Am I wrong????

[jessiepuppy]

Hi everyone,
kindof of new one on here- but it looks like so much fun,lol.

Would like some advce please, I am returning to horse ownership after a break of a few years to have a baby (having lessons at rs ATM) and really want to buy a pony.I am 5'10 and weigh about 12/13 stone-thought a chunky 14.2 ish dales/welsh d would be good but I am being put off by people telling me it would be too small/I would be too heavy.

I love ponies, much more charecter then horses and dont feel too safe on 17 handers again yet( have grown up and found out I am mortal,lol) .

Would I be too tall and too heavy?

[domane]

Hi JP and welcome. There are many of us on here who have returned to riding after a long break (mine was 21 years!). You will find a lot of us lurking in the Matures section.... :D

To answer your question....
Would I be too tall and too heavy?
The answer would be no and no. Natives are good weight-carriers. My 6'1" hubby rides my 15hh irish cob and he doesn't look too big for her, so 5'10" on 14.2 would be fine. It's all about confidence and if you are happy then your little horse will be too.... :)

[happy highlande]

Look on photobucket (google it) and find an album called Mulletsmum. Pony is 14 hh, my duaghter and I are 5'7" . We have no problems at all - he can cope with me+ a sledge in the snow!!!!

Also look in highland Pony enthusiasts album (again google it) - loads of 14.2 and under ponies there being ridden by all shapes and sizes - and all having fun

Go for it - ponies for ever!!!

[Dee101]

hi,i am new to this message board.I have just go back to riding for so many years.I am 24 and I am under 5 foot.Its nice riding small horses.

Dee101

[Kanuma]

nope never to small, my 14hh connie would carry you with ease, he has had a 6ft rugbyplayer on him before who weighed in the region of 16 stone and my connie didnt even blink at it, welshies are generaly stockier and capable of takeing more weight then a connemara. ive seen welshies Hunt all day with full grown men onboard so there is no way on earth one cant take your weight!
this is me on my connemara. admittedly im shorter and lighter then you but he has had alot heavier on him. as you can see he has no problem carting me and even takeing off with me!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v442/kanuma/stan/stancantermM.jpg

[holiday]

You should be fine, id go with the welsh cob type but all the natives should have no problems doing the job you want to do

[jessiepuppy]

Thankyou for your kind words everyone-its been a much needed confidence boost!:D
After a 3 (nearly 4) year break from horses my confidence is on the floor,I know the ability is still there but for some reason find it hard to trust myself.I stopped growing at 16 and was always riding 14HH then-but everyone has a problem with adults on ponies:confused:

TBH, thats half the reason I want a pony- they are just so much fun!
Im not good enough( and never will be) towin any big shows and want a fun friend to get my confidence back with, hacking maybe the odd local show.


Will ignore anyone telling me I am too tall and too heavy for a pony-they all think I am regressing to childhood so maybe a :p will be enough of an answer for them!;)

[Kanuma]

great thging about M&M's is there is no age limit on the class and it is perfectly normal to see adults rideing welsh section A's at county shows and actualy quite rare to see a child in an M&M large at a county show!

[Megpeg]

Hello there,
I've just posted a reply to something similar in another thread but I think it applies to you too (so a part of this is copied and pasted).
(I'm new at this, please bare with me :0)

I'm also tall (5ft 9) with very long legs (36").
I've found that (after weight obviously) it's more about proportions than height.
I always assumed that if I wanted to ride ponies I'd have to choose the heavier breeds. My thinking was that (from a purely aesthetic point of view) the chunkier types would have larger girths and thus would "take up" my long leg length.
But I've found that this isn't always the case.
When I went to see Minnie with a view to buying her, I knew she was 14.1hh and connemara x arab. I was really worried when I saw her. To look at she's a lightweight pure and simple (about as lightweight as they come). So I was shocked when I rode her and caught sight of our reflection in the school mirror. . .if anything, I looked a bit on the small side for her!
Despite her lightweight appearance, she has a deceptively wide girth and chest (that makes her sound weird and out of proportion, like a hippo on matchsticks lol, but I promise you she isn't).
I've had her for 8 years and in that time have "tried out" this proportions theory with other horses and ponies. It's utterly bizarre - I've found that I can look miles too big for a cobby 16.2hh irish draught, but then look too small on a lightweight 14.2hh TB - it really seems to depend on the individual horse/pony.
Obviously, chunkier breeds are usually more suitable (from both a weight bearing and vanity perspective) and I'm a BBBIIIIIIIIIGGGG fan of all the heavier breeds, but I've been really surprised by how many lightweight ponies I'd originally dismissed, only to find they were the perfect size!

Best wishes
xxx

[NoviceNic]

Would a hint of Welsh D be a good idea? As I returned to owning I was warned that Welsh D's had a bit of fizz in them so steered clear. We have a Welsh x with D in her at our yard. She can be fizzy and also very intellegent. This can be a positive or a negative. Depending on the rider/bond. If she knows you are nervous she can be a good confidence giver but if she doesnt like you she will dump you at the quickest opportunity. She also knows if you are nervous handling her and can play silly b*ggers and dance around just to make you more nervous. Pins her ears back when you go into the stable and generally quite bolshy. I am not the most confident of riders or handlers and she is a very good with me when I ride her and handle her. My friend who owns her is far more confident on the ground than me but the pony has reduced her to trembling knees some days.:(

[Holly B]

I think you get horses that are fizzy/lazy/stubborn etc. in every breed... true, some breeds tend towards a particular trait e.g. Thoroughbreds are often fizzy, but I think all breeds have a wide range of personalities in them so its best not to write off a particular breed a put them all under one category. I have a Welsh D X, for instance, and she isn't in the least bit fizzy. Strong, stubborn and bolshy yes :rolleyes: ... but not fizzy. I'm sure plenty are prone to fizziness, while there will also be some totally bombproof ones who are excellent for beginners. :)
So, what I'm basically trying to say is judge a pony by its personality rather than its breed. :D Oh, and just to back up what everyone else has said, a stocky Welsh D/Dales/Highland will carry you just fine!

[NoviceNic]

Oh yes I agree there are some negatives points in most breeds. Maybe I shouldnt of given the impression to write certain breeds off.:o But I do worry as most new owners end up with so many difficult problems that they cant cope with. Me being one of those who was advised to buy a green arab x tb for my first horse. I thougt I was onto a winner because her personality was so placid and laid back. Loving and kind. But after 9 months of hell she just turned into the horse from hell. All my fault, she was a lovely horse just far too needy in comparison to what I could offer her. :(

[Afellpony]

Hi there. You could also consider a Dales pony as well. They're weight carriers too.
Good luck with your search for a pony.

[LouHarvey]

But I do worry as most new owners end up with so many difficult problems that they cant cope with.

My first horse, who I still have and adore, is Harvey - a Section D cross. Like you, I was told that D's had a bit of fizz in them, and having broken in a couple of baby Ds, I thought this was the case. I was warned off of buying Harvey (none of my Horsey People thought I should shell out my hard-earned cash on something hairy and a bit on the fat side), but a haircut and some decent exercise and management later, I have a very nice County Standard Show Cob. Now, as far as personality goes.. Harvey is forward going, intelligent and loving but hasn't got a nasty or stubborn bone in his body. He dotes on the people around him, has been ridden by everyone from a two-year old (on his own, in an arena) to my 50 year old father (who suffers from rhematoid arthritis, and had never sat on a horse before). Father now happily hacks Harvey out around the lanes by himself, and the pair of them are happy. Harv is fantastic in every situation we have put him in (including having three slightly tipsy teenage girls cantering him around his field in a headcollar and leadrope, at the same time) and he is yet to put a foot wrong with us. He is about to be broken to drive, and all involved are very excited about his future career as a driving horse.

Anyway, point being - it's not always good to listen to advice. And some breeds are more 'fiery' than others, but I don't think you can go wrong with a good cob. I now have two of the lovliest, soppiest, most straightforward, forward going, adorable cobs you could ever wish to meet. Granted, Luc doesn't have any D in him, but Harvey is definatley a testement to the fact that not all D's are naughty!

So, JessiePuppy, the only way to really find out if a D is for you is to go and try one! You never know, you might have the next Harvey near you! Best of luck! :D :D :D :rolleyes:

[jessiepuppy]

Anyway, point being - it's not always good to listen to advice. And some breeds are more 'fiery' than others, but I don't think you can go wrong with a good cob. I now have two of the lovliest, soppiest, most straightforward, forward going, adorable cobs you could ever wish to meet. Granted, Luc doesn't have any D in him, but Harvey is definatley a testement to the fact that not all D's are naughty!

So, JessiePuppy, the only way to really find out if a D is for you is to go and try one! You never know, you might have the next Harvey near you! Best of luck! :D :D :D :rolleyes:

All horses and ponies are different,have known TBs stright off the track that were a joy to handle and ride and cob types that were a nightmare- I think as long as you are honest about what you need from the horse you will find the right one!

Im not hung up and breeds though, I like Ds but if the right horse came along and wasnt a D I would snap it up.Personality is always more important to me then breeding.