would i brake her back ?? lol

I am sorry, but wtf a 14.2hh arab/ connie carrying that weight are you mad, if what you are all say my 7 year old is too heavy for her 12.2 hh welsh cross at 4 stone.

Get a grip, I rode my 14.3 hh haffy today dont worry he is still ok, we walked, trotted and also cantered. He is still alive and not lame and guess what I will ride him tomorrow, and my oh who is 14 stone will ride him after me.



grrr
 
Yorkshire dumpling said:
i weigh 12.5 stone with body protector riding gear and hat on, her saddle is a fabricy/synthetic one that weighs next to nothing. (i have used it to back a youngster) with out hat bady protector i weigh 11.10 stone.

well if i didnt feel depressed about being a fatty i sure do now
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Nooo - don't feel like that at all!! I don't think anyone wants you to feel like that!!

She's just a small, fairly lightweight pony who I (and other people) just think is more suitable to a child or lightweight adult.

People will always have different opinions if you ask for it and all you can do is make a decision based on advice you are given and what you think is right. :)

I wouldn't feel comfortable riding a shetland pony, doesn't mean I'm a fatty, just too big for it!
 
bugbee717 said:
I am sorry, but wtf a 14.2hh arab/ connie carrying that weight are you mad, if what you are all say my 7 year old is too heavy for her 12.2 hh welsh cross at 4 stone.

Get a grip, I rode my 14.3 hh haffy today dont worry he is still ok, we walked, trotted and also cantered. He is still alive and not lame and guess what I will ride him tomorrow, and my oh who is 14 stone will ride him after me.



grrr
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Wow, sounds like you really know what your on about!
 
It is very difficult to tell from that one photo. To be fair, I don't think it shows her at a particularly flattering angle but she doesn't look 'strong' to me.

Just out of interest, how much weight does she carry normally with her current owner?

It may be a case of helping her to carry a bit more by doing some work from the ground to strengthen her a bit. Lots of long-reining with you jogging behind will get you both fitter and more suited to each other :)

Well done on the weight loss too, been up there and had to come back down again and it's bl**dy hard work to shift 5st ;)
 
No you won't break her back, she's 2/3 made of tough stuff.

I personally weigh 11stone 2, and am 5ft 10, and I probably would look for something about 15hh, or a bit cobbier if your looking at that height (but at that height I would need roller blades on my feet anyway! :p) . But I don't think the horse would have a problem carrying your weight - depends what you want to do :)

Don't get downbeat about what people are saying, its more a case of would you feel comfortable riding her and not paranoid the whole time x
 
Walrus said:
To be fair, when we're slopping around in our civvies with my racing silk with a pom pom and his tigger saddle cloth we pretty much do look like the thelwell brigade!
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roflmao - thank you :D

c045.gif
 
LOL at the way this whole thread has gone on....
from sensible question about suitability of a purchase... to a load of sneering and looking down noses (off big 'orsey, of course) on adults who ride ponies.
Im 5'1" and I ride a pony because I can!!! ha ha!
:P
 
bugbee717 said:
hmm yes I do so what would you put on a cross arab/ connie photos would be good
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For this pony inparticular - I'd say about 10 stone max. Just my opinion, which OP asked for.

Don't really understand where your logic on 4 stone kind on a 12.2 pony comes from? Also don't understand what pics you want?
 
bugbee717 said:
I am sorry, but wtf a 14.2hh arab/ connie carrying that weight are you mad, if what you are all say my 7 year old is too heavy for her 12.2 hh welsh cross at 4 stone.

Get a grip, I rode my 14.3 hh haffy today dont worry he is still ok, we walked, trotted and also cantered. He is still alive and not lame and guess what I will ride him tomorrow, and my oh who is 14 stone will ride him after me.



grrr
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I dont understand this. Who sais a 4 stone child would be too heavy to ride a 12.2hh pony? maybe i have missed something!
 
Ah it is so good to see a good debate go completely off tangent again, good old hho.
OP i would say, go try her, if you like her, buy her, then do shite loads of ground work to build her up a bit and you down a bit(also great bonding time), then perfect you have lost a bit of weigh she has put on a bit of muscle and you have years of happy times together
 
12 stone? Well, i always say the lighter the better on any horses back. But 12 stone isn't heavy.

But i count muscle as more of a factor than bone in weight carrying (and back conformation) Short backed horses with a good topline will not struggle to carry a comparitively heavy weight.

For those saying that a 9stone person shouldn't be riding ponies, you are bonkers!! heavy is heavy, if you are very very large then it's a lot for any horse to carry on their backs. But 12 stone is not heavy at all. And Arabs and Connies are made of tough stuff with strong limbs.

Like i say, topline counts for more in the weight carrying stakes in my books. So i think you will be fine to hack out and as long as you have her back and saddle checked then riding her 'properly' rather than plodding along on a loose rein might actually improve her weight carrying ability if she works through from behind and uses her back properly. 'plodding' along with her head dangling around is in my opinion less good for a horse carrying more weight.

FWIW my shares 26 year old arab sister with a slightly dipped back (purely from her age and life as a broody) regularly carries 12+ stone with no problems over long distances. The more consistent work the better.
 
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What's the obsession with size?

Why do people think a 16hh horse of no particular breeding is more capable of carrying a certain weight than a pony like the one the OP is intending to buy?

I think you'll find it's the opposite generally.

Just because you're legs go below the horses' body doesn't mean you're too big for it. It's personal choice.

If the horse/pony merrily goes along at all paces and jumps quite happily then you're not too heavy for it. If it collapses under your weight, then you are!
 
IMO, if you are a reasonable balanced rider-go for it. Obviously with the caveat, build her up to fast work, ensure she isn't developing a sore back by checking daily and ensure she is generally not unwell or lame at any point.
 
Ask your vet's opinion. I once asked ours about my weight in relation to a Welsh pony we had here as a livery that the owner wanted me to ride - I'm 5'10" and was then 13.5 stone. He said "In the old days she'd have been carrying a 20 stone Welsh farmer over the hills after his sheep. Get on and ride her". I think we can be over-sensitive about what our horses should/could/could not carry.

Looking at the photo you attached, one thing strikes me. Her saddle is big in proportion to her, which suggests to me that she may be ridden by quite a large person currently. She doesn't look to have much muscle at present either. So you could work together, muscle up for her, weight loss for you. And I say that enviously as you've lost so much. I'm still going up!
 
I would not ride her if I were you. It's not "height', it's "type' that should be taken into consideration - and she is a lightweight.

I hate the 'it would be carrying a fully grown man a hundred years ago' argument!
Yes,the pure bred arabian, or the native pony could carry an adult male - but the typical bedouin was a wiry, whippet type too! And I doubt many hill farmers were 20 stone - life was too hard in those days!

As a comparison, my child carried a heavy rucksack to school weekly for a couple of years,(without complaint, and looking quite lively at the time!). She is now told that the wear and tear from that has caused damage to her spine.

Horses do not generally complain when they have too large a rider - BUT too large a rider will cause damage however well they ride
If you are too big for one type of horse /pony - move up a size! There is every type and size of equine out there.
 
This pony i a skinny type with no top line so there s no way you should buy her. I am 10 stone and I wouldn't ride her as adding the saddle etc I would be too heavy. But I do ride one of my clients 14.1 hh heavy cob. I am tall (5'10") so look rather big on him though!

I once had to turn someone down who wanted to share my 17.2hh pure Irish draught. He was as big a horse as I had ever come across, but this huge woman who came to try him made him groan. The look in his eyes begged me to get her off as soon as I could. I had to explain that there was no way he could comfortably carry her weight. She was also really unbalanced and nearly fell off when he trotted. Poor woman. At only 25, she was heading for being totally incapacitated and house bound. Why do people let themselves get like that?:confused:
 
It all depends on how balanced a rider you are, if you have pretty good balance and core stability then I think she will be fine, if you a little unbalanced then she may struggle a little. Surely her breed implies that she could be a weight carrier- arabs carry people for miles for endurance and a Connemara is a native. Can you get some pics of you on her?
You are prob lighter than the average rider we have riding here at the riding school!
 
It is not really clear from your post whether you are intending to actually buy the mare, loan her or just ride her occasionally. Also whether you just want to hack her or jump/compete with her.

If you are just hacking her occasionally then that would probably be fine and you can play it by ear how well she copes. However, I would be dubious about buying the pony if you actually want to jump and compete her regularly - she doesn't look the strongest build but that might be just be the photo! However, it is difficult to judge without seeing the two of you together!

Nothing wrong with adults riding ponies though - but chunkier types ride a lot bigger than the fine ones. Also depends whether she is a 'big' 14.2 or not - some 14.2s I know seem to be huge and look more like 15 handers!
 
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Did you say you've ridden her before and this is why you liek her so much? If have ridden how did you feel, be honest with yourself (and not just cause you like the ponio) or if you havent ridden it yet, go ride it, see how you feel on it, what do you want to do? jumping. hacking etc? Also get someone to take a picture with you on her so when you go home you can look at that also to help you think.
 
I would just go and try her, if you feel too big for her or if she feels like she struggles then dont get her. One thing I will say is, I know you are in the process of losing weight but bear in mind how easy it is to put on, if you gain a stone or so then you may be too heavy for her. so unless you dont mind not riding her in these circumstances then I wouldnt get her. I am only speaking from experience as I am def right at the top of what I feel my mare can carry and I am constantly worrying about squishing her and desperately want to lose a couple of stone so I dont have to worry. Its not nice feeling like this all the time!
 
Pack horses in our area, were 13hh fell type ponies they carries packs of 240lb which equates to just over 17 stone of fairly dead weight. These ponies were cantered in large groups only walking nose to tail in boggy moorland stretches where narrow stone paths had been laid for them.

When they came through a village or hamlet people had to get themselves and their kids out of the way to avoid being trampled to death.

Now, obviously the ponies welfare in those days would probably be perceived as not as good as it is today, though diet would probably be much better then, and the exercise more appropriate, but a drover would be keen not to knacker his ponies as they were valuble.

In essence then, I think that the OP's pony would be able to carry her, as comparatively speaking the rides nower days are fairly short. Having said that the horse pictured is not a sturdy Fell, but, I think modern attitudes have changed.

If I was in the OP's situation I would try to ensure that the horse was as fit as I could get it and I would try to be as fit as possible myself, then both would benefit.
 
well - finer polo ponies carry heavier men
(and yes they are fit - but they aren't that fit at the beginning of the season and they still seem to cope fine ;))
 
I think I'm more concerned that you may be wanting this pony for the wrong reasons - she's NOT your old pony and it would be unfair to buy her on those grounds.

The should I/shouldn't I issue will play on you regardless of whether or not you are or aren't too big for her. I know because I'm 9stone 10, 5foot8 and am riding a 14hh arab who I *know* can carry me fine but still it bugs me and so ruins my enjoyment of her.

(my personal view is that weight in itself is not the issue - if you're fit and well muscled yourself then you're balanced and provided the horse can carry the weight you'd be fine. If you're unfit and flop about and interfere with the horses movement then the weight becomes even more of a big deal and you shouldn't ride it).

And finally - you sound like a lovely person who recognises that there is be a limit to what a horse can carry and that you *may* be close to that limit and have the guts to ask the (rather harsh) HHO community for their opinions. If only all riders were that considerate...
 
ozpoz said:
I would not ride her if I were you. It's not "height', it's "type' that should be taken into consideration - and she is a lightweight.

I hate the 'it would be carrying a fully grown man a hundred years ago' argument!
Yes,the pure bred arabian, or the native pony could carry an adult male - but the typical bedouin was a wiry, whippet type too! And I doubt many hill farmers were 20 stone - life was too hard in those days!

As a comparison, my child carried a heavy rucksack to school weekly for a couple of years,(without complaint, and looking quite lively at the time!). She is now told that the wear and tear from that has caused damage to her spine.

Horses do not generally complain when they have too large a rider - BUT too large a rider will cause damage however well they ride
If you are too big for one type of horse /pony - move up a size! There is every type and size of equine out there.
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Echo

I am not skinny at all but

You are in a position to buy THE RIGHT pony why risk it??

My argument is that horses go lame a lot for no particular reason so why add to the risk. carrying additional weight at all increases joint damage etc

Also what happens if you can't manage to keep the weight off??? we all know how hard it is. At least if you buy something more substantial it won't be such a problem

Also imagine how you will feel riding said pony around, are you the sort that would be self conscious wondering what others thought??

Just because you like the look of a pony doesn't mean it is suitable and vice versa
 
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If this was a friends pony and you wanted to occasionally pootle around on it, I'd say no problem.
But as you are looking to (I presume) buy I'd recommend something a little more stocky and/or larger. No point buying something that is already at\close to your limit. I know you hope to loose weight and that's great but lets be honest we are all aware how much easier it is to put on than loose and at least with a solid stocky one you will never have to worry.
 
Sorry but that looks like a lightweight pony. Our connie x arab is similar and did not take weight well at all. My friends dales x who is smaller (about 13.2) easily carries more weight than our girl - she is a sturdier type, much more cobby. If she were mine I would not want her to carry more than 9 or 9 and a half stone. She looks quite small generally. This does not make you fat or wrong for wanting a pony, just a bit heavy for this particular pony IMO.
 
There was a thread like this once on another forum, about plus size riders. All the thin people thought 13 stone was too heavy for most things, where some or the larger riders were 15 stone plus, and on warmbloods and TB, and their horses were fine with them. You can be curvy and fit and a good rider, where as a few people said if you are larger then you must be a crap rider.:eek:
 
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