# Would I be to small for a 17.1 hand warmblood?



## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

No such thing as to small for a horse, only to young and to heavy. Have an acquaintance (BO and trainer) who is 4' 10" that I've seen ride 17+ hand horses. Getting on is just a matter of either getting a lot of bounce in your legs or learning to use mounting aids.


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## khorses23 (Jan 22, 2015)

my friend is about your height and the horse she leases is 17.2 hands. it helps that her legs are long and skinny and the horse is really skinny and narrow. she still looks kinda small on him. i would go try the horse and see what you look like on him. usually i would say it wouldnt matter, but if your showing in higher hunter divisions, the way you and your horse look together is going to make a difference on how well you do in your classes.


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## tinaev (Dec 2, 2012)

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer here, it's just whatever you feel comfortable with. I am 5' 3" and on the heavier side and I find my 16 hand horse too tall for my comfort. If there ever comes a time that I am horse shopping I'll be looking for 15 hands and under.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

A bigger horse can often take a lot more strength to get together. 

Harder for you to mount from the ground and more likely to have both wind and leg problems if you are doing faster work.


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## BearPony (Jan 9, 2013)

It all comes down to personal preference - personally I prefer smaller horses rather than larger horses (for a variety of reasons, including because I think the well built moderately sized ones tend towards better long term soundness than the giant ones) and at 5'4'', my favorite size is a medium built 15-15.2 h horse. 

However, I have friends who are smaller than you with horses even larger than the one you are considering and they are happy and comfortable with the match. They style in the hunter ring currently seems to favor larger horses and I've seen plenty of riders around my size on great big beasts, so I don't think it would count against you in that way.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I had a 17.2 horse for a long time - he was only supposed to be 16.2 but he kept on growing. I'm about your size but I was young and very fit back then, I wouldn't want anything that big now, getting on - and off - is way harder
If you're doing any classes where the jumps are placed to suit the average 16.2 horse a bigger long striding horse is harder work and you'd need to put in enough work to be able to shorten a stride 'as and when' needed
Some WB's have a really 'big' action too so not as easy to sit on as the experienced riders make it look!!


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Tall horses have BBIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGG gaits! Sitting their trot becomes a workout in itself, and the canter can feel like riding a boat on a windy day.
Size is totally relative, just get your head around it. Until you ride a tall horse, you won't know what to expect.


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## DanteDressageNerd (Mar 12, 2015)

Not always. I've ridden 17-17.3h horses that didn't have anywhere near the amount of movement of my 15.3h horse or a 14.1h FEI pony at my barn (this is stride relative to size). Big gaits aren't necessarily harder to sit or ride, they can be but it depends on how those gaits are organized, how that horse moves and is conformed. A horse can have small gaits and be very hard to sit, organize and ride or a horse can have big gaits and be very smooth and easy to ride. For example I rode a 16.3h mare with huge gaits and she's FAR smoother to ride than my 15.3h horse, same with a 17.2h horse I used to ride very smooth, easy to organize. I've also ridden a 16.3h wb stallion who felt like you were getting kicked up the backside every canter stride but he was also older and stiff. His trot was jarring and painful but it wasn't bouncy. You'd be uncomfortable but would look quiet. Or my 15.3h horse's canter unless he's really collected and up feels like you just got tossed around on spin cycle and trot feels like a bounding trampoline. And the 14.1h pony has a VERY smooth canter but his trot is harder to sit than most tall horses. Shorter backs, shorter coupled horses are harder to sit. But it just depends on the horse, stage of training, etc.

That said I've seen smaller riders who can ride larger horses and do very well, I've also seen smaller riders ride horses that were too big for them and get VERY VERY hurt like broken collar bone, shattered ribs/pelvis, etc. This particular lady's horse was not mean or hot or quirky or any of those things and she was not a bad rider or unskilled but he had big gaits and she wasn't strong enough to ride or organize him. It's all a matter of can you ride that horse? In general I do not like seeing smaller riders on very tall horses because most of the time they can't ride them and they're always struggling and it can be painful to watch. That said it DOESN'T mean a smaller rider can't ride a big horse. One of the trainers at my barn is 5'2-3 and she rides 17+h horses very well and can ride the powerhouses or the problem children. The horse she owns is 17.2-3h. He was supposed to be 16.2h but kept growing and she rides him beautifully.

So no reason why not to try him and see if it could be a fit. You never know until you try him, just be honest with yourself when you're riding him. Just like you would any horse. Will I be happy with this horse? Can I be successful with this horse? Do I enjoy the ride? Can I ride this horse well now? And as stated earlier horses much over 17h or who move especially big can be much harder to keep sound.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I am 5'4" tall and I have owned three 16.2hh geldings (one TB and one TWH, and for a month, one SB) and now own a 16'3hh KMH. Even my gaited horse has big gaits. My 15.2hh KMHSA mare has gaits as smooth as glass. Love to ride her, but I still prefer a horse that trots.
I think if you are used to collected gaits from large horses you may not realize that many of us start riding QH's, many of which have a lovely, slow "jog" or sitting trot. Getting on a very tall horse and riding him is an eye opener.
I worked very hard to ride all of them, and I am proud that I can pretty much sit anybody's trot, when necessary.
Untrained large horses don't have friendly gaits, and THAT is what she is considering buying.
I don't think that the OP will be happy buying this horse and will probably resell. I think you need to spent time on tall lesson horses, or be working with a trainer riding a tall horse to prepare you, before you consider buying one.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Type of horse does make a difference, Jazzie and K are similar in height but Jazzie who's typical WB is like riding a very bouncy rubber ball, K who's ISH with mostly TB is rather like riding a 14.2 pony
You really do have to go and try the horse out for yourself to get the true feel


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## Textan49 (Feb 13, 2015)

In the end what matters is that you feel comfortable riding the particular horse. I have ridden everything from 14 hand ponies (in my youth) to 17.3 hand horses. Some I felt comfortable on and others I didn't. Appearance wise I feel that smaller people look much better on horses that are not excessively big. Stouter people also look better on horses with more bone and width. I also feel that at your size this is more horse than you need under you as the right 16 hand horse would be enough for the showing you are planning to do. However, if you like everything else about the horse and are comfortable, don't let his size stop you


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

No such thing IMHO. If you're a good match for the horse, and vice versa, go for it.

I am 5'1 1/2", barely 100lbs. One of my mare's is a very stocky 13.2h (50" girth, 69" blanket). My other is my TB mare who is built like a WB at just a hair under 17.3h (56" girth, 86" blanket). She's a harder horse to "package" together, but I fully believe that is due to her having a crazy long body/neck, and not due to her overall size.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

The only thing that I can think of that would be a problem is getting on and off. At 17.1 most people would need assistance for that.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

My first horse was over 17 hh and my dad called me "Peanut" when I rode him. I'm your height and dad always said I looked like a Peanut riding on top of a Boxcar when I was on that horse. He was AWESOME and to this day I still like a pretty good sized horse with substance. So, short answer, No you're not too short.


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

LoriF said:


> The only thing that I can think of that would be a problem is getting on and off. At 17.1 *most people would need assistance for that.*


How so? Mounting block and/or a fence, and get off like you would any other horse? My mare is just about 17.3h and I am only 5'1" ...I don't get on or off any differently than I do my 13.2h mare. Maybe I'm missing something?


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## CityslickerfrFla (Jan 11, 2016)

I'm 4'11, about 122 lbs, and learning on a 17.1 hands gelding who is the barn's favorite former show horse! I adore him and he makes learning how to ride so easy for me. But tacking him up, yeah, I need a stepstool and almost fell off of it yesterday. He wouldn't move his head down because he wanted to stare at his girlfriend Lilly. But he's a gentle, affectionate horse and not-so-bouncy trot - think size is only a factor among many.


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