It’s really about what you are comfortable on. If your doing the Big Eq you need to be suited to your horse and it may matter. But other than that - ride what you like.
I am 5’9" my last horse was a giant 18 hands, other horse 17 plus and horse I bought last year is only 16 hands. At first I was concerned thinking I was going to squash him but after jumping him at the last show in the low AA’s he was fabulous! He can jump anything and I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.
I am 5’10, all legs and have a 15’2ish (last year he was 15.2 but I think he might have grown a tiny bit) and a 16h delicate TB. Both have pretty big barrels as neither feels narrow. I love their heights, they are easy to ride and put together, lovely and soft over the ground and in the bridle, and catlike over fences. It is my favorite size and I specifically look for small.
I would love, love, love to find a bargain on a small WB jumper that other people think is too little!
[QUOTE=IrishDeclan;8113455]
My guy is 17.2 but is mostly legs and is not super deep through the girth area. I’m only 5’4" and don’t feel too small on him.
My Mom’s horse is also 17.2 but is absolutely massive everywhere. I find that I have a hard time getting my leg on him. So I think it all depends not so much on the actual height of the horse but instead their build.[/QUOTE]
I agree.
I’m 5’3" with a pretty ordinary slim-to-medium build. I have a very tall, leggy horse I find super easy to ride, and a very broad, short-legged chubster who always makes me feel like my legs were sticking straight out Thellwell style.
I look and feel much better on the tall guy, though I would never in a million years have expected this. (I bought this horse, now almost 18h, as a 4 year old, when he was a perfectly sensible 16.3. So . . . go figure.)
I’m 5’7 with really short legs and my arms are kind of short too lol! I have a 17h big all over TB gelding. I don’t feel small up there but, I do find that it was a different kind of ride with my legs than the smaller horses I have owned in the past. He has a long neck which might have been a problem from my shorter arms if he wasn’t such a kind, soft moving boy. All personal preference I guess.
I’m 5’3 with long legs and ride a 17.0h zweibrücker Warmblood tank who is all muscle and over 1500 lbs. My trainer thinks we’re the perfect fit. He does however have a nice back which places me well. It all depends on the overall horses body shape and your comfort. It only looks silly if youre too small or very young on a large horse.
5’3’’. my horse is 16h.
It totally depends on the build of the horse!
I’m 5’5 with short legs, and I look totally proportional on my mare. She’s a 15.3 Arab with high withers and a round ribcage. She had a long neck that offsets my long torso, which has caused my issues on shorter necked horses.
I’ve ridden everything from a big, fat draft cross to a stocky 12.2 pony. For the record, my legs hit all the right places on the pony, but my upper body looked pretty big.
I am 5’3 … 5’4 if I stretch it. I have a short torso, with a long leg. I prefer 15.3-16hands.
However, I don’t feel uncomfortable on larger horses, but my own horse I like to be able to reach my leg around their barrel.
I am 5’7" but all torso. I like a taller horse with a decent neck so I don’t look so top heavy on them. Current horse is 16.3 but long back/long neck.
My trainer is 5’ on a good day. Her 4yo is 17, but is definitely not done growing yet. Since his ribs haven’t sprung yet, she looks ok, but it won’t be long before she looks like she should be on a leadline with bows in her hair.
I’m 5’2" with a loooong torso and shorter legs. My horse is a smidge under 16.1 but narrow. My other horse is 15.3 but as wide as an elephant. I look smaller on him vs. my taller horse because his barrel is just so. dang. wide.
I am just under 5’6" long legs, short torso. My horse is just shy of 16.3, which is the size I like best.
I have owned or leased horses from 15.2 to 17.3 -depends on their build etc, but 16.2 - 16.3 is usually my “sweet spot” - what takes up my leg best, and feels comfortable.
I am 5’6 with long legs, short torso. My horse is 16.2. We look OK but I wish she had a bigger barrel. I rode a shire once : )
I’m 5’8-9 ish and my horse is 16.2. He has a deep barrel so he suits me perfectly.
I think that most people fit most horses even if they think they look odd. The only think that doesn’t look good is a too-heavy/tall person on a too small horse.
More importantly to me than height is barrel size and neck length.
I agree with everyone that how your leg lays on the horse’s side is affected much more by the horse’s barrel than simply height, and constantly forcing your leg to stay in the right spot creates considerably more work for the rider. Your leg can lay the same on a couch-sized pony and a twiggy 17h beast. The saddle obviously helps with positioning, but any changes the saddle makes between you and the horse’s natural contact points diminish your ultimate “feel” and communication routes. I always liked to mount a prospective horse bareback and see if my leg feel in the right spot. Then, compare in the saddle to see how much your position has changed and whether one felt significantly more comfortable than the other.
Neck length is another thing I always check for; I’m 5’7", but I feel “precariously perched” on any horse whose neck is too short. (Obviously, shorter horses typically have shorter necks.)
Personally, I prefer to see a too-small rider on a too-big horse than the other way around, so that when the rider inevitably finds herself in the wrong position, her relative weight will disturb the horse’s balance less. A horse, in my opinion, should be able to shift his weight and his rider’s when he finds himself in a bad spot–if the rider is too big for the horse to maneuver under, there’s an issue. If the rider is going to fall, don’t wreck the horse with you. My big TB saved my hiney plenty of times when I found myself bounced out of position. My leg fit him great and I never lacked control, but weight-wise I was a fly on his back. It gave me a little breathing room: if I got left behind over a jump, my weight on the saddle was less likely to be detrimental than if I had done the same on a pony. (Of course, that was back when I was a wee-thing in high school!)
It is the size of the horse’s barrel that matters, not their height. I am just under 5 feet and have 2 horses 16.1 and stocky and umm prob 16.3 now and slender…the shorter horse makes my leg look shorter because their barrel is wider than the taller more slenderly built horse.
If the horse is light to ride, and you are comfortable riding him and not getting lugged around, then size is not too important. It is hard to influence a huge horse if you are a teeny little thing if the horse is strong in the mouth, neck or sides.
If you are doing hunters, it sounds as if he might be already light to ride…
^^ This.
I’m 5’7.5" with slightly taller torso and can ride 15.2 to 18hh. I look and feel best on one with a decently long neck. Bigger barrel helps a little on the smaller horses too.
I’m 5’5" with a long torso and short legs (28" inseam). I ride a 15.2 hh 7 year old Drum Horse gelding named Smokey. He’s about the same height as the Quarter Paint I started out on, but I feel like he fits me a lot better. My previous lesson horse wasn’t so barrel-shaped, so he didn’t take up my leg like Smokey does, and I always felt like I had to grip with my knees to stay on. I’m now having to un-learn that with my new trainer.
Me and Smokey (please be kind, I’ve only been riding for two months!)
I am 5’6 with short legs, and event two horses over 17 hands (don’t have exact measurements). It helps that both are pretty slab sided, so I don’t look ridiculous on them, but the rideabilty was an issue at first. I can’t get my legs around them to be super effective. If he’s more slab sided, it could work out for you. If you like the horse, go for it!
I am 5’6" with a petite build. I have a longer torso and long femur, and fit my horse at 16.1 perfectly.
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