# How much weight can my horse's hold



## Leeana (Sep 18, 2005)

Okay guys. Mom is wanting to learn to ride. I've been riding since i was about 5 or 6 and am use to doing barrells and pole bending, so im pretty expirenced (dont do the hunter stuff, i think that is stupid ..and also i know so many ppl who are stuck up so i have not interest in it! I know you guys are all great but around here they take that so seriously.) I do western pleasure, barrels and pole bending! Well Mom weights a good 250-275 pounds. Here is the thing.

We have my barrel horses which are about 16HH ...and there for expirenced only. Me and dad are the only ones who can ride them w/out getting killed.

We have Sammy: Registered arabian. He is only 1.5 years old ..but build really strong and whole. He is going to be a big arabian boy! We are planning on breaking him when he is around 2.5 yrs old and then barrell racing/pole bending him some when he is 3yrs old. He is going to be about 15.5hh, 1,000 Pounds probaly. 900-1,000 pounds i would say.

Lorado: 3 yr old, broke really well Quarter horse. 14.5HH. This horse is all muscle and built like a rock. I ride him daily almost and might try some western pleasure next year w/ him. Im thinking mom would do better starting w/ this guy bc well sammy isnt broke, and my barrel horses and speed machines and this guy is more laid back. But i dont know if mom is to heavy for him. Is is built so well, but i dont wanna put him in danger. He is laid back, but is ready to run for miles and has the energy.

So do you think she can ride him? I mean im going to be leading him for a week or two before i let her go by herself. I dont want any danger to go to mom or Lorado. She is pretty tall so its not like she cant 'lean off him'. So do you think she will be fine now on Lorado and then in 2 years on Sammy?


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## Pepipony (Sep 18, 2005)

Well, Sammy wont be ready for at least 3 years, so he is out. Your 14.5 may be ok, but he is still way young. I would first have the Vet xray his knees and make sure everything is closed and he is ok to hold weight.

What about having her ride your Fresian? He would be the best bet since he is dressage trained and is assumably very quiet and attentive from that training.


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## Leeana (Sep 18, 2005)

We dont have our fresion anymore ...i really dont want to talk about that bc i get really worked up over it. I dont really want to explaine that agian. But we dont have him anymore ..so you think that Lorado will be fine? He is going on 4 actually ..the guy we got him from said he was born december 2001 so he is going on 4 pretty soon. She wants to start learning bc she never learned or had interest in horses but i guess she is getting interested. She wanted me to give her lessons last yr but then i was way to involved in barrell racing so i pushed it aside but now i got time to teach!


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## Voodoo (Sep 18, 2005)

I'd say that she would be fine riding Lorado. My brother and I team rope alot and although I only weigh about 125 my brother is on the long side of 250. He's a big boy about 6'6" and sometimes he rides my 14.2 hh, 1,000# 4 year old gelding. He is holding up very well for him, no leg issues, and this little guy is carrying my brother at a run, plus of course the weight of a 500# steer on the end of the rope. I'm sure your guy would be just fine as I'm sure you won't be getting off a walk for some time. I'm sure some here will disagree with what I said, but hey that's just my opinion.


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## Leeana (Sep 18, 2005)

Thanks Voodoo!

I'm not looking for flaiming, im looking for support. I know that Lorado is healthy as a horse (excuse the punt) but i wanna keep it that way. I think we might try some lessons sometime next week. I want mom to hang out w/ him some plus im stuck down at the stable all week after school lunging some of dads horses since he only has 1 helper since they all decided to go back to college and all.

..no flaiming yet. I know there is someone out there who is going to say something mean to me about this, but i think were going to do fine w/ lorado.


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## Pepipony (Sep 18, 2005)

No Flames but I surely would have him x-rayed, just to be safe. Some horses mature at a young age, some it may be 4 or later and since you are wanting to put more weight on than normal, its just better to be safe.


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## Jacquee' (Sep 19, 2005)

General rule of thumb: a horse can safely carry 25% of its body weight. So, weigh your tack, and add that to your mother's body weight. Then, get a GOOD idea of the horse's weight - this should be ideal weight, so if the horse is really fat, keep that in mind!



I know all of ours are a little "over conditioned".

It sounds to me as though your mother would ideally ride a 1200 lb. horse. This would allow for the top of her weight you quoted (250 - 275 lbs.) plus at least 25 lbs. for tack. Letting your mom know about these figures, might even encourage her to lose even just a few pounds to make her a safer load for the horse. It seems as though your QH is about the best candidate....... but don't dismiss the idea of her going to learn on someone else's horse, from a professional. She may well have a fabulous time!! I can tell you from experience it can be hard to teach a family member, so it might save on everyone's nerves. You might also be able to have another person come in and teach. That is always fun, everyone learns, and it makes it easier for the beginner to not feel so embarrassed.

Good luck and have a lot of fun! I know I was thrilled when my husband finally decided he would learn to ride, and we have had a blast ever since.


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## tagalong (Sep 19, 2005)

Jacquee said:


> It seems as though your QH is about the best candidate....... but don't dismiss the idea of her going to learn on someone else's horse, from a professional. She may well have a fabulous time!! I can tell you from experience it can be hard to teach a family member, so it might save on everyone's nerves. 469361[/snapback]
> ​






Learning on an _experienced_ lesson horse - and not a 3 or 4 year old would be the best idea... remember - green + green = black & blue. An experienced rider of that weight is easier for a horse to handle than a beginner - as it is how the weight is balanced and used... and a novice rider tends to get tense and not be balanced or move with the horse.

Frankly - I have worked at a variety of show barns for years - and if one wanted to label any riders "stuck up" it would have been the Western Pleasure or Stock Seat Eq. girls... with their fancy clothes and chaps and expensive trainers & horses. Labelling all hunter riders as "stuck up" is just as wrong as me labelling all Western Pleasure riders "stuck up." It is not accurate - or fair.

Some of the worst riders - and poorest horsemanship skills - I have ever seen belonged to two Can Chasers (barrel racers) I had the misfortune to know...



... so there is not just one discipline that contains all the less than desireable types... they are well spread out throughout the equine world.... in different disciplines...





ETA:



Minor point... there is no such thing as 14.5 HH...



as that would be 15.1 HH... Hands are 4 " to one hand.... thus 14 HH... 14.1 HH... 14.2 HH... 14.3 HH... 15 HH etc.

Now 14 1/2 HH - that works just fine!!


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## rabbitsfizz (Sep 19, 2005)

IMO the three year old is too young to be carrying such a weight. A green rider sits heavier in the saddle than an experienced one. I also know, from long and painful first hand experience that the easiest way to ruin a horse is to have a parent ride it!! I finally bought horses form the meat man for my Father on the basis that whatever happened was going to be better for them than what would have happened



He did learn to ride in the end- Boy did he ever have some rough rides though!! You ideally need something like a Haflinger or a Fjord for someone of this weight with no experience, something slow and gentle- something that is already sitting in a barn near you right now, along with a proper teacher.


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## Pepipony (Sep 19, 2005)

> ETA:  Minor point... there is no such thing as 14.5 HH...  as that would be 15.1 HH... Hands are 4 " to one hand.... thus 14 HH... 14.1 HH... 14.2 HH... 14.3 HH... 15 HH etc.
> Now 14 1/2 HH - that works just fine!!




LOL I had assumed she meant 14.2 ( .2 being .5 of .4 confused? LOL)


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## Leeana (Sep 20, 2005)

lol, yeah sorry about the 14.5hh thing. I measure in inches and then convert over and i got 14.53 so i rounded it down to 14.5. Sorry about that.

I taught my aunt to ride and then my sister's kid to ride, he is now 11 yrs old and a pretty good rider. Thursday night we are taking him over to the vets and get some x-rays. He said when we called him that he assumed he would be fine (he's seen him about 2 times already due to 1) worming, shots ext. 2) he stopped out and took a look at him a couple times. I have been wanting a halfinger horriably so im thinking about trying that out next month when they have this sale in Columbus.

So after the x-rays were going to go from there. This friday though were heading down to Kentucky (leaving thursday night) and taking my dad's Paint down there to sell him to one of his brother's friends. So sometime next week we will probaly start teaching.

Anyone else got any idea's. I feel kinda stupid asking this ..but do you think that when she gets up on him that he can stand w/out falling over? i feel stupid acting that but i want this to go swiftly.


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## ~LadyBug~ (Sep 20, 2005)

She should be fine on the 3 yr old as long as its not heavy work. I know people will flame me for this but i have a 3 yr old filly that I already have almost prepped for rodeos.

Just keep in mind the horse is young and take it slow.

As far as a dicipline thing, it isnt fair to say any one dicipline is more stuck up or 'stupid' than another. I have been a die hard can chaser for 10 years, and believe it or not i also ride hunters!!

I have met some snobs and some great people in both worlds!!

but contradicting myself a bit....if i had to say one dicipline was more stuck up it would definately be the western pleasure ppl...dont get me started on how the horses are treated either...


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## Marty (Sep 20, 2005)

Totally edited cause I'm a fluffy girl too and sometimes it just ain't no fun trying to find the perfect mount for us big gals.


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## Leeana (Sep 21, 2005)

Sorry ..i didnt mean it as 'all people who show this and this are snobby'. Its just when i was younger my dad tried to get me into Hunter, but the people i was with were always just being snobby to me bc we raced horses and i was not the 'perfect hunter kid'. Then when i got the fresian (who is gone now



) i attended a dressage compitition and was asking some questions because it really looked kind of interesting and he was already green trained for it so i was like 'hmm maybe'. But they were just as horriable as the kids who's hunter class i was in. So i pretty much had this whole mind-set. I know around here its all about horses and people get way to obsesed w/ the hunter stuff. I'm sure there nice people when there not in a barn or on a horse ...but when some young girl walks up to me out of the blue and says 'if you want your jumps to be more verticle you could loose a pound or two, just drink water for a couple days and ear 1 small meal' ..i get the wrong idea about it. I know everyone here at this site is great people so im sorry of that came out the wrong way in the first post, should have been more clear.

Vet x-rays tommarow at 2pm. Im praying!!!


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## tigeresss (Sep 22, 2005)

The general rule of thumb is that a horse can carry 20% of it's weight. I've never heard the 25% rule it's always been 20% and preferablly no more. Height has very little to do with how much a horse can carry. It's more about it's build, level or fitness, it's weight and the competance of the rider-->you wouldnt want a 180lb person on a 600lb horse flapping around not being balanced causing pain to the horses back. So for example a 900lb horse can carry up to 180lbs give or take some.


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## Leeana (Sep 22, 2005)

My dad took him in for the X-rays today during school. We were gunna wait untill after school so i could go but the vet was expecting to deliver a nice little Haflinger Colt sometime this afternoon and wanted to see him this morning. He took x-rays (which i didnt get to see) and got his weight. The horse weights ...1,050 Pounds (dang ...but boy). He said that he Knee's look there best which he said probaly was bc he was never drove or worked Really hard. Just lunged allot which helped more then hurt. So i guess we are safe. I know the 20-25% thing already. Thats how we get our jockeys exept we got was below 20% We usually go w/ about 12-14% for Jockeys and recently learned about the 20% thing a year or two ago.

Everything is fine i guess and since no Kentucky this weekend since The guy we were selling Puffy to decided to come pick him up since i have way to much FFA stuff to do this weekend to leave, mom is getting her first lesson saturday night. She is gunna watch me for a while and watch how i sit, rein, lean ext.


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## rabbitsfizz (Sep 23, 2005)

Your mother is way over the weight limit for this baby- you will ruin him. As usual, I guess this is your business, although I am beginning to wonder why you ask these questions when you have obviously already made up your mind what you are going to do. This _little_ gelding is still a baby, his growth plates are hardly closed, and you are going to put a 19 stone woman who cannot ride on him?? Unbelievable!!


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## Sterling (Sep 23, 2005)

"When in doubt do without" if it's something that I can control personally. If there are so many questions and doubts I'd opt for another way. I've seen many times where a green horse and rider =disaster and a bad taste left in the rider's mouth afterwards. Why not start your mom off on the right foot? A nice quiet schoolhorse to help get her started will build her confidence in my opinion would be a great start. Just because the horse is small does not mean that it's the best thing for a beginner to ride....it can be quite the opposite....true it may be a shorter trip to the ground, but the ground will be just as hard.

If it were me, I'd find a nice lesson barn with reliable horses, and take lessons WITH my mom....that would be alot of fun!!


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## Voodoo (Sep 23, 2005)

You know I might get flamed for this, but I'm going to stand right beside LoveCoco on this one. She knows her mother and her horse and if she thinks that the horse is gentle enough for her mother to get along with then she should go for it. I have seen many young horses who were as good or better for a beginner rider than some older horses. It all depends on the horse and since we don't know this horse and LoveCoco does it is really up to her to know if it will work. As for the weight thing, well, just don't get me started. I'm sure many people on here will call me cruel and tell me that I'm going to ruin my horses, but I'm going to tell it like I see it. I have a 4 year old gelding that I have been team roping on for over a year. He is barely 1000 lbs and stands 14.2. I have been heading and heeling on him for over a year so he carries my 125 lbs as well as having a 500+ lbs steer tied to the end of the rope. My brother who is on the long side of 250 lbs rides him as well, and team ropes on him. He has no bumps, splints, lameness, sores etc anywhere on him. And for the long term effects of somthing like this. I have a mare that is 14.1 about 950 lbs. She was a gift to me when she was three and I was five. I rode her when I was a kid, barrel raing teamroping every rodeo event possible, starting when she was three and still going now when she is twenty. My dad who is 170 teamropes on her as well. My brother rode her (of course he was smaller then, but is still riding her now) and my mom who is also on the long side of 250 teamropes on her all the time. At 20 years old she is still sound as can be, has been x-rayed, looked at checked out etc.... and she is perfectly sound and healthy. I have seen it many times in the rodeo world as well as other fields. If all she want's to do is trail ride I just can't see it hurting the horse. Of course this is only my opinion and should be taken as just that, but that is how I see it.

edited for spelling


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## Pepipony (Sep 23, 2005)

Rabitzz is right, the rider would be too heavy for the horse. Now if the horse was a bit older, maybe it would work. But at that age things just arent quite done. And like he ( maybe she sorry) said, LoveCoco has her mind made up anyhow, so I just hope everything works out fine.

This is going to sound harsh, not tryng to make it so, just stating how I feel. Any horse under 5 or 6 shouldnt be rodeoed on, nor raced ( whole nother story), Cut, or even reined on. But those horses arent expected to live out healthy fruitfull and ridable lives, they are discarded as tools. Nothing more. I live in Central TX and it breaks my heart the amount of damaged horses that people use and use up. My farrier always has a few for sale that were ropers etc that are broke down and are just trail or pasture buddies. Some do stay sound, but the odds are vastly against that.

Putting a green rider on a green horse is an invitation to disaster. I belong to a few training lists and the amount of times that people do this, have huge problems and then come on looking for an easy 'fix' is amazing, usually weekly.

I would find a good trainer that you feel good with and that has the know how to give lessons and go from there. Bet it would work out even better for all those involved.


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## _minihorses4ever_ (Sep 23, 2005)

Pepipony said:


> Rabitzz is right, the rider would be too heavy for the horse.Â  Now if the horse was a bit older, maybe it would work.Â  But at that age things just arent quite done. And like he ( maybe sheÂ  sorry) said, LoveCoco has her mind made up anyhow, so I just hope everything works out fine.
> Â Â  This is going to sound harsh, not tryng to make it so, just stating how I feel. Any horse under 5 or 6 shouldnt be rodeoed on, nor raced ( whole nother story), Cut,Â  or even reined on. But those horses arent expected to live out healthy fruitfull and ridable lives, they are discarded as tools.Â  Nothing more.Â Â  I live in Central TX and it breaks my heart the amount of damaged horses that people use and use up. My farrier always has a few for sale that were ropers etc that are broke down and are just trail or pasture buddies.Â Â  Some do stay sound, but the odds are vastly against that.
> 
> Â  Â  Putting a green rider on a green horse is an invitation to disaster. I belong to a few training lists and the amount of times that people do this, have huge problems and then come on looking for an easy 'fix' is amazing, usually weekly.
> ...


Agreed.









No way should your mom ride the arab. No offense, but she will hurt his back! And if I remember correctly, don't arabs mature slower than other breeds? He will need a lighter rider, and not to be ridden for a while! I don't believe in breaking ANY horse until they are atleast 3- even then light riding. They need time to grow up, and they need a slow, well thought out foundation to become good riding horses.

Just had to add my 2 cents.

Edited to add: I ride english, and have met my share of rude people. But, I have met just as many rude ones at western shows.(More towards the WP ring)


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## Relic (Sep 23, 2005)

l think your mother might be in for a little bit of a harder time riding then the horse. l'll make a bet and say she gives up pretty quick.



JMHO


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## Leeana (Sep 23, 2005)

Rabitfizz:

I post these because i like to hear people's opinions on it. I mean if i had some hardcore info ..i would think agian about it. But the thing is that a professional vet told me that he is fine. He's a quarter horse and since he is 3 ..he is fine.

I know the arab isnt ready yet ..were not sending him off to schooling for about 2 years when he is about 3. He is going to school for ground manners soon though and showing in halter.

Just about everyone i know does barrel or team roping on a 3 or 4 yr old horse. There horses are happy and healthy. I dont see anything wrong w/ that. There horses are very well conditioned. We race 3 year old's and there some of the healithiest horses out there. I know my barral horse is 3.5 yr's old and in as good of condition as he could be.

I also did my reasearch this morning, just to back me up. I read on many different sites that Quarter horses were strong and stern, no matter the height. I beleive and since a vet does as well that he will be fine.

relic:

I highly dought she will give up! My mother is not very likely to do that.

I was hoping for more positive reply's today ..guess that dream is shot!


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## Marty (Sep 24, 2005)

_*Your mother is way over the weight limit for this baby- you will ruin him. *_

Leanna, I had a really big long post that I deleted (but some people did read it first) because I didn't want anyone to be insulted and take it wrong and flame me and have everyone here plaster me to the walls here and throw darts at me and boil me in oil for being a meany. This is hard for me because I am overweight myself.

Your mom needs a draft cross or something like that was previously mentioned. That would be so ideal for her. And I do say this in all due respect to you and your mom. There is a horse out there that will be right for your mom but this one isn't it. How are you going to fit a large saddle properly on this horse in the first place at 14.3? You won't. She'll need about a 16 1/2 " saddle. Most have large double skirts and if he's short coupled it's not going to sit on him right. It will clip him on the sides.

Your horse may be fine now but he's going to break down and you proably are not savvy enough to know when he goes "off", until the damage has been done and again, I am not wanting to insult you in any way or trying to be hurtful or disrespectful, but you are being unrealistic. I don't think you told your vet straight up that someone of that weight plans to mount this horse and ride him. I don't believe a vet would condone that. That is nearly 300 lbs on such a young small horse.

Rabbitsfizz is right & I agree 100%. Your mom is just too heavy for this horse. She'll never "find her seat" on him. And that is not easy for me to admit seeing as how I am overweight and a lot of my friends are flat out obese but the truth is that I don't ride my own big, tall, large boned and stout horse anymore due to my weight gain until I dump some serious pounds. I don't hit 200 but I need to dump a good 40lbs at the least to _ride him right._ None of us ride now because we know we are just too big and we know it. Our balance has been compromised too. I had one obese gal ride my horse for a short time 12 years ago and she made his whole back and hindquarters go out of alignment. And stupid me, I thought there was a problem with his legs or feet until he got a complete vet exam. She wrecked him real good on me and put him out of commisson for months.

So again Leanna, not wanting to cause an uproar here or with you or anyone and I apoligize if I have offended anyone which was not my intention at all, but you asked and this was my humble opinion. As I said there is a proper mount out there for your mom and you just have to find him.

Take care.


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## rabbitsfizz (Sep 24, 2005)

As I said....You will do what you want to do. As usual....You come on, you ask a question, then you give us ten reasons why we, with all our years of experience, are wrong. You have read up have you my dear??? Marty and I , to name but two, HAVE ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED THIS. Not read up on it. Not asked the Vet- I would love to know what you were looking for on those X rays- I have never heard of X raying a horse to find out of it can take a certain weight- I would suggest the price of the X rays could have gone towards either a proper horse for your Mother or a few lessons!!! But I just _know_ you will have a smart answer for my silly points- Silly old me, giving her silly opinion again, when clever you has actually _read up_ on it!!

OK, I am being harsh here, I know, I am really hitting my point home, I am NOT Marty!!





YOU ARE GOING TO RUIN THIS HORSE

I for one do not care two hoots what a Vet said, if, indeed he did, because I have seen this done and I KNOW what will happen.

Your Mother is too heavy for this baby horse.

I think you really know this, and you want our permission to do something that your parents have told you to do.

If this is the case I sympathise with you, but I will in no way change anything I have said. What you are going to do is wrong, plain and simple. The horse is too young, too light weight and too small.

If you do this you will ruin him.

Now, you just go ahead and do what you want, as that is what you always do.


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## Pepipony (Sep 24, 2005)

Yes, right now these horses that take that weight may be healthy and fit, but just wait, things DO change. Having been around horses for DECADES I have seen it happen.

Moreover. You have a 1000lb horse, who is a baby and you want to put at least 275 lbs on it, that is well over the recommended 20%, its actually 36%. I ask you if you would want a toddler to lug around 36% of its weight? Besides that , this horse isnt seasoned enough to be able to handle all the new things going on. There is a reason why lesson horses are so much older.

Gonna sound harsh, no way around it, but if you want to ask questions, then you need to be preparred for the answers. Hon you had your mind made up anyhow and are ignoring the knowledge of people that have been around horses longer than you have been alive LOL So why did you even ask?

Was gonna say that there is further x-raying and tests of other joints that should be done as well, but wanted to see how your Vet handled it.


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## CharmedMinis (Sep 24, 2005)

I agree with Marty, Rabbit, and Pepi too.............

He might be just fine and dandy NOW.........but he will age before his time and have major problems in the long run.

I speak from experience in the weight department. A little over 2 years ago I weight 238 pounds, I would NOT even think about getting on my 14.2 hand extremely stout big boned Mustang mare. There wasn't a chance in h*ll I would go near my 16 hand fine boned Thoroughbred. The only horse I would get on was my 17.3 hand built like a tank Trakehner gelding, but even then all I did was walk and trot........my balance was completely off, which threw his balance completely off, and I didn't want to chance messing up his back.

Now I'm underweight at just under 120 pounds, I can ride darn near anything, but I wouldn't ride my 34 inch QH built Mini, which would be about the equivalent of what you want to do with your boy.

You say..........



> Just about everyone i know does barrel or team roping on a 3 or 4 yr old horse. There horses are happy and healthy. I dont see anything wrong w/ that. There horses are very well conditioned. We race 3 year old's and there some of the healithiest horses out there. I know my barral horse is 3.5 yr's old and in as good of condition as he could be.


Just because they all do it and all the race horse people do it.........does NOT make it right. And I beg to differ that race horses are the healthiest horses out there..........Is that why their bones break right and left, they have constant hoof problems, and they are finding that most have ulcers..........that doesn't sound healthy to me at all.

I had a Mini filly born Preemie this year. Her carpal bones weren't fully formed. The carpal bones are the bones which need to fuse when a horse is 4 or 5 years old. These are the bones that your vet did x-rays to check.

Well my babies weren't fully formed at birth, we casted her front legs but couldn't do anything for her back legs. We just took X-rays of her back legs at 3 months old and her bones have been damaged, squished basically just by her having to carry her own weight, she weighs all of maybe 50 pounds.

If 50 pounds can squish bones and cause permanent damage, imagine what 275 pounds can do


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## OhHorsePee (Sep 24, 2005)

I read this and (don't get me wrong! Not comparing your mom to Hoss on Banaza) I remembered when my sister was trying to find horses names from Bananza. Well, Whomever played Hoss weighed around 300 pounds and was over 6 feet tall. They had a hard time finding a horse for him. They ended up with a TB-QH mix that was over 1200 pounds and 15 plus hands high. I guess it was hard on the horse. Just my tid-bit.

Fran


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## Leeana (Sep 24, 2005)

After reading this whole thread over agian around Noon this morning, i decided agianst the lessons. At least for now ..I talked to dad and told him i was willing to sell this Quarter Horse, in order to get a Morgan. I think Morgan's are very much stronger and not as tall.

Thats the problem w/ getting a 16HH horse, i can barely get up on a 16hand horse, let alone my mom.

I am willing to sell this boy to get a good horse for my mom to learn on. I have thought about selling him anyway a couple times before due to some reasons.

What kind of horse would would well for my mother to learn on. I need somesomething around 15 hands (not tall) and build well.

Were going to a halfinger sale in Columbus in mid october. I heard they can carrey up to about 250 pounds and am pretty short/medium.

What about a Morgan?


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## CharmedMinis (Sep 24, 2005)

I'm so glad you re-thought the situation.

I think a Halflinger is an EXCELLENT idea!!! Much better than a Morgan (nothing against morgans, I like them). Halflingers are calm and cool and extremely stout, just make sure you get one that is at least 5 years old, so that the bones are mature and fused.

Over a Halflinger I actually think QH's are stronger than Morgans and I don't think a mature QH that is say 15 hands but really really built would have any trouble with your Mom. It just depends on how the horse is built. I went to a local QH show here last weekend and there were a few 15 hand QH's that weighed a good 1.500 pounds if not more and they had the longer back, that type of horse would be ok.

But I think the Halflinger idea is a great one, just get an older experienced one.


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## _minihorses4ever_ (Sep 24, 2005)

A quarter horse is stronger than a morgan IMO.

A halflinger would be good!





Edited for spelling.


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## Pepipony (Sep 24, 2005)

Anything that is older, that has btdt , weighs a good 1300lbs and is solid. Plus the mind to give lessons. Not all can. Honestly, it would be cheaper to get her lessons somewhere else. Then you can buy what you want for yourself and make everyone happy


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## Leeana (Sep 24, 2005)

How much do haflingers weight usually? And how many hands. Im thinking a 14.2hh would be best.

i know there really good harness horses ...are they good riders or stubborn?

would a 14.2hand one be good? Gelding of course.

i know this sale has lke 300 halfingers. Its the anual one that all my friends have been telling me about. I really do wanna keep my QH though, he is a good trail horse my friends borrow when we ride together. My one friend daniel loves him and i do to. So the money we Get tommarow when we sell Puffy (dads huge paint horse) will go toward getting a harness for Joey (he needs a medium pony harness and our mini one doesnt work for him at all) and a cart.

How much do Halfingers usually carry ..is it true about 300 pounds?


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## Leeana (Sep 24, 2005)

Okay ..but my last question that i dont think i ever really got an answer out of here.

Sammy ...yearling arabian, already 15hh and is probaly going to continue to grow (his father was almost pushing 16h and his mother was up there to *lady specialized in large araibins, only had about 1 or 2 small ones*). He is almost 900 pounds if not closer to 1,000 pounds i would say. In about 2 1/2years he is going to schooling to get broke to ride. Do you think he could handl mom in about 2 1/2 years + 6 or 7 month of me riding him first? I mean he really is large. They have a shorter back so wouldnt that help? Arabians do have that extra endurance, would that help?

I do beleive that we are going to go w/ the halfinger ..a good stout one w/ a level head. The only thing w/ sending her to a trainer is that the horse would be the one she would be riding ..not some 15hand little horse that weigh's like 600 pounds that most trainers throw them on first.


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## Pepipony (Sep 25, 2005)

The Arab is still such a baby and 3 or so years is so far away, there really is no telling what he may be able to handle. A friend raises them and her mother , who is, aaaahhh fluffy



and whom has ridden forever, cannot ride any of theirs because the weight is just too much. So they bought her an ex-rope horse.

As for the lessons, if any trainer set her up on a 600 lb horse, then they arent much of a trainer to begin with, IMHO. My lesson horse was a rather stout 1200lb 15.3 QH. Hubby , who w/saddle weighed in at 250, rode this horse for years and all over the place w/no problem.


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## REO (Sep 25, 2005)

I think your mom would enjoy a 15 h stout built QH, very well trained, gentle, maybe around 7 years old.

I'm "fluffy" and only 5'6" and I felt funny on shorter horses for some reason.

I was ever aware of my weight and it was always on my mind that I might be too heavy for the horse I was riding. That did not make for an enjoyable ride for me. I'm thinking that for your mom to really enjoy riding, she'd be happier on a bigger horse. My last horse was 15.3 h. He was a doll and I'd step on a chair to mount him. And I felt just fine riding him!

Have fun shopping!


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## CharmedMinis (Sep 25, 2005)

Ok Halflingers.

I think you should look for one between 14.2 and 15 hands. Definitely nothing under 14.2.

Definitely a gelding. Halflingers are calm and cool under most situations. They are great riding horses. Just like Draft Horses, they are gentle giants, only not so giant.

If this sale has hundreds, go as early as you can and really inspect them. Once you find the right age and height, then really look at how they are built. You want one that has nice stout legs, with big bones and strong knees and hocks. I think the right age will be between 6 and 10.

Also look for a good strong back, make sure there is no sway to it at all, you want a good level back for your Mom's weight. Make sure the croup strong and square. You don't want a real short back because the saddle won't fit right, but you don't want a real long back either because longer back are usually a bit weaker.

Did any of that help at all



Wish I could go with you, I wouldn't mind having a halflinger myself


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## tagalong (Sep 25, 2005)

CharmedMinis said:


> Ok Halflingers.
> I think you should look for one between 14.2 and 15 hands.Â  Definitely nothing under 14.2.
> 
> Definitely a gelding.Â  Halflingers are calm and cool under most situations.Â  They are great riding horses.Â  Just like Draft Horses, they are gentle giants, only not so giant.
> ...



Good advice about the Haflingers... we have two in our Therapeutic Riding program... they are 5 and 6 years old - and still rather uncoordinated "youngsters" One did NOT work out - and is for sale.... they do not come cheap BTW....





The other one is a gem. But they are about 14.1... and no more than 900 pounds. Their backs are too short for a big western saddle and the skirting...

Haflingers do come bigger - in the 15 HH /1200 pound range.

Another idea - why not look for a draft cross - or a shorter draft that is well broke?? And older... _remember the green + green = black & blue_ equation....


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## Leeana (Sep 25, 2005)

Yeah, about a little over 14 hands is pretty good. Now w/ draft horses is the 25% body weight only thing a bit different i heard w/ drafts it goes up to about 30% of the body weight ...?


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## Leeana (Sep 25, 2005)

Oh yeah, great advice by the way. Apreciated way more then you know! ) thanks

Leeana


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## StarWish (Sep 27, 2005)

OK, first of all it's HAFLINGER, not Halflinger...one L.

As an owner, I hope you do a lot of reading and talking to other owners before you jump in and purchase one. There is some incorrect info being put on here about them. Some "desired characteristics" mentioned are not desired in the breed standards. Talk to the breeders if you go to the auction but read a lot, first. Your state is one of the most Haflinger populated states so there should be some knowledge to gain there. As with all breeds, there are differences in them. We love ours but we knew a lot before we puchased, including the history and reputation of the owner/trainer.

They were bred to be good in the mountains of Austria so they can make very sure-footed mounts as well as wonderful driving horses. Even their coloring is very carefully judged in an attempt to keep the breed strong. There is a lot to learn about them.

Good luck finding a great horse of whatever breed for your mother.

Starwish


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## justaboutgeese (Sep 27, 2005)

When this subject is all said and done the solution is going to be a draft horse cross. They are the only reasonably priced animals you will find to fill this need. One really nice thing is a horse like that has so many other things it can be used for it will be one of the most versatile animals you will ever have. On point I would like to revisit is the use of three year old horses for gaming and racing. I do not care who all is doing it "with good results" it is not a smart thing to do at all. Go to a flat track and you will find many three year olds racing and because of the January first birthday rule they are only two in many cases. Check out the triple crown, all three year olds. While at a harness track look around at the horses. There are many horses RACING at the age of twelve or thirteen years!!!!! Where do you think the former three year race horses are ? Many of them end up as dog food !!! (I think this was covered pretty well in another threadjust a few days ago) What do you think the difference is ? They are not being ridden and having the joints of their legs pounded when they are adolescents. A person gaming a three year old should hide their head. The damage done can never be reversed and leaves a horse suffering in pain for many years as they get older. They end up lame and tender in a pasture (or a kill pen) when they should have many years of service left.


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## tagalong (Sep 28, 2005)

I was wondering if perhaps you were thinking *FJORDS* but saying Haflingers.... *FJORDS* are a lot more solidly built and drafty... but as I mentioned earlier - a draft cross is probably going to be more affordable...


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