[LeftLeadLope]

So.. when do you think a rider looks funny on a horse? I am looking at a mare who is just over 15hands. She still needs a ltitle bit of weight and muscle, but I rode her today and my feet hung below her belly. I am 6'1" but did not feel as if I was breaking her. My 2 friends said I look a little big but not silly..
My other horse is just over 16hands and takes up my leg very well.
I am looking at this mare to just be a trail horse, maybe go team penning occasionally, as she's been roped off of, and worked cattle.
Anywho.. whats everyones thoughts on when a rider looks silly on a little horse?

[Xiphias]

I have seen plenty of large men on 15 hand horses, roping, reining, or what have you, and they did not look funny.....so why should you? Maybe in the hunter ring, where they judge on suitability as part of the score, but not as a trail horse, or team penning horse....I have seen very tall women on 14 hand arabs at endurance rides...they did not look funny either...Cathy

[Jubilee Farm]

I think it depends on the individual horse & rider combination. I think my husband looks rediculous on Sierra (his mare) - he is 6' tall, Sierra is 15.2
But he looked fine riding our old 15 hand mare... the difference is that the old mare was a stocky QH with a wide barrel.. he look right on her, and his legs looked 'normal' LOL where as Sierra is more refined and 'delicate looking' his legs dangle around her and it looks like he can practically touch toes under her belly

[SalemWitchChild]

Originally Posted by LeftLeadLope

So.. when do you think a rider looks funny on a horse? I am looking at a mare who is just over 15hands. She still needs a ltitle bit of weight and muscle, but I rode her today and my feet hung below her belly. I am 6'1" but did not feel as if I was breaking her. My 2 friends said I look a little big but not silly..
My other horse is just over 16hands and takes up my leg very well.
I am looking at this mare to just be a trail horse, maybe go team penning occasionally, as she's been roped off of, and worked cattle.
Anywho.. whats everyones thoughts on when a rider looks silly on a little horse?

15 hands I don't consider to be a little horse,this was a typical size for a quarter horse on ranches,and a lot of cow horses are this size,years ago,the typical quarter was only 14.3 and large men rode them,so I don't see how you feel funny on a 15 hand one.

[Martini!]

Like Xiphias said, it really depends on what you'll be doing with the horse. I've seen plenty of larger men reining on horses that were about 15h. In events like that you wouldn't look out of place. If you are planning to do other disciplines where that isn't common, then you would look out of place. People would look at you really funny if you were riding in most english disciplines. It's really kind of breed specific as well. If you're riding a small breed, like an Arab, then they're all small, so this would be normal. I personally think you are too big for a small horse, but that's coming from an english rider. Obviously the 6'2" men who ride their little Quarter Horses don't think so!