Size of horse for rider?

quirky

quirky

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I am 5'5" and have a 16.1/16.2HH TBxW and I feel I am too small on him, even though I am told I ride him well (he is a tricky beast). In my defence, I bought him as a youngster and he was predicted to make 15.2HH which would probably have been ideal.

He is now for sale and I have somebody 3 and a half hours away who is 5'2" and my gut feeling is that she is just going to be too small for him. If she wasn't travelling so far, it wouldn't be an issue but . She is fully aware of his faults etc but is still keen to come and see him.

Question is, would you put her off on size alone??
 
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I am 5'5" and have a 16.1/16.2HH TBxW and I feel I am too small on him, even though I am told I ride him well (he is a tricky beast). In my defence, I bought him as a youngster and he was predicted to make 15.2HH which would probably have been ideal.

He is now for sale and I have somebody 3 and a half hours away who is 5'2" and my gut feeling is that she is just going to be too small for him. If she wasn't travelling so far, it wouldn't be an issue but . She is fully aware of his faults etc but is still keen to come and see him.

Question is, would you put her off on size alone??

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Not unless i didn't really want to sell the horse.

Mind you, I am 5 foot nothing and have produced my 16.3 TBxWB from having done not a lot to Novice eventing, so I would say that....
 
Not a problem I wouldn't say! I'm 5'5 and I find OH's 16.2/3 ISH big...however our YM is same height as me and never chooses a horse under 16.2, she likes them about 17hh!! And is perfectly capable of riding them better than many taller people. Let her come and have a look!
 
no ....height shouldnt be an issue at all .

If she rides the horse well and is comfortable , well then I dont see a problem .
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no ....height shouldnt be an issue at all .

If she rides the horse well and is comfortable , well then I dont see a problem .
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Ditto, Im 5ft 5 and weigh 8 stones, I have 2 big lads, one is about 18hh, the other a very large 16.2hh who is strong and not an easy ride.
I have no problem with either of them.
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What prompted me to ask is that there is a similar combination on our yard, 16.2HH mare with a 5 foot nothing rider. Her feet come just below the saddle flaps, she looks ridiculous and her leg is pretty ineffective.

I guess I shouldn't judge from that and if she's still keen, then I guess it's only her who'll be wasting a day, not me'
 
not a problem i'm 5'2 and Betty is 16h used to have 2 clydesdales, 1 was 16'3 the other was 18'2 big gentle giants.. lol.. height wasnt really an issue, it was more a case of brute strength when they were being naughty.. lol.. when they wanted to barge past for dinner.. nothing would stop them... lol
 
Quirky.. just a thought , but how can the leg be inefective when racing jockeys ride short and they are shorties in height on larger horses..

not meant to sound argumentative, i do know what you mean, i looked rather dainty on they clydesdale but my leg was still very effective..
 
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What prompted me to ask is that there is a similar combination on our yard, 16.2HH mare with a 5 foot nothing rider. Her feet come just below the saddle flaps, she looks ridiculous and her leg is pretty ineffective.

I guess I shouldn't judge from that and if she's still keen, then I guess it's only her who'll be wasting a day, not me'

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Is she more effective on a smaller horse? Or is she just ineffective full stop? I mean, you can't really judge every 5 foot person from one ineffective rider, in the same way that not every person over 6 foot is as balanced and effective on a horse as William Fox-Pitt.
 
You don't sound argumentative BettyBoo. I have never ridden a racehorse but they just seem to run because a load of them are running. If they aint going fast enough, they get a whip, not a kick. So stirrup length not an issue.

Any racehorse jockey's out there want to enlighten us?
 
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What prompted me to ask is that there is a similar combination on our yard, 16.2HH mare with a 5 foot nothing rider. Her feet come just below the saddle flaps, she looks ridiculous and her leg is pretty ineffective.

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Are you sure she's 5ft? The reason I ask is, that description could equally apply to Brooklyn and me, and my legs come WELL below the saddle flaps, and I think my leg is reasonably effective, albeit a bit short.

I would definitely not rule this girl out - she may be an extremely effective rider despite being short.

Trundle; defending gnome-sized riders everywhere !
 
I'm 5'4", my mare is 16.2 and I have no probs, my previous 3 have all been over 16.1 with the largest being 17.1, all dependant on the combination and how they get on. I also find I have a short inside leg, whereas my mate who is exactly the same height has an inside leg measurement almost 2 inches longer than mine so not an straightforward decision!
 

I think it depends on ability. There's a dot of a girl at our yard who gets on anything & rides & she is a damn good rider too!

Obviously there are exceptions, me being one. I'm just 5ft & my pony is just under 15 hands. Personally I would not want anything bigger unless it was a pretty easy ride as I wouldn't feel in control as such. I have ridden bigger horses but just felt like I was perching!

If she knows all his faults/quirks & she's still keen let her come & see him. She may surprise you & be a really good rider. Some people, no matter what their height do prefer bigger horses.
 
To flip your question, I'm 5 ft 4 and ride a broad 15.1hh cob. I wouldn't want her any smaller, and infact I wish she was a hand a taller. I think I look big on her. I can't imagine that 5ft 5 would look like a pea in a pod on a 16.1hh.

I know plenty of people that are taller than me, but ride shorter which would make their legs look titchy. If the horse is well schooled and respects it's rider, then I really don't understand how a few inches in height could make any difference?
 
Well, I did have a 5'8" come to ride him and I was quite excited ..... before I saw her ride!! So I guess I shall reserve judgement.

Somebody made a good point about the 5 footer on a 16.2HH ... I haven't seen her ride anything else, so she may just be a useless rider ;-)

She isn't coming till mid March, I shall post on the outcome if she does indeed come. Reliability of viewers ... just don't get me started on that!
 
Well, she's at Uni, finishing in March and doesn't drive, so is reliant on somebody else. She is obviously aware he may be sold by then.
 
I'm 5ft5 and my mare is 17hh IDxTB but built like an irish draught and I have backed her and brought her on myself, no problems. I bought her as a foal and she should have stoped growing at 16.1hh but got a bit carried away. I'm quite lucky as my legs are quite long so I look fine and her.
 
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