Weight for adult riding a sec A

[EmmasMummy]

I think that they look ok, but at the upper limit. My friend rides my daughters 10.2hh shetland and has sat on the 11.1hh Sec A we have. She is 5ft 6 and a size 8. Both are perfectly happy with her and in no way struggle. Now I wouldnt let her jump the Sec A, but I might the Shettie (if she did jump) as IMHO she is of a stronger stature than the Sec A. I would struggle to find anyone lighter than 7 stone to break in the sec a.

 

[Brandy]

Ooh interesting thread!!

OP - your pony looks quite small and not so chunky. I used to teach a couple of sisters who had a 12hh sec a, built like the side of a house. He was very cheeky and very welsh, and I regularly used to school him for half an hour, becuase he was a little S**tbag with the poor children! I was about 9st at the time, but waaay too tall for him at 5ft 6, but he was chunky, deep and actually took quite a lot of leg up.

I also have a 12.1hh exmoor who is really 14hh on short legs. I rode her regularly as my 'main' ride for many years, but don;t any more as she is 24 and I have put weight on!!

I do have confidence issues but these are as a result of my nasty bloody 13.2 welsh. I was fine with my TB. In fact the confidence issues are ONLY with the welsh. Its him thats a tit!!

 

[Aoibhin]

Oh well crusify me now as i ride 2 11 handers (sec A & a dartmoor) they both more than carry my 8.5 stone with no issue & one regually decides to P!$$ off with me after the bigger horses up the road.

i dont look too big for them as despite the 5ft 7 height im of very slender build & they both take up my leg nicely, let her come & see him & get a feel to how they get on & how he copes.
good luck with a sharer im having the same issues with mine (looking for someone due to health issues & i could NEVER trust my lad with a child at present even on leadrein)

LETS HERE IT FOR THE PONIES.

 

[hessy12]

I'm sorry, but 5 ft 3 is TOO BIG to ride this pony! I cannot believe it. PLease find a child to ride the pony instead.

 

[FionaM12]

I have lived many years in Wales before I moved north. The old fashioned stamp of Sec A really doesnt resemble the pony in the pic, this pony has no depth of body and not a lot of bone. The old fashioned ponies from the Beacons were very stocky and the fact that they carried farmers is something that they might have managed to do for short periods of time, but I dont think for a welfare situation would be recommended.

I think this is a very fair and sensible post. Just because something used to happen, doesn't mean it's okay now.

I'm 5' 2" and about 9 stone (plus an extra few pounds post Christmas atm!) and I wouldn't consider riding a pony under 13 hh on a regular basis unless it was a really hefty weight carrier. I like riding ponies though. Mollie is 14.2 and I struggle to get on board from the ground, I think I'd have been happy with a smaller mount at my age!

Surely though it is much better for him to be ridden than left in a field to grow fat and get laminitis and such.

This seems an odd thing to say. Of course he'd be better ridden than neglected, but only if the rider was small enough for him to carry!

The girls in your photos look too big for him, to me.

Could he not be re-homed to someone who is able to supervise children to ride him? Then he'd neither get laminitis or be squashed....

 

[TelH]

Sorry if someone has already suggested this but what about breaking him to drive instead?

 

[FionaM12]

Sorry if someone has already suggested this but what about breaking him to drive instead?

The OP him/herself said this was an option. I think it's a much better idea than allowing an adult to ride such a tiny pony.

 

[TelH]

The OP him/herself said this was an option. I think it's a much better idea than allowing an adult to ride such a tiny pony.

I have a tiddler too, her father is a sec A and she is quite a chunk, she's only just turned 3 so hopefully got a bit more growing to do but if she doesn't make as big as I hope I will break her to drive instead of ride

 

[catwithclaws]

im another who thinks the best way is to see the lady and decide for yourself.

plenty of people would probably say i was too big for my old boy (14h forester) as im 5'7 and weigh about 12 stone atm (i have just had a baby so this weight will come off!) and i rode him up until 7 months pregnant so carried extra weight then - and he is 21 years old. i dont think im too heavy to ride him, he never has any problems taking my weight, and since i have had him since he was 8 i would never do anything to jeopardise his wellbeing

i think its great that your at least trying to find him a nice job to do instead of him just being wasted in the field - whether it be ride or teaching him to drive, i think good on u

 

[pugsandponies]

I reschooled a Sec A for a friend's children a couple of years back... at the time I was 5ft2/3 and weighed just under 8st. Jasper was 11.3 and I'd have said I was at the upper weight limit of what he could comfortably carry. Hard to judge from photos but I think Jasper might be a bit bigger than the pony shown, I'd be inclined to not want to put anyone much over 7st on him/her.

Here is a picture of the Sec A I worked with (not me on him obviously lol!) :

 

[mulledwhine]

This is my 15 year old friend jumping my sec A

She is deffiantly not 6 stone, but he is stocky and strong, and not one person has ever said she is too big for him, including pony club.

Is I have permission to post this copy right picture

 

[minesadouble]

Ah but that is a different question entirely. A 17.2 is not really going to struggle holding weight (unless morbidley obese of course) how ever the persons riding skills would be questioned more as obviously that is a lot of horse, where as an adult wanting to ride on a 11H pony in my opinion would only want to do so if they were scared of proper horses. Which actually answers my first question.

Sorry to veer away from the original post but this kind of comment really hacks me off. I agree that 11hh is pretty teeny but the attitude of 'adults on ponies must be scared of horses' boils my blood! I keep horses and ponies for myself and my daughters. one of my eldest daughter's ponies - 13.2 - is the gamest jumper and boldest hunter you could ever cock a leg over. My daughter and I used to fight over who would hunt him (in preference to the 'real' horses) Many a time he has given a lead to a 'full size' horse over a trappy fence, and was the envy of many of the field on their 16.2 hunters when he would tackle obstacles the bigger ones would baulk at. He was sure footed, speedy across any kind of terrain and while bold had an inbuilt sense of self preservation! He's batting on a bit now and unfortunately getting a bit arthritic. The vet has just given us the OK to bring him back into work and I cannot wait to get him out again. Give me him over my fannyish, footyish, wimpish 17.1hh any day!

I'm not scared to ride the big ones but sometimes the little ones are better!! To the point where I am seriously considering a Native Breed pony for my next 'horse'!

If we are going to subscribe to stereotypical attitudes of adults on ponies must be scared of horses should we assume that 'Trot-on-dessage' is a dressage enthusiast because they are scared to jump?

 

[billy2]

I'm 5ft 1 and weigh about 8 stone, I ride the section A's at work, mostly hacking, never had a problem but they are quite well built.

 

[Puzzles]

I agree that the OP's pony should carry absolutely no more than 7 stone, including tack.
I am all for adults riding ponies (I don't see why they shouldn't?) but I just don't see how any adult could be comfortable on an 11hh pony particularly one that isn't particularly strong (maybe it's the way he is standing in the 1st pic but his back looks a bit dipped to me). 12hh, maybe, 13hh definitely - but 11hh is tiny! Even if their weight wasn't a problem, a 5'3" adult would have their feet on the floor - how on earth would they and the pony be able to keep their balance? I don't really see the point.