# your height/weight comparing to your horses size



## dynamite.

Sorry if there has been a thread like this before, couldn't find one. Anyways, I often feel tall with my 14.2hh, 800lbs appy mare. I am 5'4", 120lbs and have fairly long legs. When riding in a western saddle, my legs are about 4 inches below her belly. If I'm english they are right at her belly. I just feel huge for her sometimes, and I'm afraid I am heavy/uncomfortable for her. We do trails and western gaming, and jumping for fun sometimes. I was just wondering if you think I'm big for her? What is your size comparing to your horse?


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## maura

Doesn't sound like it to me. I am not a Western expert by any means, but I do see Western professionals with their heel below the horse below.

If you were showing hunter seat I might have a different answer based on how she takes up your leg, but honestly, I think you're fine.


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## wild_spot

You'll have to convert it, but i'm 170cm and 70/70kg - My ideal size is 14.2h and my new pony i'm breaking is 13.3h. my show horse is 15.2h and I wish he would shrink a few inches!


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## eventerdrew

I'm 5'2" (145 lbs) and I have a 15hh, a 16hh and a 17hh horse. I always feel so big on Demi because I've never had a horse that small. haha


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## dressagebelle

I am 5'1" and weigh about 95lbs. The horses I ride are 14 hands (she's still growing should top out about 15), 15.1ish, and the last three are about 16 hands.


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## roro

I'm 5'9 and 126 lbs. My current horse is a generous 17 hands and 1375 lbs if I remember correctly. My preferred size of riding horse is 16-16.2, I like them a little smaller.


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## Mare in foal

I also sometimes feel too big for my 14.3 paint. I'm 5'5 and weigh about 135 lbs. i dont think he has a problem carrying me at all, i just sometimes wonder if i 'look' to big for him


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## zurmdahl

I don't think you're too big. I'm 5'0 on a good day and 92 pounds, my horse is around 15.2. I would like a horse that's a bit bigger, maybe 16 hands. Any bigger than that and I feel way too small. I love that I can ride ponies though and not look too ridiculous


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## heyycutter

im 5'5'' and about 145 pounds and i have a stalky 15.1 h quarter horse and a 14.3-15h ish slender quarter horse. i think i fit them both pretty well


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## Wallaby

I'm 5'8" and about 140ish pounds while Lacey is 14.1hh, if she's lucky. I'm not sure how much she weighs but I'd bet she's around 900 pounds, she's a chunky polish Arab. She fills up my leg pretty well so that when I'm riding western the bottoms of my feet are just below her belly and english my feet are right at her belly. 
Ideally, I'd love to have a draft cross that fills up my leg really well. At the camp I volunteer at, there was a Clyde/QH cross that was probably easily 17hh and I loved riding him. He filled up my leg really well and I didn't have to maneuver weirdly to effectively reach his sides which was lovely. 

But I'm happy with my poneh. At least she's wide. heehee


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## Scoutrider

I'm 5'2 and about 120, and Scout is 14.1 and around 800-900 lbs. by weight tape measurement. He's getting porky, so English my heel falls a couple inches above his belly. Pony weight watchers, here he comes! 

I like my little guys... much over 15 hands and I start feeling the need to buy a parachute.


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## horsea

You don't sound too big. I'm 5 feet 6 inches and I trail ride on a 14.2 hh AQHA mare. She has very short legs with a big body and she has very thick and strong legs. I know there is some kind of chart about going around the cannon and that transfers how much they can carry, just not sure where it is! (I'll try to find it) But I know mules and pack horses are allowed to carry up to 2/3 rds of their own body mass. I wouldn't put that much on them but people safely do.


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## paintluver

I am 5 ( 5' 1" on my tall days!) and I weigh 120 pounds (I am trying to get to a normal size though) and my horse is 14.3 adn weighs about 950.


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## horsea

Found it! What Size Horse Is Right For You? The formula is about halfway down. I think it works really well!


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## Appyt

You all are killin me.. I'm 5'7" and weigh more than any of ya so far as I can tell. I ride all different sizes. My old horse is 14.3 and I rode him for 18 yrs. My big boy is 16.1 and too tall for me, tho I look fine on him. My mares are around 14.2 and 15.1 and they carry me just fine as well. I also have been seen riding my granddaughters gelding at around 14h tho I haven't sticked him. 
Cinder 14.2 ish








my granddaughters gelding








Abe, my big boy


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## Gidget

I am 5"5.5" and my horse is 14.2 using a horse measure tape.
She is a stocky horse and I fit well with her. She has no problem carrying me.

I had an arab that was 14.1-14.2 hands and I road her as well but I honestly thought I looked funny on her..maybe because she was so small built. But she carried me fine as well.


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## Gidget

Oh and another thing is the guy I got her from is 6 foot something and 300 something pounds and he rode gidget so if he can ride her and she can run than I am sure she you and your horse are fine.


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## jamesqf

Gidget said:


> Oh and another thing is the guy I got her from is 6 foot something and 300 something pounds...


Ouch! Poor horse!

At 6' and probably 200 lbs dressed, I can't help feeling that carrying me around all day is too much to ask of a horse, enough so that I look for a lightweight saddle and tack to ease the load a bit.


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## Stillstandin

I am 5'5" and 115 lbs. My current horses are 14hh and 14'2hh. Previously I have owned and ridden horses up to 16hh, but I always felt like they were too big. People told me I looked like a monkey on their backs.
My husband is 6'3" around 200lbs and competes on a 14'1hh mare, they do just fine together.
To me it seems in the Western world it is more acceptable to ride smaller horses. My niece is a show jumper and one of her top horses is considered very small at 15'3hh.


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## MacabreMikolaj

I find that "size chart" a bunch of hooey. In my experience, anything that's trying to give you a mathmatical equation to determine things like height and weight are just bogus because they do not take into consideration the outside factors.

For example, the "20% of body weight" rule. How on earth does the horses weight determine how much it can carry? For both this charts, you would end up with a very small person riding an Arabian for example (don't weigh much, and impossibly tiny cannon bones). And yet Arabians have been bred and equipped to carry MUCH larger people based on their bone structure. 

Likewise, look at a Draft. Based on both charts, they weigh a lot and have enormous cannon bones so they can carry the heaviest people right? WRONG. Drafts are actually notorious for having a much weaker bone structure due to the immense weight they already carry on their frames and being bred to pull, not ride. A very large man or woman in the 300+ pound range is actually better suited to riding a thick sturdy QH or Mustang type animal then using a Draft!

What about ponies? Based on those charts, they should only be carrying very small children based on weight and cannon bones, and yet they are often easily able to carry riders just as big as QH's and Arabs can manage. 

It all comes down to a better knowledge of specific breed bone structure then trying to use silly equations to determine things. According to a standard BMI chart, I am considered obese. I'm packing a few extra pounds, but you can just bite me BMI, because obese is a lark. It takes zero into consideration about my bone structure and my health. I am overweight for sure, but obese is ridiculous as far as I'm concerned.

That being said I am 5'6" and I weight 185lbs. I ride a 14.3hh Arabian who has never had a single issue carrying me in the almost 11 years I've been riding her. I have ridden ponies as small as 13hh who never had an issue. So in the end, unless you're massively obese, the vast majority of horses and ponies will NOT develop problems from carrying you.


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## LisaG719

MacabreMikolaj said:


> I find that "size chart" a bunch of hooey. In my experience, anything that's trying to give you a mathmatical equation to determine things like height and weight are just bogus because they do not take into consideration the outside factors.
> 
> For example, the "20% of body weight" rule. How on earth does the horses weight determine how much it can carry? For both this charts, you would end up with a very small person riding an Arabian for example (don't weigh much, and impossibly tiny cannon bones). And yet Arabians have been bred and equipped to carry MUCH larger people based on their bone structure.
> 
> Likewise, look at a Draft. Based on both charts, they weigh a lot and have enormous cannon bones so they can carry the heaviest people right? WRONG. Drafts are actually notorious for having a much weaker bone structure due to the immense weight they already carry on their frames and being bred to pull, not ride. A very large man or woman in the 300+ pound range is actually better suited to riding a thick sturdy QH or Mustang type animal then using a Draft!
> 
> What about ponies? Based on those charts, they should only be carrying very small children based on weight and cannon bones, and yet they are often easily able to carry riders just as big as QH's and Arabs can manage.
> 
> It all comes down to a better knowledge of specific breed bone structure then trying to use silly equations to determine things. According to a standard BMI chart, I am considered obese. I'm packing a few extra pounds, but you can just bite me BMI, because obese is a lark. It takes zero into consideration about my bone structure and my health. I am overweight for sure, but obese is ridiculous as far as I'm concerned.
> 
> That being said I am 5'6" and I weight 185lbs. I ride a 14.3hh Arabian who has never had a single issue carrying me in the almost 11 years I've been riding her. I have ridden ponies as small as 13hh who never had an issue. So in the end, unless you're massively obese, the vast majority of horses and ponies will NOT develop problems from carrying you.


Excellent post!


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## Gidget

MacabreMikolaj said:


> I find that "size chart" a bunch of hooey. In my experience, anything that's trying to give you a mathmatical equation to determine things like height and weight are just bogus because they do not take into consideration the outside factors.
> 
> For example, the "20% of body weight" rule. How on earth does the horses weight determine how much it can carry? For both this charts, you would end up with a very small person riding an Arabian for example (don't weigh much, and impossibly tiny cannon bones). And yet Arabians have been bred and equipped to carry MUCH larger people based on their bone structure.
> 
> Likewise, look at a Draft. Based on both charts, they weigh a lot and have enormous cannon bones so they can carry the heaviest people right? WRONG. Drafts are actually notorious for having a much weaker bone structure due to the immense weight they already carry on their frames and being bred to pull, not ride. A very large man or woman in the 300+ pound range is actually better suited to riding a thick sturdy QH or Mustang type animal then using a Draft!
> 
> What about ponies? Based on those charts, they should only be carrying very small children based on weight and cannon bones, and yet they are often easily able to carry riders just as big as QH's and Arabs can manage.
> 
> It all comes down to a better knowledge of specific breed bone structure then trying to use silly equations to determine things. According to a standard BMI chart, I am considered obese. I'm packing a few extra pounds, but you can just bite me BMI, because obese is a lark. It takes zero into consideration about my bone structure and my health. I am overweight for sure, but obese is ridiculous as far as I'm concerned.
> 
> That being said I am 5'6" and I weight 185lbs. I ride a 14.3hh Arabian who has never had a single issue carrying me in the almost 11 years I've been riding her. I have ridden ponies as small as 13hh who never had an issue. So in the end, unless you're massively obese, the vast majority of horses and ponies will NOT develop problems from carrying you.


 
You Go Girly!!


Awesome post. Love it.


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## RiddlesDarkAngel5

I'm 5'7'' (~120 lbs) and Rocky is only 14.3. I'm a little tall for him, but he's a stocky built arabian so we actually look really good together. We jump, do flatwork, and trail ride and he carries me fine. I wouldn't worry about it. Horses can carry plenty of weight just fine


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## Sketter

l*MacabreMikolaj-- *great post!

I am not the smallest girl I'm 5'11" and 210 (I was smaller but life got in the way lol) and my guy is 16.1 and he has no problem carrying me at all. Just like above there are so many more factors envolved with determining how much a horse can carry.


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## Taihoa

I'm 5'9" and 65kg and my horse is 18.2hh and nearly 700kg so he carries me with ease LOL.
I ride horses for a living and get on 13hh ponies who carry me just as easily as my horse does. The little ones are tough


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## haviris

You're fine for your horse. Personally I think people spend way to much time obsessing about their horse's height. It's sort of a pet peeve for me to hear someone say I'm 5'6" and *need* a horse atleast 16 hands, *NO *you *prefer *a horse that height.

Although height does matter some when considering what size horse you need, alot more of it is going to depend on the horse's build in my opinion.

That said I don't even know my mare's height. I'm 5'9", and think she's perfect for me! I do think I need something bigger then 14 hands, I generally think of 15 as my minimal (and don't think I'd want anything over 16). I used our gelding's height as a rule of thumb when I went to look at her (I was guessing him at 15.1 or so, he was 15 hands when I got him, a few months before he turned 2). She was advertised as 16 hands, although based on the guy in the pic w/ her I was thinking probably not (although turns out he was pretty tall). She seemed to be about the same size as Magic. 

Now people are always saying how tall Magic is (alot are not horse people so I just assume they don't have anything to compare it to). I got a new farrier who also said something about his size and was guessing him to be 16 hands. So he sticked him 15.3 and a half (good eye I guess). I was going to have him measure Gypsy to, but forgot, she looks exactly the same height as Magic, but I have never measured her. On one hand it'd be nice to know how tall she is when someone asks, but really we are good together, so who really cares?

I do understand not wanting to look silly on a horse that's way to small for them (either in height or build), but I don't think any normally build 5'4" or under person is going to look silly on a normally build horse that's atleast 14 hands.

Anyway that's my thoughts.


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## horsea

MacabreMikolaj said:


> I find that "size chart" a bunch of hooey. In my experience, anything that's trying to give you a mathmatical equation to determine things like height and weight are just bogus because they do not take into consideration the outside factors.
> 
> For example, the "20% of body weight" rule. How on earth does the horses weight determine how much it can carry? For both this charts, you would end up with a very small person riding an Arabian for example (don't weigh much, and impossibly tiny cannon bones). And yet Arabians have been bred and equipped to carry MUCH larger people based on their bone structure.
> 
> Likewise, look at a Draft. Based on both charts, they weigh a lot and have enormous cannon bones so they can carry the heaviest people right? WRONG. Drafts are actually notorious for having a much weaker bone structure due to the immense weight they already carry on their frames and being bred to pull, not ride. A very large man or woman in the 300+ pound range is actually better suited to riding a thick sturdy QH or Mustang type animal then using a Draft!
> 
> What about ponies? Based on those charts, they should only be carrying very small children based on weight and cannon bones, and yet they are often easily able to carry riders just as big as QH's and Arabs can manage.
> 
> It all comes down to a better knowledge of specific breed bone structure then trying to use silly equations to determine things. According to a standard BMI chart, I am considered obese. I'm packing a few extra pounds, but you can just bite me BMI, because obese is a lark. It takes zero into consideration about my bone structure and my health. I am overweight for sure, but obese is ridiculous as far as I'm concerned.
> 
> That being said I am 5'6" and I weight 185lbs. I ride a 14.3hh Arabian who has never had a single issue carrying me in the almost 11 years I've been riding her. I have ridden ponies as small as 13hh who never had an issue. So in the end, unless you're massively obese, the vast majority of horses and ponies will NOT develop problems from carrying you.


I agree with you. I just like that chart to use as a "base" to give you some help with weight/size ratio. It's not by any means totally acurate, but it helps.


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## jamesqf

haviris said:


> Now people are always saying how tall Magic is (alot are not horse people so I just assume they don't have anything to compare it to)


I've noticed something of the sort myself. When I bought my place a decade or so ago, the neighbors' horses were these great big creatures who'd lean over the fence hoping for a bite of apple or a nose scratch. (And who kept my compost pile amply supplied with horse manure.) The two old guys are still around, and it's just amazing how they seem to have shrunk over the years, from next-door-to-elephants to sort of big dogs 



> I do understand not wanting to look silly on a horse that's way to small for them...


It's not (for me, anyway) about looking silly, it's about giving the poor critter too much weight to carry. At a guess Ellie carrying me would be about the same as me carrying a 40 lb pack, ok for a hike, but I wouldn't want to run far with it.


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## haviris

Actually the weight thing I would worry about, and be more likely to ask about, in that case instead of just posted my height/weight and the horses height, I'd post pics, along w/ an explination of why I'm worried about it. Some 14 hand horses can do very well carrying 200+, and some 16 hand horses couldn't carry 150. 

Most the time I see posts like this, it's something along the lines of I'm 5'4" and 110lbs, am I to big for my 14.3 hand horse? And that's all the info (they may say, he looks so small, or I feel silly riding him). My question is to big in what way? Height? Definately not. Weight? Well you shouldn't be (for a normal healthy 14.3 hand horse), but what makes you ask? Does the horse seem to have difficulty holding your weight? Etc. 

I think it's definately important to be sure you aren't to heavy for your horse, seems like common since, but I've watched the youtube videos of adults and teens riding minis, so I know it's not always.


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## MacabreMikolaj

Excellent posts haviris.

I think the biggest issue comes in with the showring. I'm unsure how Western classes work, but in hunter classes, it's virtually mandatory that you "suit" your horse. Somewhere along the way, this equaled telling a 5'0" kid that she's to big for her 14hh pony. :roll: I agree with you on this obsession with height it drives me nuts. I rather enjoy being 5'6" - I'm as average as they come, and although I look better on stockier animals because I'm heavy, I certainly do not think I look ridiculous riding a 14hh animal. I couldn't do it in a hunter ring, but the only animal's I've looked "silly" on are 13.3hh and under. Shay-la is 5'9" and she oftens rides Justus (14.1hh) for a tuneup. However, this is the reason she gifted Justus - she CAN ride the pony, but her legs are so long, it's impossible for her to ride correctly unless she jacks her stirrups up to jumping length.

That being said, Shay-la looks absolutely perfect on her 15.3hh Cydesdale/TB mare. I know she hopes she'll get a bit bigger because she's all leg, but she's perfectly happy with that.

Unless you're a 6'0"+ freak of nature, no person looks silly on a horse 15hh and taller. 15hh is sort of that median height that virtually every person can ride and not look ridiculous - regardless of what self conscious mumbo jumbo you may have fed yourself.

This is Shay-la on Cinder - Shay-la is 5'9" and Cinder is 15hh! They may not win any hunter classes, but she looks FAR from ridiclous on her.


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## haviris

Thank you MacabreMikolaj! You are exactly right!


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

I'm 5'1" 110 lbs and ride a 900-lb 14.1hh Quarter horse  

I've heard that horses can support 20% or so of their own body weight, as a general rule, so at 120 lbs, so assuming your horse is around the same weight as mine, you could weigh 180 lbs and still be more than fine


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

*Macabre* I just saw your post about the 20% weight rule, *VERY good points*!!  It is meant as a very general rule and there are quite a few exceptions, as you mentioned!


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## Smarby

I'm 5'6, 9 1/2 stone and i ride a chunky 14.2hh.

It all depends on the horse, really. Two horses of the same height may not be able to carry the same weight.


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## jamesqf

MacabreMikolaj said:


> Unless you're a 6'0"+ freak of nature...


(Sigh) Freak of nature or not, I am 6', and close to 200 lbs. (And most of the "excess" weight is upper body muscle, so I'm not going to be losing much.)

Also (though I'm certainly no expert) I'd think that how much weight a horse can be expected to carry depends on what you are doing. That is, a horse might be ok carrying my weight around a level field or a show ring for half an hour at a time, but very much not ok carrying my weight* for a long day's ride on mountain trails.

*Before getting Ellie, I'd often go on trail "rides" with my horsey friends (women), with me walking or running along while they ride. Usually they'd make me carry the lunch too, to spare the horses :-(


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## MacabreMikolaj

Sorry hun, I was refering to the female audience on that one. I always forget we have a few men lurking around.

You worry far to much. Visit the rodeo - 90% of those cowboys are closing in at 6'0" tall and a minimum of 200lbs, especially the steer wrestlers. A good sturdy QH or Mustang type horse should have zero problems carrying you, regardless of terrain. You may look silly riding something around 15hh, which is where I was originally going with the height thing, but even then, my sister's boyfriend rides Dove who's 15hh and he's over 6'0" and he fits her fine. I probably should have said unless you're a 7'0" freak of nature, because really, nobody can look ridiculous on a horse 15hh and taller (well, unless you're 4'8" and riding a 19hh Draft, that may look silly, haha).










If it's any consolation, I ride a 14.3hh Arabian mare who's 900lbs when she's fat. I am a big girl, and with my saddle and me, my Arab is packing roughly 200 pounds easily. And we do EVERYTHING from jumping to racing, to endurance and interval training on hills. I've had her for 11 years, since she was born, and not a single problem yet. I'm pretty sure a 15hh 1200lb horse like I pictured above is going to have NO problems carrying you.


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## dressagexlee

People always have to look twice when they see me.

I'm 5'1", and I weigh 90 pounds on a good day. Freddy is 17.2 hands, and probably around 1200 pounds.
But I think I have more trouble riding little ponies than big horses. I don't really like to ride anything less than 16 hands.


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## FlitterBug

I'm 5'8" 140 lbs with a 36" inseam. All of my riding horses are between 13.3 and 15.3. I was working a paso for my trainer when I was a teenager and could link my ankles under her heart girth. We looked funny, but I was only about 115 lbs at the time and she had no problems carrying me.

My 13.3 pony still looks pretty funny with me on her back, but she is my favorite for cow work. My husband is 6'2", and he has ridden a 14.1 draft cross mare for years now, she had no problems with him on her back, she's a stout little thing, but they make a funny looking pair, especially considering she is a black/white paint with a "fairy tale" white mane. I recently got him a 15.3 sabino gelding, and they are much easier on the eyes together!

For me to actually look normal on a horse, they have to be really fat or really tall. Drafts and warmbloods look alright, but they aren't exactly the best for what we do.


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## jamesqf

MacabreMikolaj said:


> ...my sister's boyfriend rides Dove who's 15hh and he's over 6'0" and he fits her fine.


In your picture, Dove may be carrying the guy, but s/he does not look real happy about it 

And carrying someone around flat land like that is probably a bit easier than for instance here.


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## MacabreMikolaj

Dove never looks happy about anything, that's her standard look.

And I doubt it. Alberta is full of land like that, and a LOT of ranchers. I don't think those 200lb cowboys give much thought when they need their 15hh cow pony to run up the side of a mountain to grab stray calves.

Horses have been getting along just fine since the dawn of time with men as their main riders. You forget it was only more recently that women were really permitted to ride in open society. And horses are bigger now. The equine species has evolved carrying heavier men through it's entire evolution.

Stop worrying!


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## grayshell38

Another factor to consider would be leg to torso ratio. I'm 5'2" and probably 105ish, but I also have short legs and a longer torso, so I look a little funny on larger horses, especially when they are large in the barrel, not nesscesarily tall. <<<< that's more of a "looks too big or small", not actually being so. It could definitly work opposite to that as well. If a person is longer legged, they could appear to be "too big" for a particular horse.


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## Cat

I'm just shy of 5'9 and my main riding horse is a 13.3 hand haflinger. He is turning 9 and I've had him since he was a yearling. Not going to even touch on weight - I'm by no means a light-weight, but he is usually leading the group but finishes out with more energy than any of the rest. No issues at all.


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## MacabreMikolaj

Way to go Cat! Haha, I'll have to bug Shay-la! She's 5'9" and she actually ended up buying Eve (TB/Clydesdale) because the mares they own are 14hh, 15hh and 15hh. Which isn't bad at all, she feels comfortable on them, but they bought a Welsh pony stud. So Shay-la has spent her entire equestrian life having to break in little 13hh - 14hh pony foals! :lol: She finally bought Eve because she says she's tired of having to walk and ride at the same time.

That being said, the smallest one they ever had was Shekhan at 13hh and she was probably the toughest. She was a Quarab X Welsh, and she could pack around a full size adult all day without losing a spit of energy. I rode her with ease and I am not a small person!


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## MacabreMikolaj

I found a pic of Shay-la riding Shekhan - and she STILL doesn't look silly! Shekhan is just SO thick, she can make almost anyone look good - I swear Shay-la looks sillier riding Justus who's 14.1hh but narrow!









Shekhan (13hh)









Justus (14.1hh)


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## Smarby

grayshell38 said:


> Another factor to consider would be leg to torso ratio. I'm 5'2" and probably 105ish, but I also have short legs and a longer torso, so I look a little funny on larger horses, especially when they are large in the barrel, not nesscesarily tall. <<<< that's more of a "looks too big or small", not actually being so. It could definitly work opposite to that as well. If a person is longer legged, they could appear to be "too big" for a particular horse.


Defiently! Also, how long the horses legs are in comparision to their body. You can look a lot smaller on a horse that is deep through the girth with short legs [like Dougal] compared to a horse with the opposites.


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## savvylover112

I don't know how tall I am but I am six and a half stone and I ride my little 11.3hh and a 15hh horse


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## paintluver

I have a question.
When we got my sister's POA Kodee, we were told that a man about oh lets say 5'7-5'9 rode him, the man weighed 300 pounds...
My dad now thinks that since a man that was 300 pounds rode the pony that he can too. My dad is 6'1 and weighs 200 pounds. 
I think it would be mean to put my dad on the pony, what do you think?
Here is a picture of me on Kodee keep in mind I am 5' tall.








Here is a picture of my dad just leading the pony


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## horsea

paintluver: I don't think that your dad should ride your horse (Who is pretty cute by the way  ) on a regular basis but she looks pretty sturdy to me. She should be fine with him riding her but just keep an eye for any signs of discomfort.


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## jamesqf

I think your dad might wear out a lot of boots, 'cause it looks like his legs would be dragging on the ground


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## spence

Stillstandin said:


> To me it seems in the Western world it is more acceptable to ride smaller horses.


that's what i would say... 

i am 5'10 and weigh in at 240. my tack it probably another 50 (heavy saddle...), and my little 14.2/14.3 app gelding has no problems with me, and we've done some significant workouts. we taped him last fall at just under 1000 lbs.

i also have spent plenty of time on my wife's 15.1ish gelding (20+ years old), weighs less than chief does, and i spent every saturday last winter on him up north in the snow. done some hefty workouts on him, too, and he never had any problems.

also been on my wife's TB numerous times, never any SERIOUS work, but enough to make him sweat. it don't bother him none, he's over 1100lbs, 16.1 and WAY too energetic.

anyhow... i find 14.2-15.0 to be just about RIGHT for me. i really don't like more than 15.2. the TB around here is too tall for my personal preferences. but YMMV.


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## SorrelHorse

I'm 5'2'' and I weigh 115. I ride a gelding who is 14.3hh, and Honey is even smaller at about 14hh, while the mare I ride at Toni's is only 13.2hh. Don't worry, you're fine ^^


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## Cat

paintluver said:


> I have a question.
> When we got my sister's POA Kodee, we were told that a man about oh lets say 5'7-5'9 rode him, the man weighed 300 pounds...
> My dad now thinks that since a man that was 300 pounds rode the pony that he can too. My dad is 6'1 and weighs 200 pounds.
> I think it would be mean to put my dad on the pony, what do you think?
> Here is a picture of me on Kodee keep in mind I am 5' tall.
> 
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> Here is a picture of my dad just leading the pony


If your dad wants to get into serious riding, he will want a little bigger horse just for his own comfort. However, for short rides, I doubt there would be much issue.


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## Walkamile

What a fun thread! Really have enjoyed reading it and absolutely refuse to get into the whole weight thing.

With that said, neither of my horses have any problem carrying me, and we have ridden for over 8 hours on some trails. Yes, they do get breaks (so I can pee!, and it's often, **** ancient bladder! ). 

ONce in a great while I do feel it is only fair to offer to put the saddle on and let T ride me home though! So far she hasn't taken me up on it!


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## Delfina

I'm 5'3" 108lbs and both my horse and the lesson horse I ride are 15hands. I've ridden my sister-in-law's 16hand horse but she is so big, I felt like I was flopping around.

I wanted a smaller horse, my legs are so short that by the time the stirrups are set to the correct length, I can barely get my foot up and into the stirrup. We weren't able to find a smaller horse that we liked in our price-range so my husband built me a giant mounting block. If we're riding elsewhere (my mounting block cannot be moved) I have to drop the one stirrup down and then once mounted have someone adjust it back up.


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## Roxy

dynamite. said:


> Sorry if there has been a thread like this before, couldn't find one. Anyways, I often feel tall with my 14.2hh, 800lbs appy mare. I am 5'4", 120lbs and have fairly long legs. When riding in a western saddle, my legs are about 4 inches below her belly. If I'm english they are right at her belly. I just feel huge for her sometimes, and I'm afraid I am heavy/uncomfortable for her. We do trails and western gaming, and jumping for fun sometimes. I was just wondering if you think I'm big for her? What is your size comparing to your horse?


No way! Well, what breed is she? I'm like 157 cm and I have a horse that's like 13.2 - 13.3 hh and I'm not too big. She's active and likes to run and go for rides with me. She's half Percheron half Australian Pony, but she's still small! Um as long as your horse isn't showing signs of pain.


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## Honeysuga

Horses are stronger than some people give them credit for, especially if they are heavier boned and have a low center of gravity, they can easily carry large men... They may not enjoy it too much, but it will not hurt them...

When I was younger(and a bit hefty) I broke my 10hh shetland pony. Sure it looked ridiculous, enough that a friend of my grandmas saw me riding one day and asked " when are you gonna hop off and let him ride for a bit(meaning the pony)", but he was perfectly fine, not a problem one...


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## jamesqf

Honeysuga said:


> They may not enjoy it too much, but it will not hurt them...


Maybe I'm being silly, but I'd like to think that the horse does enjoy the ride. In a perfect world, she'd react to the sight of a saddle in the same way* that my dog does when I get out the backpack and say "Let's go for a hike!"

*Well, ok, make that "with the same sort of enthusiasm". I can do without the dashing around chasing the tail part


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## haviris

That's my horse, she's happy to see the saddle come out, not sure it's the riding part she loves so much, it's the going, and if she has to take a passenger along for the ride she's for it!


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## myQHpaul

Wow, this thread makes me feel better riding paul. i'm 5'5 and 230 pounds and paul is a little over 15h. he is bulky with muscles and strong. i would ride him and hear him groan and think it's because i weighed too much but the BO had to repeated tell me that that is NOT why he groaned. that was interesting to hear about arabians being bred to carry more weight and drafts not being able to carry as much.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

myQHpaul, I notice your quote says you're from NE Ohio...where in? Anywhere near Medina by chance?


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## Lonestar22

Stillstandin said:


> I am 5'5" and 115 lbs. My current horses are 14hh and 14'2hh. Previously I have owned and ridden horses up to 16hh, but I always felt like they were too big. People told me I looked like a monkey on their backs.
> My husband is 6'3" around 200lbs and competes on a 14'1hh mare, they do just fine together.
> To me it seems in the Western world it is more acceptable to ride smaller horses. My niece is a show jumper and one of her top horses is considered very small at 15'3hh.


 
Us western people like our horses short because we are often getting on and off of them. (steer doggin, roping, doctoring, branding, calving) Makes it a bit easier if their shorter. 

I'm about 5'7 and my mare is somewhere around 15 hands ( i have never measured) but i consider her to big for my liking.Although I do like her cause she's an easy ride. I dont like getting on her cause she's to dang tall for me to be haulin my big butt on to. I also think she mkight be 1/4 draft cause her legs are so thick and hairy. especialy for an appy.


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## myQHpaul

Hoofprints in the Sand said:


> myQHpaul, I notice your quote says you're from NE Ohio...where in? Anywhere near Medina by chance?


 
I live in the Sheffield Lake area. About 30 minutes from Medina.


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## myQHpaul

Hoofprints in the Sand said:


> myQHpaul, I notice your quote says you're from NE Ohio...where in? Anywhere near Medina by chance?


 
I live in the Sheffield Lake area. About 30 minutes northwest from Medina and 30 minutes west of cleveland.


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## Indyhorse

I'm 5'9" and lots of leg, somewhere around 150 lbs. My mare Freyja is 15.3, and my gelding Claymore is 16.2, but Claymore in particular is built like a tank and I feel tiny on him. My last horse was a foundation QH, Twister, and he was 15 hh even and he never had a bit of trouble carrying me, but I always felt like I LOOKED tall on him, but I also am logical enough to know it was in my head.  I worked Twister hard, nearly every day, for 10 years and was holding him back at the end of the day as much as I had to at the beginning.


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## whitetrashwarmblood

I'm 5'10" and 125lb, and my mare is 15.1 hh with shoes. If she magically grew a few inches, I wouldn't complain. :lol:


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## JJButton

I'm 5'8 and ride a 15.1hh TBx. Sometimes I think I'm a little tall for him, even though my legs don't seem to dangle below his belly - But I feel very comfortable when riding him and I don't think he has any problem carrying me.


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## Appyt

whitetrashwarmblood said:


> I'm 5'10" and 125lb, and my mare is 15.1 hh with shoes. If she magically grew a few inches, I wouldn't complain. :lol:



LOL Maybe we can work on a mutually beneficial magical swap. I'm constantly wishing my qh, Abe could shrink about a hand. He is 16.1H


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## whiskeynoo

im 5' and i weigh 9 stone which i think is 125lb (not too sure) and my usual horses i ride are 14'2, 14'3, 16'1 i wouldn't say i was too big for them


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## SorrelHorse

I don't think so. I'm sure you'll be fine 

I have: 
14.3hh Paint stallion (Jester)
15hh Thoroughbred gelding (Rebel)
15.2hh Appendix Mare (Annie)
14.2hh Draft/pony mare (Honey)
14.2hh Peruvian gelding (Rico)
15.2hh Paint stallion (******)


I'm 5 foot 2 inches and am pretty proportionate, I think....not extremely long legs but not really short either. -shrug- So long as your horse doesn't mind you shouldn't either.


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## glam1

I am 5'7 and weigh with saddle about 185 pounds.
One horse is a standie 14.3 hh and stocky as he is so solid! my other boy is 15.1 hh and fine build for a standie. It probably works out about 20% of their weight? 

They seem happy enough with carrying me around.


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## Gidji

I'm about 5'3 to 5'4. At the moment, I'm riding a stocky 14.2 hunter pony who fits me perfectly. I could probably ride anything above 13.2 hands because most of my height is from my torso up. I'm 49kg so I don't know how that works out in pounds.


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## Run Fast

I'm 5'2 and 110 pounds and I have a 16.1hh thoroughbred hunter. I've always ridden bigger horses, and I love them.


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## Brianna6432

Oh my God! If you're big for your horse then I'm _huge_! I've got a 14.2hh horse ( weighing at 800 lbs ) and I'm 5'6. Haha. I weigh 113 lbs. And I too have long legs. :/


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## Brianna6432

myQHpaul said:


> I live in the Sheffield Lake area. About 30 minutes northwest from Medina and 30 minutes west of cleveland.


I live near Medina ( in Ohio ) too! I live n Valley City, near Valley Tack shop. It's veryveryvery popular, so I'm guessing you've heard of it..?


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## Mickey4793

I'm 5'6, 110 lb's and I feel like a flea on my 16.2 hand, well built, Appendix!


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