Is a 9 stone child too heavy for a 11.2hh cross pony?

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Anna2015

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He looks similar to a section a. Hes not fine at all pretty chunky but was a rescue so don't actually know his breeding. He's 15 years old.

My children ride him who are both under 5. However my niece who is 10 has started to come up and help me and she loves grooming and cleaning the pony and would love to sit on him but I keep telling her she can't (I'm worried about her weight) My other horse is 16.2 hands so she is too scared to get on. And I feel bad when all the younger kids ride him and my neice is just watching.

Some people say he will carry her no problem and it will do my neice good as she will loose weight taking up riding.

What do you think ?
 
Im not one to judge sizes but inc tack thats 10 stone, which i think is a little too much for that height.
 
I'm sure I'm right about the weight. She's a big girl for her age. Height I'm guessing 5 foot 2? I did think she was too heavy that is why I been saying no but so many have said I'm silly. Thanks all.
 
Too heavy. 8 stone including tack would be the limit for the pony described IMO. I'm 9st 7 and wouldn't dream of sitting on anything under 13.2hh and that would not be more than a quick sit on, say to help a child schooling.
 
Agree. I grew to about that height/weight at around 9-10years. (And not much afterwards!) It was awkward at the time but I had a fantastic ballet teacher who moved me up into a class with much older teens because whilst I was a little girl on the inside my body was older.

The ballet teacher made it all about foot development to avoid making me feel odd about being big... Perhaps just mention height etc for this girl and say she needs a horse that matches in order to ride well?

Edited to add: obviously it is about the weight but might not be tactful to be explicit about that as she is likely very self conscious if just growing
 
I'm 9st and 5ft, and have trotted son's chunky 11.2 round the school before, but no more than that...

With a child it would be much simpler to just say no you're too big, rather than to go into lots of explanations about how she could walk it round, but not trot, that sort of thing. Blanket no is much simpler.

I find it hard to believe a primary school girl could be 9st though.

Fiona
 
I think a sit on and a little walk round as a once off would be okay honestly. 15 mins of walking round isn't going to hurt the pony in the long run. I'd make it about her height rather than weight, just stress that she is too tall for the pony rather than too heavy as she is probably aware she is a little bigger than most kids her age and children are so sensitive to weight, it could put her off horses for life and upset her badly
 
Sorry don't see why there is a need to tiptoe round the question. The child is too big, not too fat or too tall, overall she is too big. I have just said "no" to a request to borrow my 10.3hh for a child visiting a friend for a week. Just said she has a 6 stone weight limit although I get on her every now and again to reinforce something we've done on longreins.
 
Can't you encourage her to have a go on the horse? Im just over 9stone I have a pony,but no way would I get on a 11h pony! I would just say to the girl this pony is too small for you you need a bigger pony or horse. You don't have to say they are too heavy.
 
Maria13 said:
I think a sit on and a little walk round as a once off would be okay honestly. 15 mins of walking round isn't going to hurt the pony in the long run. I'd make it about her height rather than weight, just stress that she is too tall for the pony rather than too heavy as she is probably aware she is a little bigger than most kids her age and children are so sensitive to weight, it could put her off horses for life and upset her badly
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As someone who was always tall for my age (I finished at 5' 10" aged 14), I would disagree that making it about height is any less a sensitive subject than weight. I was terribly conscious of my height and hated towering above my friends. I would just say the pony can't carry more than seven stone, then it makes it about the pony and not the girl.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
I'm nine-and-a-half stone and 5ft3 and I ride a 12.2hh Exmoor. TBH 11.2hh does seem tiny for a rider of 9 stone.
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I'm similar - 9st and 5"2 / 3. I rode an extremely strong almost brick built hunting pony - think it was an exmoor. I was concerned it might struggle but it didn't, however I think 11.2hh is far too small. Maybe motivate her to lose some weight so she can have a turn or maybe get her to try the 16.2hh? I used to think I preferred dinky little ponies but as soon as I got on something with a bit of neck I was smitten.
 
I would tell her the pony is too small rather than make any comment about her height or weight. I do agree that 9st seems a lot for a child that age, are you sure that is right not a wild guess by someone?!
 
FfionWinnie said:
I would tell her the pony is too small rather than make any comment about her height or weight. I do agree that 9st seems a lot for a child that age, are you sure that is right not a wild guess by someone?!
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This is an ideal explanation

I agree with the lunging/longlining suggestion - maybe a bit of showing inhand?
 
I think it is worth building her confidence on the 16.2hh horse, perhaps on the lead rein, then lunge then pottering in the school. He isn't that big for her. I would just tell her she is too old to ride ponies, she needs to ride horses now.
 
This may be a bit weird but girls at my yard who are I'm guessing 9 stone are on 11.2h ponies jumping and all! I know how your niece feels though! I've struggled with my weight for awhile. It was always very embarrassing to be told that you were too heavy for the pony. I used to just end up asking for the horses instead if the ponies!
Taking in how your niece feels about it even though others have said no would she be on to sit on him bare back for a moment! You could lead her! It's just because I know how it feels being heavy and knowing that you can't do certain things!
 
I can empathise with you and your niece. I have a daughter who has just turned 10- she is 5'2", just under 9st, has size 7 feet and I've had to buy her age 15 trousers to get the right length for her leg for her last year in Primary school! She is very conscious that she is big framed (but not fat). She rides a 13.2 welsh X pony and I wouldn't put her on anything smaller than that- she just doesn't look or feel right on anything smaller so I think an 11.2 for your niece would be too small. As others have said, try to teach your niece how to lunge the little daughter and encourage her to ride your 16.2hh. My daughter rode my 17.2hh to start with and loved being on him. I'm sure she'll get a lot of pleasure from these 2 activities.
 
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