Small riders on big horses going cross country.

[HuggyBear]

For all the shorties in the house who do BE or UA eventing, what height/build are you and what height/build of horse do you compete?

I watched Louise Harwood ride a couple of big ones today and she is tiny (does anyone know how tall she is?).

When you buy an event horse or take on a ride, do you have a maximum height you would take on or perhaps a build type you would avoid because you might be over powered?

I know that a whippet thin TB can ride 'smaller' than a chunky warmblood of the same height, etc but I would be interested to know whether the petite riders here put a cap of what they are willing to ride.

 

[Fides]

I rode my friends 17h3 and I'm only 5ft but he didn't ride big... But I only hacked him not XC as I'm not that brave...

 

[Annette4]

I'm 5ft4 and don't like to ride anything over 16hh unless it's a skinny TB type, then 16.2hh I can get away with.

 

[Lolo]

Al is 5'5, and she rides Tango who is a chunky 16.2hh and Reg who is a slender 17.1hh (she looks far smaller on Tango!).

She manages because they are both well mannered and not strong- if they were bolshy or pulled she'd be working very hard on fixing that very quickly as they'd always win a strength contest!

This is her on Reg... She moved onto him off a 14.2hh pony, and he was a untouched ex-racer- he's a gentle soul and he's got a good mouth and in the beginning she worked very hard at making sure he listened to her. It's paid off in spades now, as he's the easiest ride XC you'll find.

And her on Tango...

(his first outing ever, hence the jockey stirrups for dressage- not needed!) He was initially quite prone to leaning when he got tired, but Al did a lot of strengthening work with him, and spent a lot of time making sure he didn't do that.

But having said all that, her third horse is a slight 15.2hh and she finds him the easiest to ride and school as she actually fits him! He's also the naughtiest and strongest by a long shot but because he's little it's not problematic at all

 

[spookypony]

Tango is a h3LL of a handsome horse!

 

[Madali]

I'm 5.4 ft small dwarf with fairly short legs. Both my girls are 16.1. I wouldn't want to ride anything bigger.
I must admit the fences probably look smaller on a bigger horse, so that might an advantage.
When I walk the 100 course some fences look big against me but when you are galloping in on a horse they don't look so bad.

 

[Lolo]

Thank you! He looks smarter now, that was several months ago and he's grown up a lot since then I adore him, he is big but he's the safest horse I've sat on- I willingly canter and jump him out hacking in a snaffle because he's so polite. But Reg is like that too- we go out hacking on them both and I can canter off out of sight and Reg will stay at whatever speed Al tells him to.

 

[HuggyBear]

I rode my friends 17h3 and I'm only 5ft but he didn't ride big... But I only hacked him not XC as I'm not that brave...

You rode a 17h 3- I think you're plenty brave enough!

I'm 5ft4 and don't like to ride anything over 16hh unless it's a skinny TB type, then 16.2hh I can get away with.

Similar ethos to me, but I only 5ft 1 and 1/2 inches (that half is very important ), so I tend to cap even the skinny TBs at 16hh.

Al is 5'5, and she rides Tango who is a chunky 16.2hh and Reg who is a slender 17.1hh (she looks far smaller on Tango!).

She manages because they are both well mannered and not strong- if they were bolshy or pulled she'd be working very hard on fixing that very quickly as they'd always win a strength contest!

This is her on Reg... She moved onto him off a 14.2hh pony, and he was a untouched ex-racer- he's a gentle soul and he's got a good mouth and in the beginning she worked very hard at making sure he listened to her. It's paid off in spades now, as he's the easiest ride XC you'll find.

And her on Tango...

(his first outing ever, hence the jockey stirrups for dressage- not needed!) He was initially quite prone to leaning when he got tired, but Al did a lot of strengthening work with him, and spent a lot of time making sure he didn't do that.

But having said all that, her third horse is a slight 15.2hh and she finds him the easiest to ride and school as she actually fits him! He's also the naughtiest and strongest by a long shot but because he's little it's not problematic at all

You're right about Tango looking bigger- He looks mahoosive in that photo.

I'm 5.4 ft small dwarf with fairly short legs. Both my girls are 16.1. I wouldn't want to ride anything bigger.
I must admit the fences probably look smaller on a bigger horse, so that might an advantage.
When I walk the 100 course some fences look big against me but when you are galloping in on a horse they don't look so bad.

But the drop fences look deeper when you're up in the heavens!

 

[Sammy1983]

I'm not sure if is count as short but I'm 5ft7 and my main horse is 19hh, he was bought and bred to event but grew way to big but luckily is proving a star at dressage. He is also quite long so in have to work quite hard to keep him together but I feel it's worth the effort. My other two are 17.2 and 16.2 I just feel happier on big horses anything under 16hh feels tiny

 

[Arniebear]

Im 5ft4 and my lad is/was 16.3 when he was in work, been off work since sept and i swear he has grown :O!!! I plan to BE him when he recovers fully from his injury we evented unaffiliated last year
He is a 5 yr old warmblood



I also unaffiliated evented my late TB who stood at 16.1

 

[HuggyBear]

Im 5ft4 and my lad is/was 16.3 when he was in work, been off work since sept and i swear he has grown :O!!! I plan to BE him when he recovers fully from his injury we evented unaffiliated last year
He is a 5 yr old warmblood

I love your 5 year old- You'll have to get him measured and tell us! It is interesting to see the photo, because I wouldn't have pegged him at 16.3 because you look good on him.

 

[HuggyBear]

I'm not sure if is count as short but I'm 5ft7 and my main horse is 19hh, he was bought and bred to event but grew way to big but luckily is proving a star at dressage. He is also quite long so in have to work quite hard to keep him together but I feel it's worth the effort. My other two are 17.2 and 16.2 I just feel happier on big horses anything under 16hh feels tiny

19hh? How is he to tack up, etc?

 

[Sammy1983]

19hh? How is he to tack up, etc?

Luckily very good when I bought him he was a nightmare to bridle would rear and put his head up, he'd scared his previous owners and they let him get away with it. After a little bit of perseverance he now puts his head own if I put my hand on his poll the saddle is interesting I do have to sort of throw it to get it on and I have a lovely decorators platform for plaiting etc which is invaluable

 

[Arniebear]

I love your 5 year old- You'll have to get him measured and tell us! It is interesting to see the photo, because I wouldn't have pegged him at 16.3 because you look good on him.

i know everyone says he's not that big but that's what he measured at!! thankfully he doesn't ride that big yet, but he still has lost of maturing to do especially since he would have lost all his muscle with this time off! as soon as im back on board i shall measure him again!! i brought him a year ago at 16.1 but his daddy is a big boy and his mum wasn't tiny so i suspect he will keep growing!! damn it i wish he wouldn't thou! its a long way down when you fall off! thanks for saying i look alright on him, i always worry i look stupid and people do laugh when they see me getting my steps out the lorry to mount him!!!

 

[Valonty]

I am only just 5ft2 and event my 16.2hh but he is a skinny TB so I don't look too small.
Have ridden bigger but as long as you feel safe and trust the horse it's normally ok!!

 

[Blythe Spirit]

Saw my RI last weekend take a 17.2 at least medium weight warm blood type round open novice event, and she is only 5.1 if that. I am 5'2' and she is littler than me. What is more she had only ridden this horse once before and she got placed!! Kudos!

 

[LaurenEmily]

I'm 5'5 and I've just taken the ride on a 17.2hh warmblood to event, with the aim of novice and maybe further! he is a sweetheart though!

 

[View]

It's decades since I competed, but I was happier on bigger horses and ponies where I could feel my leg against them than the smaller and skinnier types where my lower legs were in fresh air. Oh, and I'm only 5'1".

It all comes down to that old circle of the horse having confidence in the rider, so being relaxed, and then the rider relaxing and having confidence in the horse. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

 

[wench]

I have seen small 5ft2 women riding 17 hands + attempting to go XC... when rider is a normal amautaur it doesnt make for a very pretty picture.

I had a 16.3 tb, I am 5ft 7. People used to see a photo of him and ask how tall was he - 15.2? Nope he was a lot larger than that, he was rather narrow, which when I sat on him made him look smaller.

He was far too large for me, I couldnt "collect" him up quick enough after a fence if there was another fence immeidatly after, I wasnt skilled enough as a rider, and he was simply huge.

Moral to the story... get a smaller one next time!

 

[harlequinwalk]

Oh I'm so jealous of some of you! I'm 5ft 11 but I have always much preferred riding ponies and smaller horses up to about 15.2hh. My horse is 16.2 but he's quite light (half TB) so it's okay, I prefer not to ride anything bigger though! I miss choppy pony strides, wish I could somehow shrink!

 

[LittleOwl]

Given the choice I'd go for something around 15.2 but if someone offered me something bigger that was great in every other respect I'd go for it.
When I was 15 (and probably about 5'3") my pony went lame 2 weeks before camp so I took a friends 17hh irish beasty as he was the only horse we knew who was fit, sound and sane enough for camp and we had a great time although he did have good brakes. I think I found my 13.2 stronger and harder to ride than him!

 

[shhdally]

I'm 5ft4" at a push and my horse is an 18hh warmblood. I don't event him as xc scares me but we hack, dressage and showjump. (Hope pictures work and aren't too big!!)

 

[AusRider]

I am 5'4 as well and have had a professional eventer suggest that I go for horses that are no bigger than 16-16.1. I did loan a 16.2 eventer fore 5 years, and although he was a great horse for me in a variety of ways, we didn't make the prettiest picture in the dressage (yes. I know its not about looking pretty). The reason was not necessarily his height, but that he had a very deep girth, which made my legs look shorter on him. So event though were were a great match in other ways, he still made me look like a pimple on a pumpkin (and yes, he was a chestnut). The next time I am shopping for horses to event, I am going to look more closely at the overall picture and make sure that this doesn't happen again.

 

[Eventer96]

I'm 5'3 and around the 9 stone mark and I've evented my 17.2hh Dutch Warmlood at Pony Club Open (equivilant to BE Nov). He's strong but not uncontrollable I actually find it more difficult to ride at Medium level dressage now as he trot is so massive that my abs burn after just 5 minutes!

 

[armchair_rider]

i know everyone says he's not that big but that's what he measured at!! thankfully he doesn't ride that big yet, but he still has lost of maturing to do especially since he would have lost all his muscle with this time off! as soon as im back on board i shall measure him again!! i brought him a year ago at 16.1 but his daddy is a big boy and his mum wasn't tiny so i suspect he will keep growing!! damn it i wish he wouldn't thou! its a long way down when you fall off! thanks for saying i look alright on him, i always worry i look stupid and people do laugh when they see me getting my steps out the lorry to mount him!!!

You look fine on him, the height imbalance between you looks far less than it actually is. He's a gorgeous looking horse to boot!

 

[Dukey]

I'm a lover of big horses when I was 11 I had a 16.1hh and went to pony club on him! I never really got a pony! My current horse is a 17hh ID who is starting BE this year< I love her loads but often nickname her Dulcie the dinosaur I'm 5'5' and weigh about 8 1/2 stone...

 

[chestnut cob]

My last horse was 17hh IDxTB; I'm 5ft4, about 9st and quite petite. I hunted him for years, did some SJ and a few HT. He could be pretty strong, especially out hunting, and I did get pulled around a bit. Did some DR on him too, Prelim and Nov UA. I've got midget legs and a long body so I always struggled to really get my leg on. I've now gone back to basically a big pony - he's a bit over 15hh (rides bigger though) but is very pony-like (Connie or Connie X I think). Big bouncy pony trot and likes to go everywhere at a million miles an hour, but a much better size for me! I couldn't imagine having another big horse.

 

[Casey76]

I'm just over 5', and I bought my baby to make 15-15.1 as I wanted something a little bigger than my 14.3 first horse. Well Blitz isn't quite three yet and is just touching 16.0. Not only is he tall he is enormously wide. While I can't wait to get him started (in a year or so, once he's stopped growing so quickly), I can feel my hips aching already just looking at him :/ I'm going to look like a Thelwel rider - no chance of a beautifully draped leg with him.

 

[anna22]

I am also 5'7" and my main horse is a 17.1 IDxSF, I find my young 16.3 TB tiny and feel very odd riding him compared to my big boy. I wouldn't look for anything smaller than 16hh, but if I had a choice... I probable wouldn't go over 17hh as it's a lot of horse to try and get your leg round in jumping stirrups!!

 

[HuggyBear]

the saddle is interesting I do have to sort of throw it to get it on

Haha. I remember trying to tack up a large horse around when I was younger (and had no muscle tone in my arms). I managed to hoist the saddle above my head with fully straight arms but I couldn't do anything with it and was stuck (it was a heavy leather saddle). I ended up over balancing and tipping over backwards. Timber!

Never more thankful for soft straw to land on! God bless mounting blocks and synthetic saddles.

i always worry i look stupid and people do laugh when they see me getting my steps out the lorry to mount him!!!

As long as you feel good, screw um' I say!

I am only just 5ft2 and event my 16.2hh but he is a skinny TB so I don't look too small.
Have ridden bigger but as long as you feel safe and trust the horse it's normally ok!!

Do you have a picture on the horse- As you're around my size, I would be interested to see how you look as I usually cap it at 16h.

Saw my RI last weekend take a 17.2 at least medium weight warm blood type round open novice event, and she is only 5.1 if that. I am 5'2' and she is littler than me. What is more she had only ridden this horse once before and she got placed!! Kudos!

Bloody well done her!

I'm 5'5 and I've just taken the ride on a 17.2hh warmblood to event, with the aim of novice and maybe further! he is a sweetheart though!

Good luck to you- You'll step over the fences if you did BE80.

It all comes down to that old circle of the horse having confidence in the rider, so being relaxed, and then the rider relaxing and having confidence in the horse. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

Very good point.

Moral to the story... get a smaller one next time!

Haha

Oh I'm so jealous of some of you! I'm 5ft 11 but I have always much preferred riding ponies and smaller horses up to about 15.2hh. My horse is 16.2 but he's quite light (half TB) so it's okay, I prefer not to ride anything bigger though! I miss choppy pony strides, wish I could somehow shrink!

I would be happy to take some of your inches off you or do a body swap? You can be a shorty and I will walk around like a super model *goes off to daydream*.

I think I found my 13.2 stronger and harder to ride than him!

Things like that always remind me of riding a tiny black pony in a riding school- Smallest horse in the school, yet my arms were dead by the end of the ride and he had a whopping great big pelham in as well.

I'm 5ft4" at a push and my horse is an 18hh warmblood. I don't event him as xc scares me but we hack, dressage and showjump. (Hope pictures work and aren't too big!!)

The first picture made me cackle, that is what I look like against most tall horses!

I have to say though, you also do not look bad on him in the flatwork picture- Is that your dressage length stirrups?

I am 5'4 as well and have had a professional eventer suggest that I go for horses that are no bigger than 16-16.1. I did loan a 16.2 eventer fore 5 years, and although he was a great horse for me in a variety of ways, we didn't make the prettiest picture in the dressage (yes. I know its not about looking pretty). The reason was not necessarily his height, but that he had a very deep girth, which made my legs look shorter on him. .

I bet that was even worse when you had jumping length stirrups on!

I actually find it more difficult to ride at Medium level dressage now as he trot is so massive that my abs burn after just 5 minutes!

Who needs gym membership? Abs of steel.

I love her loads but often nickname her Dulcie the dinosaur ...

Awww!

My last horse was 17hh IDxTB; I'm 5ft4, about 9st and quite petite. I hunted him for years, did some SJ and a few HT. He could be pretty strong, especially out hunting, and I did get pulled around a bit. Did some DR on him too, Prelim and Nov UA. I've got midget legs and a long body so I always struggled to really get my leg on. I've now gone back to basically a big pony - he's a bit over 15hh (rides bigger though) but is very pony-like (Connie or Connie X I think). Big bouncy pony trot and likes to go everywhere at a million miles an hour, but a much better size for me! I couldn't imagine having another big horse.

I love Connie x or purebreds. I have pretty much circled that breed as my target. They're often the perfect size for me- 14.2h to 15.2h ranges, sporty as well.

I'm going to look like a Thelwel rider - no chance of a beautifully draped leg with him.

Cackling!