Who rides a 12.2hh?

zoon

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Can I ask how much you weigh? So many people telling me that my pony cob could carry a stone per hand and I should ride him as he needs to lose a bit of weight (I certainly wouldn't be loading him with that stone per hand though even including tack!) Can't find a small experienced jockey for him, so it is lunging (which I hate to do regularly on a young horse) or riding
 
A stone per hand?! :o so you can put a 16stone person on a 16hh TB? !
Can you ride and lead? I think this may be your best bet. I don't think I'd be riding a 12.2 in a hurry anyway!
 
I do! Im just under 9st. The vet at leahurst said "you look like William Fox Pit on her!" :-D She certainly doesn't struggle though. will find a pic of her...
 
Only ridden pic i can find

DSC00039.jpg
 
My pony is only 12hh and i'm about 10st. I do long distance rides on her and she never struggles. Vets are also happy with the work she does. (little grey in siggy)
 
Looks good to me, itsonlyme!
Zoon, I would say it depends on how much bone your pony has. If he's quite a chunky lad I would say he could carry 12 stone for short amounts of time, if he's a finer type then 10 stone would be the max I would put on him. I am 5ft7 and around 12.5stone, and rode my 13.1hh welsh sec C until she retired age 26; she would happily hack for 2 hours+ with bags of energy to spare!
 
This is the most recent pic I can find - he has a leg in each corner and is certainly not a fine pony! And as you can see has a bit of weight to lose!

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I am certainly not going to be putting 12st on him (just quoting what someone said to me - a stone per hand), but it would be the wrong side of 10 with tack and riding clothes!

I would ride and lead, but currently without another rideable horse
 
When I was 8st something I tried a 13.? at owner's request (I'd gone to try their 14.0). Was way too big on the poor thing. I would even have sat on a 12.2.

Espec. as yours is both young and a little unfit at present would it not be better to lead out in hand/long rein. Lots of walking up hills :-) Building up slowly.

Also: try the local PC for small riders?

TBH whilst the riders above don't look big, they do look too big for the ponies they are on.
 
"LOOK too big" - yes. Too heavy? No. Maybe if i was an unbalanced novice. DollyPony is a beast! Never struggled in the slightest. Granted, she hurt her SI joint, but that was field-related, not me squishing her! :-D All of the vets agreed i was fine to ride her.
fyi ; Im not a total pony squisherer - i have two 15.2's too. Doll was a rescue who i couldn't part with :-)
 
I have to school the ponies at work. Boss was looking for a small jockey for ages but after i lost weight i got stuck with the job! So just under 9st... creeping to just over again for winter warmth we wizz round the school looking like a thelwell cartoon! My bum deffinatley looks big in the saddle! But 3months later they still let me on so guess they're noth too bothered. Ponies being between 11.3 and 13hh.
 
I think that ponies can carry much more than most people realise. It depends if you are more worried about what you look like or what the pony can actually manage. I come from Mid Wales near the Elan Valley and all the local farmers have always traditionally shepherded over the hills on Welsh section A ponies. These are not the ones you see in the show ring but good old fashioned sorts, however most under 12.2 hh.
Unfortunately, this practice is becoming rarer and rarer as quads take over:(
 
I've had a couple of welsh ponies a 13.3hh and a 12.1hh. I broke them in and sold them onto lovely new homes with children (they were both very unhandled when I got them!!!).

I am 5"4 and weigh 8st and they carried me happily with no problems. However I didnt ride them for long periods of time and they were both the old stocky type welshies.
 
Last weekend I took a 12.3hh NF stallion on a fast-paced 2-hr hack. I'm 5'7 and weigh 10st, the pony didn't bat an eyelid, was still more than keen by the time we got home, and whilst I may have looked tall on him, he did not feel tiny. I've also hunted a 13.2hh NF all day with no probs. Check out the New Forest Pony Enthusiasts riding club for loads of 'adults on ponies'!
Your pony looks a fair bit chunkier too, and you describe him as a cob. Go for it, just take it steady and see how you get on!
 
This is me on Herbie. He's a 12.2hh (ish) new forest
P5230655.jpg

I look abit tall on him but he carries me fine. (It's me or he goes to the pedigree chum factory.) I'm 5ft2 weigh around 9st and he can still buck, rear, leap and spin with me ontop ;) :p I realy don't think he's struggling to carry me :rolleyes:
 
He certainly looks like he could manage 10 stone quite happily. I am currently 12st and ride my 13.2 welsh cob with no issues at all. I also have a 12.1hh exmoor mare, she is well built. I used to ride her all the time when I was between 9 and 10st, and occasionally at 11st. I don't ride her now as I am 12st and she is 24. However, anyone of 10st she would be ok with.

As you say he is young (how young?) I guess you wouldn't be doing loads anyway, so I would start with a bit of gentle hacking if you can.
 
Until recently I had been riding my sons 12.2 Dartmoor. I'm nearly 5ft8 and 9 1/2 - 10 stone depending on the day :rolleyes:

She had no problem carrying me and quite happily did a 12 mile pleasure ride (although I did get off for fairly long stretches to give her a break as it was a very hot day). She still managed to caroon off with me in an undignified way in front of the photographer :D

Your boy looks much chunkier than our Dartmoor so i wouldn't think he would have any problem carrying weight. Just take it easy to start with and do little / often and build up his muscle strenth. You will soon know if you are too heavy for him.
 
He is a little gypsy cob - gypsies has him broken to ride and drive as a yearling! The photo of him was after a much regretted experiment in pulling his mane - it'll grow back eventually! Since coming to me as a 2 year old he has sat in the field with my other youngster. Now 3 and lightly backed was just wondering if I would be too big to ride him (mainly small hack and the odd bit of schooling) when he comes back into work as a 4 year old. I am only 5'4 and very short in the leg, so height is not an issue - he is deep in the girth and will take up my leg easily. He is incredibly short backed though - only just takes a 15" saddle (which my bottom fits in fine and short legs so they don't poke out the front!) - will that be an issue with carrying a bit more weight?
 
I rode a 12.2 Bodmin Moor pony (Dartmoor by the look of him) until I was 18 and left home. I'm 5'4" and was about 8.5 to 8.75 stone. He could cart off with me without any effort at all, buck me off and go all day (the old days when people hacked MILES to and from gymkhanas!). I was careful jumping and around sharp turns as I was concerned I might put him off balance and was mindful of his small size and workload, but I don't think he had any problems at all. I also used to ride an 11.2 Welsh at a friends and he didn't seem to have any problems either and we used to go on some 2 hour hacks over varying terrain and at all speeds. As farrier69 has said, the natives used to carry farmers all over the place for hours.
 
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