Trish is currently obese, hence the fatigue. I am working her hard to get her back into shape though - and i think my extra bulk helps to do this.
qwerty
Great topic! I have another height/weight question for you. I’m 5’1 and 100 lbs. We’re getting a 12 hand grade pony who is pretty round, but I would say medium build. What do you think?
Hi,
Just another thought here… imho… a 1000 pound horse that is expected to carry a 250 pound rider - that is 25% of the horses bodyweight placed like a sack on his back… which I consider a bit rough on the horse - note this is just IMHO, k!
So a 350 pound pony @25% of his body weight should be able to carry about 88 pounds - again, imho, this is a bit much.
I know ponies are stockier than horses & I know ponies often carry higher weight than horses when experessed as a percent of body weight, but I personally WOULD NOT put more than about a 70pound rider on a 350pound 10hand pony.
That stated, ponies are resiliant resourceful little creatures… and you would probably be just fine…
J
I really enjoyed the photos. I’m pretty sure the photo of the Shetland troop was taken in Germany. I’m originally from there and grew up seeing grown women and men on ponies, same in England. These ponies were bred to carry large weights, just like it’s said before, these are workponies, not the show kind.
I did read recently though that one should never ride a Minituare horse, not even little kids, they are solely bred for pulling carts and looking cute. 
So, what about these big people that ride these small arabs. Would they be putting weight on the wrong part of the back?
If you thought that my riding picture was cute, then check out my pony in cart!! She is sooo cute!! I just want to drive home and kiss her little nose!!
http://community.webshots.com/photo/275224940/308082116smrGLZ
Okay first of all I am not dying to ride her!! Okay? That is not the issue, nor was it ever.
The info from the brits and what I heard from the indian lady were merely facts I was not trying to prove my point by them.
Also I do have a riding horse that I am riding regularly.
This was a discussion about whether adults should ride small ponies. Not a debate about my personal situation.
I just wanted to know everyone’s feeling about this issue.
OMG! 
Check out these pictures of a Shetland Pony troop ridden by… you guessed it!! Talk about feet scrapping the pavement!! I’m still rolling on the floor, laughing my you-know-what off.
patchworkpony - I have just eaten my words in all subsequent posts. 
Here is a picture of me on my wittle pony. I just hopped on for the picture. She did not like this bit for is really mouthing it. I think it time for a bigger one. Anyway I know it’s a silly picture! But, you asked to see it!!
Me on the little pony
What’s just wrong?
I think if you could post one it might help us know see what you mean.
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Originally posted by qwerty1989:
nonono - the pony is 940lbs - i am touching 350lbs… a bit burlesque, but she’s very sturdy! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
That’s just wrong.
I have a stocky 13.2 POA mare and I’m 5’4 about 135lbs and she has no problems carrying me. I gives me incentive to keep my weight down.
Yeah, let’s leave qwerty & talk about US Pony Club standards. For games mounts (Games Rally), the weights allowed are:
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”> If someone is competing
on a pony that is 12.2 and under they may not exceed the weight of 117 (including
helmet and boots) if the pony is 12.2 -13.2 the rider may not exceed 150lbs, if
the mount is 13.2 - 14.2 the rider must not exceed the weight of 190lbs and if the
mount is taller than 14.2 there is no weight limit.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I realize that weighing the pony & using that would be more accurate but probably not practical at a rally so they use the height of the mount to determine the maximum rider weight.
Yes. They told me on the other forum that I could ride my pony lightly only if she was really fit. If she was obese or overweight it was not wise for me, who was slightly big for her, to ride. Just like it is not good for a overweight human to overwork, it is not good for a pony either. It can cause all sorts of injuries.
qwert-Isn’t there someone smaller who can work your pony to get her in shape? I know what it feels like to want to ride your own pony, but if it’s not healthy for them we have to stand back and let the “midget” people do it.
Nothing against midgets, they are cool people!
I think this is the right area for this discussion since this seems to be the everyday riders.
I have had this discussion with many british riders, but I was curious to know what a more american group would think about this. What is everyone’s opinion on riding small ponies. How small of a pony is ridable for an adult. Is it cruel on a small pony to ask him to carry an adult even if that person is really light weight? For instance I have a really over grown miniature/shetland that is about 10-11hh and around 400-450lb. I am 5’5" tall and just over 100lb. Is it okay for me to lightly ride my pony? Why? Or why not?
I’m glad to hear your little pony is smart, fun, and also “a pretty good driving pony”.
Please don’t ride her. She doesn’t need you on her back – she’ll learn well enough from your work on the ground to accept small riders without issue. Your weight on her little structure may well compound an issue that might not have been one until too much weight forced it to the surface. I don’t care how “stocky” she is – she isn’t meant for an adult to ride her, regardless of what any Brit has to say.
And as far as India is concerned – you would be much better off NOT following their example in equine care/use, anymore than you’d follow any other 3rd world county that uses animals for labor due to the widespread poverty and lack of modern conveniences (paved road, automobiles, exhaust smog, whatever). Those animals don’t live long either, and photos of their decline and injuries are devastating to look upon. I don’t care what this woman told you – just because they feel comfortable with abuse due to poverty doesn’t mean you should.
If you want to ride that badly, start looking around to get a horse that fits your size and weight. Give that little pony the consideration she deserves from a considerate owner by just driving her in harness to enjoy her.
I would have to agree with gothe distance on this one. It’s important to bear in mind that all your weight must be situated between the 9th and 13th vertebrae ( according to the equine physiotherapists), and any weight bearing on T(thoracic) 14 can be very damaging. So if your riding a small pony as an adult, given that even if your a very small adult you still have a much wider hip and buttock span than a child, then your likely to be distributing your weight over areas that have problems compensating for this burden. Also if your pony, like many of the very small breeds, has never done any work before then it’s likely to be very unfit, or even overweight, so it’s much more likely that it may injure itself.
Hey Patchwork,
You do NOT look too heavy for that pony! I’ll have to get a picture of me on my kids’ pony. I’m almost afraid to see what I look like. If you can be brave, I maybe I can too. 
Shetland ponies where bred to carry full grown men all day. Icelandic ponies are notoriously strong and again carry full grown men all day without any issues.
I think alot of this comes down to the bred. A ‘true’ pony should be able to carry weight (and by this I mean the New Forest/Dartmoor/Shetland etc) not the ‘show’ ponies which are bre for much finer bone.
I, personally, don’t think there is an issue with Shetland carrying a 100lbs but as I said, it depends on whether this is a true Shetland or a minature (have very little experience on those)
JMHO
