Strong - weight carrying horse - your opinions please -

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VoyPor

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Hi everyone - just looking for opinions really.

I am 6ft and 17 stone - i am a very muscular guy - and i enjoy horse riding.

My RI says that i am very balanced in the saddle and this is probably down to my posture and physique.

I want opinions on what horse i can look for that will carry my weight.

Please bare in mind that i am looking for a happy hacker - not something to do hunting - jumping or anything like that with.

Just something that will be happy to carry me on a hack for 1-2 hours at a time.

Thanks everyone.
 
You want something with a fair bit of bone - typical of your old fashioned hunter type horse. My dad who is 6ft 4 and a similar weight to you used to ride the horse I rode as a teenager which was a 16.2hh cleveland bay type mare.

A nice Stocky Cleveland bay or Irish Draught or a heavier cob - maybe a shire / clydesdale cross would be breeds / types to consider.
 
As a woman of 6ft 2 and solid build, I would say don't be overly worried about height. Look for something with plenty of bone and stature, which is comfortable to ride rather than necessarily tall.

I've ridden a hunter type at 17hh and a 15.2 irish hw cob and actually looked better on the 15.2 because the breadth of back took up more of my leg and felt better as there felt like there was more underneath me.

If you only want a happy hacker, a cob will be cheaper to keep and you shouldn't bash your head on as many branches as you would on something taller..
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What do you ride in your lessons?
 
I'm not selling mine, but I have a Shire x Tb which would be perfect for you - she's out of a Shire mare, and is around 17hh, weighs 750kg and would carry your weight.
She's also quite large in the barrel so would take your leg, too.
Other similar types would be (if you want something heavy)
full Clydesdales, Shires, Suffolks, or Irish Drafts.
If you want something a little less heavy/more athletic, then any of the above crossed directly to a Tb would do.
S
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That said my current horse is 16.2 ID x DWB (middleweight) and is not what I'd recommend but we rub along ok...
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She is fairly short backed which helps with the weight carrying but hasn't been ideal with getting a larger saddle to fit!
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Any well built WB, ID x or Draught x or Section D would suite you. 17 stone isn't that heavy for most horses to carry esp if you are a balanced rider and don't intend to jump great heights. My friend Highland carries a 15 stone man (again not jumping etc) and he's only 14hh! I think that would be to small for your height but it give you an idea of how strong the cold blood and cold blood x types are.

Happy horse hunting
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One of the larger cob types would be fine. You could get away with one of the shorter and sturdy clydesdale or shire types (rather than the very tall and lighter show bred type), but 17 - 17 1/2 stone is the upper end of their capacity.

People think the heavy horse breeds should be able to carry more weight than that, but they were bred to pull not bear weight and are actually not as good as a sturdy cob with a short back and thick legs.

If you want the height, a shire or clydesdale x cob would be a good choice and they are normally great steady hacks. They can still do well at local level dressage/XC and SJ too if you wanted to do more than hack.

Good luck and I hope you find something perfect.
 
Whatever the size you choose make sure you can easily get on and off it to open gates etc.
Also take account of the temprement of the horse as no doubt if you hack you will want something that is 'Road Safe' and also Bombproof and Spookproof so that it will behave in all situations be you out by yourself or front or last in a group of you.
A nice short coupled sturdy weight carrier with good bone would be ideal for you.
The secret of keeping a horse used for hacking nice and healthy and sane is to ride it out as regularly as possible.
 
I agree with ^^^^^ bmb. My YO breeds Irish draughts and the old fashioned type (with loads of bone) are more than capable of acrrying your weight & doing your job. They are also friendly, gentle and kind. They come in all different sizes too - from 15.2 up to the maffise huge ones.
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I agree with all - my lad is easily capable of carrying that weight, and as for height, my hubby is 6ft3, and looks rather small on him! P is about 15.3hh but takes up alot of leg! to get off, you need to take 3 steps to the edge and jump! So why do I have him seeing as Im 5ft2???

No idea!
 
Look for plenty of bone, and also good back conformation.

Also, a balanced rider is much easier for a horse to carry than an unbalanced one, even if heavier so you shouldn't have too many problems
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You can't weigh much more (if any more) than the cavalrymen when they put all their kit on, and the cav blacks don't seem to struggle too much on the rare occasions they decide to misbehave
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i am 5 foot 11 and weigh 17 and half stone was 18 and half in june when i got my haflinger, my oh also rides him he is just over 6 foot
the hafflinger is 14hh 3, but you would never belive it because of his build
 
Plenty of bone and make sure it's got big feet! Warmbloods are your answer, which is basically what all the crosses above are. Or a nice heavyweight cob or Irish Draft. 17 st isn't a great weight as long as you can ride, it's obviously too much for a Section A but not for a strong horse under normal conditions.
 
This is Cakey. He is a 16hh IDx which we bought for my husband to hack on. OH is 6ft and weighed 17 stone when we bought him. They had two lovely years together before OH got bored of riding, but luckily Cakey is well behaved so can be ridden by smaller people (my friend in the pic is about 5ft tall)

Cakey.jpg
 
A Cob!!!

My DH is taller than you (though a couple of stone lighter) and rides a 15.1hh MW coloured cob very comfortably. A heavy weight cob would suit you fine. If you aren't competative you could look for one that is over height for showing (cobs should be no more than 15.2hh) as they may be a more comfortable fit and possibly cheaper (as they can't show). Over height cobs are known as maxi cobs and there are a few showing classes for them.

They are very versatile, we have loads of cobs where DH and I ride and two are about 16hh which would be great for you. They are great rides, one is a fab jumper the other is a lovely dressage horse with super lateral work! One looks like a shrunk in the wash clydesdale (except he's now hogged & clipped) the other more of a hunter/show cob type.

Cobs are much better doers than warm bloods and generally are pretty level headed, if a bit bolshie! Generally cobs are great for first timers and novices as they can look after themselves and are very versatile.
 
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I think I am in love with Cakey
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I do like a nice big horse!

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Thank you!!!

He's a real teddy bear and although OH lost interest we still have him 7 years later and he will stay with us for life.

OP: for what it's worth it was fairly tough to find him so be prepared to waste a bit of time. I called up about hundreds of horses and went to see 15 others before finding Cakey (some of the 15 were absolutely insane!).
 
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Hi everyone - just looking for opinions really.

I am 6ft and 17 stone - i am a very muscular guy - and i enjoy horse riding.
My RI says that i am very balanced in the saddle and this is probably down to my posture and physique.


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You're a big boy!
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TBH, it's not easy to find good heavyweights (horses - not people!) - a lot of horses WILL carry 17 stone - but they're not particularly happy doing it! And although you only want to hack now, when you have your own horse and get a bit more confident, you MAY want something rather more than just a plod.

A good Irish Draught - over 16.2 and with at LEAST 9" of bone - is what you want! And he should be short-backed as well! Sadly I don't have one to sell you
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- I HAVE got the perfect horse for you but my husband has first dibs on HIM (17hh, 10 inches of bone, short backed, and you could put on another 2 stone and he wouldn't mind!!)

Height DOES matter. If you're tall, you'll generally feel unbalanced on anything less than 15.2 - 16hh - and you'd also have to put up with smart a*se's driving past you yelling "get off and carry it" at you!

There's actually a horse on the Irish Draught web site who looks like he'd fit the bill - 2nd horse down.

17.2hh 11 years Handsome Bay RID Gelding
 
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Hi everyone - just looking for opinions really.

I am 6ft and 17 stone - i am a very muscular guy - and i enjoy horse riding.
My RI says that i am very balanced in the saddle and this is probably down to my posture and physique.


[/ QUOTE ]

You're a big boy!
grin.gif
TBH, it's not easy to find good heavyweights (horses - not people!) - a lot of horses WILL carry 17 stone - but they're not particularly happy doing it! And although you only want to hack now, when you have your own horse and get a bit more confident, you MAY want something rather more than just a plod.

A good Irish Draught - over 16.2 and with at LEAST 9" of bone - is what you want! And he should be short-backed as well! Sadly I don't have one to sell you
grin.gif
- I HAVE got the perfect horse for you but my husband has first dibs on HIM (17hh, 10 inches of bone, short backed, and you could put on another 2 stone and he wouldn't mind!!)

Height DOES matter. If you're tall, you'll generally feel unbalanced on anything less than 15.2 - 16hh - and you'd also have to put up with smart a*se's driving past you yelling "get off and carry it" at you!

There's actually a horse on the Irish Draught web site who looks like he'd fit the bill - 2nd horse down.

17.2hh 11 years Handsome Bay RID Gelding

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YUP! or A Cleveland Bay!
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Donklet - your horse is stunning! What is he?

I have a cob who is half Ardennes and I don't think you can go far wrong with a cob. Most of them will turn their (large) hooves to anything you want and usually have a nice nature to go with it and a bit of character too
 
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