When I was young, I hated being tall. It was annoying to see the cute clothes in the petite section, and demeaning to find petite dept. garment in my size and see that it was no longer cute (Hey, why are the pockets so far apart???).
I like being tall now, but it does limit my options as a rider--my potential mounts start at 16.2 and up. This video brings a little bit of my height hatred back, but mostly it makes me laugh. Too. adorable. I'll take one in every color, please!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Lilliputian dressage: I'll take several of those
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I now feel completely free to go back to riding my 13hh+ haflinger cross... (I'm 5'6".) Thanks for the confirmation. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly new to your blog and haven't seen you mention your height before, how tall are you? I'm 6'1 so I feel you pain. I'm going to try out a horse I could never afford next weekend just so I can see what I look like on a 17 hand horse!
ReplyDeleteThe Shetland moves beautifully, even though he is comical to watch. So cute. I guess you really have to ride with your seat, since your leg is light-years away from the horse. ;)
ReplyDeleteBeing vertically-challenged has its advantages, but extra leg is not one of them. I find the width of the horse's back and the length of the saddle flap to be particularly challenging. I would love to have long, elegant legs that drape around the horse...next lifetime I guess!
It's not a joy ride being shorter. You try jumping 3'3" on a Shetland and see how it feels!
ReplyDeleteEldest is very much in your boat, though. At 5'10" she has to ride the tall or big-barrelled horses at the stable. Fortunately, she part-leases a 16'2" quarterback who fits her well.
That's soooo cute! It looks a bit awkward at first, but then after a while it doesn't look too terrible. Really, the fact they both look great makes up for a lot of the height issues!
ReplyDeleteI'm 5 10" with 36-37" inseam. On Riley my legs hang down below his sides, but he has a nice ribcage anda long neck so it feels pretty good...
ReplyDeleteI know several ladies riding upper levels who are over 5'11" -- they seem to always find beautiful big horses.
Cute. It's nice to see a pony with a good attitude.
ReplyDeleteMy Chance is about 15.3 and Tucker is nearly 17.0, so my Boys run the gamut. Yet I fit Chance just fine because he has so much body.
You look great on Riley, so I think you have a good match. As much fun as that pony would be, I think you have the better ride. Enjoy your big boy and ride with a smile.
OMG
ReplyDeleteWANT!!
I know, I'm way, way too tall to ever ride such an adorable little thing, but that has to be the cutest pony I have ever seen.
I want one! Sooo cute. I could never ride it, but I could give kids lessons on one... I just want to stick him in my pocket.
ReplyDeleteI laughed so hard watching this! That pony is so FREAKING cute though. My jaw dropped when I saw him extending and sidepassing and CANTERING! How does he carry her? i've sat on my shetland/mini cross once, and she can hold me, but can't really walk. Still, so cute.
ReplyDeleteAs for the tall thing, I am 5'9 but my legs are miles long so I look awkward on almost anything. my horse is 16.3 almost and he looks like a pony under me. i realized I needed a bigger after I would take fences out with my feet on my 15h horse!
I'm just blown away by this awesome pony! What a talented little thing!
ReplyDeleteI'm Dutch and I first saw this combination a couple of years ago. It's adorable, and they prove shetland ponies can be more than just a lawn mower with fur. :D
ReplyDeleteI'm 1.67m and regularly ride a 1.44m pony, but that's nowhere near this :P
If you liked this you'll LOVE Tanya Larrigan's Mini Marvels display team of long reined minatures doing formation dressage www.theminimarvels.com
ReplyDeleteI saw them at an event a couple of years ago and they were fab :-)
Love that pony!!! I'm a whopping 5'0" - so I was always jealous of taller people (still am, a bit lol)
ReplyDeleteThe first horse I rode when I started back riding a few years ago was a friend's 16.3hh TB - not a good match. I looked like a little kid. My current horse is 15.1 and still a bit big. Next time around I'll be looking for a large pony...
One thing to keep in mind is that the rider has very good balance. You can really feel it when your center of gravity is way above. Your first inclination is to tilt to try and balance. So, hats of to the rider also.
ReplyDeletei agree with Val--I ride mostly equitation and would kill to look like the 5'9 glamazons on a horse! It takes a lot of work to get my short legs around your average 17+hh eq horse.
ReplyDeleteHow cute is that! Almost as cute as the shetland grand national.
ReplyDeleteI love these videos that show how well different sizes go together. You just need to find the right fit.
I am 5'8". At one time, I had a 16H TB and a 11.5H welsh cob and both fit me fine, and they both used the same saddle! :-)
Shetlands are amazing. All ponies are wonderful, but shetlands are on their own special pinnacle. That video pony reminds me of the Little Black Demon that was our childhood pony. He had fantastic conformation. Maybe my mother had dreams of pony dressage because I still have his itsy bitsy curb and bradoon.
I'm 5'5" and have an array of horses to ride ranging from 14.1 to nearly 17 hands. I usually shorten my stirrups a hole or two on the little guy to keep my legs a respectable distance from his barrel. Dressage riders like to have proportionately bigger mounts, but I've watched endurance rides where the rider's legs are dangling a foot or two from the ground. Yes, balance is critical on a smaller horse, really easy to go fetal.
ReplyDeleteAww, pony! I totally feel your pain. At 5'9, anything under 16 is generally too small for me. That said, I do still ride my 14.1h pony on occasion ;)
ReplyDeleteI've seen tall riders work really well with 15H horses, and I've seen tall riders look silly on 17H horses. It really just depends on the horse/rider combination, not the height. For instance, I'm the shortest adult rider at my barn (5'2") and my horse is 18.1H. Granted he wasn't *supposed* to get that tall (he just never stopped growing), and yes, I do have a hard time absorbing his movement with my short abdomen, but we work because of our combination. I used to get a lot of crap about our height differences, but people know better now.
ReplyDeleteFinding well-fitting saddles, half-chaps, and tall boots is downright infuriating, though.
For all of you lusting after beautifully moving small equine, get thee to the VSE and Small Pony divisions of Combined Driving Events -- especially Driven Dressage. Many small ponies and VSEs (Very small Equine, or mini) do a fabulous job in driven dressage -- especially the ASPC (American Shetland) and long-legged B-size miniatures.
ReplyDeleteCheck out YouTube for some great examples.
This is an incredibly enjoyable way to enjoy those cute ponies AND a good way to keep an outgrown family pony from being just a pasture ornament.