small horses

[GSD Woman]

When did 15 hands become small? There's an add with a 15 hand "pocket rocket." I wouldn't consider that a "pocket" any size horse. To me a small or medium would be pocket sized.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

15hh is a small horse, 14.2hh and under is a pony and some will be much chunkier than a 15hh horse.

 

[Cortez]

15h is a small horse; 14.2h is a big pony. As for pocket size: no idea what that means really.

To me 16.2h is "standard" horse size, so anything bigger is big, anything smaller than 16h is small.

 

[[153312]]

Uh, 15hh IS a small horse, surely?
To me pocket sized is just a nickname/pet name.

 

[rabatsa]

My 13.1 is a pocket rocket

 

[[153312]]

When i hear 'pocket rocket', I think Stroller.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I consider 15h a small horse because its only slightly bigger than a pony, small horses are my favourite they are just so versatile and just easier than a big horse.

 

[Cortez]

When i hear 'pocket rocket', I think Stroller.

Who was a pony, a big pony.

 

[[153312]]

Who was a pony, a big pony.

Yes, but definitely a pocket rocket.
14.3hh to 15.3 is a small horse to me
14 to 14.2 a big pony

Though some really big horses feel like small ponies to ride and vice versa!

 

[stormox]

15hh is definitely a "small" horse. 18hh would be a big one.

 

[Lexi 123]

To be honest I think the reason why people consider a 15 hand small is because we have 18.3 hand horses now my friend has a 18.2 TB . Horses are getting bigger then they were in 20 th century . My horse is 15.2 and looks like a pony compared to some big horses.

 

[GSD Woman]

To be honest I think the reason why people consider a 15 hand small is because we have 18.3 hand horse now my friend has a 18.2 TB .

Do you both use step ladders to get on the horses?

 

[TinseLeneHorse]

Mine is 15.1 but she's definitely an overgrown pony rather than a small horse

 

[AmyMay]

Hardly Brittania was a ‘pocket rocket’. She was 15.3hh

 

[Melody Grey]

My 15hh is plenty big enough when he’s having one of ‘those’ days!

 

[dottylottie]

i think type plays a part too - 15hh tb will feel a lot more like a “small” horse than a chunky 15hh heavy cob!

 

[SilverLinings]

IMO perception of horse size in the UK shifted a bit around the 1990s. In the early 90s 15hh was just seen as a horse, and 16.2/3 was seen as being a decent size for a hunter, 'full up' or a 'big' horse in relation to most of the others that were around. In terms of leisure horses (horses not owned or ridden by professionals) it was extremely unusual to see a horse of >17.2 unless it was a shire or shire cross.

Most leisure horses (hunters, RC horses, hacks) around then were TB, ID, TBxID or anglo-arab, with some arabs, cobs and other mixes thrown in. No-one in my PC branch had a warmblood or warmblood cross, and I didn't know of any in the local area. A large proportion of professional competition horses were TB or had a high percentage of TB blood.

I think that as warmbloods started to become more popular in the leisure industry around the late 90s/early 00s sizes started to go up, and 17hh+ became more common. Once you have a larger percentage of horses over 16.2hh 15hh does start to seem small in horse terms. There are also more draft breeds (and crosses) being ridden now, although I think they have had less of an effect on overall size than the warmbloods.

If you go back even further then in WW1 the average cavalry mount size was estimated to be 15hh or just over, they would take anything from 14.2hh but were also known to take horses as small as 14hh (although they didn't take spindly 14hh ones). Humans in Britain have grown in size and weight over the centuries and horses have been bred larger to keep up with them, and also in line with what has been in fashion.

 

[ihatework]

In what world is a 15hh not a small horse?? Given horses start at 14.3hh

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

There are also more draft breeds (and crosses) being ridden now, although I think they have had less of an effect on overall size than the warmbloods.

Of course warmbloods are a cross between Draft horses and TB's. I know that now WBs are being bred to other WBs

 

[HorseMaid]

Mine is 15.1 but she's definitely an overgrown pony rather than a small horse

See mine is 15hh (I think) and is definitely a small horse, my friend's mare who is about the same size is definitely an overgrown pony!

 

[Flowerofthefen]

15h is small. It also makes me laugh when people refer to a 16.1/ 16.2 as a gentle giant!!

 

[SilverLinings]

Of course warmbloods are a cross between Draft horses and TB's. I know that now WBs are being bred to other WBs

I should have clarified that I meant continental warmbloods, I don't think I ever heard anyone refer to their IDxTB as such, I think they would have thought it was too fancy a name for a good hunter! I suppose it's a bot of a shame that they weren't marketed as warmbloods as they were good horses but seemed to fall out of fashion a bit in favour of the continental type.

 

[Parrotperson]

Who was a pony, a big pony.

My old farrier (long since returned to the forge in the sky) told me he shod stroller once. Swore blind he was at least 15hh and not 14.2. Either way he was a bloody good jumper.

 

[Cortez]

Of course warmbloods are a cross between Draft horses and TB's. I know that now WBs are being bred to other WBs

Carriage horses rather than draught horses. Even the Irish Draught is classed as a "light draught horse".

 

[GSD Woman]

I would prefer 15 hands if it took up my leg. Or a nice chunky large pony. I've never understood the desire for 17hands or larger in horses. For me it's farther to fall and potentially break something, especially at my age.

 

[scats]

Both mine are 15hh and I’d say they are small horses. Though Polly looks like an overgrown pony.