Why does everything have to be 16.2+?

[JeanM]

I chuckle at my hopes vs. the reality. I bought my mare as a 16 month old. I had my fingers tightly crossed that she’d make at least 16h, if not more, since I’m 5’7" and thought I’d look too big riding anything smaller in a sidesaddle.

She stopped at 15.2h, maybe with another 1/2 inch in her shoes. And I am SO GLAD! now that my actual riding is almost all on the trail, I am grateful that she isn’t as big as I’d so fervently hoped for. She has plenty of body to take up my legs, and she does not look too small for me, at all.

[AppendixQHLover]

I prefer a horse under 16 hands because falling off something 17.2 gives way to much time to worry about the ground. Granted I have done some pretty awesome falls off ponies.

[Simbalism]

I learned along time ago, that with my height and short legs that a smaller horse was better. The last three horses I have owned have been a smidge over 15h to just under 15.3h. I am older and don’t relish falling off a huge horse. I probably would due to my short legs.

[King_Creole]

I agree with most people…it depends on your body type and the horse’s body type. Tall people can “fit” on short horses and short people can “fit” on tall horses.

I’m 5’3 1/2" (yes I claim that half inch every time!) and I’ve had a 14.1 pony, a lean and leggy 16.2 OTTB and a beefy 17h AQHA. I have a short torso and longer legs which helps on the taller horses. I don’t feel like I look too small on my AQHA even though every now and then I see a pic and am like “Whoa. He’s big.” lol. I bought him when he was 3 and only 16.1…he just kept growing!

Me and the pony…just about full grown here. I was starting not to fit him anymore but continued trail riding him for years:
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv237/BBMcGee31/rustyjackson_zpsaed8d772.jpg

16.2 lean OTTB
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv237/BBMcGee31/chancecanterHB_zpsd685a7f5.jpg

17h AQHA
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv237/BBMcGee31/4E128163-974E-4B93-A52E-50D62D10B8C5_zpsidpfowna.jpg

[Sarabeth]

The “bigger is better” craze seems to have died out a few years ago in this area.

One of the contributing factors might be the really big horses seem harder to keep sound.

[sophie]

I never liked big horses.

I’m 5’3 with long legs and have been on anything from 14.3h Morgans to 17h WBs and felt and looked just fine on them, but my preference is in the 15h-16h range. My current Ottb mare is 15.1h. When I went to the racetrack to look for a horse, and told them, I want 1) a mare and 2) a small mare, I had lots of cheap horses to look at since everyone seems to want tall geldings

[Mtn_trails]

Heck, I’m 5’5" and would be happy with a horse under 16 hands as all of mine have been short guys and girls meaning less than 15 hands. I do like them on the shorter side - closer to the ground.

[NancyM]

Well I’m 5’3", and have ridden big horses as show jumpers in decades past. 16.3 and 17 hands. They were fine, I was tiny on them. I didn’t choose them for their size, it just worked out that way. They were either purchased young, or off the track. My current mount is a TB mare, home bred, we raced her for three years (owner/trainer), then I started jumping her. She is 15.2 hands. She takes strides out down lines if I don’t watch it. She mostly does the 3’6" jumper divisions, but jumped up to 4’ 10" in a 3 bar competition last fall. Put 6" of air over that. I don’t know if she truly is that sort of horse, international calibre, on a full course, but she has enough jump for me in my old age.

Being large has it’s advantages, makes the big jumps look smaller. But being small also has it’s advantages, my current mare is so QUICK, because she is smaller. She has been described as being “cat-like”. Practically anything large and lumbering, we can beat on time in a jump off.

A good horse is a good size and a good colour. They come in all shapes and sizes, and breeds. People who are breed snobs, or size snobs, are fools. There are lots of fools around. If you are looking for a jumper, it has got to have jumping talent, soundness, a good mind- careful and smart, courage, and scope. It must have a natural 14 foot stride, that can be easily shortened to 12 feet, or 10 feet. These are the things that are important, not it’s physical size. I thought that Eric Lamaze pretty much publically proved this quite convincingly in past years.

[Dressagelvr]

Interesting that so many equate tall horses with a difficult ride. I can see if the gaits are simply too big, but a well trained 17.3 hand horse is no more difficult than a well trained 15 hand horse.

It isn’t like a horse becomes more disagreeable with every hand.

Having “too much horse” can happen with a horse of any size.

[aregard]

I wanted a really big horse when I was 17. Then I grew out of it

Actually, I’ve told my trainer I don’t want to ride the big boys anymore. Give me 15 hands and under. I don’t need to dismount off 17 hands any longer, even if “but you have such long legs!” (I don’t. But I am a couple inches taller than she is.)

I feel right at home on a pony. But I like them to have a sufficient barrel.

[Lunatteo]

In college i kept getting put on a 16.2-3 hand warmblood with a long back who didn’t like to put himself together much. I am 5’6" so not small but only 100lbs average and it was just rough trying to put him together as big as he was. I used to ride ponies all the time and had a 14.2 hand arab growing up so it took getting used to when I had to go back and forth. Especially with a long torso and some scoliosis to boot. Still feel more capable jumping large jumps on a pony than on a large horse. Fence can be over the pony’s ears and I would still rather take it than on a 16.3+ horse

We did journal entries in that college class and after just casually mentioning that I was having a hard time putting the horse together sometimes and that it may be because I rode so many small horses in the past I was suddenly switched to a more compact horse. This was after riding him for about half the class so not sure if it was just a coincidence or not hehehe… but I hadn’t mentioned it in any entries prior.

[Lori_B]

People want a big horse to make their a$$ look smaller. Duh!

It’s ok with me, there are more 15’1" - 15’3" sized horses for the rest of us.

I’m 5’5", a little chunky, but a fullbodied 15’3" is really the perfect size for me. We show, but I care more about having fun and feeling relatively secure in the saddle than all these fine points of striding and all.

I have ridden horses from 14’3" to 17’3" in the last few years, and am so glad to be closer to the ground with the current critter. I find I am much too aware of how far away the ground is on the tall ones.

[OveroHunter]

I’m 5’9 and have a super tall torso. Sometimes I feel that even if a horse takes up my leg ok, my head is hovering way up high and I look strange.

Also, I have three horses - 15.2, 16.2, and 17.1. My 15.2 gelding just can’t get the striding down the line. As someone said earlier it looks like we’re galloping when we try to get the striding, but we can do a beautiful add. When I ride him western though, I feel like we look like a good match.

English - https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/76178_10100145586061210_7339527_n.jpg?oh=0993c2df89ad19132c11c31ff39679cd&oe=557FEE73&gda=1433440184_d5e1226253dd9a959f84ea89a8a554be
Western - https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/374309_10100893420075850_661919354_n.jpg?oh=ff9fbb13ff1e787cfd4fa9d32c59ae68&oe=557211C4&gda=1434135795_1181a9b3389769e2b2040861b6c603b5

My 16.2 mare is really a perfect size for me. She takes up my leg and gets the striding easily.

https://scontent-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10614192_10103545625460000_336188959485226963_n.jpg?oh=33b8efa9bb6f35a361d86080a5b24f92&oe=5585EC74

The 17.1 mare has legs for days and would actually leave a stride out going down the line. She fit me well, but was definitely a little more difficult to ride. She’s old and retired now and her best friend is a maybe 12 hand POA retiree.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/226832_10100469757159730_8382625_n.jpg?oh=bdad5664ff1f338f12737e402177df3b&oe=5581C76A&gda=1435729620_1152c61d9c4446341bd99b8b1393d13d

[pcwertb]

Forrest Nymph

The pony Sinead is riding is mine, she is 149 cm. She is 100% new forest pony and very small in the body (not as robust as my connemaras). She has competed at the 2* level in eventing: Plantation they were 18/83 and at Fair Hill 41/111.

Sinead is probably 5’6 and does not look ridiculous on her. The SJ picture doesn’t show the height of the fence (1.2 meters) but they clear it easily.

Bigger is not always better, my favorite height in a horse is 15.3.

[cbv]

I agree with an earlier post this is not new and is discipline related. Also breed related. In the disciplines where height may be preferred the most popular breeds tend to be taller. I guess that is a chicken/egg question.

I always preferred horses 16 hand range and most of my riding horses have been at or above. I am not particularly tall but it is just what was comfortable for me. Had driving horses that were in 15 hand range. Rode them as well but preferred bigger for riding.

It is also a time and experience thing. Getting older, fewer goals (realistic or not), and now have two mid-15 and one 16.2 hand.

Still prefer the bigger ride but more comfortable (braver) in other ways on the smaller two. One of the smaller actually has the bigger, loftier stride and much more of a tank to ride if allowed. The other is quick and handy…thinking of trying out sport ponies and seeing if I might go for even smaller and handier…especially for jumping where my comfort level is fading fast.

And just my experience, but I have not had issues with people grossly under or overestimating height. And horses of different build and same height can appear quite different even to me when they are my own horses and I know their exact measurements.

[mg]

I think shorter horses are starting to make a come back. I’m 5’4" with a short torso and long legs and evented on my TBx large pony. I LOVE the sports car ride and it’s so fun going from warmup where people give you patronizing smiles and coo, “Aww, he’s so cute!” and then power around a big jump course. That being said, as a couple folks have said earlier, the jumps do look a lot bigger from the back of the little ones!! One of my favorite quotes is from an interview with Courtney Sendak when she was still competing Wil’ya Love Me, “Everyone tells you oh you know, don’t worry about it, when you get on the fences will look a lot smaller…Yeah, no, it doesn’t.”

When I was shopping for my next prospect, I wanted to stay in the 15-16hh range, but really wanted something right around 15.1-2. They were TOUGH to find! I wanted a pretty green OTTB with letdown time under its belt and a bit of restarting. I think the difficulty is that people do not buy in this height range for resale. I finally found my guy, who is right about 16hh (when he’s not slouching!) who I love, but is bigger than I ultimately wanted.