So, I have this little arabian horse

[STF]

does not belong to me, but Im riding her.
I LOVE her! A brain, nice powerful hind end, good shoulder freedom. She is really nice.
Im 6ft tall, she is 15h (on a good day), I look like a retard on her, but I LOVE her. She has a lot of talent and hopefully will show her at the ADA show in September. Wish me luck.

[nhwr]

Sounds like fun :yes: Be careful your spurs don't drag on the ground :lol:

[STF]

I am re teaching her to go off my seat at MUCH as possible. My calf is not even close to her barrell! LOL

[EqTrainer]

My working student is riding a large pony and her leg hangs below her belly. She actually does not look bad on her tho' as Po is one of those girls that has junk in her trunk. Definately riding her off her seat is essential :) kinda interesting to have few other choices :lol:

[STF]

LOL

Yeah with these small ones (my others are HUGE.... and WIDE loads) I have to really ride super correct or I throw her little body off balance. Good for me in a way, but bad in others. Dont sneeze while riding, I may knock her down! LOL

[samdolly]

My friend has a 15.3 arabian who I keep telling her to do dressage with! He just floats!

[eponacelt]

I showed dressage with an Arabian on the Arabian circuit last year. ONe of our main competitors was a beautiful 15h gray horse with a 6'+ male rider. He looked a little silly, but he also whooped our butt on several occasions. Good luck and enjoy. I really had a good time last year with that Arabian!

[enjoytheride]

The arabian world is used to seeing big people on little horses, the horses can do it just fine!

I started an arab pony stallion under saddle, he was about 13 hands. The BEST part was that at about a week under saddle he decided to test me by bucking and kicking out. I SWUNG all my weight to one side and little studly just about fell over! He had a new found respect for me when he realized I could knock him over if he misbehaved!

[STF]

Yeah, I was told in the Arabian world, that big ppl on smaller horses was normal.

[STF]

I SWUNG all my weight to one side and little studly just about fell over

:lol:

[Bugs-n-Frodo]

I board at a farm whose owner used to breed arabs and she still has about ten. She has this beautiful 3 year old mare named Diva who is just wonderful. She is about 15.3h and just so nicely put together. I keep telling the BO that she needs to be a dressage horse, but she is a western person. :( She just wants her to be a trail horse. :( :( I would LOVE to breed her to Oskar II for a nice sport horse! I love that mare.

[STF]

I stand corrected, she is a NSH!! Not a full arabian!! :lol:

[mp]

I'm not a big ppl -- just under 5'5" -- and my mighty mite has a wide barrel, so we match up pretty well. He was 14.3 as a 4 y.o. He's 8 now and most people guess him taller than that but I don't think he's grown. They're just taking his attitude into consideration. He thinks he's a biggest baddest thing in the barn.

Arabs/half Arabs can be fun to ride or a complete (and frustrating) mystery, depending on how the rider deals with the individual quirks (example: mine has to walk around the arena and smell poop piles or he takes forever to settle down :lol:). Glad you're enjoying the mare and good luck at the show.

[indyarab]

As a long time Arab owner and exhibitor, I say to take everyone's advice and ride and enjoy her. Brian McMahon has shown Misty Meadows' Arabs for several years and he's got to be 6' tall! And they won...A LOT! Some were bigger than others but he just wrapped those long legs around them and up came their backs and off they went. Really lovely horses.

[saratoga]

I'm about 5'6" and my Arab mare is about 14 hands. I probably wouldnt have bought a horse this small but I got her when she was only 8 months old. I dont care how we look though- and really only look out of place in dressage or h/j because in Arab shows, endurance, or western sports, we'd fit right in size-wise! Luckily she is round and wide so takes up my leg pretty well.

[Blkarab]

I joking call her a "Ferrari".

There is just something about those little arabs. I'm 5'7" and she's 14.3 and narrow, but we always get compliments. Yes, we look a little out of place in some of the dressage shows with bigger horses, but she is also able to kick some WB booty too!

It's very true that you have to ride them very correct or they are easily thrown off balance. That's part of the long-standing issue I have with her. Now that I'm discovering how to maintain my balance better, riding her is becoming easier. She does have her quirks and spook issues at times and she's very smart, so keeping her mentally engaged is so key. She's definitely making me a much more balanced and sensitive rider.

Would I go out and get another horse her size again? Probably not...next one will be a bit bigger (more so hubby can ride too), but do I love this one? You betcha! I wouldn't trade her for anything!

Blkarab.

[STF]

Well, I am very big on her, but she is fun to ride and as long as she is ok with it, Im ok with it.

[twnkltoz]

It's funny...my old instructor was 5'2", and she thought she was too big for my 14.1h arab mare! But, I'm 5'6" and heavy and all my arab friends say I look just fine on her. We're just used to the sight of it!

[Kyzteke]

The trend toward behemoth dressage horses is recent. The Lipps at the SRS are small -- rarely over 15.2hh.

Check out any Western outfit...BIG, 200+ lb cowboys on 14.2hh horses (of course, the horse weight 1400lbs <g>).

I love my Arabs and think anything over 16hh for ANY breed is simply making things more difficult...especially from the "getting on/getting off" stand point we older gals suddenly realize is important.

[Bugs-n-Frodo]

One of the BO's horses is a saddlebred arab cross and she is very nice. I have not seen her move but she has a lovely shoulder, neck and rear end. :lol: My best friend had an arab and he was very crafty and athletic. When he was good, he was GREAT! When he was bad, he was.... BAAAAADDDD!