I am finding leases and have some options, all of which are super awesome. I just need help seeing which height of horse would look and feel best for me.
Personally, I like sizing up and riding 16.3+ but I don’t know if that would look awkward, especially at a show.
Would a judge mark you down for riding a horse that’s too big?
I have really long legs even though I’m only 5’7, so I can ride a 17.1 hh horse with my legs still looking long, but my torso looks short and kind of funny on a horse that large.
I guess I’m just wondering if I should lease a smaller horse (16.0) and look good but have my legs look really long, or should I lease a larger horse but have my torso look small and my legs look perfect.
I asked my trainer and she said at this point it is whatever is comfortable for me, but sizing has always been an issue for me.
Thank you!
The reality is that there are many disciplines that aren’t so height conscious and full grown men often ride 15 hand horses. I would worry more about an appropriate lease for your needs first and height second.
I’m 5’8" and my boy Moe (picture below) was just a hair shy of 17 hands. I don’t think my legs look terribly long on him, even in a western saddle. The mare in my avatar is about 15.3. I don’t think your legs will look too long on either size horse, unless you’re comparing yourself to someone who is only 5’2" or the horse you are riding is exceptionally slab sided.
Height alone doesn’t tell you how much leg a horse will take up. I’ve ridden slab sided 17hh horses that my leg comes down to the bottom of their torso and 15.2hh horses that were so wide they took my whole leg up with room to spare.
But when looking at leases, there are about a hundred things I would consider before height, if I even considered height at all. It would truly surprise me if there was no difference between your lease options aside from height 
The right height for you is the height of the horse you are happy riding. Please don’t get hung up on height; it’s one of the less important factors to consider.
Height really isn’t a consideration unless you’re aiming for a height specific division (in which case, pick the best horse for you and show them in their eligible divisions).
I know someone over 6’ who showed hunters quite successfully on a 15.2ish horse. Horse was a freak and got the step but still.
Pick the most suitable animal that you find easiest to ride and lease it. Even in the Eq it’s rare that height of horse is the tie breaker.
Whatever works for you. But suitability, referring to a match in size and appearance between rider and horse seems to be important in your chosen competition discipline. Maybe have someone take a few pictures of you on the horses you have to choose among, and have them critiqued and compared by some knowledgable hunter folks.
i could not resist posting a picture of double individual Olympic Eventing Gold Medalists Mark Todd and Charisma. Rider 6’2”, horse 15.3 hands.
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Mark Todd on Charisma: ‘I very nearly got back in the car saying “I can’t ride that.”’
I am 5’11" with long legs (36" inseam) and a shorter torso. I’m also kind of pear-shaped, so the vast majority of my body’s mass is below my waist.
I generally prefer to ride a horse that fits my leg well and don’t worry about whether or not my torso looks tiny. Functionally, I prefer to be able to use my leg effectively without being tempted to lift up my heel to touch the horse’s side. Notice that in the photo above, the rider isn’t wearing spurs* because they would be useless. I am not good enough to change how I apply my leg aids that dramatically… I tend to just ride with shorter stirrups on horses that don’t take up my leg as well.
I agree that finding the best match in terms of personality, goals, etc. is more important than height. But as far as height, I think it’s more about the build of the horse and how it fits you vs. their specific height. I purposely included a lot of details about my own conformation above because my height doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s the same with horses. A slab-sided 17.1hh horse with a short barrel and long legs probably isn’t going to take up as much leg as a 16hh horse with a wider deeper barrel. Functional fit is more important than height.
The one other thing I’ll add - I am generally narrow, and briefly I rode a big wide 15.1hh horse who took up my leg thanks to his huge wide barrel. Unfortunately my hips did not like being that open while riding and I developed bursitis during my time with that horse. The appearance was okay, but the functional fit was not.
*Edit: I looked closer and he may be wearing spurs, but I still don’t think they would be especially helpful with how his leg is sitting.
I’m 5’8” and my mare is 15.3. She has a massive stride and is not slab sided. I ride a horse in the barn who is at least 16.2 maybe 16.3 and he is slab sided - as soon as I get on (every time) I go “oh”.
I think it’s whatever you feel most comfortable on. No, a judge will not mark you down for riding a horse that’s “too big”. I don’t even know if that’s really a thing. For sure a kid riding a pony that’s too small, but usually not an issue for horses.
Pic of me for scale:
I’m 5’8” with a lot of my height in my legs. Grady is 16 hands and wears a 50” girth. Maybe a problem if I was going to dio Maclay finals or something.
I’m 5’7” with a 32” inseam. The horse in my profile pic is 15.2 1/2. We did the big eq.
A lot of this comes down to the shape of the horse and your own build. My sister is 5’9” and a long tall drink of water. My horse’s rib cage took up her leg, but her hips are narrow, and she had to really work on her hip flexibility to feel comfortable on him. My mom is my height and less leggy; she has very stiff hips and can’t get her leg around him, so finds she loses her position easily whereas she’s much more stable and comfortable on a slab-sided horse. Most of us can “fit” a lot of horses, but our personal geometries may or may not be compatible with theirs.
Ride them all and don’t rule one out until you sit on them- then pick the horse suitable for your goals and riding style who is also physically comfortable for you to ride.
Especially when leasing, as opposed to buying and keeping for the foreseeable future, height is pretty low on the list of must haves. Even in this discipline.
Think about it, if it jumps like a goat, has gaits like a sewing machine and nasty by nature? Being 17.2 is not going to help you advance your ability and reputation as a rider in the sport.
Because you need a schoolmaster type to move you up and develop your confidence and you are on a bit of a budget, compromise on some things on the wish list is going to be necessary.
You, and your trainer, need to find the right mix of talent, physical ability, appearance and temperment. You cannot tell until you ride them and jump around then see even a cell video of you together. Your trainer, who has been doing this for years, knows what you need, listen to them.
Remember, its a lease. And, you know, even people who buy or lease at 100k find there is always something they wanted but didn’t get in a horse. Nothing is perfect. Something could always be better or different…including horse breaking and becoming unuseable.
Get the one thats the best, soundest and safest horse for you to compete on. Age, size ( within reason) and color are not must haves in lease horses.
IIWY, might look for slab sided with a flat jump first if you want an Eq over fences horse that takes up your leg and is easy to sit over a fence. A kind horse is always a great help too.
Oh, remember, the best ones are NOT advertised, word of mouth gets you those.
As others have said pick the horse that will give you the best ride. Long bodied riders on horses with a shorter neck can look unbalanced but I’ve never thought a long legged rider seemed out of balance (unless their stirrups were ill placed).
Here is my 6’2 trainer riding my 15.3 horse who wears a 52 girth. He’s a little tall for him but it works fine. I guarantee you will be fine with 16 hands if that’s the best horse for you otherwise. I think smaller horses stay sounder, personally.
IMG_1856
Good point about the shape of the horses barrel, I didn’t think of how that would affect the whole legs issue!
Also remember that there are tons of tricks to make your leg look longer if that’s a priority. The style of your boots and cut/length of your saddle flap are two that come to mind.
Of course, ride in what is safest and more comfortable before worrying about style points.
I went back and reread the OP.
What I said before stands - but @celine.eq2023 your trainer is right, for you at this point in your journey what matters most is safe and comfortable. You’re trying to make up hella ground here on a short timeline, so pick the horse that you feel best on that can do the job.
Yes the little things matter, but the judge isn’t going to place you higher because of how you “look” unless your actual RIDE is perfect. If you watch the medal finals, you can see that even the best of the best make mistakes that matter more than the size of horse they’re on.
With all the kindness in the world - I see this a lot in the junior ranks in the barn and at the shows. A focus on appearances and the right brand of helmet and right “look” on the horse, when what matters is neat, clean gear and the quality of your riding. Your best bet is to listen to your trainer and how you feel on the horse - write down your thoughts and then watch the video of your trial ride of each horse. Talk to your trainer about your thoughts, and they can help you pick out the best match.
Good luck, and have fun out there!
I’m 5’ 9", 34 inside leg. Some of the best horses I’ve ridden in my 60 years:
14.1 bay pony (criollo)
16.2 chestnut gelding (former eventer)
15.0 chestnut gelding (Welsh cross)
15.2 black mare (Spanish)
14.0 black pony (driving pony)
18.1 grey gelding (fox hunter)
16.3 piebald hairy cob (do anything)
Obviously, I enjoyed all of them!
Edited for typo
OP, I’m 5’9" (on a short day). I wear the same inseam in my pants as my brother who is 6’1" (so, needless to say, I’m all leg and also have a shorter torso). My horse is a fairly gracile 16.2(ish) hand Thoroughbred (he’s not what I would call slab-sided, but he’s definitely not a particularly stocky/round horse either). We suit each other just fine:
To put some perspective on this, after the lesson where this photo was taken, I took my saddle and put it on a 14.2hh pony who can go in the same girth that my horse does, and then I jumped him around. Since I finished growing as a teenager, I’ve ridden everything from a 14hh pony to a 17.2hh chunky warmblood, and as my trainer often says about the smaller ones, “It’s not what I would choose if we were horse-shopping for you, but you don’t look out of place on them either.”
For me the biggest things are a) is it built in a way where it takes up my leg, b) can I ride it in a saddle that fits me, and c) is its neck matched to my torso length (read: not too short such that I feel top-heavy over fences). Since I am shorter in the torso, the answer to c is usually yes and not as much of a consideration, so I primarily worry about having enough barrel that I don’t feel like my ankles are touching air when I go to put my leg on.
You’ll find that a lot of looking “too big” has less to do with the height of the horse and more to do with whether your tack is sized appropriately. If I cram myself into a 16.5" saddle (which has been known to happen) instead of my 18" saddle with a long, extra-forward flap, then yes, I look big no matter how large the horse is. As long as the horse feels comfortable for you and you can ride in tack that fits both you and the horse, you really won’t look too big for most of them.
Just as an additional point, my best friend is 5’2" and built the exact opposite way to me (long torso, shorter legs) and she’s ridden those same horses in the 14hh to 17.2hh chunky warmblood group, and always placed really well in hunters and eq because she’s a very pretty, effective rider on pretty much any horse even if she isn’t built like a stereotypical eq winner. Worry about how you feel and how you ride - the rest will come if both those things are good.
I am 5 foot tall. My horse is 16.3 and BIG bodied. I struggled at first to find what felt safe and comfortable and effective over jumps. Thankfully my horse is a gem. A golden retriever in a horse suit who takes care of his old Momma. I have always felt most effective and secure on smaller slab sided horses. I adored my daughter’s 14.3 hand Hony. And spent many years showing a slab sided 16 hand horse with much success. So in the end you ride the horse that makes you feel safe and secure. And if you need to readjust how your ride then you learn that. But bottom line is size doesn’t matter. It’s the horse. And how you adjust to riding it.
