How small can I go? Another adults riding ponies thread

Sadly I don't have many pics of my fell pony :( But this one is of him as a 5yo. I am 5ft4" and he was a solid 13.2hh who got more solid as he matured. He truly was one of the best ponies I ever had!

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MotherOfChickens said:
gods, I've gone to to ponies and haven't regretted it for a second with regards to sharpness lol. And Fells and such ride much bigger than they are-my own Fell has a cracking trot and canter and covers the ground better than the gypsy cobs that I've ridden over the years. I tried out one 14h Fell who had an incredibly long striding trot-very comfy.
I really wish people who be more supportive of our brilliant and versatile native breeds-many of which go on way into their 20s. And the XXW backs is what makes them strong enough for adults.
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Well said.
I've had Welsh cobs and now a Fell - none of them have had a choppy 'pony' stride, quite the opposite. And there's plenty in front of you too. But they DO have a sense of humour........
The fastest, smoothest walker I've ever had was a 14.3 native-cross - she could leave 17 hands of warmblood in her wake :)
 
My Fell does a 2 mile hack in far less time than the 17.2! I grew up on Shetlands, Welsh crosses and Welsh cobs. I agree it's a shame there isn't more support for the native breeds. At a recent county show there were nearly a dozen coloured "traditional" classes, with only 4 for natives. A travesty. I'm no coloured snob (I own one) but I really don't like to see our diverse, versatile native breeds sidelined by them. Hopefully they'll come back in fashion.
 
I ride my daughter's 14.1hh Connie and I am 5'9" and very careful not to weigh more than 10st for him. I'm a great believer in the absolute top weight being no more than 15% of the horse/pony weight, so in your case I'd be thinking of something weighing 550kg plus, so a good sized Highland would be ok.
 
I have an old Dales x and she carries me fine, I vary between 11 and 12 stone over year and I'm 5'5. I got a new thorowgood saddle fitted last Christmas and it's just the standard t4 model 17" and fits my giant bum!
 
Sussexbythesea said:
I was going to say the same. Carry full grown big men easily.

Rode nearly 200km over 6 days with the herd and they were as lively on the last day as the first.

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I rode with the herd across Iceland nearly 30 years ago now. Rode half the time on a little chestnut mare that must have been all of 12.2 and she was fantastic, smooth and tireless. It was her that made me buy one.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Um, stoopid question I know, but why would you WANT to get back onto a pony??? :-O

Having been on a "horse", you do get used to being on something a decent size, and a bit more predictable shall we say?

I just think the question "how small can I go" needs a bit of thinking around really........ its a bit of a "yes you might be able to but why would you want to" sort of question??

I'm 5'3 and weigh 9 stone. I've ridden an Exmoor pony, and wasn't too big for her. But for an older rider, which I assume OP you are? sometimes you need to think about comfort rather than "size"?? Ponies have a far more choppy way of going, and frankly can be damned hard on the vitals!! Contrast this with the nice even gait of a "horse".

Having said all this, I've gone back onto ponies! Bought a youngster last year, couldn't resist her, she's a gypsy cob, 13.2hh but rides far more like a 14.2. These little cobs are excellent for us older riders as - if you get a good one - they can have a really nice temperament with a sensible attitude, but they can come up wide unfortunately.

As others have suggested, I'd give consideration to something like one of the larger Natives. Welsh D would be my favourite, but be aware that they can be very opinionated and unless you can deal with that you may be better avoiding! On the plus side they are great characters, real fun cobs, very versatile, and immensely loyal.
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having gone from 16.3hh, to 16hh to 13hh................i am finding that the smaller they are the easier my life is!

my choice was quite personal i suppose, i lost the TB to severe behavioral issues the vet never got to the bottom of, and the WB to a rare auto immune problem.

then i very nearly gave up totally.

then got persuaded that despite being 5'7, a 13hh welsh B was exactly what was needed to get me smiling, and my god does he make me smile.

he's buzzy and sharp without being hysterical and spooky. He's surefooted and nippy and never has to be asked twice. He's brave and clever without being strong or pig headed. In short he has been absolutely the best sort i could have picked and has really given me my mojo back.
Plus he is easy enough for the none horsey OH or the kids to handle. He fits in really well with my current life, in the way a big 'un wouldnt.
 
MotherOfChickens said:
gods, I've gone to to ponies and haven't regretted it for a second with regards to sharpness lol. And Fells and such ride much bigger than they are-my own Fell has a cracking trot and canter and covers the ground better than the gypsy cobs that I've ridden over the years. I tried out one 14h Fell who had an incredibly long striding trot-very comfy.
I really wish people who be more supportive of our brilliant and versatile native breeds-many of which go on way into their 20s. And the XXW backs is what makes them strong enough for adults.
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Also couldn't agree more. It's lovely to ride something with the brains to pick his way across the moor with only a rabbit path to follow. Although he is sharp, which can be unnerving at my tender age. The big chap has to be guided round every stone!
 
buzyizzy said:
Also couldn't agree more. It's lovely to ride something with the brains to pick his way across the moor with only a rabbit path to follow. Although he is sharp, which can be unnerving at my tender age. The big chap has to be guided round every stone!
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I like the sense of self preservation they have :D and I have similar hacking plus old forestry, I want something that knows where his feet are.
 
Gloi said:
I rode with the herd across Iceland nearly 30 years ago now. Rode half the time on a little chestnut mare that must have been all of 12.2 and she was fantastic, smooth and tireless. It was her that made me buy one.
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They’re amazing little toughies, part of me would really love one. I’m not sure what they’re like at more typically English activities e.g. dressage.

I can’t read the second page of this thread for some reason?
 
If you think your hips will struggle with a Highland/Fell etc. may I suggest a slightly overheight Connie? It wouldn't be a huge drop in size for you, but a 14.3/15hh connie are much slighter than a heavier native, just as surefoot and should take you no problem. They're pricey, but a good one is worth their weight in gold. However, we could say the same thing about all of our wonderful native breeds.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
They’re amazing little toughies, part of me would really love one. I’m not sure what they’re like at more typically English activities e.g. dressage.
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At dressage they are challenging in a fun way :D Very trainable and responsive however you could well get to the arena and the horse suddenly loses trot and although they are meant to be four or five gaited there is also every combination between the gaits that can come out when you least want it and some random combination of legs that aren't in any book that it can pull out of a hat. That said I have done Prelim and Novice unaffiliated on a couple of mine in my younger days and got placed and people that are more dressage minded than me have done quite well. If you like dressage because you like training a horse rather than because you like to go out and win every time you would enjoy one (when you aren't being frustrated by him :D)
 
Another Fell pony enthusiast here, I'm 5'9 and my 14h fell carries me without any issues, he certainly doesn't have a choppy pony stride either.
I wanted an allrounder to hack and have fun with - and he's perfect.
 
I'm 5ft8 and have regularly ridden my friend's 13.2hh Fjord, I wouldn't normally ride a pony but she is an absolute tank and takes my leg up really well. She has a massive trot too and I never feel under horsed on her the only time I remember how tiny she is is when I see how close her ears are! The lack of neck is a bit unnerving for galloping and I wouldn't want to jump on something so small.
 
You should be fine on most of the large natives how small you can go will depend on how stocky and how much bone.

I have a new forest, and am 8 stone and 5.2ft and he is 13.3 stocky type and easily carries me.

Natives ponies tend to be very clever so don't presume they will be safer or easier than a horse. A lot of people presume being smaller, slow and steady means that they are safe. I have fallen off my pony more than my friends have fallen off their horses. The other issue is that the native ponies can be difficult to manage with their weight same applies to cobs, and it can be stressful if you have good grazing and don't have time to ride a lot.

I love native ponies but the weight management is so stressful I am not sure that I would ever have another one unless I had access to very poor grazing.
 
SO1 said:
You should be fine on most of the large natives how small you can go will depend on how stocky and how much bone.

I have a new forest, and am 8 stone and 5.2ft and he is 13.3 stocky type and easily carries me.

Natives ponies tend to be very clever so don't presume they will be safer or easier than a horse. A lot of people presume being smaller, slow and steady means that they are safe. I have fallen off my pony more than my friends have fallen off their horses. The other issue is that the native ponies can be difficult to manage with their weight same applies to cobs, and it can be stressful if you have good grazing and don't have time to ride a lot.

I love native ponies but the weight management is so stressful I am not sure that I would ever have another one unless I had access to very poor grazing.
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I have a welsh section D.He is more of the riding type and this year,in particular,our grazing is poor which is good.Even when it is better though and he does pad out a bit he starts to loose naturally at the end of October and continues over the winter.I feed plentyof forage but he does have a stop button (not with grass though!) and I try not to rug at all unless it gets very cold.I don't have him clipped.
 
Thanks for the heads up on weight management.

I have a fatty now who spends her life on slimming world for horses. I'm very lucky that my YO let's me manage my paddock as I like. In some respects having two fatties could be easier than a fatty and a non fatty as it means they can go out together on a track.

Edited to add I don't generally rug and have to be strict with YO as she loves to sneak a rug on.
 
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Undoubtedly weight management can be difficult but balanced with not having to spend anything on hard feed, rugs, rug cleaning and not worrying about them in the winter. At least in the summer there is more time to ride ��. Also, both of mine have feet like rocks-no shoes or boots for that matter.
 
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