adults riding ponies?

[pintopiaffe]

It’s very deceptive. As long as the horse FITS you, it’s really hard to tell how big they are from a distance! Most folks are shocked when they meet my guy untacked. He’s leetle. But he has a lot of presence, and (I’m told) I don’t look too huge on him. I know my teacher doesn’t. They look just as elegant as teacher on 16h horse…

There’s only an inch between 13.3 and 14h, and horses can change by 1-2 inches with training, fitting up, saddle fit etc. So that inch wouldn’t bother me. The hand? THAT is all about the individual.

[exvet]

There’s only an inch between 13.3 and 14h, and horses can change by 1-2 inches with training, fitting up, saddle fit etc. So that inch wouldn’t bother me. The hand? THAT is all about the individual.

I think the more important issue than height especially if you’re not long-waisted is barrel size. I have pictures of an individual who is 5’11" riding our 14.1 hand pony and due to the pony’s vast amount of barrel the individual (an FEI trainer/competitor) looks just fine. I actually have to take up my stirrup leathers one hole when I ride my 15.2 welsh cob stallion compared to when I use the same saddle on our 14.1 hand gal. Now he is far from fully filled out/matured so that will change but it does demonstrate that the heartgirth and barrel dictate how comfortable or “big” I feel on a critter. I have absolutely NO problem riding by riders on larger horses…they might be able to see the number of gray hairs I have sprouting a bit easier but they also eat my dust when it comes to demonstrating a distinct difference between true mediums, extended and collected gaits. I find the little guys a lot handier or perhaps it’s simply as many keep saying here - better suited to my size so I am able to influence and use my seat better :winkgrin:

[Dressage_Diva333]

I agree, as long as the rider fits the pony, then there really shouldn’t be an issue at the lower levels. Here is a link to one of my website pages, scroll down until you see Mufasa of MF, you will see my trainer riding him in the top two photos, she is tall, but he is such a big barreled guy that she looks fine on him. http://www.secretambitionstables.com/forsale.htm

Of course Mufasa is a Haflinger, now, he moves VERY well for a Haflinger, and has an incredible talent for the collected work (we have played with a little Half Steps, and Piaffe, and it seems like he enjoys it! ). But he just isn’t as flashy as say, Chardonnay (who I have drooled over multiple times, that boy is gorgeous!). So I think that there are definetly limits for say, an okay pony, but for my Haflinger, I think he will be able to do Third Level. The thing I found most difficult with him was when he first started schooling Half Pass, because he, like most ponies, has a thicker neck, and is short coupled. But once we got past the initial work, he was fine

So, thats just my experiance working with a good pony. I showed a 13.2 hand pony for a little bit, I didn’t find a lot of difference with her, she was just more green.

[lvf]

Last weekend at the Raleigh CDC. The imported Hanoverian pony, Stibby-me, shown under Sweet Rock Solid with rider Bailey Cook won the High Score Championship Award at 2nd level.
Ridley, owned by Chris Rush and ridden by Anna Stovell won the High Score Championship Award at 3rd level.
This was a very large and competive show with upwards of 16 horses per class.
I encourage you to join in the success and fun of owning and riding a talented small horse or pony.

[degas]

I am 5’7" (about 115 lbs) and have a Connemara mare. She’s a little over 14.3h. I have only had her since Feb and she is showing a ton of talent for dressage. She’s also much easier to control and doesn’t hurt my back. I love riding pony breeds. I don’t think I look “perfect” on her and probably look a little too tall for her, but she doesn’t seem to mind and I love riding her.

[hluing]

I think you may be surprised at how well you fit a pony. I am 5’4’’ myself and having a blast riding my 13.2hh GRP mare. She does not feel small at all…more like a sports car;) I think besides barrel size it also really matters if the pony is built uphill, with a nicely set on neck of adequate length and good gaits. That is what makes it feel “horse-like” and suitable for dressage. You will be surprised too…the pony does not have to be a tank to take up your leg. You also have to move past the mental image of normal that most of us have about 5’5 woman on 16.3hh WB’s. I always used to bemoan how my short legs never wrapped around the horse like the tall, elegant riders I admired…turns out my mother’s advice to get a smaller horse was pretty good advice afterall;)

[Lendon_Gray]

I am a bit sorry that in this post and many others the question is always ‘what will the judges think of a pony’? May I encourage all of you thinking about ponies to ask if you could ride better and enjoy it more with an equine that is in your price range, that is likely to stay sounder and be cheaper to keep, that you can handle with ease, whose trot you can sit, and whose gaits you can handle. Now this could possibly be a 17 hand horse but the odds are in your favor with something smaller.

I have 53 equines at my stable and 1/5 are 15 hands or under. I can tell you that the four riders who came to ponies after riding bigger horses, each one is ecstatic and wonders why she didn’t wise up years or decades ago. I have one who has been showing FEI for many years. Now on her pony she is getting the best scores she has ever gotten at Intermediare 1.

Even if the judges were prejudiced against ponies (and I think I started to prove that theory to be wrong 30 years ago) – who cares – my recommendation is for you to ride something on whom you will have fun.

[rthonor]

I am 5’2" and I ride a 13.2 hh Connemara stallion. I have lots more fun than I ever had riding warmbloods and I still have good scores. Like the previous post, I wonder why I didn’t wise up years ago. Initially, when my trainer suggested it, I thought “who rides ponies”, but now I know the answer. I can not see myself riding anything but a pony now.

[LisaW-B]

Thank you, Lendon! (and others!)

[grayarabpony]

I have to say that I really don’t care what the judge thinks about my horse, unless he or she has nice things to say. :lol: At her first show my pony certainly didn’t wow the judge – she was tense and not doing her floating trot, so she was trotting like a pony. But for me riding her is all about getting her correct, whether we show or not, because she’s a blast to ride when she’s going correctly.

[Bugs-n-Frodo]

I have a 16.3h Anglo Trakehner (I am 5’4) and I love him to pieces and will never REPLACE him but I always say, my next horse will be a WB pony. My dream pony is a leetle Trakehner crossed with a Conamara or Welsh who is gold in color and between 14 and 14.2h. I love riding ponies and I did not start riding them until I was over 18, I always rode horses. That little Hilken’s Black Delight would be a dream ride for me, I love that boy!

[Whisper]

@LisaW-B;3266965

So would you “pony” riders find much difference in riding and showing a stout 13.3h model versus a 14.3h model, both in terms of being comfortable on it and riding it well, and also having people on the big horses look down on you?

I got to ride two 13.2 hand ponies earlier this year for free, and noone criticised my size relative to them, or made any other snarky remarks. For dressage, I don’t feel it makes much difference. On the trails, they were usually fine, but I dismounted for steep slopes when it was muddy, whereas I probably would have been ok with staying mounted on a 14.3ish horse. I also was more cautious about mounting - if at all possible, I mounted from a tall block or a tack box or something directly into the saddle, instead of using the stirrup. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with jumping anything more than 18"-2’, since if I got ahead at all, it would be pretty tough for them to compensate because of the height of my torso. I just tried to be a little extra considerate/safe.

[DownYonder]

@hluing;3265353

Here are a few stallions that get a lot of press…

Chardonnay-PSG
Lateran-3rd level
Stibby Me -2nd level (I think)
Popeye -2nd level (I think)

FWIW, at the Raleigh Capital Classic, Stibby-Me was the High Score Champion at Second Level and Ridley was the High Score Champion at Third Level. Stibby-Me (aka Sweet Rock Solid) is a 14.2h Weser-Ems Pony stallion. Ridley is a 14.3h Hanoverian stallion that is shown by a teen-aged girl, so maybe he doesn’t fit the OP’s category of “adults riding ponies”, however it is pretty clear that at least those judges didn’t penalize the stallions for their small stature. (BTW, both stallions are approved for Weser-Ems breeding.)

[Ridge_Runner]

Late to this discussion but wanted to add that I’m 5’4" and I ride a 14:2 hand stallion in dressage. I think I fit him fine. I will agree with what Lendon said also in how much easier the little horses are to ride! Get one with nice big fluid gaits and enjoy yourself!