I'm officially a pony squasher...

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horselady

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Hi all,
So as some of you may know when my mare was acquired by me I was not told everything about her. I was also told she was 14.3hh. I had previously ridden a 16.2hh thouroughbred but she was a really chunky cob. I have never really ridden ponies, always preferring things on the larger side. However after closer inspection, a big argument with my mare and a sulk. I have measured her and found her to be 13.2hh. She is very chunky and has strong legs and feet which are really big. I was wondering what you would think the max height for her. She is very muscly normally. (I say normally as she is muscly now but a bit fat too.)
 
Yes you are! But measuring on a yard is a bit of an inaccurate science - you need an absolutely flat surface. What height does her passport say she is?

My daughter's cob is 13.2. He carries a 5'2" skinny lightweight adult without looking out of place. He is round so takes up a good length of leg. Much taller than that and she would probably look out of proportion on him. Height is everything of course - you need to factor weight and rider experience as well.
 
I'm 5ft8 (and a half) and my mare is 13.2 on a good day, with shoes on!

People are always surprised at how well we fit together, despite being a normal sized NF she takes up my leg well and we've done everything together over the years. I doubt I'd ever buy anything bigger again, she's so convenient to own!
 
Difficult one to answer; I'm 5'6" and looked passable on a 13.3 fell and a 13.2 highland but I looked a tad too tall for a 14.3 Welsh type. (no ponies were squashed). I'd suggest doing the maths and checking you aren't more than 20% of her weight. Also take into account type, breeding and the sort of work you're doing.

Maybe get a friend to video you and watch it back and see how you feel (what would you say to the person riding if it wasn't you)
 
That is quite some weight for a 13.2! I'm not a fan of the 20% rule - although it is a reasonable guide to start with I suppose. A heavier well balanced rider is better tolerated than a lighter unbalanced one. Don't forget to account for the weight of tack too.
 
Not sure if it helps but i rode my 14.2 Welsh Arab well into his 20s and mine :-) and though i was much slimmer back then I'm just over 5ft9. Looked fine in him and he never complained, in fact he'd still nick off with me if we popped a jump :-)
 
If you are using 20% rule as a guide (and as Shay points out, it is a starting point only) you need to use her ideal weight. An overweight pony is already overburdened so can't carry more rider and tack, they would need to carry less until fit.
 
Shay said:
That is quite some weight for a 13.2!
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My 14.2hh who sounds a similar type is 500kgs give or take and hes slightly underweight to most people.

He makes everyone look small. His regular rider is 5ft9 but I think even taller than that would be fine, although he does give a very different feel than a big horse if thats what your used to :) I wouldnt be happy with him carrying 20% at the minute though as he has previously been ridden in a too small saddle and has muscle wastage. Its slowly filling back in now but until his back is strengthened up I keep it to about 12 stone for him. Hes also just finished rehabbing from a pelvis injury (cant remember exactly what it was now, but a chiro vet had to manipulate him to get him back straight) Ironically the vet who treated him advised that he carried a rider of a reasonable weight not a lightweight rider, while he was doing his rehab and that he was ridden not driven as he needed to engage his muscles and that would only be done by carrying someone in his case.

My slightly smaller cob who was 14.1hh ish and a slightly smaller build was similar in that he would take a tall rider easily as he was so broad. He was phenomenally strong everywhere with a wide, short back. He carried 22% for short periods of time for steady work with absolutely no issues at all.
 
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Shay said:
That is quite some weight for a 13.2! .
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Is it, for a cob, I don't think it is although if that's a weigh tape measurement she probably weighs more.

I recently had some weighed and taped and our very fine 14.1 weighed 354 taped 332.

My 13.1 Welsh C will definitely weigh more than him even at her fittest, (and so she should).

My 14.2 cob who has not got an ounce of fat on her, is 508kgs on the scales.
 
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My cob was weight taped at that by her last owner. Since she has come she has developed a lot more muscle mass. Her legs especially have got more muscly. She has developed a small amount of fat around the stomach though. Even If she didn't have the fat (which is coming off now) she would probably weight tape as more now.
 
OP edited her response with the weight on and my reflection that it was some weight for a 13.2 was to the assertion that she was 500kg; not 350Kg as edited. 350kg actually sounds slightly under?

My daughter's 13.1 Cob is 410 -425Kgs. He is fit as a flea, not slim because his type doesn't allow for that but carries no excess condition. He is weigh taped monthly and formally weighed on a weighbridge every year. (The pony club organises it at camp.) so I am fairly sure of his weight. Her 14.2 ISH is 430 - 450 Kgs weighed on the same basis. 500Kgs for a 13.2 anything is fairly heavy - and a 150kg discrepancy in a guess at her weight is quite a margin for error.

As I said I'm not a fan of the 20% rule applied strictly - but if you are going to use that as a start point perhaps invest in a weigh tape or go to an event where you can get a weighbridge? Several feed companies will bring one out to your yard if you can get other liveries involved. Better than guessing.
 
How much do you weigh in full riding kit and tack? As that can weigh up to a couple of stone.

If she is putting on weight then you do need to keep an eye on that. Any horse/pony that is carrying excess weight is going to struggle with a rider that is potionally too heavy.
 
Shay said:
OP edited her response with the weight on and my reflection that it was some weight for a 13.2 was to the assertion that she was 500kg; not 350Kg as edited. 350kg actually sounds slightly under?
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I did think that was a really odd thing for you to say! Makes sense now :lol:
 
it also depends on what sort of riding you do with your cob. gentle hacking is alot different to one day eventing or showjumping. your height is not really a problem ,look at mark todd when he rode charisma...but the weight is... i have a friend who is 5ft 6 ,about 9stone and is hacking a very chunky cob who is 13,3 and she looks fine and he has no problem carrying her. she also drives him so he is quite fit
 
I am 5ft7 and 9 stone. I would happily hop on a stocky 13hh pony.

My pony is about 13.3. Never weighed him but he is a solid type. He is more than capable of carrying me plus tack.
 
It depends what, and how much you do. 9st (which is 11stone with tack) would be too much for a days hunting on a 13hh pony,but ok for a gentle 20min hack. Its not only the legs annd feet that are carrying the weight. Its the backbone and loins too.
 
I'm 5ft11 & 11.5 stone plus tack so say 13.5 stone, Welsh Section D of mine is 520kg 14.3hh built like a tank! 20% rule says he can carry 16 stone so thats good to know!
 
The study that provided this showed that:
"Loin width demonstrated a relationship to percentage of muscle soreness at 20, 25, and 30% of body weight" which proves that cannon circumference is not the only factor to consider when calculating what a horse can carry. You must consider loin width too.

But yes, the consensus is that 20% max total weight. However - in the study the youngest horse was 8yo so maybe consider 15% for a younger horse whose skeleton has not yet fully matured.

(http://www.equinews.com/article/horses-weight-carrying-ability-studied)
 
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