I like a round horse with not much height, the watermelon on toothpicks look. There is a VERY skinny woman I am an equine acquaintance to who is very tall, but raises GRPs. She is small enough and balanced enough to ride them well even if she looks a bit ridiculous. I always thought it was a weird choice but her ponies are really lovely. I am quite a bit shorter and she offered to let me ride one of her smaller ponies in a clinic-- omg, Idk how she does it!! Her stallion was young and hadn’t filled out yet, and I could not post fast enough for his pony trot. His canter transitions felt like he was just zooming out from underneath me. So even for a person who loves small horses, there is such thing as too small, and yes, the length of neck and how much barrel your horse has makes a huge difference.
I learned to ride on a 13-hand pony, a well-built Welsh type with enough barrel and neck. That’s still what I feel most comfortable on, even though I’ve “graduated” to horses. My Morgan, pretty narrow for the breed but still with plenty of barrel and neck, was pretty comfortable for me. So was my pony-sized half-Arab.
And Reeses, getting an OTTB after having a Morgan and a half-Arab was a bit of a sticker shock. More feed, more shoes, more blankets, more $$ than I had budgeted.
I love Morgans too, had never seen any before I started University and my friend in school worked for someone who had a bunch and showed them. We got to ride them all school year. Fell totally in love. I think they will be my old lady riding horses.
OP, no trainer with even the minimum of ethics would operate the way this trainer is operating.
A young, green horse of any size or any breed is inappropriate for an inexperienced rider. Period. Full stop. Are there cases where this has worked? sure. But Learning to ride well is already hard, why make harder?
The way we learn to ride well is by riding horses who know how to be ridden and help us learn correct basics.
Your financial strength can buy or lease a schoolmaster that will teach you what you need to learn safely.
My advice: find a new, reputable trainer. Don’t know how? Ask at a local tack shop, ask a prominent local vet, ask the COTH experts in your locality.
Once you find a new trainer that you trust, then you can start thinking about which horses are best for you.
Run don’t walk from the horse AND the trainer.
there might be some just out in a pasture of a breeder/trainer who has others that they feel are better suited to their program. After Socks was euthanized a local Morgan trainer offered my daughter a little Morgan that has great blood lines, she just did not grow into the 16h horse that fits his training program.
This little Morgan (measured for card at 14h even) is five years old, never was broke just remained in the brood mare band of his farm.
Daughter brought her home in March, started basics of ground work until she felt the horse was ready for a saddle. Saddled her in early June for the first time, it was like horse acted like oh well this is what I am supposed to do. Took her to her first show ever in early August attempting to qualify her for Nationals in October. Horse did very well at this regional dressage show winning Intro A & B both days (a note here is that daughter is an accomplished rider). At Nationals against 20 or so other Morgans that have been in training forever daughter and little horse earned a second and third in intro dressage
They are out there, the smaller ones often are just overlooked.
She’s pretty cute and you fit her better than I expected given your/her heights. I would just keep riding/leasing her and see how things go for a few months.
TBH, I’m not sure what we’re supposed to gain from this photo. You don’'t look tiny on her, if that’s your concern. Do you feel safe on this horse? What about this horse when she’s fit?
I agree with gardenhorse. She is not too big for you at all. Sometimes size is not always straight forward. I have a 15.3 horse that I fit fine despite being 5’11. Just reading that, one would not think that would be the case but he is extremely wide and takes up a lot of leg. OP has long legs herself.
I have also had 4 year olds that were dead quiet and safe. I am not a beginner but they were beginner safe under guidance. If OP can continue getting training and guidance, the situation may work. I don’t like to stereotype TBs, some are actually quite sane and amendable, even at an early age.
If the trainer is willing to keep the horse for OP to continue to ride, why not. As long as OP still feels confident riding the horse, this may be room for advancement for them both. Crazier things have happened.
OP, I would be careful with any purchases just because your trainer is financially struggling and may be suggesting things that aren’t in your best interest but the best interest to her financially at the time. I’ve known some good trainers who were terrible financial managers. Expenses for horses have also risen to exponentially. If you are happy riding the horse, I’d continue and proceed with caution.
Considering how flakey this trainer sounds, I wonder if anyone has used a stick to actually measure her.
The horse is only 4 though, she will grow a lot still. Not that I think size matters in the end. I have found horses don’t show their true personalities until year 5 & 6.
After reading your input, I would not recommend this mare as a lease or a purchase, she (combined with her trainer) just do not sound like a good match. Look elsewhere and find a well-trained horse. Personally, when I was looking for my first horse, I wasn’t interested in anything under eight years of age, though I recognize that could be a point with some flexibility for the right horse, and depending on what riding you plan to do, as well as your skill level and if you have a trainer to work with.
This sounds like your trainer is EXPECTING you to lease in the spring. And if you don’t? Hard feelings. She may pressure you to do so since she’s been “holding her for you to lease.”
I suggest that you avoid a potential conflict in the spring. Please be very clear with your trainer now. Tell her you do Not plan to lease or buy this mare (if that is the case), and that she should sell or lease her to someone else if possible. Otherwise, she will be unhappy when you find a better match in the meantime, or simply don’t end up leasing/buying this mare.
Well, this decision might be easier if she weren’t so pretty.
she probably hasn’t. although I watched a video of her racing and she was easily the tallest horse in the pack,
Um……this is kind of a scary trait to have in a trainer.
Hmm. Another 
? It’s kind of important to know whether a Thoroughbred has raced or not if you’re considering buying the horse.
OP, you are a really good sport. That’s all I can say!
Thats a HUGE red flag OP. HUGE. Race records are easily found. Anyone who lies for no reason at all, is a run away now type of thing. Especially when it comes to training and selling horses. No reason to hide a horses race record.
Usually a seller will brag about the horse being a slug. I had an H/J friend who worked in the bar at Cal Expo. She watched her horse attempt to run a few times. He’d go out to the front and then stop and wait for the others to catch up. She made inquiries and bought him.
Eek!!! This trainer is a walking red flag, dishonesty is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Definitely agree with the advice to pass on the horse and search for a new trainer
Yikes about the misrepresentation. If she’s comfortable lying about something that takes 3 minutes to look up, what else is she comfortable lying about?
