Worried about being under-horsed (size-wise)...

[cobgoblin]

For those looking at photos and having a fit.... Have you considered how much modern hats contribute to your perceived height?
Looks to be a good 2 or 3".

 

[BlackRider]

Any chance of pics? (Sorry for thread hijacking but I'm also 5'9.....)

here you go

 

[Chinchilla]

here you go
View attachment 27829

Wow! You look really good on that pony, you certainly wouldn't guess that you're 5'9...useful as I've been told I ought to be riding something 15.3hh + (I've got a chunky 14.3/15hh but mess about on 13.2 cobs on occasion as well, just because ponies are far too much fun not to!)

 

[Louby]

Louby, that looks totally appropriate to me, and your horse is very pretty!

Thank you, she thinks shes a Princess lol. Ive some pics from behind and I feel I look all body but I think its probably because Im used to bigger horses and shes so immature.

 

[Stormynight]

How did you feel before you saw the picture?
He will grow up and he will fill out and with schooling and maturity his stride will lengthen (mine has developed hugely and can now feel much bigger, I often misjudge my dismount!)
Does his character suit? Cobs are tough and adaptable so it’s his character that is perhaps more important here. As others have said, if you can keep him over the winter, then make a choice once he’s more established.

Honestly? Like I was riding a 12.2 pony. I guess I’d hoped it looked better than it felt, but no, it doesn’t.

I feel like the general consensus here is probably spot on... get him brought into work, see how he goes and how he feels, and if it’s not right by spring then probably sell him on. He’s a lovely type with a good attitude and is well put together, so I figure that once he’s out of his winter woolies, he’ll look rather splendid and should sell easily to a nice home. I agree with the statement that “height isn’t everything” - and 100%, it isn’t. However, there is definitely a line relating to comfort of you both, and I feel we’re teetering just on the wrong side of it. Maybe he’ll come up/out a little over the coming months, but I’ve got to admit, since seeing reasonable grass, all he’s achieved is getting fat!!

 

[ester]

If he isn't for you give him a good start to set him up for life and move him on. Some of us are definitely more pony orientated than others, ears feel a very long way away on anything else!

 

[Stormynight]

If he isn't for you give him a good start to set him up for life and move him on. Some of us are definitely more pony orientated than others, ears feel a very long way away on anything else!

The frustrating thing is, I used to be! My first horse was a stocky 14.3hh, and he was incredible fun. However, my last horse was 16.2hh (by the time he'd finished spurting - he was bought as a 15.2!), I've since had a back injury which means I don't deal with the choppy strides as well as I used to, and as I say, newbie just feels so very small.

He's being moved to a yard with better facilities soon, so it'll make the job of setting him up a little easier. Thanks for all the responses, it can be helpful to consider some different points of view, and it does make me feel a little better about holding on to him for a while to see what happens.

 

[Tarragon]

What were you looking for when you bought him?
If you wanted a cobby sort then he sounds lovely and will carry you no problem (speaking as someone who is 5'5" and about 9.5 stones who rides a 13hh Exmoor pony) but you will have to adapt your expectations to suit (and be prepared to rise twice as often to a rising trot )
On the other hand if you were actually looking for something more like the horses you are used to riding you might be disappointed!

 

[cobgoblin]

Honestly? Like I was riding a 12.2 pony. I guess I’d hoped it looked better than it felt, but no, it doesn’t.

I feel like the general consensus here is probably spot on... get him brought into work, see how he goes and how he feels, and if it’s not right by spring then probably sell him on. He’s a lovely type with a good attitude and is well put together, so I figure that once he’s out of his winter woolies, he’ll look rather splendid and should sell easily to a nice home. I agree with the statement that “height isn’t everything” - and 100%, it isn’t. However, there is definitely a line relating to comfort of you both, and I feel we’re teetering just on the wrong side of it. Maybe he’ll come up/out a little over the coming months, but I’ve got to admit, since seeing reasonable grass, all he’s achieved is getting fat!!

Tbh you are not going to be any wiser in spring and you won't know what size he is going to make for about another 3.5 yrs.

I have one that grew from 14.2 to 15.3 between 4yrs and 7yrs, and I think he's topped 16hh now but I can't be bothered to get the measuring stick out... He also went through some extremely fugly phases and grew in 'bits'.... Sometimes his head looked impossibly big, sometimes his neck looked short and sometimes he was so up at the bum that the rest of him seemed 'stuck on' to a mahoosive moon-like arse.

Even in the unlikely event that he didn't grow much more... Which I very much doubt... A fully mature 14.1 cob is ample for someone of your size and won't feel at all small once he gains his full strength and width.

 

[Annagain]

Getting used to different horses size and stride wise is a big deal but it'll come. Weirdly when I went from my old 14.1 Sec D to my 16.3 ID x something I barely noticed a difference except when I got off. I put it down to Eb riding much bigger than he was. It was only when I started sharing M that I realised A also rides much smaller than he is. If I get straight off M and onto A I feel like I'm riding a pony even though M is only an inch bigger! I do it so often now that it only lasts a few minutes but when I first did it it I couldn't get used to it at all for weeks. Give it a few months and then see how you feel about him.

 

[Stormynight]

What were you looking for when you bought him?

I was looking for a middleweight 15-16hh gelding to do a bit of everything with. He was younger than I was looking for, and heavier in build that I was looking for, but I was assured that size and demeanor was spot on and there was something about him that made him stand out. Of course, it's hard to know whether that "stand out" is truly what you're after when you're buying unseen, and I did buy fully aware that a decision would have to be made if he wasn't right (which was an entirely possible situation). But, the fact remains that I do really like him overall, I just wish I could stretch him a hand.

Tbh you are not going to be any wiser in spring and you won't know what size he is going to make for about another 3.5 yrs... Even in the unlikely event that he didn't grow much more... Which I very much doubt...

Noted. I'm not expecting miracles in that respect in a few months, but I guess I am expecting to have a better idea of his ridden attitude and how he feels moreso than I do now. I should dig out a photo to give some context to this I suppose - he's got very, very short pony legs, and I'm aware that the growth plates in respect to this will be fused at his age. Both string tests seem to think he's about there on height, or maybe an inch off at best.

 

[Stormynight]

Double post, sorry!

 

[BlackRider]

Wow! You look really good on that pony, you certainly wouldn't guess that you're 5'9...useful as I've been told I ought to be riding something 15.3hh + (I've got a chunky 14.3/15hh but mess about on 13.2 cobs on occasion as well, just because ponies are far too much fun not to!)

Thanks my former instructor used t tell me I really needed 16'2+ (this was when I had my 14'3 arab - although incidentally she did sell big WBs) I bought a 15'1 arab - again never looked too big for my arabs either .
I agree ponies are fab and lots of fun