pony/rider height/weight query

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Hallo2012

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pony is 13.3hh sports bred welsh B........ so LW to MW rather than a stick legged show variety.

potential jockey is a 5'7 adult weighing 7 stone 11.

aside from looking a little top heavy would you say that is ok as a daily combination incl competing (dressage)?

pony is currently un backed and same rider would do backing, he has however been in driving work so is fit and muscled and is already 6.
 
I'd say not really, no. Try weighing clothed rider and tack and working out % of pony's ideal weight? Then take off a bit of acceptable weight as new muscles usage for new form of exercise...

Agree on rider dimensions... But when I was lighter (not as light, between 8-9st) I was fine with sticking to Sec Ds if riding a Welshie.
 
ok so if we say rider=50kg.....how much does a monoflap saddle weigh anyone?! 7kg?8 kg?

clothing cant be much? so looking at what, 60kg total?

which is under the 20% i think but correct me if maths is really off!!!!!!

i do rider smaller ponies but only for light work once or twice a week, mainly walk and slow trot etc so not much to compare to.
 
Under 8 st on a 13.3 section B I would say is absolutely fine. It will just be a balance issue at first. My daughter backed our 12.2 Exmoor and is a little bit smaller, but heavier. Obviously in an ideal world we would all have a 4 ft nothing 6 st person to back our small ponies, but who has.
 
seeing as he's 6 and already fit (for driving) then I think it would be fine. depending on torso length (of rider) there may be a balance issue-depends on how good the rider is.
 
thanks, averagely proportioned rider but experienced, competed to small tour on prev horse so can *help* the balance.

must admit i never thought i would be too big until someone said "will you not be too big" and then i thought (**&&^^%%^% will i be too big?!
 
Your not too heavy for anything at that weight. And your a very competent and experienced rider so balance isnt going to be an issue. You will be fine.
 
Hallo2012 said:
thanks, averagely proportioned rider but experienced, competed to small tour on prev horse so can *help* the balance.

must admit i never thought i would be too big until someone said "will you not be too big" and then i thought (**&&^^%%^% will i be too big?!
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sounds pretty good to me, when they're done I have a 12.3h outhouse of an Exmoor they can ride :D
 
I rode an 11.1 welsh A until I was about 5 and a half stone and my feet were basically on the ground, so I'd say 7.11 on a 13.3 is fine (I haven't done the maths but that must work out about the same if you compare them?)
 
I rode a fairly fine Sec B and a chunk of a Sec C at 9 stone. I'm only 5'4" and did feel a bit top heavy on the B, but she carried me on a couple of day rides without any issues
 
Just something to bear in mind regarding taller riders and smaller ponies (assuming the weight of the rider isn't an issue) is the size of the saddle. Saddle seat size for the rider is related to their hip to knee measurement - not the size of their bum! A taller rider will need a longer seat size then the pony may be able to correctly carry to allow them to sit in the correct place in the saddle while having their knee in the right place in the knee roll/front flap. If the saddle is too small for the rider they will be tempted to sit too far back putting their weight on the wrong part of the saddle and the pony's back. You can get round it to a certain extent if the rider is happy to ride a bit longer and have their knee below the place it was designed to go but this will have some knock on effects on the rider's ability to remain correctly balanced and secure when jumping or doing fast work. Which is bloody annoying as ponies are SO cool and such great fun!
 
Hallo2012 said:
ok so if we say rider=50kg.....how much does a monoflap saddle weigh anyone?! 7kg?8 kg?

clothing cant be much? so looking at what, 60kg total?

which is under the 20% i think but correct me if maths is really off!!!!!!

i do rider smaller ponies but only for light work once or twice a week, mainly walk and slow trot etc so not much to compare to.
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Assuming pony is around 300kg (about right for a Sec B?) that is 20% so absolute max. And a lot of people favour the 15% limit which it would be over.

It think it can be hard for heavier people to imagine such a slim rider being too big on anything but I'm afraid I stand by the 'not really OK' thought on that. Espec. as it sounds like an on-going arrangement with a new to being ridden pony rather than a one-off.
 
I totally disagree GirlFriday. Forget that it's an adult we're talking about. Forget her height. If a 10 year old child weighing the same as the OP wanted this pony you wouldn't be saying they were too heavy! Sorry but if 8 stone is too heavy for a 13.3 welshie then the majority of kids/young teens are too heavy for their ponies. Try telling them that when they're bombing around an XC course!
 
just re the saddle-i actually asked my saddler last night and he thinks i would be fine. i currently ride a 16hh in a 16.5 saddle with room to spare. my leg length is more ankle to knee than thigh fortunately.

i ride long (dressage saddle too so option to go down another hole if needed).


i am very torn, he would be main ride, so 5 days a week, schooling, hacking pole work and if he was of the right mind, some small jumps and fun rides. we dont hammer ours anyway, we mainly walk hack and would mainly walk the fun rides but i wouldnt want to be worrying every day i was hurting him.......i would be wanting to go up the levels too so would be asking him to really collect and sit and not just to do basic work (i hasten to add that he is bred for this, he is more small warmblood shape with a horse shape topline and is from a long line of dressage welsh ponies, not your typical show bred welsh before anyone comments i would be asking him to work against his genetics!)

There is a lot of scope for him to muscle up, hes fit and could trot for miles but he needs to (slowly) build a dressage topline.....i would obviously be starting with long lining and in hand work so by the time i sat on him he would be stronger and more supple already.

many of the FEI pony riders are taller than me and must weigh similar if not more than me on ponies from 14-14.2 so i guess that was my logic.....yes he is a little smaller but i am pretty LW for my age and height.

still torn.
 
It will be absolutely fine. I taught kids at that weight and more to ride on ponies that height and smaller. Most of those ponies were still going in their late 20s. Its a hard life being a riding school pony, so if they were being exposed to extreme weights then they wouldnt have lasted.

Theres a 13.3hh pony eventing at 1 Star and she is no way lighter than you are. I dont think her pony thinks she is too heavy :lol:

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/hes-absolute-machine-13-3hh-event-pony-steps-one-star-622213
 
Leo Walker said:
It will be absolutely fine. I taught kids at that weight and more to ride on ponies that height and smaller. Most of those ponies were still going in their late 20s. Its a hard life being a riding school pony, so if they were being exposed to extreme weights then they wouldnt have lasted.

Theres a 13.3hh pony eventing at 1 Star and she is no way lighter than you are. I dont think her pony thinks she is too heavy :lol:

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/hes-absolute-machine-13-3hh-event-pony-steps-one-star-622213
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That pony has wings! {time to confess I've always preferred jumping ponies to horses!!}
 
I think you will be absolutely fine :).

For a hand bigger (14.3hh) I kept the combined weight below 10st for regular work (she had zero issues carrying me, never sore or lame and would canter for hours if I let her even carrying my not so small bum around :o:lol:) so not sure how 8st will be too much when the pony is fit and well.

I didn't know about the 20% rule at the time, as she has been retired really since I found out about it, I would also be slightly surprised if a full up and fit 13.3hh only weighed 300kg...
 
AlexHyde said:
I would also be slightly surprised if a full up and fit 13.3hh only weighed 300kg...
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I would be working on it being 350kgs. 13.3hh is overheight for a section B and is into the new forest sort of height and weight range. So working on a low conservative estimate for the pony and a high estimate for you plus tack, at 20% you will have a leeway of at least 10kgs or nearly 2 stone.

And just as an aside, of we are comparing like with like, they have a weight carrying class for new forest ponies where they are expected to carry at least 13 stone. The new forest breeder I know works roughly on a stone per hand for a fit and well put together pony and has done for 40yrs with no issues
 
This pony is bang on 140cm and 425kg
420896_10151357376790648_1835172344_n.jpg


I rode slightly smaller (13-13.1) but driving fit Bs when I was a stone or two more than you (but I am shorter too). They enjoyed it :)
 
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If the OP has to stick with section Ds at 8 stone the rest of us are a bit stuck :p. So long as you know what to do with your legs I don't see an issue OP
 
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joosie said:
I totally disagree GirlFriday. Forget that it's an adult we're talking about. Forget her height. If a 10 year old child weighing the same as the OP wanted this pony you wouldn't be saying they were too heavy! Sorry but if 8 stone is too heavy for a 13.3 welshie then the majority of kids/young teens are too heavy for their ponies. Try telling them that when they're bombing around an XC course!
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TBH I'm not sure OP is an adult as mentions being light for OP's age? It doesn't matter to the pony how old the rider is at all so no, it wouldn't make a difference to me. The 20 (or 15) % rule of thumb is entirely independent of age! And yes, sure, lots of outgrown ponies around - personally I don't enjoy watching them.
 
GirlFriday said:
TBH I'm not sure OP is an adult as mentions being light for OP's age? It doesn't matter to the pony how old the rider is at all so no, it wouldn't make a difference to me. The 20 (or 15) % rule of thumb is entirely independent of age! And yes, sure, lots of outgrown ponies around - personally I don't enjoy watching them.
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So OP at likely around 12.5% without gear 15% with 10kg of stuff (though a small person and horses 'stuff' is unlikely to come to this) is ok then- agreed?

Our 12.1 overheight A was 286 kg earlier in the year, the above pony who may be slightly heavier weight but is 13.3 over 400 when fit.
 
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