Thanks to Kimberley Beldam-Saylor of True North Dressage, who shared these photos on an Ultimate dressage forum posting. She kindly agreed to let me repost them here.
A month or so ago I posted an article Am I too big/small for this horse? This is a followup to that post with some fab photos illustrating an important point about matching the horse and rider. Rider height is not the only part of the equation when you try to find a "right-sized" horse. Kimberly is 5'8" tall and she is the rider in all of these pictures -- in the same saddle and using the same stirrup length. Comments for each photo are from Kimberly. Let's take a look..
This is a 15.3H eleven year old Cheval Canadien gelding showing 3rd/4th level.
This wide-barreled type horse holds a riders leg well.
This is a 14.3H QH mare. She doesn't appear super wide bodied when you look at her,
but as you can see from the photos she really eats up a riders leg.
but as you can see from the photos she really eats up a riders leg.
This TB gelding is very lean and measures around 16.3 or 17hh.
Kimberly says: " I think people need to focus more on how they "fit" with the horse and stop worrying so much about height! I had the same preconception about horse size before getting the ride (and later co-ownership) on Patriote [the first horse], figured I just didn't fit on anything under 16hh. But clearly that's untrue! I don't think I look too big on Sugar [the second horse] at all, and she's well under my preselected height. " :)
Thanks Kimberly for sharing this!
.jpg)
Thanks for this! As a 5'10" rider on a big-boned 14 hand mule, I appreciate the difference that a sturdily-built animal can make. I look ridiculous and gangly on some 16.1 hand thoroughbreds, but Fenway Bartholomule carries me as well as can be expected!
ReplyDeleteI'm 5'1" with a 16.3 (or taller) OTTB. I definitely was aware of size issues when I got him. I didn't want a horse over 17 hands, because I figured even if the horse was narrow enough so my legs weren't overwhelmed, I'd still have trouble moving enough to sit the trot on a taller horse. Fortunately, the love of my life is a leggy boy and not too huge for me! This is not the most flattering photo of either of us during our trial period, but it gives an idea of how long my legs are on him. (Well, they're longer now - my stirrup length has gotten longer since then!)
ReplyDeletehttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4449659470_a934182b41.jpg
You look great on him!
DeleteYou look great on him!
DeleteGreat photo, Net! You look well matched.
ReplyDeleteYep. My horse is 14.2 and I am 5'5". He has a large barrel! I have really long legs. There are plenty of pictures at my blog but you guys can be the judge :)
ReplyDeleteI'm 5'8", give or take about half an inch. My mare is 16 hands and a bit leggy. Here's a picture of us from last fall:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31602000&l=e2362686f7&id=52303694
Frankly, I think we fit together pretty well. I wouldn't want her much bigger or smaller.
I have to agree. It's how you fit on the horse and how you feel. My horses range in size from nearly 17.0 down to 15.3 and I feel fine on all of them. I've stopped worrying about it as long as I feel as if I fit.
ReplyDeleteGolden the Pony Girl
ReplyDeleteYou fit your Haflinger very nicely.
Check out Wendy Stephens and this wonderful Section B Welsh pony stallion:
http://tinyurl.com/27t8t8d
He wins in all disciplines. I think he is 12.2
I was just discussing this today with a friend of mine!
ReplyDeleteMy horse is measuring about 16.1 (hes a 3 yr old)and he just began under saddle training this week. His trainer is a petite woman and she looks good on him! I am 5'8 and worry that I will look huge on him. He is a fairly substantial horse, but its a lot of leg height and not barrel. I'm hoping that as he continues to develop, this will change and I will look better on him.
I think large horses are highly overrated--they have wonderful gaits but are more prone to injury than sturdy, smaller horses. I definitely agree with the length of leg to width of barrel match. I'm a long-legged, 5'5" and ridden everything from a pony to a nearly 18-hand horse. I've found that narrow, taller horses are less of a match for me than shorter horses that can fill up my legs. When I was last hunting for a dressage horse, I looked at an adorable, purebred Arab that was 15.3, but that when you looked at the video, you could see my legs dangling on each side. I didn't select him for that reason, but later learned that Arabs fill out later in life (he was only 4 at the time.) Anyway, I finally settled on my 16.3 hand Rheinlander gelding who is a perfect leg width (and also has great feet!), but I've ridden 15 hand quarter horses who are also fill up my legs.
ReplyDeleteI'm 5'5"-ish and I ride a 12 hand pony, all the way up to an 18 hand draft. I don't care that I "look" silly on either of them, I still have fun riding both!
ReplyDeleteI'm 5'9" and ride a 15hh horse. I know Stacey has already seen pics, but since everyone is sharing:
ReplyDeletehttp://picasaweb.google.com/snowangel.snowangel/Slideshow#5366461653151453874
I think we look ok together. A little mismatched but we work well together.
I agree that it's all about how you match, not what the height measurement is. I've ridden tubby ponies and now own a 16.3hh TB mare. She's not wide so she needed that height to make us look good (I'm 5'7" but very long-legged). I think that when she fills out more as she gets older, we'll look even better matched.
ReplyDeleteI found an interesting formula for "what size horse is right for you":
ReplyDeleteHow does one determine the proper size horse for him/herself? Here is a formula with example:
Add up the total weight of the horse, rider, and tack. Our example: Horse + rider + tack= 1188 pounds
Measure the circumference of the cannon bone midway between the knee and fetlock. Our example: 7.5 inches
Divide the total weight by the circumference. Our example: 1188 / 7.5 = 158.4
Divide the result by two. Our example: 158.4 / 2 = 79.2
Values below 75 are great! Values from 75-80 are acceptable. Values over 80 indicate weaker legs and a need to train carefully, especially downhill. At this level a rider needs a horse with more substance. http://www.horseprotection.org/id51.html
Also I think that size does matter...in that taller horses do not necessarily have denser bones. Maybe you already did a blog on bone density, if not could be enlightening. Aesthetics aside, it's really the horses conformation that is important...don't you think?
Like you, Stacy, I am a tall girl. I always feel like I look like a fool on horses. I was showing my trainer's OTTB gelding who was the "grayhound" type. He was 16.3. We looked good together, but he was really narrow. My girl is 16.1 and change, but built like a truck (didn't race for crap, but jumps nicely! :) ). We look better together than my trainer's horse and I did.
ReplyDeleteLucy'sMom- your comment on lameness issues isn't necessarily true. My jumper mare was 14.3 on a tall day and had lameness issues. My 16.1 OTTB mare is o-okay-fine and raced for 3 years. Size isn't as much of a factor as training, conformation and breeding.
Those are great pics! I have often fell into that trap since I am 5'2". I shy away from huge horses for the most part. I think though for me I've found barrell is the indicator, nothing else. I recently worked extensively with a 17.1 hand Irish mare who had a nice, lean barrell and I had absolutely no problem. My horse is 16.1 and also has a reasonable midsection, he fits me like a glove. However, I rode a 15.2 hand Oldenburg mare last month and while I looked the most 'proportional' on her, I felt like I couldnt get a grip because of her very wide back and rolly poly barrell, go figure :P
ReplyDeleteWhen I picked up my most recent horse to foster for CANTER I thought he was way too small for me. It wasn't until I sat on him that I discovered he fit me just fine! He's about 16.1 and I'm nearly 6' tall.
ReplyDeleteI'm 6 ft tall and very long from hip to knee. Last year I competed in Eventing on a 15.1 hand Akhal-Teke gelding who is as narrow as a fence. The only time my feet didn't hang below his belly was when we were going cross-country! Despite the fact that most people my height wouldn't dream of riding a horse under 16 hands, I never felt big on him. He moves like a big horse and jumps like a cat. Everywhere we went I got comments on how nice we were as a pair. Check out photos:
ReplyDeletehttp://eventingakhaltekes.blogspot.com/
If you're in harmony with your horse, I don't think the height of the horse and/or rider really matters. Although I have seen riders who looked much too big for their horses, it's usually the body type of the rider, or the quality of riding, that creates the problem. And I have seen MANY more small riders on horses WAY TOO BIG for them (especially in eventing. . .these riders get in trouble on cross-country when they are like tiny fleas on their horse's backs), then I have the other way around.
I really appreciate this post. I am 5'1", and back in the day, when I worked at a dressage training facility, I'd get on a lot of horses, most of whom were very big animals. And you know who fit me worst of all? Our round barreled Belgian Warmblood who stood all of 15.3 hands. My short little femurs just did not work on that horse. It was positively Thelwellian. My best fit was on a 17.2 hand, slab-sided Irish TB cross. After working there, I decided height just wasn't the key issue. It's the shape of the horse's barrel and how well that works with your own conformation. That said, both of my mares are under 15.3. Fit is the key issue, but it's also nice not having to use a foot stool all the time! :D
ReplyDeleteHmmm reading this I assume my nine year old really could not ride one of those tiny miniature ponies? LOL she has tried for YEARS to tell me it would be "ok".
ReplyDeleteFound you on Tribal blogs.. you are incredibly knowledgeable! What a great blog.
AKHAL EVENTER makes the most important point of all - it's the quality of the riding. That's why I offered the link to the Welsh pony in a previous comment. The lady who trains & rides this pony in competition is quite normal in size. The pony is strong and beautifully trained and it never occurs to the observer that there is anything out of proportion because they accomplish whatever they do beautifully.
ReplyDeleteI am 5'1" and own an 18.1-hand Han/TB gelding. Everyone seems to think I bought him because I wanted a "big jumping horse." Well, he was 17 hands when I got him at 3 yrs old, but to be honest, I didn't care about his height. I fell in love with him for his personality. He's got "slab" sides which help with my short legs, but yes, I do have a little trouble absorbing all his motion when I sit the trot, but it's getting better all the time. I do wish people would stop worrying about how tall a horse is--a rider should fit with their horse, yes, but suddenly it's become a trend to buy tall horses just because they're tall.
ReplyDeletehello my name is shirley i wanted to know if anybody knew of people got hurt but need somebody to watch them ride or they can t ride at all is there a website.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting blog post! I agree completely. I am 5'1" with a proportionally longer torso than legs, so I prefer a horse that does not make me feel like only my feet reach past the saddle. I experienced this effect on a 15.2 Percheron cross. He was positively table-backed. Bystanders would tell me that my stirrups were way too short, but it made no difference if I dropped them. It would have been more comfortable to ride him sitting cross-legged, and I would not have sacrificed much leg!
ReplyDeleteThankfully my 15.1 QH has a lean, TB-type build, which feels very comfortable to me. In the past, I enjoyed riding a 16.1 Appendix QH and a 16.2 TB/Hanoverian; both were svelte rather than burly. Barrel shape makes a huge difference. As an aside, I know that many people like the tall ones, but I really appreciate small and handy.