# Challenges of buying a 17.3+ horse



## crossfitgal (Mar 29, 2012)

Hello,

I'm in the market to purchase a Hunter / Jumper - and I love big horses. I'm casually looking - and want to wait until I find a large Warmblood - 17.2 or larger -- ideally 17.3 or up. However - when I bought my last horse (who was 17.2) and I looked at an 18HH horse for sale, the seller mentioned to me there were various "challenges" having such a large horse - like needing a special trailor for him to move him.

Does anyone have any input on this? Should I expect to need a special trailor, special shoes, extra food / supplements - and have a hard time selling him if I ever need to -- ??? 

Anything else I should consider?

Thanks


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Yes, you will probably need what is called a Warmblood sized horse trailer- they are extra tall and wide. It is easier to find (and cheaper) straight load Warmbloods, although I have seen Warmblood slant loads. 

Shoes/trimming- yes, you will probably have to pay for a draft sized shoeing. 

Feeding, yes, since they weigh more they will need more hay, and more grain (if they need grain in the first place). As a general rule, horses should be fed around 2% of their body weight, but easy keepers can go down to 1.5% and hard keepers up to 4%.. So you will need to adjust to their needs. 

As for selling.. Depends. I know on the west coast (where I am) there seems to be an abundance of shorter horses, so therefore taller horses tend to be on a higher demand, but you have to look around and see. BUT - if you think you would have resell the horse due to future financial, health, etc., it is best to not buy a horse right now. You also don't know what the market will be like in 5 years for taller horses..

I would not let any of the above deter you from buying a taller horse, if that is what you would like, so be it!


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Even if I liked big horses, I wouldn't get a very large one because of such problems. 

I had a 17hh clydie cross mare and she was too big for some floats, she put her head through the roof of one once. Any bigger and rugs would have been hard to find. She was okay in stalls, but a horse as big as your thinking may be too big for a lot of stalls or even yards when attending competition. 

If you needed to go away, many people may be nervous around such a large horse and may not want to look after it. If you have friends out etc. they would likely be uncomfortable. 

It can also cost more in food - of course that depends what you are comparing to but if you were comparing to an almost exact same but smaller horse, they'd consume more.


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Ah yes- forgot about that.. You will have to have a larger stall - if you plan to stall. For a horse over 17 hands I would go no smaller than 14x16, or 12x18.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

A larger trailer is a definite. Generally when you get into the 16.2hh+, you'll need a taller trailer.

Bigger shoes depends on the horse. For example, my boy is a draft cross. At 3-years-old (I can claim he's three, right? His birthday is May 7th ), he is pushing 16.2hh. His feet are bigger than a "standard" QHs, but smaller than his draft heritage would imply. My farrier likes to tease that he has salad plate feet, as opposed to the dinner plate feet most drafts have. You could end up with an 18hh warmblood with saucer-sized feet. You never know. I would definitely be prepared for the possibility, though.

As far as feed, yes, bigger horses require more feed. My boy eats about three flakes of alfalfa morning and night. My friend's almost 16hh arab gelding barely gets two morning and night. 

I've noticed that a lot of people are kind of trending toward smaller horses right now. Not everyone, by any means, but I notice a lot of bigger horses staying for sale longer. I think a lot of that has to do with the amount it takes to feed a larger horse and the fact that the economy is down the crapper. 

Other things to take into consideration are mounting your horse. Unless you're very tall or a gymnast, be prepared to use a mounting block. I know that isn't a big deal to some people, but I know people who would die before they'd use a mounting block to mount a horse (my BO). I, on the other hand, can't even mount a 14hh "pony" from the ground (more to do with flexibility and being able to swing my big butt up into the saddle), so I have no problems with using a mounting block. 

Also, if you're shorter and riding a bigger horse, be prepared to take some ribbing for it. Some of it will be good-natured and some of it will be mean, but just smile and know that you love your horse and forget what other people have to say.

ETA: Saskia had a good point about people being intimidated by big horses. Your horse may have the best ground manners on the planet, but that won't change the fact that people unfamiliar with handling large horses will feel intimidated by them. I've handled a 17.2hh thoroughbred that was built like a tank (the ground literally shook when he ran) and a 17.3hh Holsteiner that were lambs, but they were still a bit intimidating just because of their sheer size. I was grooming the TB once and started working on his neck (he was covered in mud). He FREAKED out, sat back, broke the big bull snap on his lead and nearly toppled over on top of me (he sat onto his hocks and fell over toward me). My two friends that were there with me were more freaked out than I was, but it shook me up. They refused to handle him after that incident.


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## tlkng1 (Dec 14, 2011)

There is, or was anyway, a general thought "out there" that horses larger than 17 hands tend to have more balance issues due to their higher center of gravity. It is also difficult to get them moving "together" as the "parts" are further apart ..don't laugh, that was what someone told me but this was for dressage. The particular horse in question was 17.2, an absolute love bug but agreed, he was tough to get everything working smoothly at the same time. I can only describe the canter of that horse as lumbering and he jumped the same way...he felt like he ws moving in slow motion but he had a very rolling 16 foot canter stride.


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## HorsesAreMyPassion (Feb 16, 2012)

I own a 17.1 hand thoroughbred. He isn't as big as what you are looking for, but still a big guy compared to average size riding horses.

I don't pay any more for feed and shoeing for him than I do for my 16.2 h and my 16.3 h tb's. They all tend to eat a lot of hay and get around the same amount of feed, give or take a little.

You will need the larger size trailer, as everyone else has already mentioned. A larger stall, anything under 12 x 12 is a definite no, even 12 x 12 is small for a horse 17 h and up especially if they are going to be spending a lot of time in it. 12 x 12 is an average stall size in most boarding barns, may be difficult to find a barn close to where you want to board if the stalls are too small. You may pay more for your feed and shoeing than I do for my big guy, warmbloods are just a whole lot bigger built overall than a tb!

I'm only 5 foot 2 inches tall, and I have to use a mounting block, I prefer to use them anyway even with shorter horses, but I often get asked if I need to get a ladder to get on him!


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

HorsesAreMyPassion said:


> I'm only 5 foot 2 inches tall, and I have to use a mounting block, I prefer to use them anyway even with shorter horses, but I often get asked if I need to get a ladder to get on him!


Funny, that. I'm 5'7" and even with Aires being "only" 16.1hh right now, I _still_ get asked if I need a ladder to get on him! Went on a trail ride with the dude string one day (it was a spur of the moment thing and I was saddling up while the ladies going on the ride were getting mounted) and one of the ladies going on the ride looked at Aires and said "How do you get on him? Is someone going to bring you a ladder?" She was completely serious. He was only about 15.2-15.3hh at the time. I just laughed, led him to the mounting block and hopped up, then told her that he was going to get MUCH bigger by the time he was done growing. She looked at me like I was insane.


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

I am also looking for a much larger horse, the trailer issue is stopping me though. My trailer is tall enough for a 17. + hh but it's not long enough, so I cant take two at a time because the divider won't close.


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## HorsesAreMyPassion (Feb 16, 2012)

tlkng1, I agree, especially when they are young and not yet conditioned to carrying a rider and learning how to balance themselves and hold themselves "together". They also have a more difficult time when competing indoors jumping for example than a smaller more compact horse. It is a lot more work for the rider to teach the young larger more unbalanced types to balance and put themselves together, they are more uncoordinated than the smaller compact horses, but they do learn, it's just more work for the rider.


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## tlkng1 (Dec 14, 2011)

HorsesAreMyPassion said:


> tlkng1, I agree, especially when they are young and not yet conditioned to carrying a rider and learning how to balance themselves and hold themselves "together". They also have a more difficult time when competing indoors jumping for example than a smaller more compact horse. It is a lot more work for the rider to teach the young larger more unbalanced types to balance and put themselves together, they are more uncoordinated than the smaller compact horses, but they do learn, it's just more work for the rider.


The particluar horse was showing training level dressage with a very good prospect of 4th level plus but his size really was intimidating. I am a solid 5'6 and when they put this horse on the cross ties my eyes were level with the center of his shoulder. I like the larger horses too and I did ride him; he was calm and steady and very willing but I just didn't have that comfort factor.

When I first tried the horse I just bought a few months back, 16.2, I felt like I had been riding him for years...16.2 seems to be my comfort zone.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

This is the 17.3hh Holsteiner I worked with. His name was Aristotle. Huge love bug! Was imported from Germany to be a jumper, but would randomly take off bucking when asked to jump. Some days he'd be fine, but other days he was impossible to handle. 








I know he doesn't look huge in these pics, but the top of those panels are six feet off the ground. For comparison, this is my 14.2hh gelding next to the same panels.


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## Country Woman (Dec 14, 2011)

I have ridden horses from 14 hh -17 hh and I prefer the 17 hh horse


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## Country Woman (Dec 14, 2011)

love your horses both are handsome


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Country Woman said:


> love your horses both are handsome


Thanks. The first one (the huge darker bay holsteiner) isn't mine. He belongs to the people my friend leased her barn from. The bright bay with the red fly mask on was my old gelding. 14.2hh of arab/NSH attitude.


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## Country Woman (Dec 14, 2011)

I feel more comfortable on a 15 hh horse


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Besides the trailer issue it is a fact that horses over 16.2 are far, far more likely to have problems with their wind and also with tendon problems. 

They are harder to hold together and for a smaller rider to get on the bit.

The only thing I will say, and it is the same in the UK, a 16.2 horse, which is tall, becomes 17 hands plus because they are not measured correctly when they are relaxed.

I can see no point in having an extra big horse, if William Fox Pitt can win international events riding 16.2 horses when he is 6'5" then why go for taller ones when you are under 6'.


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