[MistyBlue]

I have a 14.3hh Qh and a 15.1hh Qh right now.
My fave heights are usually 14-15hh. Short and quick...that's how I like 'em!

[morganmare]

I'm 5'1" and I have a 13.1H petite gelding. (I'm not sure what his breeding is. He was sold to me as a Welsh cross, but he reminds me of a Hackney Pony.) He is the perfect size. He's my little trail pony. Will go through anything! Everyone else has horses where we ride. They are always ducking under branches, but we just ride along with no problems.

[skykingismybaby1]

My gelding is 15 if the farrier doesnt trim too much. I am 5'9.......It is like riding a Ferrari instead of an Hummer.

Love my guy

[Cashela]

I'm 5'10" and one of my girls is 14.2 maybe a hair over. My other girl won't let that horse eating measuring stick near her. But if I had to guess I'd say she's at least 14.3 maybe even 15 hands.

[Kementari]

My girl is 14.2 - http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...Duiwd2eyn3L5Vw That's definitely small, but 5'8" me rides her just fine.

My boy is 15.2 - http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...w_J3imhdqEtvJw I think if 15.2 as solidly mid-size. (He was sold to me as "over 16 hands" - I think his owner got the Ayrab-issue measuring stick, though she had mainly stock horses. )

I don't think you can use just height to determine "big" or "small," (this is my trainer's 15 hand "small" (?!) mare: http://www.greenacresstables.com/Amanda2005.jpg ) but if I was going to do so, I'd consider under 15 hands "small." I think it's pretty sad that we've gotten to the point where 15.2 makes a small horse - and I wonder how many osteo issues we're breeding in in our bizarre belief that bigger is inherently better.

[gibsongrrl]

Here's a pic of me on my little Fjord mare.

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/20269...99015407ZGFYCx

-Kristie

[erinwillow]

Ponies RULE!! well, I'll go ahead and be biased and say real ponies (under 14.2) rule DON'T HATE, DON'T HATE!!!

[Ainsley688]

TigerLily is a bit under 16hh, but I haven't sticked her due to the one at the barn being broken, and me just never getting around to it. I'm 5'7" and fit her perfectly. She wears a 50" girth and a 78/80" blanket, so she's no dainty flower.

The beast:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../lilybean6.jpg

[tkhawk]

15.1 Arab mare-built nice and stout. I weigh 185 -no problem carrying me around all day or several days over rough country and at all gaits.
14.1 mustang gelding-no topline at all and absolutely no muscle tone. Stuck in a corrall for over two years-in training now and hopefully will start filling out soon. But he is put together nice and we shall see how good he feels about carrying me around..

[TouchstoneAcres]

I have 5 that are 15.2-16.1; 4 are 14.3-15.1; 7 are around 14.2; 4 are smaller foals so don't really count yet.
Of the taller ones, two are TB, one WB and two are tall Lipizzans. Of the 15.1 and under shorter ones, 10 are Lipizzans and the rest (5) QHs.
I'm 5'5" and ride mostly the 15h ones but sometimes shorter and taller ones too.

[Rainier]

I'm 5'4 and I have a 16.3 tb/draft cross, a 15.3 tb, and I've just started riding a 15 hh connemara. I really have to say that my favorite size is the 14.3 to 15.3 hand size. I'm clearly a honie rider. I think that I'm really drawn to the small tb's, the large connemaras, and then the crosses between the two.

Here is Jack the Connemara that I'm riding (and may own eventually ... who knows ):

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ckportrait.jpg

[RHdobes563]

My Morgan gelding is 15.0 1/2". He looks like a dumpy little horse in the pasture. However, when I get on, he "magically" swells up, his neck comes up and arches, he gets all snorty, and suddenly, he's "The Black Stallion" (despite the fact he's a nondescript bay). Like a lot of the old-fashioned Morgans, there's a LOT of horse in his potbellied self---he radiates POWER!

I owned and rode a 17 hand Thoroughbred gelding before this. I'm only 5'4" and to tell you the truth, his size didn't intimidate nor bother me (except when I had to mount "in the field").

I chose to go back to a smaller horse/breed, and I am having SO MUCH fun with this grumpy old guy. (He has WONDERFUL ground manners, and we're still getting to know each other). Somewhere along the line he got some fantastic training from someone. Alnd his gaits suit my dumpy little self better than my TB's did.

[*JumpIt*]

My horse is a 15.3 OTTB which is the perfect fit for my 5" 1' height.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...rme/Lady/2.jpg

I also ride an 11ish hands pony, I am just a bit big for him, ha!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...atches/1-1.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...atches/5-1.jpg

[MistyBlue]

Oh good Lord that pony is cute Corey!

[Salty]

I have a 4-year-old, 14.1 hand, chestnut (really pink w/white polka dots) Appy mare. Despite her poniness, size, breed, sex, color and age, she is the most sensible, willing pony ever! And so round that she fits me--I'm 5'5".

[Sanely Eccentric]

My mare is a tad over 15 hands and of a lighter build. I'm 5'6" and would probably look better on a horse that took up my leg more, but she's family and that's that. I really like her height overall. As we work on dressage her way of carrying herself and building a topline has a number of people fooled into thinking she's growing more.

I noticed the specific instructions on how to count a measurement...so sad to not get to use the Sarah Stetner method. I really miss those videos.

[WhisperHeart]

my Qh gelding is 15.1hh...and i find he is the perfect height for me i can easily mount him bare back from the ground without to much effort. Everyone who's met him has loved him and says he's a gorgeous boy and he is.

my mustang mare is 15.2hh and i feel would be good for me too but she not trained for riding yet so we'll have to see if i ever get to ride her. she a good girl and i feel she could go for hours without getting tired she would probably be a nice CTR/endurance horse.

my TB gelding is 17hh but is very sweet and gentle and as others have said his size does not intimidate me. he's is calm and quiet enough my dad who hasn't ridden since high school can ride him and i don't have to worry.


i used to ride a 14.1/14.2hh POA mare and i LOVED riding her. she was so well trained and had a big enough barrel to take up my leg so i didn't look to big on her and she carried me just fine....i miss that little mare.


if i get another horse i'm probably going to look in the 14.2-15.3hh range.

oh and i'm 5'6" with a 30/31" inseam

[00Jumper]

My horse fell between two of the categories, so I marked her 'tall day' height. Usually she stands about 15.1 3/4 but on a tall day (when her feet are a little long . . . ) she just slides over the 15.2 mark. She is definitely a 'hony' though - rides like a horse, looks like a pony! Well, standing around, anyway. She must look HUGE when I'm riding her though (I'm only 5'3" on my tall days, so that might help), because many, many times people have come up to me after I've finished riding to talk or whatever and when I jump down they do a double-take and say something like "Gosh, I thought she was much taller!" And people who see her standing around before they see her go often are surprised by her.

In my first lesson with my new trainer (this was two years ago, I don't think I'd consider her new anymore ) she was setting up a line for us to warm up over. She was talking us through the striding and said something like "00Jumper, you can do the adds if you're more comfortable, but I'd rather see you kick her down to it and get the strides." Her assistant, who had been teaching me for a month while my trainer was down south, said something like "I wouldn't be so sure of that . . ." Of course, I followed the head trainer's advice and ended up doing the leave-out. Trainer just laughed and said "For a little thing, she's got POWER! I think she's got the biggest stride of all the horses in the ring! Never mind kicking her up, you need to hold her back in the lines . . ." To this day she's got a huge stride - leave-outs are always an option in the jumpoffs! Who needs a big fancy 16.2hh horse when you can get small, sporty and mighty in one package?

[flypony74]

Stryder is 14.3hh of Percheron fury...

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...lassique_1.jpg
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...hpstadium1.jpg

[Well Rounded Rider]

I have one that is a hair over 15.3hh. 1100lbs or so. Despite not being a HUGE horse, she's got a lot of presence. I always feel like she's much bigger than she truely is. I know we look the odd couple, she's probably a bit small for me, but we don't care.

The most recent riding pic from October. Terrible quality.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...er/1019-01.jpg

The other measures anywhere between 14.2hh and 14.3hh depending on how still you can get her to stand! 850ish lbs by the weight tape. This one, on the other hand, has pony-tude no matter how you look at it. She thinks she's cute as a button and sometimes she's right. She's still got potential to gain a couple inches yet (she's only 3) but I suspect she'll always live up to the pet names I've called her since birth; "peanut" and "smallhorse". Far too small for me, but don't tell her that. She doesn't know or care.

Ride 3 or 4 back in September. She's filled in a bit since this was taken.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...r/DSCI0874.jpg

Oh yes, and I am 5'8" with a loooong torso.