small humans- what size is your horse?

montevxcii

montevxcii

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what's your preferred height of horse? I have to say the best thing about being small is riding the tiny speedy ponies... :D

I'm 5'3 but have disproportionately long legs so even though I should technically be fine on my little 14 2 i feel HUGE on her


much happier on 16 h and above when my feet aren't dangling off (naturally its the 16 hander in the photo :) )

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I'm 5'7" and very leggy as well. I have a 13.2hh and don't look small. She was ridden by someone 6'4" at her viewing and he didn't look small on her as she takes up a lot of leg.
 
I have a 14.1hh highland and look fairly small at 5'1ft he takes up a lot of leg! Dressage length stirrup i look just right.

Have to say I do prefer a tall horse... Love feeling like a pea on a mountain!
 
cobsarearefab - and she looks very good in pink :)
yah ! the 14.2 is narrow as a rocking horse !

haven't figured out how to directly reply yet...

Lintel - that phrase is perfect - i too like to be pea on a mountain ( on dressage stirrups my legs reach past the tummy of a narrow 17 h warmblood)
 
I'm 5'2 and share horse is 16hh. I probably suit a smaller horse/big pony a bit better but I can't get used to the lack of neck!
 
lexi you've hit the nail on the head- the warmbloods had giraffe necks - unnerving lack of horse in front of you on the ponies... :P
 
5'4" on a just about 14.2hh. The older I've got, the closer to the ground I prefer to be! ;) :D

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And I disagree about the lack of neck on ponies as long as they are built fairly uphill which mine is. Plenty of shoulders and neck in front of me. :) x
 
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I'm 5'2" - I've had a 14.2hh TB, a 15hh Welsh Section D, a 17HH TB and a 17.2hh Selle Francais - and everything in between! Size of the horse really doesn't matter to me, it is whether I enjoy riding the horse that dictates whether I buy it :)
 
I'm a shade under 5'6''. My own ponies are 14.2 and 12.1, however as a groom on competition yards most of the horses I ride for work are 16 hands plus. Really I'm comfortable on anything over 12 hands!
 
I've just moved up to horses (lol). My 14.1hh pony has been retired and I now have a 15.3hh TB. I didn't feel too tall on my pony (I'm 5'2"-5'3"). When I was horse hunting I was looking for 14.2-16hh.
 
nicki- what a gorgeous little beastie you have !

I think at the stables I learnt at everything was 15 h and above - maybe thats why ponies feel like such a novelty nowadays!

joosie- jealous, i think i'd squish a 12 h
 
I am just about 5" if I try, and have always owned ponies. For work I rode racehorses, so was used to a variety but I like the smaller ones. I was given a horse this year, she is about 15.3 and people comment on how small I look.
 
I'm 5'2 (on a good day) and my biggest horse is 15hh, the others are 14.2hh and 14HH. I used to ride bigger horses years ago when I was a groom (up to 17hh) bit I much prefer tiddlers.

On a side note Levrier in my head you are very tall and am shocked to discover you are a mini person like me :D
 
montevxcii said:
what's your preferred height of horse? I have to say the best thing about being small is riding the tiny speedy ponies... :D

I'm 5'3 but have disproportionately long legs so even though I should technically be fine on my little 14 2 i feel HUGE on her


much happier on 16 h and above when my feet aren't dangling off (naturally its the 16 hander in the photo :) )

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I am 5 ft 8
I have had
14.3
16 hh
10hh
13.2hh
15.1
12.hh
16.1hh
11.hh

My perfect size horse is between 14.3 - 16.1hh no bigger as I don't like horses over 16.1hh.



I really don't see the buzz of having something huge, hard to tack up - oversized rugs and saddle - eats you out of house and home - it appears I am not alone here liking smaller horses. :D
 
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I'm 5ft3 and a half (that half is very important!) and I have a 14.1hh cob and a 15hh sports horse.



I also have a retired 16hh sports horse- this is me on him-


I have always been able to sort of fit whatever I ride and not look too big or small, even when there's a few hands difference.
 
joosie said:
I'm a shade under 5'6''. My own ponies are 14.2 and 12.1, however as a groom on competition yards most of the horses I ride for work are 16 hands plus. Really I'm comfortable on anything over 12 hands!
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Same height as me, are we considered small? Lol! Nice to hear someone else grown up who rides a 12hh!
montevxcii said:
joosie- jealous, i think i'd squish a 12 h
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This is 5'7" on my 12hh Fell. I just need to lose some more stones before I'll get on and squish him :D

 
ooh scats you look perf on all them - the ISH is gorgeous

good point CowParsley- I never though about how easy tacking up is nowadays... :P

little ones have the added benefit that the ground is closer- and the tree branches are further away
 
alainax said:
Same height as me, are we considered small? Lol! Nice to hear someone else grown up who rides a 12hh!

This is 5'7" on my 12hh Fell. I just need to lose some more stones before I'll get on and squish him :D

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ooh what a shiny boy !

I have no idea how you all manage to look so in proportion on the little ones while i look like an octopus :P
 
My preferred height would be close to the ground, although I'm around 5 ft 6' with long legs so there's only so much I can get away with! :D More seriously, I think a lot of it comes down to 'feel' rather than height - I don't like to feel either over-horsed or like my legs are dangling, so have always gone for mounts that take up my leg nicely. I've tried to pick pictures from a similar angle to demonstrate, so please excuse the quality, riding, and so on - they're not the best!

My first mare, A, was a 15.3hh Thoroughbred.

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When we lost her, I got T, who's an ISH. He actually ended up growing a lot, and is definitely over 16hh now, although he was around 15.1hh here aged six.

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When he retired, I wanted a different type entirely, so got M. She's now standing around 15hh, but was only 14.2hh on her tiptoes in the picture.

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Oddly enough, I don't think I really look bigger on her than the others!
 
Oddly enough, I don't think I really look bigger on her than the others!
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Yes, that's true !

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I think this little mare must just be incredibly narrow :P (edited to say I know her boots are slipping in this photo- I didnt tack her up that day and only noticed looking at the photos!)

I used to share a 15 h cob who was quite a bit on the round side - she was like sitting on a barrel haha

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a very cute barrel but a bit hard on the breeches
 
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I'm just under 5ft5, Henry is a 16.1hh ISH (mostly ID) and I don't look ridiculously small on him! Though I'm not sure I'd like to own anything much bigger, I think 16.2 would be my limit. Rosie was 15.3, and she was a good size for me. Though I've ridden everything from 12.2-17.2!!

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On my instructors 17.2 ex national hunt horse

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16.1 Henry

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15.3 Rosie

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15hh connie I borrowed from a friend whilst I was horseless
 
I'm 5'9", long legged and ride 14.2h, 15h, 15.1h and 15.2h. I used to ride very tall horses (up to 17.2h), but much prefer something 14.2h - 15.2h these days.
 
5' 2" and almost everything I have ridden/owned has been around the 14 to 14.2 mark. I had a mare on loan who was 15.1 who felt very big, and bigger horses make me feel like I am just perched on top as my legs are so short.
14.2 is my comfort zone :)
 
Rosiejazzandpia said:
5' 2" and almost everything I have ridden/owned has been around the 14 to 14.2 mark. I had a mare on loan who was 15.1 who felt very big, and bigger horses make me feel like I am just perched on top as my legs are so short.
14.2 is my comfort zone :)
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this has certainly turned out to be an interesting thread! the fact that I'm a similar height to you but had to order tall height long boots to fit my calf probably explains why i seem to fit better on the bigger horses haha (i.e. wildly out of proportion :p)

you all have such gorgeous horsies
 
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