Small people on big horses

little_flea

little_flea

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So this is pretty much the opposite to the "Help am I too big for my horse?" threads...

I am currently very interested in possibly buying a 17hh mare (certainly not a spindly one either!) and I am only 5ft3 and my sister who would also be riding her is 5ft5...

Horse is very lovely and rides light but I actually look a bit silly on it...

Are you a shorty? Is your horse big? How do you cope?
 
The jockey who rides my cob is about 7stone and 5'3" she rides my 15.1 cob and looks fab , she has recently ridden a friends 17 middleweight hunter and looked utterly ridiculous her legs barely passed the saddle flaps. He is proper middleweight hunter though so is quite a big boy
 
I have to say I'd think very carefully. This is coming from me! who is 5ft6 with a 17.1hh. I only have a big horse as I share him with my 6ft3 dad. I would say if you love the horse got for it, but remember handling a horse that size is certainly more of a challenge, if they start pissing around you don't have a chance, even the simplest things like getting off to get a dropped whip can be a pain! Also transport for big horses is much harder, while a 16.2hh can easily go in a trailer, there are limited trailers big horses will fit into.

Anyway whatever you decide enjoy whatever new horse you decide to buy
 
Your not alone, i'm 5'5" when stretching and my last horse was a mahoosive 17.3, i needed a custom built mounting block to get on him!
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my legs just wouldnt reach far enough and only came half way down his sides when i was on! though my current one is a more sensible 16hh and if needs be i can get on from the floor
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I'm 5ft4 and my horse is 17.3hh!! However I am selling him due to his size and strength. I bought him as a scrappy 17hh and he has grown a good 3 inches and filled out nicely however I am struggling.

Also it is a pain in the bum trying to get on!!! LOL!!
 
I am 5'5 and have a 17hh and I wouldn't do it again. Although he was fab to ride ( now retired ) I get fed up with a full body workout just to throw his rugs up over him and everything is so big, doing the head collar up if he puts his head up etc.

No if I had my time again and bought for me it would be a 16hh.
 
I'm 5ft 4" and ride a 17hh chunky warmblood....... personally I dont look to small on him, but then I tend to a) ride long and b) am not the slightest person in the world!
 
Ok so im a bit taller than you at 5'6/7 but i have a 18.2hh ID and dont feel small on him at all. He is very polite though so when it comes to handling hes actually one of the easiest on the whole yard. I love big horses and as long as they are responsive to you, and have good manners i dont see why it should be a problem tbh
 
I have always had big horses so i feel comfy on them, at 12 i got my first horse which was a 16.1, big ID hunter!! Im 5'2" and i have owned right up to a 17.2 warmblood and never had any problems at all. But im used to them, if i tryed to jump a course on a 14h pony id fall straight off! It all depends on how you feel onboard!
 
I have trouble getting on, but put this down to my age - when I first had him I used to drop the stirrup leather down a couple of holes which made it easier. Now I have to drag a chair up to get on him. Oh the joys of getting older!!! It still wouldn't put me off getting another big horse.
 
I'm 5 foot 2 and used to ride a 16.2hh cob and also a 17hh clydesdale cross and looked silly.
I look just right on my 14.3hh cob, a 14hh HW cob or a 15.2hh TB x Welsh.
Some people enjoy riding larger horses, I'd rather ride one that I'm a good match with size wise.
 
I was a hunt groom this season and 3 of the horses were over 17hh and I'm not quite 5ft1, if you get on with the horse and feel comfortable on her go for it!! No one has ever told me I can't ride something because I look silly on it!!
 
im 5'6 but quite long in the leg so I actually feel pretty silly on anything to small.

My little lady now is 16.2 and still growing, if you feel comfortable then size doesn't really matter. It would only be if I ever felt out of control that I would worry.

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I'm 5'8 and my 4yr old horse is 17hh. However when we he was a big snorting monster baby this morning I felt very small! I guess the issue isn't really the size but the mentality and capability of the horse and rider, if you are strong enough (physically and emotionally) not to be overwhelmed by a big horse then you will be fine
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I personally prefer to see it than the other way around providing you have not over horses yourself and you are perfectly within your limits to control the animal.

My dad is a bit old fashioned and anything under 16.2 he says I look too big on! and I'm 5'6! you'll also find in showing specially county level that most of the ridnig horses specially the hunters are ridden by smaller riders,...or just plain larger horses, its smart combination and any with the feet anywhere the bottom of the girth and they look out of place!

If the horse fits the bill and you can hop on and off easily and strong enough to hold him, and he's quite enough for you to stand on a groom box whil you plait his mane etc etc then it really doesn't matter.
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Hi I'm 5ft dead (short legs!) and I regualarly ride an id cross of about 16.2hh. I love riding him and if his owner went mad and sold him I'd be first in line. I had a lesson with an instructor and he asked what I'd like to work on blah blah and I said I felt he was a big horse for my wee legs. Instructor wasn't having any of it and pointed out that there are lots of very talented para dressage riders with no leg strength. Actually it did hit home and I stopped worry about where my legs were and starting concentrating on using them (such as they are) more effectively!!!! They only just stop below the saddle flap so it's not easy.

I'm now also riding a 15.1 cob and I have to admit I do feel better suited to her size. Everyone saying I look better on her etc.

But I think that my first experience has taught me that it's about your relationship with the horse. My id would take me to the ends of the earth and back and I'd feel safe as houses. It is a longer way up but he isn't for chucking me off!

Also rode my sister's WB who was 17.1hh he was well schooled and very responsive.

Oh and I can't get on any of them from the ground. Well perhaps the cob but I'd worry about damaging her!

He's the grey in my sig and she's the bay.
 
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If the horse fits the bill and you can hop on and off easily and strong enough to hold him, and he's quite enough for you to stand on a groom box whil you plait his mane etc etc then it really doesn't matter.
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The horse fits the bill and I think I can hold her as she is very polite and in a snaffle - however, I doubt I could hop on easily - and I am a showjumper at heart, so no plaiting if I can avoid it...
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Thanks guys! jhoward - you look great together, and charlie76 - you don't look at all small on such a big horse! Sadly, I am of the stumpier leg variety myself...

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oh dont worry so am i .. my chap size in length is 15 inches! really why i have legs i have no idea!
 
I know someone who has a 17hh who she events..and she is no more than 5ft..she bred it herself from a 15.1 to a 16.2, and it was a first foal, so everyone said it would be tiny- they were wrong..!
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I am 5'4, hoping (but unlikely
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) to grow a bit more as i am 15, but i am selling my 16.3 and getting a 15.3/16hh
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My personal feeling is that I'd rather have a horse I can easily throw rugs on, get on and off in case of emergency and generally handle easily. To do this I wouldn't get a horse over 16.2 and I am 5ft 8. Currently I am riding a 15hh well built connemara but would buy a connie X 15.2+ as sometimes I can look a little tall. I don't like to see it either way really with really tall people on small ponies or small people on 17hh+ beasts. I think its important to have a horse that fits your size and build. Nevertheless, I guess its what you feel comfortable with at the end of the day.
 
On saturday my lwvtb horse is coming - an 18.1hh 3/4 shire. So err just slightly MASSIVE! I wasn't looking for something quite so big, more the 17hh mark but I feel I fit him perfectly and I'm 5'8! I tried a 16.2hh and felt way too big - but I have always liked big horses. There is no chance I can get on his from the ground and I have to stand on a mounting block to groom his mane etc but to me it is no issue - he is a very well mannered boy and brilliant to ride, I feel safer riding him than I have done some 14.2hh ponies! I guess it comes down to a matter of personal preference more than anything. Go with your gut instinct - it's usually right!
 
I've recently bought a 17h sjer and i'm 5 foot 4. I was a little worried about how i'd manage but in all honesty, i havent had a problem. Sure, i probably couldn't get on from the ground, but he is the perfect gentleman and easier to handle and ride than my 16.1 youngster. If you are sure the horse is perfect for the job - then go for it!!

Pic of me looking like a pea on a moutain:
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I'm 5' 1" and have a 16.1hh Irish Sport Horse who is by an Irish Draught stallion. He has a huge backside and a massive jump!
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I love him to bits and agree it's about the relationship you build together....
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I'm 5 foot and have teeny weeny short legs as well, and had to give up riding my beloved 16.3hh IDxTB Moose because i simply could not get enough leg on to be effective. I'm not a particularly effective rider anyway, and she does like to take the mick a little bit (not nasty, just daft).

I then had a 15.1hh cob on loan for a short period of time -everyone said I looked much more suited to him, but he turned out to be a bolter and i ended up in Casualty. I now have a gorgeous little TBx 15.2hh mare and she is perfect for me. She's quite robust, but not too wide in the barrel, so i can actually get my legs round her. I like her a lot !
 
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