[QUOTE=equisusan;8113553]
I’m 5’10" and I have two 16.2H mares with round barrels and a 17.1H gelding with slab-sides. They all ride about the same size but I fell off the big guy and it was a long long way down. Ouch!![/QUOTE]
Funny you say this. The only two falls where I’ve ever gotten hurt were off a medium pony (I was grown at the time) and a 15 hand QH. Apparently I can somewhat compose myself when I have longer to fall! :lol:
I’m 5’7" with pretty short legs and ride an 18.1 hand horse. He has pretty short legs too 
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq170/Leedlpuff/IMG_5058.png
I am 5’5’ and he is 17.2. There were two different heights in his sale ads posted different places, 16.3 and 17.2. I assumed he was probably the shorter of the two heights but I was wrong. We were there so I rode him and he does not “feel big.” I would take a light in the mouth mammoth over a shortie who pulls on me (shoulder issues) all day.
The simple answer is: there really isn’t anything that is too tall. I hate this question because I’m 5’1’’ and grew up hearing all about horses that were too big for me. The bottom line is if you love the horse, go for it. My first fall as a child wasn’t off of the gentle thoroughbred that was “too big for me” but off of the little pony that had a stop!
Personality counts much more towards suitability than size (the obvious exceptions being if you need a horse for a division restricted by horse height, or in higher levels of the equitation where visual suitability might count for more.)
I liked being on a 17.1h horse when I started doing the 3’6’’ because she was big and bold and made the height feel easy. It wasn’t even her height, just her personality. I would have struggled much more on a 16h horse I had to really push to a fence. Of course a lot depends on build too - a fat stocky 15h QH might actually take up more leg than a slabsided 17h tb.
Coin goes both ways too, of course. I know many a tall person whose mount of choice is under 16h!
Just to ad to the photos…both are warmbloods, the bay is probably a very wide 16.3 and the chestnut is 17.1.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/p180x540/11060841_369000339965273_480898885411323875_n.jpg?oh=d6039008e5759a47629a4f9b778df379&oe=55E20753&gda=1440442042_ae51ae1c398add6581f9e3d7d42d654f
5’6" and I ride a 14.2hh arabian and a not quite 16th TB. The TB is more comfortable because he is bigger through his barrel so my lower legs are supported by his sides. I have ridden horses up to 18.2 and I only felt ridiculous on an 18hh Irish mare who was SO long, it was like steering a semI around a jump course.
I’m 5’5" and I’ve ridden everything from 13hh ponies (slightly uncomfortably small) to an 18.2 draft cross (doing splits). My TB mare is 15.2 and absolutely perfect for me, but I can be comfortable on anything from 14hh to 17hh+ depending on the horse’s build.
I am 5’3" and my horse is 15.3. I have a fairy long torso and short legs, but my leg geometry is goofy- I have a very long femur and next to no calf! So, I ride quite short. My horse has a big barrel and deep heart girth, so he takes up my legs and then some. But we’re a good match, size wise.
I prefer small horses. I like the ride on catty little TBs and athletic pony types. I can and have ridden large horses, but feel at best on something small and quick. I did ride a big, loooooong WB cross years ago. I adored him, but he was a tough ride for me because there was so much horse to engage! It boils down to if you like riding the big horse or not. That’s all that matters.
What are you planning on doing with the horse? There are some show divisions, like Hunters and Equitation, where suitability comes into play and that can mean size compatability.
Otherwise, buy what you feel comfortable on. I’m 5’4", long torso, short legs, and was most comfortable 15.2-16-2. Don’t mind riding anything 17h+ but they are difficult for me to easily get on and off, even with a block, when they get to 17.2 or higher…I am no longer young and spry.
And, yeah, if you are getting height off and ad and have yet to see the horse? Don’t rule him out until you actually see him in person, most heights listed in ads are guesstimates at best, exaggeration at worst. Unless he’s been properly measured with a stick, it’s a crapshoot what it actually stands.
As other people said, it depends not only the horse’s build, but also their athleticism. I’m 5’3, and I’ve felt perfectly comfortable on many 17.1+ horses but felt like a flea on the back of others. For me, it gets tough when a 17.1+ horse tends to get on their forehand – otherwise, it’s all good.
I will say, after growing up riding 16.3 and bigger horses, I now have a mare who is about 15.3 on a tall day, and it’s so NICE to ride something very size appropriate!
FWIW- I’m 5’8" with pretty long legs. My personal horse is a WIDE built like a tank 16.1 h and fits me perfectly. Lease dude is about 17.1 h and a little narrower around the shoulder. My legs almost look too long on him (in my opinion). I like a horse that is about 16.3 or taller in my opinion, but I have long legs and ride hunters/jumpers.
That being said, I’ve schooled/catch ridden ponies, and that was TERRIFYING. Always though my heels were going to knock rails (all in my head). :lol:
Agree with all the people who say it depends. On the horse’s build and your comfort with their size. Have you ridden him?
I’m 5’11" and my mare is 15.3 but she’s powerfully built so I don’t look big on her at all. The horse I had before her was 17 hands and after a long trail ride in a jump saddle and being the youngest I got down and opened all the gates…I swore I would go smaller from then on 
Yep, it all depends on…well, all sorts of things! Your comfort level, how the horse moves, how it is built, what you are doing, your own conformation, the horse’s conformation- everything!
I had a gigantasaurus baby horse (he was just getting past 17.1hh when he turned 5) who was relatively short-coupled and I felt fine on him. I looked stupid on him, but he just didn’t ride big to me: http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a298/sproutsie/MeandW.jpg
I am just under 5’5" with long thighs, no torso, and a small build.
My two horses now are 16.3hh: http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a298/sproutsie/Me%20and%20H_zpsviq1iqwh.jpg and 16.1hh: http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a298/sproutsie/Steve%20Fancy%20Trot_zpsoxrvg8gu.jpg
They are built entirely differently, but I am comfortable on both. I prefer to have a good bit of neck in front of me, so I feel weird on ponies and horses with short necks and not much shoulder, regardless of the height.
I’m 5’2" with fairly long legs…my gelding is a solid 17.3. He has a pretty round barrel (for a TB) so I think we look ok with each other (hunter judges place us well in suitability classes, for what it’s worth). Whenever I hop on my trainer’s 18 hh WB/propane tank cross, I feel like my legs stick straight out to the side and I have zero contact with his sides.
I say if you like this horse and feel like you can communicate with each other, go for it!!!
[QUOTE=supershorty628;8113316]
I think it depends on how the horse is built. If he has a big barrel, you might feel small.
My mare is just under 16 hands, and I look small on her because she’s built like a tank and I’m a midget (I might be 5’1" if I stand on my toes). I make her look big… until you see her next to other horses.[/QUOTE]
This. Is the horse super wide, so you look like a kid on a huge horse, or is it regular or narrow so your legs reach an appropriate spot?
I am right around 5’5" with short legs. One of my mares is 15.2 and 1/2h with a round barrel. My other mare is just under 15.2h but more slab sided. Prior to these two I had several 16h horses and one 15h horse. The 15h horse was a great fit for me. Both of the 16h horses were a bit too big because they had round barrels and I have short legs. I agree with the other poster that mentioned taking a video of you riding the horse so you can see what you look like on the horse. For me though it all boils down to feeling comfortable and balanced.
I’m 5’4"-5’5"ish and I ride a stocky 15.2 horse. I have short legs and a longer torso.
I think the barrel is hugely important but the overall build and carriage of the horse matter too. I’m 6’ tall and both legs and torso are tall.
I have a 16.3 gelding and for me we just about fit. Ideally his neck would be a little longer and his carriage a little higher. I find that a shorter torso-ed person looks fine on a horse with lower natural carriage. I rode a little 15.3 guy the other day who’s naturally more up, and I didn’t feel or look too bad. It made me smile though how easily I could pet his cheeks from the saddle. 
I’m a hair under 5’9 and have regularly ridden 13.1 hand ponies to 17.1 hand warmbloods. My legs aren’t exceptionally long, but I do have a pretty long torso so I worry that my head hovers too high over their bodies:
13.1 pony (yes I know not wearing a helmet is bad… I was 21 and bullet proof): https://scontent-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/1929581_590254358420_6996_n.jpg?oh=df4ce09af6649b43414b3901a87017ac&oe=55DFF8A5
My current BIG BARRELED 15.2 trail/sometimes show horse: https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/76178_10100145586061210_7339527_n.jpg?oh=63eb4e575243ed1b552a72ac352237d4&oe=55A77B73&gda=1436032184_206c62bb2b37aaee4f35e15b184a4fa9
My current 16.2 show horse who is fairly normally built: https://scontent-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10614192_10103545625460000_336188959485226963_n.jpg?oh=66aeb1424c19279d22ddb118a3302322&oe=55D50674
Leg to barrel I think I look best on the 15.2 guy, but torso to overall appearance, I think I look best on my 16.2 mare.
How he’s built will say more about how you fit proportionately… but really… if you’re comfortable riding him and can do so safely then go for it. I’m 5’6" and I’ve never had a horse under 16h. Most have been 17h+.
thanks so much to everyone. he is a quarter horse, used mainly for hunters outside of the big rings. he is what I would call more narrow than wide, but has a pretty good sized barrel. & I have tried him and love him. thank you all for your opinions on Charlie and I.
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