I am 5’10" and recently bought a 16 hand OTTB. He’s about to be 4 so I guess it’s possible he might get a little taller. I have always just done trail riding but want to try taking lessons for jumping. Will I be too heavy for my horse for jumping? I weigh about 160 pounds
Touch of Class was 15.2. Joe Fargis is 6’ 2". Cleared 90 out of 91 jumping efforts in the 84 Olympics.
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It’s not necessarily about how big you are, but how light you ride. An athletic, skilled, 6ft rider weighing 220lbs could be less of a burden than a 120lb rider who is learning to balance and hits the horse in mouth or back.
16h is not small, but is your horse solid and stocky, or petite and refined? How does he handle himself when you change your balance, from sitting to two point and back?
The bigger question, is a 4yo OTTB the best horse to learn to jump with? He won’t know how to compensate for your mistakes as you learn, and you may not have the experience to give him confidence over new obstacles.
It’s definitely just a thought for now. He has no clue how to jump let alone do much of anything else. I also ha e no clue how to jump. I know it would be way in the future and I would probably have to learn how to jump first with a lesson horse and the have my OTTB trained. But I think he would be great at it. He has a medium build for a thoroughbred, not very stocky but not too petite either.
It also depends on your build. Are you long legged? Or do you have a long torso and shorter legs? All of that kind of thing matters to the “picture.” You will not be too heavy, however, so I guess that’s what you were really asking. 
Is he really that tall? He lives down the road from me. I’ve probably seen him and not realized it! Lol
I’m 5’10"/140lbs and my OTTB is 16h on a good day. My height comes mostly from my legs, and my horse is incredibly narrow and slab-sided, so my desired stirrup length puts my heels a good 6" below his belly. The only problems I’ve had with riding him has been related to getting my legs in a spot where they could be effective and I could feel secure. But my horse has never indicated that he is uncomfortable with my size.
I wouldn’t be worried about my size if I were you, but if you are, I second what other posters are saying about making sure that you are an easy passenger to carry. When in doubt, hit the gym and work on your legs and core so that you have the strength and balance to stay off your horse’s back and mouth when things get bumpy.
Well I definitely have long legs but I’d say I have a long torso as well. I’m just long all over being 5’10" haha. I’m glad to hear that I shouldn’t be too heavy for him to still be able to jump. I definitely plan on taking lessons to learn how to ride better. I never even knew there was a proper way to ride growing up, if just saddle up, get on, and go. I plan on buying an English saddle this summer and signing up for my first real lessons
I’m 5’11" with a 15.1 Arab and a 15.2 Morgan. Neither one complains 
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At 4 years old I would guess he will grow also. I got my OTTB as a 5 year old and he grew 2.5 inches in a year and has really filled out. One of my vets mentioned he sees this regularly with OTTBs that are 4, 5 and 6 year olds.
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Yes with him being 3 1/2 I wouldn’t be surprised if he grows a little bit. I would be super happy if he matured around 16.2 but even if he stays at 16 hands it sounds like it won’t be a problem. I just want him to be comfortable:) I can’t wait to get some lessons and put him into training. Might have to wait until spring though when I have the cash to do so.
He actually seems super tall to me because I’ve only ever had quarter horses that are 15.2 at the tallest. But they are stocky as can be
You & horse s/b fine as long as you have a competent Pro to school you both over fences.
My DH was 6’, 170# & his horse was just a shade under 16H.
Horse had a lot of bone, build on the stocky side.
He evented BNR, but schooled Training level fences (3’3"-3"11") at home.
You’ll be ok. I’m 5’10 and weigh more than you. My OTTB is 16hh on a tall day, but he is wide enough and plenty of neck. He does ok. He’s learning to jump and as long as I stay balanced, he’s fine. Let someone else do some of the first jump rides on him so he gets the idea with a more confident rider.
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Since you don’t currently have an English saddle and plan to buy one, just make sure you get some professional advice on fitting the saddle to the horse and to you. You’ll likely need a long forward flap and those aren’t standard. It will make a huge difference in your comfort and balance to have a properly fitted saddle. And your horse will thank and reward you.
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Yes he is plenty big enough.
As said above you will need to get the saddle professionally fitted to both you and the horse.
And a heads up that English saddles are both more complicated to fit and way more expensive than Western saddles.
Good brands of brand new jumping saddle are currently in the $4000 to $8000 plus range. Research your brands and buy a good used saddle in the $1000 to $2000 range. Have an independent saddle fitter on call to walk you through the process and restuff the panels (budget several hundred dollars for this).
Also start now taking jump seat lessons at a jumper barn. It is totally different from riding Western. Even the feel of flat work. You will need to relearn seat hands balance etc
Indeed I would go do this right now. See if you even like riding English on a quiet broke horse. If you don’t, no need to push forward with the much greater challenge of learning jump seat on a green broke OTTB.
If the jump saddle doesn’t fit you then you will slide around and fall off a lot and bang on his back. If the saddle doesn’t fit him, or you have a bad seat that bangs on his back, he will start bucking and refusing fences.
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Eh, I know what you’re getting at here, but I disagree with you that a perfectly suitable saddle of appropriate quality can’t be found for less money while new.
Research your brands and buy a good used saddle in the $1000 to $2000 range.
This is right on though- you’ll get more bang for your buck buying used, and a saddle fitter is a good investment. However, given that you have a youngster, you’re likely to see him develop his body and change shape pretty substantially over the next few years, so don’t go bananas on getting anything custom-fitted to him today- your fitter can advise you on a basic geometry that will work for your horse, and on how to adapt the fit with shim pads, etc. to give him room to grow.
You are not at all too big for this horse. If he’s got a decent rib cage and has some length to his body you will probably look very appropriate, especially as he gets older and fills out.
I second the professional instruction for you while your horse is learning the ropes too- the mentality of a young Thoroughbred horse is often different from an older QH type (leaving aside what one may have been bred to do, the young horse brain can see the world in some strange and wonderful ways.) As you look forward to a good partnership with your youngster, it will help both of you to be successful if you are fluent in the language that he is learning.
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Well I’m in Canada so everything is at least 30% more expensive
Still here you can get a custom made built from the tree up by a craftsman Western saddle for $2000. And for a new English saddle that would get you new a piece of crap from a Greenhawk house brand.
I guess people are often happy with their synthetic thoroughhoods and wintecs.
But if OP has been living on the world of $200 Western saddles shimmed up with felt saddle pads there will be big sticker shock and learning curve!
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Fair enough!
I’m a leggy rider on a short-backed, curvy, big-shouldered horse, and saddle shopping sucks.
I’m a bit taller than you (though different proportions it sounds like - short torso, long leg) and heavier. I am also the “go to” rider of choice for my trainer when she wants to see client horses go under a different rider (and she does training rides on them but wishes to see things from the ground sometimes). In that role I’m pretty familiar with riding as small as 14’3 and in excess of 17.
You touch on it briefly above, but size is only part of the equation. A narrow 16h horse may ride “smaller” than a very wide 15’2h. How they are built has a lot to do with this, and a competent rider can also help fill a horse out via appropriate muscling. That is a very long endgame though.
16h isn’t too small for a rider of your size. Depending on build, you will have to take certain things into consideration.
On horses that don’t take up my leg as easily I find that I can have a very “loose” leg (lower, especially). It can also invite pinching with the knee and thigh. Developing the strength to keep yourself where you ought to be as opposed to floating off in the aether (leg jammed forward is common leg falling behind is a little more unusual but it happens) is time consuming and requires an aware rider. Mirrors help too!
Getting a saddle that fits really helps. Having a professional assist (both with saddle fit and instruction) is also key. They can be crucial eyes on the ground that help you reinforce body awareness until it becomes second nature. It sounds like you have a reasonable plan of approach with involving a trainer and learning to jump on other horses before expecting to on your own - smart thinking.
And of course, you may come across challenges but have fun!
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Wow there is sooo much to learn about riding that I never knew about. I’m sure that’s just the start of it.
$4000 for a saddle?
