Would I be to big for a pony like this?

Hi
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I'd decided that, after speaking to a few people, the smallest height of pony i'd be looking for when I get my own next year would be 13.2hh...but I'd just like to get some of your opinions too.

I'm 5 foot 8 tall, and weigh 10st. Would I be too big height or weight wise for a 13.2hh Sec. C or new forest type, something like this?:

http://horsemart.co.uk/AdvertRef/HM819LD...HorseDetail.asp

I'm more concerned about weight than height, as I probably will look slightly tall, but i'd like to know what you think?
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StarFell

StarFell

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Nope, I am the same height as you and am slightly heavier and have a 13.3hh fell pony. I do look slighly tall on him but I am really comfortable on him and he has no problems carrying me. The only thing I would say is that it is much harder to keep your balance when you are tall on a pony
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I dont think 10 stone will kill it if its a stocky type...... but you will look tall and your centre of balance will not be correct.

I am 5'6" and used to ride a 13.1 sec c type, it was fine till you looked in the mirror or lost your balance..... then it was fatal!!!!
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Weight wise your fine and I know some of the others have mentioned your balance or centre of gravity, not so much you I'd worry about, if you choose to ride a pony that size, it's up to you to deal with your own balance, but what about the pony??
I'd be wary of a younger pony as it will have it's own balance issues also jumping will be harder for a little guy with a taller rider coz you will alter his centre of gravity by more than a shorter rider.
I'd look for a nice 14hh to 14.2 the 2 inches make a world of difference!!
Happy pony shopping!! (I do know a lovely 14.1 part arab looking for a mommy/daddy, but she's in lincolnshire!!)
 
It depends on your proportions. If your back is long you might look big on a smaller pony. If your legs are long and the pony you are on is deep with a well sprung rib cage you will probably be ok. My 5ft 2in daughter rides an 11.2 dartmoor and looks fine but her friend who is the same height looks silly on th same pony becouse her height is in her back length.
 
The pony will quite happily take you - but I think you will find 13.2HH really small. You will struggle when it comes to saddles, your to tall for a saddle under 17" and the pony won't take much more; your legs are too long for a 16" saddle either you leg will be over the knee roll or you'll be sitting too far back in the back putting weight badly on the ponies back. I'm 5'8ft too and breaking a 13.2HH but it's really not ideal.

I think you'd be far better off getting some thing 14.2HH plus
 
Pony in ad looks stocky enough to take your weight. I rode a 13.2h.h. pony in Greece last year, breed is an ancient native one and built to carry weight. Couldn't half shift as well! Main problem I found was there didn't seem to be any shoulder in front of you to stop you falling out of side door (although I did manage to stay on)
 
If when you get round to it you're looking at a younger horse then if it's 13.2 at say age 4 it could make a little more / fill out as it matures so that could help otherwise I'd probably say look for something more 14.0 to 14.2 ish if it's older.
 
Depends on whether you would be comfy or not...i am about 5ft 6 and i don't really like riding anything smaller than 14hh just because i feel really big on it and i like the horses ears to be infront of me when i ride rather than lower down. Its up to you though.
 
To be honest I think you would be a bit big. I'm 5'6" and weigh 8 1/2 stone and my horse is 15.3hh, I wouldn't personally want a horse smaller than 15.1hh, otherwise I'd feel big. I really don't think you'd feel comfortable riding a pony, I know I wouldn't but its up to you. Why do you want to get a pony rather than a horse?
 
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To be honest I think you would be a bit big. I'm 5'6" and weigh 8 1/2 stone and my horse is 15.3hh, I wouldn't personally want a horse smaller than 15.1hh, otherwise I'd feel big. I really don't think you'd feel comfortable riding a pony, I know I wouldn't but its up to you. Why do you want to get a pony rather than a horse?

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It's just personal preference really, I tend to feel over-horsed on horses, and I much prefer handling ponies on the ground rather than horses.
No real reason apart from that really
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Thanks for the replies everyone
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Go for something between 13-14hh then thats probably your best bet. I like riding big horses but as i have thing for youngsters i don't want them to get any bigger than 15hh max though my foal might get a bit bigger but i am having her from a baby so she will be safe to handle by time i want to break her. I weigh about 9 stone and am about 5 ft 6, and i have rode many small ponies aswell as big ones. A few months back i was schooling a very wide, greedy mare for a young girl as she was having big problems with her...i just feel a bit uncomfortable sometimes and get backache as don't feel can ride in the saddle as easily as on a bigger horse. If you do decide to go for something smaller than 14hh i would just check with seller that the horse has been rode by adults aswell as kids first.
 
I'm 5' 6", weigh over 10 stone and I ride a 13.3 hh. She's a native and can easily carry me. The only problem that I had when I first got her was adjusting to her short strides. I had a 16.3hh warmblood previously and, as you can imagine, his way of going was totally different.
 
I think you should be fine. Somehow i can ride my14'2 connemara and my 16h thoroughbred and i look fine on both!
 
Thanks for the replies everybody
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I think that I might look more at ponies 14hh and upwards then, but also try a few stockier 13.2's and see how I feel on them and decide wether that's too small or not.

Thanks again!
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personally I think you would be too tall. im the same height as you, though weigh less and have competed on 13.2hhs racently but if you are interested in doing a little jumping even on hacks beware a 13.2hh will have no neck in front of you. Id look at a 14.2hh if you arent interested in getting a horse. You should be fine.
 
I also prefer ponies and am a similar height and weight to you and used to compete a 13.1hh and a 13.2hh pony. One was a Welsh Sec C and the other a New Forest.

They both had plenty of shoulder and neck and I felt perfectly secure on them.

I had the most fun on those 2 ponies. One had a very old fashioned very forward cut pony saddle, and the other a synthetic GP. Although I've got long legs, I didn't feel wrong in either of them, I guess because I rode longer and with a straighter leg than I would a horse, and so the saddle on the Welsh C didn't need to be all that forward cut.

I could ride a lot shorter on the Newfie with the funny old saddle!

I guess you're thinking along the lines that a smaller pony will be cheaper? Yes, they usually are as they have less of a market of buyers, so go with what you can afford and what you feel comfortable riding

Good luck!

p.s I love that pony in the ad, have you been to see it yet?
 
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