Is it wrong for a grown woman to ride a 12.3hh welsh A?

[FionaM12]

I currently hover between 9st 12lbs and 10st 2lbs and i`m 5' 3" (ish) ....

This was last summer when i first backed and started him

and this was christmas day ... a very good friend of mine was riding my other lad (hello **waves** as i know she`ll see this lol):

Please excuse the mud lolol

He's lovely. He's a very strong looking chap, you don't look heavy on him.

 

[FionaM12]

Been trying to upload a picture of him. This is Bobby, looking a little bigger than he is on account of the hobbit (D#2 a few years ago) in the old iron shod cart.

He's beautiful. Personally I wouldn't ask those fine little legs to carry my nine and half stone plus tack and clothes though.

I'd happily have a go in the cart!

 

[DJ]

He's lovely. He's a very strong looking chap, you don't look heavy on him.

Thank you, he is a really thick set solid little chap, and i`d say he`s grown a bit now too, he`ll be 13hh, maybe a tad bit more. I really should measure him again.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

If pony isnt complaining then i dont see the harm. i used to get slated for riding my welsh d x whose 14.3hh (see sig not exactly a tank) when i was 14 stone but he tanked me around 25 mile common ridings at full pelt and i was hard pressed to stop him and he still had plenty in the tank at the end.

If your balanced and its not hurting him and not every day then i dont see the harm. These ponies were bred for heavier loads.

 

[Kokopelli]

His legs don't look as chunky as you think, actually they look no bigger then the ones on my lad whose 14.2 and I won't let anyone over 8.5 stone ride him.

These ponies are sturdy for towing but not for carrying weight on their back, imo you're asking for problems but it seems you're intent on carrying on anyway.

 

[zigzag]

Most people under estimate what ponies can carry.

 

[khalswitz]

I've posted before about me and my friends riding three Shetland x Highland ponies about 12.2hhish... I weighed about 11st, one friend about 11.5st and the other about 10.5st. I'm 5'10" and the one in the red fleece.

These guys were riding school/rda ponies, but naughty as hell. We would ride them for a month to six weeks brining them back into work after their summer and Christmas breaks. They were horribly spooky, could buck and spin, and were very strong - we would generally ride and lead, and school, so that they each were schooled/hacked/led twice a week each. We would always take them out a few good gallop hacks to let off steam (and would jump them over little 1 foot logs and things), and would take them to the beach in the summer too.

In the grand scheme of things, they didn't carry us often, and were more than strong enough for it. Plus that cross is horrific and not designed for a child.

Would I buy one for myself to ride (assume I'm not about 1.5-2 st heavier than I was then as is actuality) on a regular basis? No, I don't think that is fair. Would I jump on one now and then to take the edge off for a kid ? (Again at say 1 1st ish not at current weight). Sure, why not.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Personally I really don't think adults should be riding shetlands.

Why not? They are tough, stocky little beggers and you can be damned sure my mare isn't a kids pony in the slightest! You see some kids in the show ring these days taller and chunkier than I am riding these wee beasts at high levels. I rarely ride a shetland in the ring anymore - just my mare once or twice a year at my local shows. The others I school for other people to ride in the ring. Rains goes far far better for me than any kid that has sat on him as he just rips the mick and does as he pleases yet I have a forward going, well schooled push button ride underneath me when I get on him.

If I was a ten tonne tessy then I could see your point but why should ponies be restricted to kids?

 

[*hic*]

It's those damned commas - damned if you do, damned if you don't

 

[kirstys 1]

I've posted before about me and my friends riding three Shetland x Highland ponies about 12.2hhish... I weighed about 11st, one friend about 11.5st and the other about 10.5st. I'm 5'10" and the one in the red fleece.

These guys were riding school/rda ponies, but naughty as hell. We would ride them for a month to six weeks brining them back into work after their summer and Christmas breaks. They were horribly spooky, could buck and spin, and were very strong - we would generally ride and lead, and school, so that they each were schooled/hacked/led twice a week each. We would always take them out a few good gallop hacks to let off steam (and would jump them over little 1 foot logs and things), and would take them to the beach in the summer too.

In the grand scheme of things, they didn't carry us often, and were more than strong enough for it. Plus that cross is horrific and not designed for a child.

Would I buy one for myself to ride (assume I'm not about 1.5-2 st heavier than I was then as is actuality) on a regular basis? No, I don't think that is fair. Would I jump on one now and then to take the edge off for a kid ? (Again at say 1 1st ish not at current weight). Sure, why not.

They look like cracking ponies!
The little bay looks JUST like my shetland/welsh, she's 11.2hh. I ride her and I'm 5'2".

 

[blond1]

OP I think you'll be fine. Picture is of 5'9" jockey weighing 9stone riding 12.2 pony and they had a great time together.

 

[junglefairy]

His legs don't look as chunky as you think, actually they look no bigger then the ones on my lad whose 14.2 and I won't let anyone over 8.5 stone ride him.

These ponies are sturdy for towing but not for carrying weight on their back, imo you're asking for problems but it seems you're intent on carrying on anyway.

This.

Additionally, people commenting that they see heavier kids riding ponies, or it was done in the past etc. That's not the point, it doesn't make it good for the pony.

 

[Darremi]

This.

Additionally, people commenting that they see heavier kids riding ponies, or it was done in the past etc. That's not the point, it doesn't make it good for the pony.

Completely agree.

And I would hope that all those adults who ride ponies are sitting very light in the saddle, and making sure they are in two point position in trot and canter.

Nothing worse than sitting heavily in the saddle on a pony that is really too small to be carrying you.

 

[FionaM12]

OP I think you'll be fine. Picture is of 5'9" jockey weighing 9stone riding 12.2 pony and they had a great time together.

OP is 11 stone, not 9. Also, I do wonder how people know ponies have a great time? We can only guess, I'd personally like to be on the safe side rather than risking a 12.2 pony not "telling" me that carrying 11 stone + tack is hurting.

 

[ozpoz]

I wouldn't like to see more than 8 stone on a 12.2. and I'd rather see less.
I don't see how you can avoid damaging the back asking a little pony to carry medium weight adults.
Most little ponies I know are backed by children or lightweight teenagers.

 

[KidnapMoss]

I hope it's not wrong as I ride a 122cm Exmoor and I'm 5'7, hover just above10 stone, sometimes 10.5, though not now cos I'm 5 months pregnant!!!! Though when not pregnant I have done virtually everything with my boy at some point, drag hunting, showjumping, XC, dressage, long distance rides, showing, all with no problems. Although I woud say mine has much chunkier legs that in your photo OP, he also takes 5'6 - 5'9 rugs on account of his HUGE chest and neck, my husband calls him maxi cob on mini legs...I also have a pic of him riding him but probs better not post it!!!!

Showing the chunkness

 

[NeverSayNever]

I regularly ride my shetlands - 3-4x a week during the show session doing flat work and fun. I am 5'4" and just shy of 10st. They have absolutely no problems carrying me or having a yeehaa about the place!

So long as your pony isn't struggling to carry you then bash on!

delighted to hear this Im about to back my rising 4 year old who is a very 4 square 41 inches. Im the same height as you and about 8 1/2 stone.

 

[millikins]

I sometimes carry loads/dig/push etc more than I am designed for. As a reasonably rare occurrence for a fairly fit adult it does me no harm. If I did it day in day out, yes I would probably develop joint or back problems.

 

[SarahRicoh]

I am 5ft5 & have no idea how much I weigh but definitely over 8 stone! Maybe about 9-9.5 stone.
I often ride my friends 12hh welsh a and shock horror i hunt him too.

he's a brilliant lead rein pony but a b***** off leadrein and he likes to buck kids off, he's also bloody strong!
i take it steady out hunting and don't jump anything bigger than like 1ft but he loves it.
yes i look a bit silly but in used to riding small poies so i always try keep a light seat etc.

he loves being able to go hunting and out on proper hacks rather than bring stuck in school or lead rein. He is the old fashioned welsh a though and much stockier than the modern fine types!

he would most definitely let me know if he wanted me off and out hunting i got many comments as although he was the smallest he was the naughtiest.
i love riding him and only thing i need to sort is a saddle that's not too long for him but not too small for my ass

 

[showpony]

I'm 8.5 stone and wouldn't feel comfortable riding my.daughters 12hh pony

 

[MrsNorris]

Does the 20% rule not apply to ponies then?
I occasionally sat on my daughters 13hh NF, (I'm 5'6 and about 9.5 st) when she needed a little extra schooling, but only for about 20 mins at a time and only flatwork. I wouldn't have felt comfortable doing it had I been 11 st though, thats a bit too much IMO.....

 

[Marchogaeth]

I am the only one that was a little bit shocked by some of these comments?? -Especially about the little Shetlands? I'm just sat here thinking, 'wow! Really?' I've never come across any adults riding Shetlands before, or even sitting on the really? And as for riding ponies I was always taught it didn't really matter how tall you were (within reason) so long as you were a balenced rider and under the ponies weight limit? Is that wrong or?
Therefore I've always thought to ride A's and B's your either a child or small and relatively thin or tall and a 'stick' person.
I'm 5ft8 and around 8st8 but I daren't ride anything smaller than our 13.3hh highland X and I would like to see much more than thirteen stone on my boy, a 14.2hh Conni X Suffolk, but that's only because he has the Suffolk in him.
In hindsight, maybe they are extream? That's the only way I know?
I still can't imagine putting anyone one over 8 stone on our little welshes and certainly not on the Shetland!
Am I wrong?

I have to say though, those little Highland X Shetland ponies look fantastic , bet they were great fun! X

 

[khalswitz]

They look like cracking ponies!
The little bay looks JUST like my shetland/welsh, she's 11.2hh. I ride her and I'm 5'2".

They were so strong - and Highlands really are bred to CARRY weight not pull it, and these guys were really just very short, grumpy Highlands...

 

[*hic*]

May I give you some food for thought?

Average weight of three year old child is 15Kg. Horse feed weighs 20 or 25Kg a bag (mostly). An average hay bale is around 16Kg. 12 bottles of wine weigh about that much too. A two gallon bucket of water weighs roughly 10Kg.

The table below may make interesting reading:

* Each box contains a guideline weight for lifting and lowering in that zone. (As you can see, the guideline weights are reduced if handling is done with arms extended, or at high or low levels, as that is where injuries are most likely to happen.)
* Observe the work activity you are assessing and compare it to the diagram. First, decide which box or boxes the lifter’s hands pass through when moving the load. Then, assess the maximum weight being handled. If it is less than the figure given in the box, the operation is within the guidelines.
* If the lifter’s hands enter more than one box during the operation, use the smallest weight. Use an in-between weight if the hands are close to a boundary between boxes.
The guideline weights assume that the load is readily grasped with both hands and that the operation takes place in reasonable working conditions, with the lifter in a stable body position.

So in the examples I gave above NONE of them would be ok according to the guidelines above if you were picking them up from the ground. All except the feedsack would be fine lifted from waist height to waist height, but not safe for you to put on the ground or pick up from the ground. You'd not even be able to lift a hoover to take it upstairs with those guidelines.

Not very related to what happens in real life!

This is all a very long winded way to say that there are some very unrealistic ideas out there!

I'm an unfit 50's woman. I had to move the tractor weights the other day, two at a time. They each weigh 40Kg. It was hard work and I wouldn't expect a pony to work that hard. I shifted 350 bales of hay last summer floor to trailer, trailer to stack, so two handling operations, working above head height for part of that time. To work at that level for that long was really tiring - I wouldn't expect a pony to work at that level for anything like that long, nor would I throw it in at the deep end working that level. Shifting a few bales each day however is hardly noticeable.

 

[eahotson]

If its a PROPER sec A,i.e a mini solid cob with a leg at each corner they can carry up to about 15 stone all day.I have met that type and they can.A lot of what are called cobs are really just slightly cobby horses or ponies and there it all changes.

 

[kassieg]

I was told by my mother that at 10 stone I should lose weight to event my 15.3 ISH so that is my perspective!

Im 10 stone & im loosing weight for my 16hh id x tb's 1st event season. I want to be 9 stone ideally then I'd feel happy
I used to be 9 stone when I worked at the dealers & at 5'8 I refused to ride anything smaller than the 13.2 stocky conne as I didnt think it was fair

 

[rara007]

I've never come across any adults riding Shetlands before, or even sitting on them X

I guess you havnt watched an open M+M class then? Not that that makes it right of course but a high % of small breeds are adult ridden. It's not a new thing- My dad showed exmoors and Shetlands under saddle whilst my mum was pregnant with me (mum was 5'3 and under 8 stone)

 

[Rapidash]

As someone who regularly carries a lot of weight on my back, I can say definitely that lighter is better. I suspect it's the same for horses. A 17hh hunter would prefer an 8stone rider to an 11stone.

As for telling when something is actually heavy, well the pony would be out of breath quickly, reluctant to move fast and grumpy. Sounds like the OP was bombing around on the pony quite easily. Doesn't sound too heavy to me whatever the numbers involved.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

oof, still reeling from the thought of a shetland highland cross these threads rarely contain any middle ground-you either get people saying a 12h can easily take 13stone hunting or people saying anyone over 6 stone should be riding an ID.Of course we should all strive to be as fit as we can for riding but life isn't always perfect.

I don't think it would do the OP's pony any harm once in a while. as for all of you saying no 13.2 should carry this that and the other-what about Highlands?Haflingers?Fells? Dales? Or the small horse breeds such as Fjords and Icelandics? wasted on children IMO. frankly, to my mind the fact that adults don't ride ponies so much any more hasn't done ponies much good. Ponies need to work. My dad, who admittedly was a shortarse and skinny to boot but still an adult male, rode our old fashioned section c for years in the 70s, towing me around on a lead rein on my pony. noone back then thought it strange that an adult would ride a native.

I am an adult, 5'5 and have a monster 13.2h Exmoor for me, to hack and whatever else we feel like doing. He's being backed as a 5yo this year with a lighter weight rider initially, then I will be hacking him. My weight is my business but with tack, we'll be a couple of stone under the old stone per hand rule-he has great bone and a good front, built like the proverbial outhouse.

There are Exmoors doing endurance with adult riders all over the UK, plenty of Fells and itty bitty arabs doing it as well.

 

[pennyturner]

I came back to this thread this morning with my hands over my eyes, and I'm quite pleasantly surprised to have not had anything too nasty said (thanks folks). The photo I posted was not the best, and there are lots of things that could have been criticised that weren't (a HHO first?!)

His legs look finer in the photo than they are - they are pretty sturdy, and the cannons short. As it was taken late summer he's in 'good condition' (on poor grass only), but I wouldn't say he's fat - he was cut late and remains cresty even when he's been eating nothing but tree bark all winter.
I'm amazed no-one pulled me up on his feet, which look desperate for a trim. The carriage balance is aweful - the tugs need dropping a couple of holes, and what about the tow-rope draft system? We were testing out harness fit and line of draft prior to fitting a swingletree and axle chains as the cart only had hooks on the shafts. I also wouldn't normally leave a child in a carriage without the driver, but is Bobby, the best driving pony in the world, who would wait outside Tescos if I asked him to!

I have to disagree with everyone who said I couldn't know if he wasn't comfortable. As Rapidash says above, we were having a hoot, for around 7 miles, and he was the one wanting to go faster! This particular pony has stamina to burn. He was once my regular ride (I was <10st and 'proper' pony was injured), so we know each other well.

I would never say it's OK to ride ANY little pony. I have 2 little Dartmoors. They're the same size, but the build is different. The stallion will carry me for half a day, and enjoy himself (although he will huff and puff in fast work), the gelding I have only ever ridden for 10 minutes in the school when he's been horrid to the kids, and he makes it very clear he wants me off!

Love the idea of Shettie/Highland crosses - strength with attitude!