# What size horse do you think I need?



## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I'm 5'8"+ and one of my horses is 14'3... :wink: It's not so much about the height of the horse and you as about personal preferences and your weight/riding ability.


----------



## dudey (Dec 16, 2010)

it really doesnt matter, i am 5"3 and my horses are all 16.3+ like kitten val said its what you feel comfortable with whatever you do, dont go to view a horse and knock it because of its height which is what i did! good luck


----------



## corporate pride (Feb 23, 2010)

i'm 5'3 and i got a 15.1 hh horse and another that's 16.2-16.3hh. i went looking for a horse under 16hh but ended up with a horse taller!!! LOL it depends on what you can find, afford, ride, and body structure....marco is all legs and is narrow (the big horse) and ozzie is really wide and "thin-impeared" and he's the smaller one. they both feel the same to me except marco has elevated movement and ozzie is flatter.


----------



## MissH (Apr 10, 2010)

As far as I'm concerned, temperament is key.


----------



## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

I'm 5'9 and I fit on my 14.1h mare just fine (even with western length stirrups, my feet aren't below her belly). It's all about how round or not a horse is. A wide, round horse is going to take up a lot more leg than a light boned TB.
I agree with Kitten_Val, it's all about your own preferences, your riding abilities, and your weight. Another thing that I think is important is the terrain you'll be covering. A smaller horse might have difficulty getting a big man up a steep hill but have no issues on the flat.


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

It really depends what you want to be doing, and personal preference.

I choose to ride Haflingers around 14.2 hh because they are easy to get on and off, but at 5'9" I do feel a bit big on them sometimes.

I prefer my bigger horses for jumping and for dressage, but they are not so handy around the farm.


----------



## steff (May 4, 2008)

As other people said it's about personal prefrance I'm 5ft 2 my mare is 17hh's and my old boy is 15hh's.. My sister prefrers the little ones she had a young riders horse that was only 15hh's it was so sharp and quirky but honestly beleave it needed to be like that to jump 1.45m courses!! Don't have any wish to jump that big on my mare but I must say the fences seem smaller on a bigger horse!!


----------



## Frankiee (Jun 28, 2010)

MissH said:


> As far as I'm concerned, temperament is key.


Agreed! Pluss what ever you feel comfyer one lol  but im 5,6 with a 15.2 hand horse that i love


----------



## Lovehorsesandrunning (Nov 10, 2009)

Its really about your preferance as every one else said  but id say to look best fitted id go for 15.2+


----------



## lilia (Mar 21, 2011)

I definitely agree! I think what you should be more concerned about is the fit of the saddle. But I know there are some awesome post on here about saddle size and fits, so I won't even touch that!


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Temperament is far more important, but at 52, I swear I'll never buy another horse over 15 hands. Maybe 14.2...Mia is a 15.3 Arabian, and I have to jump to get my foot in the stirrup for mounting. I'm used to looking like a dork, but wish I could make it less obvious!

If the horse was over 16 hands, I'd probably just bring a rope ladder with me...


----------



## Deerly (Apr 18, 2010)

I'm your height and my horses are a 15.1 wide barreled quarter horse and a 16hh horse who is fairly wide himself and takes up leg which makes me happy


----------



## Xela (Jan 26, 2011)

It really depends on your weight, whether the horse is thicker or more lean(a 15 hand qh looks a lot bigger than a 15 hand arab), whether your more torso or legs. If your going to be showing you don't want to look out of place or oversized on your horse, but if your not then you can get away with anything. Keep in mind the 20% rules though.


----------



## wild horses (Feb 11, 2011)

hey im you height, go for tempermant first then size, in saying that do not over horse yourself!!Nothing so bad as a green/ nervous rider on a giant equine that they are to scared to ride effectively.

i break in and school ponies for a living 13.2hh-14.2hh and this is the size horse that i fit really well. Small horses can be amazing, i know a 15.2hh OTTb jumping GP track, a14.3hh doing PSG dressage dnt feel like you have to get a big horse for whatever sport you do, get the horse that you'l love to ride every day and feel safe on.

haha bt my eventing horse is 17hh....dosnt make any differance to me though i ride them all the same


----------



## ArabianLover2456 (Oct 5, 2010)

sorry for my late reply.
thanks for all these answers!
they really helped


----------

