# Tall Rider, Short Horse



## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

I am 5'10" with a 36" inseam, so I get the leg aid dilemma! Been there. I have a 14hh appy that I ride on trails, dressage, and some small jumping. He is built like a freaking tank so I really don't have to worry. He is also built downhill, so if a saddle puts me at all into a chair-seat, the worst I have had happen is my toe will bump his elbow. Otherwise, we have had no issues.







I have my stirrups a bit shorter than I would on a bigger horse for flat work, and I have to watch my upper body since it is the same length or longer than his neck, but I don't think it's THAT off balance. Here I am leaning forward a bit, which is my bad riding habit. 

SO, with a horse with decent build and a nice heart girth, I don't think it's a huge issue and you should at least give it a try.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Depends on the build. 

I have a friend who is 5'9" with long legs (probably a 36" inseam) and her main gelding is a 15.2hh Arab who is built like a tank. They look perfect together. 

My best friend is 5'8" with a 34" inseam and I'm 5'7" with a 32" inseam. We both can rider her 14.3hh QH mare with complete ease and not feel like she's a mini under us. She's also built like a tank. 

So, like karliejay said, if the horse is thickly built, you can go shorter and not look out of proportion and not feel like you're wrapping your legs around the horse's belly. 

It's funny because most people only consider the height of a horse, not the build. A 16hh, slimly-built TB is going to feel like there's WAY less horse under you than a 14hh who is built like a tank.


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## paintgirl96 (Oct 6, 2012)

My fiance is 5'11 and he rides anything from 14.1 to 15.3. Shorter horses are all stock bred & big built. The 15.3 3/4h mare is OTTB. I find it personal preference. I'm 5'3 but prefer something 15.1+, although I ride a 14h cow bred gelding, 14.1 cow bred mare, 14.3 grade mare, 15.2 TB, on up to a 17.1 Clydesdale.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Drafty is right – a horse with a thick build and a bigger barrel will take up more leg, and height really has nothing to do with it. “Skinny” horses that some disciplines seem to favor tend to have thinner barrels, and I find that English people seem to gravitate towards those breeds. OTTBs especially seem to have that issue. I’ve seen some very tall men riding 14.1 hand quarter horses in serious competition, usually stuff like reining and cutting, and none of them look under-horsed. 

I’m 5’8” with a 34 inch inseam, and I’ve ridden horses down to 14 hands comfortably, but because I’m also a bigger person, those smaller horses were Haflingers and QH/QH crosses. Think of it like trying to straddle a board, versus a couch. Check out pictures of Icelandic horses, who are usually ridden by grown men my size and bigger in shows. They tend to be very, very thickly built, but almost never over 14 hands. 

So I’d say go try this horse and see how you fit together. That’s the only way to know for sure!


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Mark Todd, at 6'6" rides 16.2 horses, Mark Todd, around 6'+ had great success on a horse called Charisma, 14.3 hands.

As said the width of the horse can take up a lot of human leg. 

Mind you, most horses that people state are 16.2 + are usually only 15.2


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Depends on the horse, get a picture of you on it and see how it looks. 

I shall give you some advice that I once was given, didn't take and regretted. If you go to try a horse and you ride and still think/feel it's too small don't get the horse, even if it's a fine size it will bother you forever. 

6 foot plus men ride stock horses all the time, and they're usually around 15hh so it's not unusual.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

I used to be 5' 11" and thought I couldn't ride anything under 16 hands. Then I spent a week at a dude ranch, and when the owner saw I could ride, he let me ride his daughter's barrel racing mare for the week. She was 14 hands and absolutely awesome! I didn't feel big on her at all. About that same time, I got to be close friends with a girl about my height who rode a 12 hand Welsh pony stallion everywhere. Yeah, she looked big on him, but she could do anything with that pony. She didn't care if she looked big, and I wondered if I shouldn't care either.

I started riding small horses and realized how much fun they are--they are lively and quick, don't need big trailers or tack, easy to groom and bathe, take you anywhere you want to go, and jump as high as I am willing to jump.

Right now I have a 13 hand Paso Fino who is a blast to ride, she is so comfortable and fun. I ride her for hours, and she never gets tired or sore. I know I "look" too big for her, but she and I don't care. She and I are having fun.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

One of my pupils had a 13.1 pony which she had out grown. I sold it but couldn't find a 14.2 for her so she started to ride my 12.1 Welsh driving stallion and because he had more width she never looked big on him. 

I have had many great days following Foxhounds, on a blood horse they can often forget what to do with ther feet, smaller horses/ponies rarely ever do!


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

I think the weight ratio is more important than height. I like to stick to the 20% rule.

Height-wise, I think it depends on the horse's build and your personal preference. I'm 5'9", 165lbs and my 15.3hh Thoroughbred is the shortest that I'm comfortable on. Anything smaller than that and I feel like I'm going to break the poor thing. Either that or need roller skates. :wink:

Some tall riders work perfectly well with shorter horses. You never know until you're on the horse.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Hmmm...5'8" here, and 160 lbs. Add 30 lbs for the saddle on 13.0 hand Cowboy:










I'm too big for him for any kind of competition, and really too big to feel comfortable riding him...but he carries me fine for most things. In steep spots, or places where he needs to be careful of his footing...I max him out. I'm about 30% of his weight, and really am too tall for him. But in truth, he is also a fun ride and I've never had him complain. We can do two hours of riding, and he'll freely trot up the hill at the end.

But since 15.0 hand Bandit is very slender, the 8 inch difference in height doesn't mean as much as one might expect:


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## NavigatorsMom (Jan 9, 2012)

I'm 5'11" and lots of leg, and my guy is just about 15.3. He's stocky though, and takes up a lot of my leg, so I don't feel like I look too big for him, and I'm certain I'm not actually too big/heavy for him.









(not the best picture but you can see that I don't look awfully big on him)

The main thing to consider is how you feel on the horse. I'm ok with 15.3, and would probably be ok with down to 15 as long as the horse was stocky and not too narrow. A 16.3-17 hand horse would probably suit me better, but there are more important things to consider when looking for a horse, I think.


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