Will I ever be able to ride my lovely youngster?

[Marigold4]

My youngster (rising 3) has good conformation in most respects, has a lovely temperament and moves really well, but when I look at how fine his canon bones are (7 inches max measured just below the knee), it worries me that he's too finely built for me to ride him. He seems to me to be a deep girthed, chunky pony set on a set of hack legs! His breeding is German Riding Pony (FS Golden Moonlight lines). He's not the sort I would have chosen to buy tbh, but he was given to me and I'm very fond of him. He's a real charmer.I'm not planning on backing him till next year and, having weighed the tack and me, I don't appear to be more than 15% of his weight. What sort of problems do you think he might experience from being so lightly built and is there anything I can do to help protect him from injury?

 

[CMcC]

Can’t give you any specific advice but I have a Welsh cob who I bought knowing he would be too small to ride (and I am only 5’ 2”). Didn’t get him backed till rising 5, still thinking he was too small. Plan was to bring him on and sell as I had bought him cheap. But when he started work he muscled up, filled out and I swear grew another couple of inches. Two years later he is the perfect size for me and a superstar. So if you can wait just see how it goes, you might be surprised.

 

[JJS]

Do you have a picture that shows how he's built, OP? It's hard to say without seeing what he actually looks like.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I have a German riding pony, he is Dressman/Der Feine Lord breeding and has incredibly slim legs and tiny hooves. At 3 he was 14.2 and at 9 he is 15hh and a totally different shape. He was backed at 3 1/2 and I turned him away until he was 4. First year he struggled with locking stifles, a lot of lameness from foot imbalance and a crap farrier who made it much worse. He really didn't come into his own until he was 6 and was very much a late bloomer so if you can give your boy time to mature fully before doing much with him you might be surprised at how he develops.

 

[Marigold4]

I have a German riding pony, he is Dressman/Der Feine Lord breeding and has incredibly slim legs and tiny hooves. At 3 he was 14.2 and at 9 he is 15hh and a totally different shape. He was backed at 3 1/2 and I turned him away until he was 4. First year he struggled with locking stifles, a lot of lameness from foot imbalance and a crap farrier who made it much worse. He really didn't come into his own until he was 6 and was very much a late bloomer so if you can give your boy time to mature fully before doing much with him you might be surprised at how he develops.

Oh thanks for that. Really useful. He also has tiny feet. I just keep looking at his legs and thinking they might snap if I sit on him! I was going to just lightly back him this summer but think I will have to wait a lot longer before he's stronger enough, so what you say backs that up. I'm going to try to keep him barefoot (I have an excellent trimmer) as long as I can so his little hooves can keep growing. Did your pony's legs fill out at all? How is he doing now? The German Riding Ponies I see on the internet are always bandaged up to the 9s, so it's impossible to tell what their legs are like.

 

[Marigold4]

Do you have a picture that shows how he's built, OP? It's hard to say without seeing what he actually looks like.

Here he is

 

[Marigold4]

Here he is

View attachment 30346

Do you have a picture that shows how he's built, OP? It's hard to say without seeing what he actually looks like.

He looks over at the knee in this photo but it's just how he's standing. This was taken 6 months ago and he has filled out since.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

DP is also barefoot, he just didn't suit shoes and I ride him in Viper Renegades all round. His legs have never filled out but since having found an excellent trimmer he hasn't been lame once. The biggest difference in his shape has been through his shoulders. He went from a MW saddle at 4 to an XW at 7 so be prepared for some growth. Your boy is beautiful.

 

[Marigold4]

DP is also barefoot, he just didn't suit shoes and I ride him in Viper Renegades all round. His legs have never filled out but since having found an excellent trimmer he hasn't been lame once. The biggest difference in his shape has been through his shoulders. He went from a MW saddle at 4 to an XW at 7 so be prepared for some growth. Your boy is beautiful.

That's interesting about the barefoot. I have bought him some Equine Fusion boots for the little walks we are doing out and about and am thinking they give him a slightly wider base to spread his weight on. I think I'll have to keep his weight down as well. Nice to hear of someone else with one of these ponies. Are there many around in the UK? Got any pics of yours?

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I have but I can't upload them to here as they are to big. Will PM you.

 

[tallyho!]

it worries me that he's too finely built for me to ride him. He seems to me to be a deep girthed, chunky pony set on a set of hack legs!

That's how people described my youngster! Some breeds are just like that... think of an Arab. A spanish/portuguese horses for example. You haven't said how much you weigh? However 15% is ideal. Personally I think too much emphasis is placed upon bone circumference. It's about density and strength. If the the horse is well put together biomechanically speaking, allowed to mature enough so that the tendons, ligaments and muscles are at optimum strength and elasticity, to produced well balanced gaits, then you're away.

The only time I've seen horses breaking down due to bones snapping in half is yearlings at races. By the sounds of it, you're not about to flog this horse through some heavy going are you?

 

[Marigold4]

I weigh about just under 5' 4" and 8st 9 and if I use my synthetic saddle it weighs about 1 st. So together with tack I'm 61 k and he is 450 kg, so think that will be about 15%. Is that how you work it out?

 

[tristar]

let him mature, train him slowly and don`t thrape him and he will probably last you well for the next 20 years

 

[Leo Walker]

I weigh about just under 5' 4" and 8st 9 and if I use my synthetic saddle it weighs about 1 st. So together with tack I'm 61 k and he is 450 kg, so think that will be about 15%. Is that how you work it out?

You are not in any way shape or form too heavy for him! I'd have said up to about 11 stone once hes fully grown and mature. Hes fine, but hes nicely put together and looks to have a decent rib cage and wide loins even in the gangly baby stage. I suspect he will feel much bigger to ride as well. Lots of front so he wont feel ponified. Stop worrying about it! Hes not made of glass!

Get him started and have a sit on and see how you feel. I suspect you will love him and will be able to stop worrying.

 

[cundlegreen]

My TB mare was 16 hands with 7.5" of bone. She won a PTP carrying 12stone 2lb, won working hunters, and evented to 2* level. Never had a soundness issue, and competed to 14.

 

[Goldenstar]

I think when mature you will be ok .
Good reason to keep off the Easter eggs he’s a beauty .

 

[DD]

he looks to have short cannons which are strong. the size of the medulla cavity is important not just the overall inches below the knee a horse can measure small but have a small medulla cavity so has strong cannons as opposed to a horse measuring larger with a larger cavity = weaker bone. arabians for instance have small medulla cavities. if you are 15 % of his weight then I wouldn't worry. choose a lightweight saddle .. I cant see a problem in you riding him but i'd give him an extra year to mature before you back him to give him that extra strength. much depends on what you do I wouldn't advise cross country or show jumping to a high level but riding club stuff and hacking/showing and little dressage should be fine. go out and enjoy him, hes lovely.

 

[ihatework]

At 8st9 you will be absolutely fine in him, honestly! He is a good type.

 

[windand rain]

you are fine to ride him he is more than capable of carrying you Once mature and muscled up he will carry you easily no way do you need to lose weight

 

[ycbm]

Some of the thoroughbreds racing over hurdles at Cheltenham this week will have legs that look like that. It's not quantity, its quality. I think you'll be absolutely fine, but I'd let him grow into those long and elegant fetlocks a bit before you do too much with him. I think he is going to be a cracker, with that colouring.

He'll be very different at eight, I think. At five, my friend's TB/ID looked all TB. At eight, she looked nearly all draft. My cob when he arrived at four would have fitted size 3 cavallos and at eight he would have needed at least 5s.

 

[Sukistokes2]

If worried speak to your vet

 

[BOWS28]

Honestly, i think you'll be fine! I know a German riding pony owned by a very leggy young girl. She's weighs just over 8st but is about 5"8 (all leg lol) she looks slightly too long for him now as he struggles with condition but 2 years ago, when he had a belly she looked just fine! You'll be surprised when he is fully mature, muscled up and fit. It is a waiting game though i'm afraid. P.S hes a lovely sort! Very handsome

 

[Marigold4]

Thanks all. That's very reassuring and useful. I'm going to give him at least another year before I start him, keep his weight down , start him slowly and keep off the easter eggs! Now I just have to find a way of dealing with the fact that I have nothing to ride for at least 12 months.

 

[Michen]

I weigh about just under 5' 4" and 8st 9 and if I use my synthetic saddle it weighs about 1 st. So together with tack I'm 61 k and he is 450 kg, so think that will be about 15%. Is that how you work it out?

Blimey I’m 9 stone 5 and 5,7. Not sure how much saddle weighs. My racy Connemara is around 410kg 15hh and I’ve never considered myself too heavy for him but using 15% would be!

 

[Marigold4]

It's not so much a question of my weight versus his weight. I can see I am not too heavy in theory to ride him. The problem is he has ridiculously spindly legs and tiny fetlocks that look like they belong on a deer rather than a horse. His legs look like they might snap if I sit on him!

 

[ester]

haha, TBF he isn't bred to have massive legs, go spend some time looking at some of the halter-type quarter horse legs that might make you feel better about how big they actually are.
I don't think he looks to have any less bone than our anglo she just has fluffier heals. It's genuinely not something I would worry much about over and above the rest of his conformation (of which the only thing that stands out is his slightly long pasterns).

 

[Meowy Catkin]

He's not finished growing yet! Please read this article. Page three states 'increase in cannon bone girth does not taper off until close to five years of age'.

http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf

 

[Marigold4]

He's not finished growing yet! Please read this article. Page three states 'increase in cannon bone girth does not taper off until close to five years of age'.

http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf

Faracat, thank you! That news has made my week! I thought his canon would have stopped growing but as you and this article say, they could gain circumference size for another two years yet. Very excited. In time I may be able to ride him after all! Now just have to find something to ride in the meantime while I wait. Anyone got a nice loan horse?

 

[Gleeful Imp]

Here he is

View attachment 30346

That is one lovely pony!

 

[Marigold4]

haha, TBF he isn't bred to have massive legs, go spend some time looking at some of the halter-type quarter horse legs that might make you feel better about how big they actually are.
I don't think he looks to have any less bone than our anglo she just has fluffier heals. It's genuinely not something I would worry much about over and above the rest of his conformation (of which the only thing that stands out is his slightly long pasterns).

Yes indeed, he does have long pasterns but you should see him move!