Top therapy!

We also have a permanent lodger 11.2hh Icey cross. He came as unrideable... non horsey OH backed him and now he or my neighbour ride out with me - both are 5'4"ish and 10 stone or less. Pony keen & fwd & has a ball.

The other 2 in the herd are 37 & 38' driving shetlands which OH or neighbour will occasionally sit on just to keep the ridden part going as I don't have any weans.

Ponies rock. Mine all live out 24/7 1000 feet up a hill and are generally not happy unless there's a foot of snow. And to think I used to have 2 TB's & a daft WB/TB... ;-0
 
Todmiester - I will be at the Highland just not sure with what yet! Hopefully a Shetland and my Darty for the Sunday if I can find a rider for the Shetty, maybe have a lead rein the day before too. Im not sure if Im going to take a tb or not as none of them have qualified for the racehorse class and to take them into the RH/Hunter classes on a day ticket would cost around £150 a horse before entry fees.

Are you taking Todd? I still want to steal him - his attitude is awesome!
 
I have had two ponies one was a 13.2hh New Forester who took me to a high level in Endurance.

BayattheGHS.jpg


Coming through a river at the Golden Horse Shoe. We completed the 100 miles ride.He was still competeing at the age of 25yrs old

I have a 14hh Arab mare who has done everything from Showing ,Mounted Games to Endurance 100 miler and the Arab Marathon. She is 21 in the picture below and is still competeing at 23

OnCourseatthe2011Marathon.jpg


I'm 5ft 5in and 10st

I also have two pure bred Arabs one 15.2 and the other is 15.1hh but I do enjoy riding my little mare.
 
I ride a 14.2 dinky arab. This photo's ancient, he's grown up a bit since and I keep meaning to get new ones and never getting around to it and I can't work out resizing on the new photobucket anyway. :o ETA I'm 5'2 and 9 - 9.5 stone.

DSCF1574.jpg


He's a good boy, I wouldn't swap him for a bigger one!
 
EKW Tod will be going, Im ever hopeful that we just might get that qualifier, now that Rhyddy has been retired maybe someone else will win lol. I can understand why you wouldnt take the exracers into the Hunter/Riding horse class, the cost of entry is just too much at times. Hope you find a jockey for the Shetland. I love the Dartie you have, but then Ive had a soft spot for all your ponies you Welsh C mare she was just to die for.
 
You could always hop on a shettie if you wanted to :D :D :D

I loved my C, Lowri, its just such a shame refused to be ridden! That was just a complete no go area for her :/ If I could have justified keeping an inhand mare that wouldn't be bred from then she would never have left here though if I knew that my mother was going to get a D colt then I maybe would have kept her. She is back with her breeder now abd if she ever comes up for sale again I would move hell and high water to get her back. She was a complete weirdo but a real stunner.
 
I have a 14.2hh Merens horse and I'm 5'8" and 13 stone, my friend is 5'11" 10 stone and rides a 14.2hh Camargue horse and the woman who broke my horse is 6' and 13 stone. Both are French natives, although they are horses they are in the pony size range, BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!!! :) They are definitely the perfect size to ride. All horses/ponies that are semi wild or feral, are all in the 13 - 15hh bracket.
 
I like to think of those equines in the 14hh-15hh as 'tweenies' - somewhere between pony and horse. Often overlooked by teenagers/young adults who think they HAVE to have a horse at least 16hh, yet often too much for a younger child, they are left for the shrewd adult who can see they have SO MUCH to offer!
 
What a great thread! I am now seriously thinking of getting a 14-14.2h now. We are selling my full up 16.1h as she is a bit too much for me and I just don't really enjoy riding anymore, nothing she has done - her size just intimidates me and i lack confidence. I thought I was destined to stick with 15.2h upwards as I am just under 5ft 7 and weigh 10.5 stone (dieting as not long had baby lol!) but this thread has helped my decision no end and its pony all the way for me now!
 
Zirach - get yourself a nice arab or PBA. Both mine would comfortably carry you. They are a delight to own - lively, full of character yet SAFE. My PBA is a paragon of equine virtue. AND they're both chestnut mares ;-)
 
ArabianGem68 would an Arab be suitable for a nervous rider? I always thought of them as being rather forward going and a bit scatty although absolutely stunning :-)
 
Zirach - it depends on the horse in question. My mum (in her late 50s) is an accomplished but nervous rider. She's much better than she thinks she is! She's just lost her 15.1 arab gelding. He was a complete gent. My PBA is currently on loan and has been helping a very nervous friend of her loaner get her mojo back. They've even been cantering! Just got to find the right arab.
 
What do you guys think of this? Iv got the chance to break in and ride(As well as drive) a little gypsy cob and I am tempted.

Only problem is hes 12-13hh(need to measure him but hes between that im pretty sure) and I am 5ft5 and just under 10stone. Hes a heavyweight and a stallion so cant exactly be handled by a child but do you think he'll be able to comfortably carry me?>
 
EKW Im not Im light enough anymore to ride a shetland, last I showed one was at RHS the year we were sent to compete in the Cattle Rings. But if you dont mind a 4'11" 44yr old sitting on your precious ponies Ill not say no lol.
 
Patchworkpony said:
Oh my goodness there are SO many lovely, lovely ponies on here that I am sure more adults will be encouraged to ride them and what is more to the point have lots and lots of fun. I often think pony owners area are a happier, more down to earth, bunch than thoroughbred owners. They have learnt to laugh at themselves - it is in the pony owners handbook.

As my OH has always said no one can afford to take themselves too seriously on a fell - you are only one step away from being made a fool of in public. Maybe that was just our fells though!

Please keep the photos coming they are so beautiful and inspiring. You are all so good to put your weight and height on along with the size of your pony - I think a lot a people reading this thread will be surprised at what a fit mature pony can carry. Thank you all again for supporting this thread - as a dyed-in-the-wool pony girl (of an unmentionable age)I for one am finding it very uplifting.
Click to expand...

Hi don't mean to hi jack but thanks for your post, my daughter is in love with her instructors 12.3 welsh pony, she is a very forward jumping pony who chloe finds imense fun, she (chloe) is 5' 4 and 8 stone, she had a bad fall on the 14.2 supposedly bombproof cob which has knocked her confidence badly, this post is making me think buying fun little pony could be a good idea after all :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top