Right Size for Horse

[gar-dog]

OK, so I am at the stage where I surf the internet looking at horses for sale and daydreaming.

I am 6'1" and 220lbs (poor horse). What is a size range for a horse that would be good for me - is it driven by height of horse or weight or any other factors?

Many of the horse classifieds sites have an advance search function and one of the fields is "discipline" - what are the ones I would select? Trail? Pleasure? Field Hunter? etc.

I am just trying to see whats out there, not that I am anywhere close to buying... just an armchair shopper for right now. I have been selecting minimum age of 10 years and minimum height of 16 hands for right now.

Thanks,
Gary

[Karen]

I've heard that the horse can be expected to carry 20% of their body weight (including tack), so a 1000 lb horse can be expected to carry 200 lbs. If the horse has nice bone and a short back, they can carry a bit more also.

[gar-dog]

So by the time I consider boots, clothes, gear, saddle, etc I am probably offer a horse a 250lb load, so I would need at least a 1250 lb horse. Or maybe I could be the naked bareback trialer with only a blank pistol Would that effect placement?

[Karen]

hehe!!! Depends on the judges!

You'd be fine on an average size horse (15.1h or so) as long as it has good bone. You don't want a real light boned horse, they're just not suited to carry as much or work all day.

[tenbearsviz]

Start with a trail horse... Avoid barrel racer retreads. For a new horse owner you want something used to having a calm job.

At 6'1", (18/1 hands) you will need something strong enough to handle your higher center of gravity. Lots of big boned stout walkers out there.

Don't pass up a younger horse if it has a brain. Age doesn't alway represent sanity. Be sure it is dead broke. Find a local trainer and pay them a few bucks to evaluate for you.

Gelding vs mare... Easy question to answer for me.. Gelding! No monthly temprament issues (yes, they have them).

[RayGubernat]

For me, the height of the horse is much more about how easy oit wll be for me to haul my fat butt up there.

There ain't no way I am going to get up on a 16 hand horse unless I have a stepladder or someone has taught the horse to kneel down.

My horses are 15-1 and 15-2 Tennesee Walkers and they both park out. One parks a little better than the other. Believe me, when you have a five or six find brace, the slightly shorter horse that parks out is REALLY appreciated. When you are judging and have to get off and on three or four times every half hour for six or seven hours, that horse gets awfully tall towards the end of the stake.

By the way, I am 5'9"(used to be 5'10" but I'm shrinking) and current weight is 230#. My horses are both a tad under 1000# and they do just fine, and I'm talking all day, handling, scouting and riding in the gallery. Gaited horses(TWH's, Missouri Foxtrotters and Rocky Mountain's) are generally pretty tough stuff and can really carry a load.

If you are 6' 1", and in good shape, a 16+ hand horse is probably fine. The extra few inches in height is a help in terms of keeping track of what is going on there but the real benefit is in the extra length of the horse. The taller horse is also longer and lthe longer horse tends to take longer strides which tends to make the ride smother and since it has to take less strides to cover a given distance, the horse will last longer.

One word of caution about parking horses out. When the horse parks out, its back is stretched out in a deflex position and is vulnerable to injury. The farther out it is parked, the more stretched out and the more vulnerable it is. If you mount a parked horse, do so as smothly and gently as you can, especially if you are a fatty like me and avoid coming down hard on the middle of the horse's back.

RayG

[RayGubernat]

Gar-dog -

Naked bareback trialer?? That's a hilarious concept.

You really want the judges to pay total attention to the dog, don't you??

Heck I'm thankful that both my glasses AND the full length mirror are all steamed up after I get our of the shower. I don't even want to see...

I can hear the judges yelling, "Get that man a rain poincho!!! QUICK!!

Of course my twisted, evil twin would probably want to witness a flushing attempt in some of the multiflora at the Setter club.

I'd better stop.

RayG

[wbockman]

Like the others said, anything over 15 hands should be fine as long as it has a sturdy build and good bone.

Now that I know how close you are I again will offer to try out any prospects for you. Actually you are probably better off price wise to look for a horse in PA rather than NJ anyhow. If you see any ads that look interesting feel free to e-mail the links to me for review and I'll tell you what I think.

wbockman at ptd.net

Wendy

[gar-dog]

Now that I know how close you are I again will offer to try out any prospects for you. Actually you are probably better off price wise to look for a horse in PA rather than NJ anyhow. If you see any ads that look interesting feel free to e-mail the links to me for review and I'll tell you what I think.

Wendy

Thanks Wendy. The gears are turning but a purchase is a long way off.... I think. We'll see how much the family gets hooked first

[Brittguy]

If you have no trouble getting on a 16H horse then that is fine, but remember getting on a horse in the field is sometimes a lot different that doing it in a yard.Consider mud,plowed fields,being in a hole when the horse always seems to be on higher ground, and most of all in spring trials when you are wearing Carharts and sweat shirts , I know my motion is more limited.

[Flush]

I think you would be better off on a very stout and strong 15 hand horse than you would be on a spindly 16 hand horse. Nothing wrong with a taller horse, I just don't think you NEED one.

Another thing I have learned with horse heights is that they are kinda like the size of fish people catch. They are estimates at best, and usually high! Not everyone wants a taller horse, but for the most part I think people fall in the "bigger is better" category and height estimates reflect that. A true 16 hand horse is TALL. There are lots of places on a horse's whithers to measure to and lots of ways to tip the measurement the way you want. Thats assuming the person ever actually made an attempt to take a measurement. I have seen more than one horse a full hand off the "advertised" height.

Assuming you are looking at mainly Walkers and MFT, most are pretty strong capable horses so I bet almost any of them that are average size or better would suit you fine.

I understand the fun of day-dream shopping for horses, did it a bunch myself. In the end though I think the best place to find a good gaited horse for trail riding especially if you hope to get into field trialing would be at a trial. If you attend some trials you will probably find folks who have trial-proven horses for sale, usually not advertised anywhere else either. I once thought that trial horse prices may be high, but now I don't. The "trail" only gaited horses I have seen have been just as expensive and usually lack the same level of experience.

-Flush

P.S. I'm a borderline midget at 5'4" tall. I have an Icelandic horse that isn't even 14 hands. You couldn't pay me to take a 16 hand horse. This past spring I attended a fun weekend trial with the breeder of my pup and he "made" me scout for him on his 15.3 hand Walker. I had to get off at a find to release the dog and I had to wait for the gallery to get moving and looking away before I climbed, kicked, and crawled up the darn saddle to get back on as there was no topography or stumps in sight!
They claim these little sub-14 Icelandics can carry big men fine, I think thats a stretch for truly big guys on all day events and I would NOT recommend one for guys of your size, but mine has indeed carried my 220lb buddy around for shorter stints just fine. I think build is more important than height.