What size pony would you ride?

cobsarefab

cobsarefab

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What height are you and what height is your pony? What's the smallest you have ridden? Could you please post some pics so that I can see how you look. I might have an opportunity to ride an extremely stocky looking 11.3 pony and am wondering if I'd look ridiculous. I'm 5'6" or thereabouts and about average weight for a 14yo.
 
I'm 5ft 4 and have a very stocky 14.1hh cob cross and a 15hh quite finely built sports horse. And a 16hh sports horse, but he is now retired. Depends on your weight really. As a 5ft 4 person and Just under 10 stone, I wouldn't ride an 11.3.
 
'About average weight' doesn't say a lot; after all average weight for someone my height - 5"8 - and someone 5"2 is quite different.
Personally, the weight I am now (8.8st), I would ride a good, stocky, true to type leg in each corner native e.g. new forest or exmoor or fell no smaller than 12hh. But it also depends how the pony felt. If it felt as if were struggling of course I would dismount, but when she's sound and fit my 12hh NF has carried 10 st, 5"9 before (wasn't me!) and was still able to put in a cheeky buck in canter!!
 
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When I was about 19 I was 5"6 and weighed 8 stone tops and rode 12.2 show ponies but we only schooled them for a maximum of 30 minutes, but these ponies were backed and schooled by a few of us everday so they were used to being ridden by adults, now I weigh between 9 and 10 stone so I reckon smallest would be 13 hands now at that weight but wouldn't be in the saddle for hours.

You can't really say average weight for a 14 year old one of the girls I hack with is 14 she is taller than you but she weighs far more than I do but she doesn't look that heavy.
 
I'm 5'10, with long legs, but also built on sturdy lines, a bit like your 11.3hh! IMO I think weight limits are a better indication - just for me personally as I am muscly and carrying a bit more chubby than I want to be, I wouldn't ride anything that wasn't up to carrying me, based on me + gear being max 15% of their weight.
 
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think the 15% weight thing is a nonsense I would ride a 13hh stocky cob or highland pony at 500kg I wouldnt ride a 500kg thoroughbred or spindly legged horse. It really does depend on weight being evenly distributed and the pony being the right type with short cannons and flat bone the issue with your height is if the pony has a short back you may be too big over its back.
 
I'm 5'1 and just under 7st and I have ridden a 12.2, 12.3, and 13h. Two were Sec Bs and one a Cob. I think you will be too big for an 11.3. How much do you weigh?
 
I'm 5'4/5 and I ride a 15.2 medium build Appy & 15.1 stocky Cob.
Have briefly sat on a 13 something stocky cob and had a quick ride on a 13 something exmoor

I wouldn't own anything smaller than 15.2 as I think I would look to big and hoping my boy finishes at 16hh in the end.
 
I think you do need to go off weight a bit more than height. I'm 5'10" and I weigh around 10st now and would ride a 14/14.2hh pony if it was a stocky type. Recently I have rode a 14.2hh dales X Not massively stocky but not dainty and she carried me fine.

I also rode a 13.2hh pony when I was around 8 stone on a beach hack and she carried me fine (though my legs dangled a bit!!). she was the only horse on the gallop that didn't want to take a breather and was impatient to get going again! Even that light I don't think I would have got on an 11.3hh.. for one I'd be way too tall.
 
I'm 5ft4 and my New Forest Pony is 13.2hh. I also rode my old boy who was 13hh but I can't imagine getting on something as small as 11.3hh. I would have to be dangerously underweight to do that.
 
I'm 5'4" & 9 stone. For many years I rode my friends 13.2 Welsh sec C. He was broad enough that I never felt big on him even getting straight off my then 16.2 warmblood. I do look a bit top heavy in photos tho.

Last year I had to pop on a 12h welshie who was being naughty with the kids. I don't think my weight was an issue, but my legs were much too long!
 
Considering everything I think that on a chunky horse 13hh+ a medium 14hh+
or a fine 15hh+ I rode a thoroughbred at my old RS and he was 16.1hh so I am comfortable with small chunky ponies as well as taller finer horses. Thanks for all the replies.
 
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SEL said:
I'm 5'4" & 9 stone. For many years I rode my friends 13.2 Welsh sec C. He was broad enough that I never felt big on him even getting straight off my then 16.2 warmblood. I do look a bit top heavy in photos tho.

Last year I had to pop on a 12h welshie who was being naughty with the kids. I don't think my weight was an issue, but my legs were much too long!
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I'm quite leggy as well! I'd probably have looked ridiculous but it was just a thought. No pony squashing will happen :D
 
Now at best 14.2 but it would have to be a sturdy pony since I weigh alot. I did ride a 13.2 ish pony on a beach ride once and considering how much strength I had to use to try to slow it down it didn't struggle to carry me but I wouldn't ride it every day. I was lighter then too, same height but far less muscle.

If my legs weren't enormous from muscle I would weigh a lot less. It's very annoying.
 
I'm 5'4" and just shy of 10st. I ride my shetlands for 10-15 mins 2-3 times a week when needed. I also ride my darty who is a 12.2hh birck out house of a pony for 30mins at a time and in the show ring. I don't jump just because I don't.

For the most part I can be found on much bigger racehorses but I do love my wee ponies lol!

It's not always the weight but the height that is the issue and for short periods of time it's not too bad but I certainly wouldn't be on my shetlands for longer than I currently am as it's not fair on them.
 
I'm 5'4" and 7 1/2 stone. I happily rode a little finer-built 12.2hh pony out in walk, but I wouldn't do anything more than that. Maybe a tiny baby trot if they felt like they were carrying me easily. I think I would comfortably ride something around 13hh and stocky in walk-trot-little canter, but definitely not regularly and I wouldn't even dream of getting on something under 12hh or anything very fine boned.
 
5ft11, 10 1/2 st and usually ride a 13.2hh NF, hes a chunky little beasty, very wide and good bone, short backed and compact. Legs dangle a bit but again he's had no trouble bucking (for fun, not in a 'get off of my back' scenario)

Wouldn't ride anything finer unless 15hh +
 
I missed a decade of horses .. just to clarify ponies are anything up to 14.2? Anything 14.3 and up is classed as a horse?

I'm 5'8 and 12.5 stone .. I wouldnt ride anything less than 15.3 and even then it would need to be chunky! Way too many fat people on ponies IMO!
 
I was 16 stone and rode my 13hh Highland pony for 15 years losing weight a lot and gaining it again over those years She has never had a vets visit apart from an injury jumping with an 8 year old child who weighed about 5 stone she was so small. She is 22 still working and still does everything she did at 6 She shows no sign whatsoever of having any issues with having carried me for well over a thousand miles in her lifetime. I now weigh less than 12 stone and dont ride anymore as I am the one with the weight related damage so it is horses for courses. As I said above it depends on the pony its preparation for carrying weight and the balance of the rider. I know balance doesnt reduce weight but it does reduce the kind of damage a rider can do to a horses back
 
Antw23uk said:
I missed a decade of horses .. just to clarify ponies are anything up to 14.2? Anything 14.3 and up is classed as a horse?

I'm 5'8 and 12.5 stone .. I wouldnt ride anything less than 15.3 and even then it would need to be chunky! Way too many fat people on ponies IMO!
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I think you'd be surprised at how much a cob (up to 15.1 by definition) would take up your leg! For your weight in 'theory' you'd only need a LW one at that.
 
To answer OP, at 5'4 I've ridden down to 12hh, would ride a solid exmoor or Shetland. At my current weight my cut off is my own, he's a 13hh stallion and pretty solid.
 
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