Am I too big for this pony?

Question

I dont know how many hands this pony is but the owner says shes between 13 and 14 hands. I have to ride her for my pony club rating. But i dont know if i am too big for her. I am about 150lbs and im 5'3''. I have no other choice and so i will have to ride this pony anyway. I just dont want her to feel sore and put too much weight on her back.

Here are pictures of her.

Annie is on the left

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=5245ee4fb4&attid=0.2&disp=inline&view=att&th=11aca05d0cd6234e

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=5245ee4fb4&attid=0.1&disp=inline&view=att&th=11aca05d0cd6234e

Answer 1

If the pony is fairly stockey you should be ok! after all its about the substance and bone (measurement around the bottom of the knee). If you dont feel way to big on her, and your only on her for a short while then there shouldnt be any problem. If she is realy skinny and slight then it might not be such a good idea, but whoever owns the pony would not have suggested you ride her if they thought you were to big for her!!! im 5'6'' and ride 11hh welsh ponies, so i dont think you'l have much to worry about. good luck in your pony club ratings.

Answer 2

Saddle sore said it all.

The US Calvary came up with the 20% rule, and they used their horses pretty hard.

Answer 3

i rode a pony that was shorter then that pony (for pony club) and i'm 5'6.  i only rode the pony once, but it was fun.

Answer 4

ask people when you are on her

Answer 5

If she is 14 hands and has a solid build (meaning she's older than 4), you should be fine to ride her.  My pony is 14.2 and I am 125lbs.  My husband rides him from time to time and he weighs 180lbs. or so.  My pony doesn't have any trouble carrying him at all.....or me!

If she is 13 hands, you could probably ride her for a short period of time, but I wouldn't recommend anything strenuous like jumping with her.

Why not measure her yourself?  I have come to realize that there are alot of horse people out there who guess at a horse's size, only to be proven very wrong when the horse is actually measured.

Answer 6

depends on the type of pony. i had a mustang that was 14 hh and i was 145lbs 5'5". it was the perfect match.

Answer 7

I guess this is one way for Google to drum up new business, but I'm not signing up to look at your pictures. I rode a 14 hand horse for years weighing 140-150 lbs myself, though a little taller than you. Unless the pony is really thin you should be fine.

Answer 8

Yeah. I think that you should be fine...I am 5'5 and I can ride my minis...i think that you should be fine!!

Answer 9

Well first you can't get into the pictures.. and second I ride welsh Section A's from 11hh to 12.2 all the time at my 5'2" height but I only weigh 112. So I don't really know if the ponys like heafty you should be okay. But if the pony is really skinny and thin you should probably keep the ponys health, comfort, in mind more then getting to ride.. If you really want to ride a pony like that you should lose some weight..

Answer 10

What is the age of the pony and breed?

Answer 11

Your height is fine.  Your weight is probably okay, too but close.  It depends on if she's closer to 13 or 14 hands, body type, etc.

Before your rating, you need to measure her to find out exactly how tall she is.  You don't want any "I don't know" answers when the raters start asking you questions.  It doesn't matter if it's a borrowed horse - it only takes a minute to measure her.  Good luck!

Answer 12

I couldn't see the pictures the computer won't let me. sorry

Answer 13

The maximum weight a horse can safely carry does vary by the breed of the horse and how hard it’s worked. There is no absolute rule about how much weight a horse can carry, but generally speaking the lighter-framed the horse the less he can carry. A well conditioned horse or a stout horse can generally carry more. Some breeds are bred to carry heavier weights like the Quarter Horse, Arabian or Icelandic Pony. Riders with good balance also make weight load less of a problem.

A quick and popular method is to use the 20% rule. You take 20% of your horse’s body weight and the result is the amount of total weight your horse can carry. For example, a 1,000 pound horse should easily carry 200 pounds of rider and tack. The 20% rule typically applies to competitive or otherwise “hard” riding. For pleasure riding, many use a 30% rule, so this 1,000 pound horse could carry 300 pounds for shorter pleasure rides.

So lets see..... a typical pony between 13 and 14 hands would weigh 770lbs (you could use a weight tape to check or do this http://www.cowboyway.com/HowTo/HorseWeig... 20% of 770 is 154lbs so you wont bother her at all!

=) have fun