How much weight...

[Sarah1710]

...could a 12.3hh welsh pony carry comfortably?

[Rosanna]

erm I would say 7.5/8 stone max but obviously not hunting or anything else strenuous. I tend to err on the lighter side though. Depends on the individual horse though, age, fitness, level of scholling etc.

[Vicki&Milo]

I know they are generally a bit hardier but I was riding an exmoor of similar size a while back and I was probably about 8st maybe even a bit more. She carried me quite happily on hour long fast hacks and even managed to find the energy to buck and bolt with me on one occasion, if thats any help
Vicki

[vickie]

providing the horse has reasonable conformation its 25% of their bodyweight and thats for strenuous work :) 20% if they are a youngster or have conformation issues, etc, 28% for light work or if they are 'hunting fit'. so based on that i think prob a bit more than 8 stone :cool: an exmoors carry full grown men out hunting so 8 stone would have been nothing to him/her

[esse]

Is the pony a Sec B or Sec C? The cob type ( sec C) can carry a considerable weight, given that they are of a heavier build and their own weight is greater.

Various websites give a fairly typical weight for a 13 h Welsh pony of Cob type ( sec C) as 350kgs; the pony could therefore be expected to EASILY carry a rider with an all-up weight of 70kg - ie 11 stone including saddle and riding clothes.

I think the greatest difficulty here might be one of height of the rider and build of both pony and rider. For instance, I am 5ft in my stocking feet, so many a 12.3 pony is quite comfortable for me, but I am also fairly broad of beam so if I am given a narrow pony with a child-size saddle, we will both be uncomfortable. It will also not be very comfortable or conducive to good riding if your legs are getting tangled up with the pony's legs!

No healthy mature native ponies - standard Shetlands included - should have difficulties with a rider weighing only 8 stones.

[Sarah1710]

Ok, here's the scenario: I have been offered a 12.3hh welsh mare for loan, the yard is only about 3 miles away and it sounds ideal. Said pony is not getting worked ATM and the owner needs her to be. I am 5'6" and around 11 stone and am worried that I would be too heavy for the pony.

The owner has said that the pony has carried an 11 stone rider before without a problem, but the rider wasn't as tall as me. Would it be fair on the pony to carry someone of my size and weight regularly?

[Vicki&Milo]

I'm assuming this is a sec A or B by the height and to be honest, I would probably say that the pony is a bit on the small side. I'm a similar height to you and find anything under 13.2 feels too small and I feel unbalanced, even without thinking about whether the pony could actually carry the weight.
I think the pony probably could carry you (although as everyones already said it depends on age, fitness etc.), but I'd say that your probably not the best regular combination.
Sorry to be the one to say it, hopefully something really good'll turn out of it
Vicki xx

[Ella2004]

I own a 12.3/13hh welsh b and im 5'1 and weigh about 8 and a half-9stone,she seems to carry me fine and i hunt her sometimes aswell with no problems.My friend has also ridden her a few times and she's 5.7 and about 9 and a half stone and she still bolts and prats around with her!

[flump1967]

I rode a 12.3 cobby type pony for years when I was younger ( from when I was about 15 to when I was 18) and I then weighed 11 stone and was 5ft 8 inches (at least that hasn't changed!) and we did jumping, long hacks and he had no problems. He was the best friend I ever had horse wise and I still miss him. He was quite broad so took up a lot more leg than you might think.

[Pink's lady]

Unless she's really stocky I woun't be happy letting you ride her for more than a few minute. I'm a bit taller but little lighter, and I definitily wouldn't consider it. That and you need to add at least a stone extra for riding stuff.

[Morwenstow Stud]

I'm 5'3" and 7 and a half stone. I ride all my ponies ranging from a stocky 10.2hh section A mare, to a 13hh sec B gelding. I personally wouldn't be happy with anyone over my weight riding my smallest, and I wouldn't let anyone over 8 and a half stone ride my sec B. IMO 11 stone plus tack is too much for a 12.3 pony to have to carry for any length of time, or on a regular basis.

[chev]

12.3hh is not neccessarily a B and is certainly not an A. As stand up to 12hh, Bs and Cs both from 12hh to 13.2hh. A B won't carry as much weight comfortably as a C generally; but that said, I know a farmer weighing 11 stone and getting on for 6' tall who had a 13hh B that he regularly rode on the farm before he got a quad bike. Said pony coped more than happily with that and worked well into his twenties.

But there's a huge difference between a well-built, fit, working B with plenty of bone and girth, and the lighter ponies that don't have the same substance. There are also plenty of lighter-boned Cs around that wouldn't be up to an adult's weight.

There are several things to bear in mind. First is that you are quite tall; so that can make some ponies not used to taller riders feel very unbalanced. The pony is not fit; so any ridden work will be hard - carrying an adult even more so. The saddle needs to fit both of you; that is not always easy to do, especially as it needs to spread your weight over a wide area at the same time as not interfering with the pony's loins or shoulders. Finally, you'd need to look at the pony's build, and way of going. A pony that already moves well and has a good strong topline will cope better than one whose topline is less well developed or who is lighter in build. Conformation like sickle hocks, weak loins, and so on will also have an impact on what they can carry.

If you like the pony but worry about being too big, would it maybe be feasible to teach her to drive instead?

[Sarah1710]

Thanks guys, I have contacted the owner and apparently the pony is a section A.

Anyone else?

[Wings]

I don't think section A ponies go up to 12.3, so maybe there is some misunderstanding here. Anyway, I would think 11 stone is too much for a 12.3 pony, especially if it's a lighter type (which section A suggests). I wouldn't happily put much more than 9 stone on a 12.3 pony, especially if it's going to be a regular thing.

[Kanuma]

I don't think section A ponies go up to 12.3, so maybe there is some misunderstanding here. Anyway, I would think 11 stone is too much for a 12.3 pony, especially if it's a lighter type (which section A suggests). I wouldn't happily put much more than 9 stone on a 12.3 pony, especially if it's going to be a regular thing.

sec A does not indicate light, sec A's are stocky little ponies who will quite happily throw you around if they think they can get away with it! if anything id say a sec A could carry more then your average showpony type B

harvey my 12.2hh 25 year old sec B hapily carries a 5ft 7 rider, but she is only about 9 stone. (in fact he takes great delight in dragging her all over the place!)

[bre-bre]

section a' are upto 11.2 so a 12.3 suggests a section B if im rite :S

[chev]

Height limit for section A is, as I said earlier, 12hh. Not 11.2hh, not 12.3hh. :)

[Sarah1710]

Owner just said that she ia a 12.3hh Welsh sec A show pony type. I'm not sure if she's a cross, or just oversized? Well am going to see the pony tomorrow and will take it from there, see how she goes. Will mainly be sharing a 16.3hh horse now, with maybe the occasional ride on the welsh, depending on how it goes tomorrow.

Thanks for your help everyone.

[Kanuma]

she will be a section b then. as sec A's tend to com in the range of stocky or chunky! and are under 12hh.
a section b comes in the range showpony or stocky and are up to 13.2hh
i dont think a 12.3hh show pony type will be up to the weight. if she was the stocky type then probably.

[Sparkie]

Ponies can carry a lot of weight though, especially stocky pony types such as natives. I ride 11hh ponies regularly, one a stocky Exmoor type and two lighter bred ponies, and they have no trouble carrying me, although I am only 5"2 and 6 stone 8. They still do everything they would do with a normal child though, eg games, horseball, jumping, bucking, bolting etc. I should think a stocky 12.3hh shoudln't have too much trouble, although a lighter bred one may have more difficulty.

[Pink's lady]

Um, sparkie, they might be able to carry you no problem, but we're talking about someone almost double your weight. There's no comparision. Yes, of course many small ponies can carry adults, but only small adults. And 5'6 and 11st+ doesn't count as 'small' ;) Me, being roughly that height and weight will never, sadly, be counted as 'small'.

[Kanuma]

at 6stone 8 sparklie, you weigh less then most 12 yearold kids (who average about 7stone).
i think that about 9-10stone is what your average small female adult weighs and im pretty sure that a fit healthy section A can carry that. a show pony type b probably less then the stocky sec A but a stocky sec B would have no probs with 11 stone

[cvb]

and don't forget that "ready reckoner" includes the saddle etc

so its not the rider who can be up to 11 stone, its the whole kit and caboodle including stirrup irons !

Our Eriskay has a synthetic saddle and light weight stirrups for this reason - but even then I am not riding her (nor telling you my weight !). But her rider is in the 8-9 stone bracket and 5ft4

Even then the pony is just backed and lacks muscle tone and balance so its all slow, quiet, short sessions.

[Pink's lady]

Cvb has a very improtant point. Very few people realsise quite how much extra we weight with riding gear on and with tack.

The avarage rider has an extra 1st to 1.5 stone with JUST clothes, boots and hat! I weight just over 10st first thing in the morning with my PJ's, but my riding weight is almost 11 1/2st! :eek:

The avarage leather saddle weights over a 1.5st (1st for a pony saddle, 2st for a 18" heavy saddle).

Which means a pony carrying an 11st (first thing in the morning) rider is in fact carrying 13 or 14st all told.

[hApPiNeSs]

im 5'8" and around 10 and a half stone (which is within normal weight range - it sounds a lot but im tall)

i ride my 13hh pony and she carrys me fine. welshies are probably less hardy than a exmoor though.

word of warning - if you go for a small pony, you will constantly fret about how much you weigh and be on a constant diet so you can stay thin and ride your pony. you also get people sniping at you.

thats not a reason not to get a pony - but just be aware of it. to some extent it has made mt life with Happy a misery - although we've learnt to ignore it, it even meant i gave up riding with friends and quit my riding school.

im very bitter, you can tell :o

[Sarah1710]

Ok, thanks guys. I am only loaning the 16.3hh tb x id now, so it doesn't matter anyway.