[MissBandit]

Originally Posted by Dawn

How far her legs come down the saddle depends on the saddle, not the horse..

Yes, this is true. Has no bearing what-so-ever on wheather or not the horse is a 13hh or 16hh. Keep in mind that ponies can be hotter than horses. Shop for a horse/pony that matches your daughters confidence and abilities. Don't look for specific ages/sizes/breeds.

[Blistering Winds]

Definitly look at the age, but also look how LONG the horse has been under saddle. I have a 12 yr old that has NEVER been broke. The owner thought it would be ok since the horse was 12, but didn't realize the horse had never had a saddle on him. He was a "PET" his whole life, and is SPOILED ROTTON!! Can i Say REAKS of spoildness. >?? LOL

Anyways, find out how long under saddle, no matter HOW old the horse is. What it is trained to do, and ask them to SHOW you the horse's skills. Watch for what kind of reaction the horse is having. Is it pinning it's ears when asked to do something? Is it willingly complying.? Are they riding with or without spurs? If they have kids themselves, ask THEIR kids questions about the horse. You find out MORE information from kids than you EVER will from the adults. And NO they aren't exaggerating. Well, slightly, but you'll get the idea of the horse's temperment. Then come back on a SUPRISE and ride. Don't give them time to lunge the horse or drug it.

If you cannot bear to sell this horse, then I HIGHLY suggest sending it off for training. A good 6 months of hard work will take care of his young "ideas". And have her take lessons on another school horse. So when the horse returns, it has some more time and she has an idea of what to do.

[Lou3]

i think we have had this discussion before - you cannot use the same saddle on every horse. Try putting a 14in childs saddle on a 16hh horse and see if you can make it fit! I sure as heck couldnt, no more could i make a 17 1/2 in adults saddle fit a 12hh pony. The saddle fits the HORSE first and the rider second.

[Lou3]

also my little sister is nine - and is very tall for her age - no way is she big enough to handle anything bigger than 14hh on her own.

[MissBandit]

Originally Posted by Lou3

i think we have had this discussion before - you cannot use the same saddle on every horse. Try putting a 14in childs saddle on a 16hh horse and see if you can make it fit! I sure as heck couldnt, no more could i make a 17 1/2 in adults saddle fit a 12hh pony. The saddle fits the HORSE first and the rider second.

ok THAT makes sense. But the way you worded it before sounded a little odd.

[MissBandit]

Originally Posted by Lou3

also my little sister is nine - and is very tall for her age - no way is she big enough to handle anything bigger than 14hh on her own.

I know you are a massive pony fan, just pointing out that a short horse doesn't necessarily mean an easy ride. I've known many ponies who were harder to ride than 16hh horses.

[Lou3]

also the saddle wasnt really my point - your feet have to reach a certain way down the horse's barrel in order to hit the right spot to administer the aids effectively. An eight yr old is not going to be able to reach this far down the barrel of a horse bigger than about 13.2hh no matter how tall for their age they are.

[Shotgun93]

Miss B took the words right out of my mouth. You really need to look at what horse is best for you daughter, not neccessarily a certain breed/height/age. You need to look at the ability of the horse to take of your daughter. I learned to ride on a full size horse that was 8 years old and about as broke as they come. He was a TB/QH cross and if my dad had just gone by that his age/breed description alone, then he never would have even looked at him. But he turned out to be the horse that I learned so much on.
You need to do some research and find out what type of questions to ask, what to look for and how to spot a drugged horse before you go to buy. You should also try a trial period of a few weeks with a horse. If the owner is truelly out for the best interest of the horse, they will agree to that because they want the horse to go to a good home too.

[Lou3]

No it doesnt - you still need well-broke and quiet, however - if you give a child of eight a well-broke and quiet 12.2hh and a well-broke and quiet 15.2hh, they will get much better results and improve their riding a lot more on the 12.2hh.

Originally Posted by MissBandit

I know you are a massive pony fan, just pointing out that a short horse doesn't necessarily mean an easy ride. I've known many ponies who were harder to ride than 16hh horses.

[Dawn]

I don't know about anywhere else, but in this area, if a trainer gets a 'kid's' horse to train, or is training a hrose to sell as a kid's horse, they train it to leg cues using only their upper leg (thigh). Therefore, the horse will respond to the shorter leg. It will be hitting the 'right' spot. I have always only assumed that the same was done pretty much everywhere.

You can also buy child sized saddles for horses, not just ponies.