Is a 5'10 rider too tall for a 15hh Arabian?

hiya.
as the title… I have been looking for an Arabian for endurance, and found a good prospect, 8 yr old, 15hh. I am 5’10, 150 lbs. I personally prefer a horse on the shorter side, but I am bit worried that at 15hh, the height ratio may compromise the welfare of the horse? I won’t be doing anything other than hacking and endurance really (no jumping nor dressage). Appreciate any thoughts as I am considering if I should go viewing or not (don’t want to waste the seller’s time…). Thanks indeed.

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I would say try him and see how he feels to you. I’m 5’5" and ride a 14hh Arab in endurance. He feels taller to me than my 15hh Saddlebred

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I think it has more to do with proportions (for horse and for rider) than height of either, so, see how he feels! Good luck!

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Also, keep in mind, when you see the horse in person, it may be taller, it may be shorter – unless they’ve sticked it. I find most horses are not at the height advertised.

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My husband is 6’4” and his Arab mare is barely 14.3 hds. He would look a little bit silly in some types of showing but that’s not his interest and he doesn’t care. They are both super happy out on trail and playing on obstacles. They’ve been a happy pair for 14 years now and she’s never had a problem with his height or his feet hanging down to her knees. He does have to pick up his feet when crossing the deeper spots in the river if he doesn’t want wet feet.

Go try the horse and see how he feels, I wouldn’t worry so much about height.

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My old trainer (6’0) and his assistant trainer (6’2) both had no problems riding my 14.2 (on a good day with long feet) Arab gelding. Me (5’8) had no trouble either. None of us looked overly big on him as he was old type, so built like a barrel and took up a lot of leg.

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I think build is a huge factor. Some Arabians have a lot of neck and well sprung ribs where they take up leg and balance a taller upper body. Some are quite narrow with a moderate neck and 5’10 could both look unbalanced and feel very unbalanced. I had a 750 lb 14.3 Arabian cross and anyone over 5’5 looked massive on her because she had a shorter neck and was very slab sided.

When someone asks " am I too tall for this size horse," I immediately think of this two time Olympic individual gold medal eventing duo.

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Well? Did you go see the horse? :slight_smile:

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I went to see him yesterday and we are moving forward with vetting! my friend whom was one of several people telling that 15hh was too short for me came along and was amazed by how nice the horse was and that I didn’t look too big on it. Riding will take a bit of getting used to, down from my 16hh3 hanoverian but I didn’t feel unbalanced in particular. and, in any case, my interest is really endurance and he seemed the right horse for it. Thanks everyone for the encouragement :smiley:

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He passed the vetting and I am now a proud owner =) Thanks so much all. Start of the journey :slight_smile:

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Yay! My first horse was a son of Tuhotmos. Best trail horse ever.