How much can Welsh Ponies carry?

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Out of interest, how much weight do you think welsh mountain ponies can carry? I’ve heard many different opinions, some sticking to the 20% rule and others claiming natives can carry one stone per hand of height!

Just thought it’s interesting to here opinions, for example do you think a 7stone 5’1 rider can ride a 12/12.1hh Welsh Mountain Pony?
 
I'm 5'8" and was about 125 or 130 in my youth and often rode the naughty ponies when their children had problems. I don't think any were pure Welshies but my instructor put me on ponies as small as 13 hands.
 
My sister is 5' 8" and used to weigh in the region of 9/9.5 stone. Her 12hh welsh, an old fashioned hill type welsh mountain did everything with her, gymkhana, jumping, XC, hunting with the Pytchley, you name it he did it and lived to 30. It was only cushings that finished him off. Never lame apart from laminitis. I have hunted him and couldn't hold him. He was put down in 1994 and we both still miss him.
 
I have a 12.2 welsh. He has easily carried 10st all his life, and at 20+ still will, although he is more usually carrying an 8yo child.

BUT be careful. Height is not the best measure of weight carrying. You need to take a good look at the pony in front of you; thickness of bone and conformation, as well as (dare I say it) the personality of the pony. If he's not happy, get off the poor bugger. Just because he is tall, does not mean he can take the weight.

Something that's often overlooked is back length. A short-coupled pony has much less strain on his back when ridden, just as a trestle table is more likely to sag if the trestles are wider apart.
 
scruffyponies said:
I have a 12.2 welsh. He has easily carried 10st all his life, and at 20+ still will, although he is more usually carrying an 8yo child.

BUT be careful. Height is not the best measure of weight carrying. You need to take a good look at the pony in front of you; thickness of bone and conformation, as well as (dare I say it) the personality of the pony. If he's not happy, get off the poor bugger. Just because he is tall, does not mean he can take the weight.

Something that's often overlooked is back length. A short-coupled pony has much less strain on his back when ridden, just as a trestle table is more likely to sag if the trestles are wider apart.
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That's a very good point. Luckily my pony has pretty decent conformation and hasn't shown any unhappiness with me as a rider. Yes he bucks and broncs but he acts even worse with teeny tiny kids haha !
 
scruffyponies said:
Something that's often overlooked is back length. A short-coupled pony has much less strain on his back when ridden, just as a trestle table is more likely to sag if the trestles are wider apart.
Click to expand...

It might be stronger but it reduces your options on saddles for the taller or heavier rider. Even fitting TO the back rib can make tricky ponies harder to fit (often making it more likely the saddle will run onto the shoulder), and you should not fit beyond. Even long legs can be an issue with short stirrups (God save me from frogs legs in the show ring) pushing the rider's weight onto the cantle. Sometimes a quart into a pint pot just won't go.

Sadly Welshies appear to be being bred shorter and shorter in the back, especially the in-hand lines. I'm not sure why this is, if the saddle is back in the right place (and of course it might need to be dinky to do that!) then the shoulders look plenty big enough, sadly many saddles are on the shoulder.
 
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