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

[zigzag]

Yes, but being realistic most adults are far too tall to comfortably ride a Shetland regularly.

I don't categorically think that adults belong on horses, I just think it is a question of applying common sense to the situation. At 11stone I would consider someone to be too heavy for our 16hh TB, however I would happily put them on a 14hh cob.

11stone on a 12.3hh fine pony is unacceptable, whether you are an 11stone child or an 11stone adult, and I wish people would buy horses/ponies capable of carrying their weight without doing the pony any long term damage.

You must be pleased he isn't a NH horse then..

 

[*hic*]

For a lot of us it's not about "get a horse to suit your weight" we've already got that. What we've also got is a pony whose young rider can't cope with it's naughtiness and it needs the odd occasion of sorting out, or whose 12yo rider leaves the house at 6.50am to get to school and doesn't get home till 6pm and who just doesn't have the time in the week to ride it in winter, or a child whose growing into the pony and it needs keeping schooled, or a pony that proves to be far more dangerous than expected and although it's been a good pony for one's child it is now outgrown and is far too dangerous to risk selling to an unsuspecting family - which is the position I found myself in with a 13.3 Section D. Actually all of those examples applied to us at one time or another. I could have had the Section D pts but he is the love of my daughter's life, he's an utterly adorable character, he's a big part of our family and he's a really good fun ride - you just have to bear in mind he is a bolter and for that reason I alone I would never have sold him on.

 

[RunToEarth]

You must be pleased he isn't a NH horse then..

Sorry, perhaps should have expanded. He has raced under rules, and has had over 11stone on him, having pointed regularly a few years ago. He is now older, weaker, not racing fit and I think people do need to take stuff like this into account before they get on board.

 

[NeverSayNever]

copied from Trotonline forum.. because i think its a really good example of ‘type’ I wouldnt just get on any small pony, or any shetland for that matter however the full up old fashioned type are a different kettle of fish to many seen today.

more can be read here http://www.trotonline.co.uk/forum/s...-t-be-true-!/page4&highlight=shetlands+riding

 

[pennyturner]

All the horse owners saying 'how do you know if pony isn't happy?' - can I take it that horses don't jib, buck, rear, turn around and bite your foot or grab the rein out of your hand and charge back to the field if they're feeling awkward?

 

[khalswitz]

All the horse owners saying 'how do you know if pony isn't happy?' - can I take it that horses don't jib, buck, rear, turn around and bite your foot or grab the rein out of your hand and charge back to the field if they're feeling awkward?

You will get the odd pony who will, out of its own good nature, just carry you, even if you are too heavy. HOWEVER, you can tell when a pony is struggling by the way it goes - if it feels tense, struggles to engage, if the hind legs stride short or stiffly, for example. So it is far from impossible to tell.

 

[khalswitz]

For a lot of us it's not about "get a horse to suit your weight" we've already got that. What we've also got is a pony whose young rider can't cope with it's naughtiness and it needs the odd occasion of sorting out, or whose 12yo rider leaves the house at 6.50am to get to school and doesn't get home till 6pm and who just doesn't have the time in the week to ride it in winter, or a child whose growing into the pony and it needs keeping schooled, or a pony that proves to be far more dangerous than expected and although it's been a good pony for one's child it is now outgrown and is far too dangerous to risk selling to an unsuspecting family - which is the position I found myself in with a 13.3 Section D. Actually all of those examples applied to us at one time or another. I could have had the Section D pts but he is the love of my daughter's life, he's an utterly adorable character, he's a big part of our family and he's a really good fun ride - you just have to bear in mind he is a bolter and for that reason I alone I would never have sold him on.

This. Most people buying ponies for themselves choose their ponies - a Fell, a Highland, an Icelandic, a Welsh C or D for example - to be able to carry them. However when you have those tricky little ponies who are not a child's ride, or next exercising while said child is in a cast, or need riding now child has grown up/as they grow into pony, they need riding, and not everyone has a tiny adult friend or small teenager who is willing to jump on. These aren't always long term riding, or riding often, but can make a big difference to pony.

This was the case with the shightlands (I love that). They were WILD to bring back into work, and for RDA needed to be fit and bombproof again. We had no small kids who could stay on, and the small teenagers wanted to ride their own horses and weren't interested - so we did it. Did them no harm. However I wouldn't have bought one to ride daily myself... a 13hh Icelandic though, or 13.2-14hh Highland, I sure would.

 

[PaddyMonty]

Adults riding ponies? Never heard such a thing.

 

[*hic*]

You will get the odd pony who will, out of its own good nature, just carry you, even if you are too heavy. HOWEVER, you can tell when a pony is struggling by the way it goes - if it feels tense, struggles to engage, if the hind legs stride short or stiffly, for example. So it is far from impossible to tell.

I wish I had video of the only time I've ridden our 15.3 fine TB mare. We'd only had her a short while and weren't sure whether something she was doing was down to my daughter or needed vet attention so I hopped up on her and did a couple of circuits of the school. What she was doing was indeed down to my daughter but it was also apparent that she found me too heavy. She didn't drop a shoulder, buck, sit down or do anything untoward but she did feel very stiff and awkward. Yet the 13.3 Welsh would happily jump round a 3' XC course (and be placed) or SJ at 1.15m with me on board, he just didn't have an issue and he is not the sort of pony to put up and shut up. I only asked the TB for walk and a couple of strides of trot

 

[*hic*]

Adults riding ponies? Never heard such a thing.

Yup, mine looked something like that, until I asked her to move off! Two strides I lasted, two flipping strides

 

[khalswitz]

I wish I had video of the only time I've ridden our 15.3 fine TB mare. We'd only had her a short while and weren't sure whether something she was doing was down to my daughter or needed vet attention so I hopped up on her and did a couple of circuits of the school. What she was doing was indeed down to my daughter but it was also apparent that she found me too heavy. She didn't drop a shoulder, buck, sit down or do anything untoward but she did feel very stiff and awkward. Yet the 13.3 Welsh would happily jump round a 3' XC course (and be placed) or SJ at 1.15m with me on board, he just didn't have an issue and he is not the sort of pony to put up and shut up. I only asked the TB for walk and a couple of strides of trot

My personal experience of TBs is that the fine, smaller ones, especially as they get older, can really struggle to carry weight. That's why when people say 'I want something over 15.2hh as I'm not light' really bugs me, as something smaller but chunkier may carry you better!!

I had a lovely 15.3hh TB who started finding me at 11st too heavy for him. He was by that point 18, but he ended up being ridden by a tall but very thin and light child who he carried no problem. He just stopped going off the leg so much, started jumping flat rather than a nice bascule, and kept going hollow and getting this short choppy stride he'd never had before. Still wanted to canter etc as he was a forward going chap, but knew from that he was struggling. Young lassie was about 7 stone wet and suddenly he was back to himself again.

 

[SarahRicoh]

at the end of the day as much as id love to only ever ride little ponies and shetlands i would never go out and buy one for me personally to ride as i am to big!

HOWEVER, in the case of the 12hh welsh i ride. i would FAR rather see him ridden and kept fit by me then left to get fat in a field.. i am careful what i do with him and off lead rein he is DEFINITELY not suitable for a child to ride.. his owner is fine with this and both me and him are happy.. he loves going for a gallop with me and hunting