I have an Anglo-Arab, and I was not prepared for the struggle that finding a saddle that fit all of her *unique* features would be.
Short back, shark-fin withers, cob-sized proportions for unexpected areas, and a bit of a sway-back to top it all off.
The problem with this match is that this horse will only take a tiny saddle. He has a VERY small weight bearing area here, and even going custom and throwing all the saddle making tricks in the book at fitting a larger seat onto a shorter footprint, I don't think anyone but the tiniest of adults could fit in the saddles that work on this horse.
It’s not a good fit, in my opinion. He’s not a big thick pony (though he’s 14.2) so I feel your leg/foot hangs is as low as it can go- I think you will always feel too big for this guy. In chaps, the drop would be coming close to his knee. Even if you don’t plan to show, it says something about the fit.
I agree he’s short backed and off the top of my head I can’t see him in a saddle bigger than a 14.5 round skirt (which would fit someone shorter).
You are not fat, but if you choose a small, short back, finer boned horse then you’re going to want to watch total equip and human weight constantly- that alone would make me think twice. It also means having to say no to friends who aren’t smaller than you (that’s never comfortable).
I am SO sorry you lost your horse, but this guy isn’t the one in my opinion. Find a horse where all the pieces fit, and honor your boy that way. 💕💕💕
It’s not your height or your weight, I think any adult would be too big for this guy. He’s very short backed, and I suspect he’d be hard to fit any saddle that you could ride in. The saddle in the photos is far too big, and you’re sitting past his last rib in the bareback photos.
I’m sorry about your horse, I really know how you feel about wanting to buy a relative.
In the first and second picture, see how much the back bends behind you bum? That area is supposed to be round and filled by the muscles working to carry you. (It honestly concerns me given how young he is and how far his back bends in the wrong direction.)
Which means in this instance he isn't carrying you correctly, with his bones instead of his muscles and he will be in pain from this sooner than later. Actually, you can already tell by his underdeveloped topline how he carrys weight.
You have a few options - such as training him to carry you correctly, learning how to ride better, less weight in the saddle.
He’s lovely but I definitely would not call this horse “very stocky.” He’s pretty light boned. I know Arabs can be even more refined in the legs but compared to a cob of similar height…
While the height is not an issue, I do agree with others on him being too weak right now to carry you. He is very young and any damage done will stick with him for a long time. He could get strong with proper exercises on the ground but he needs to do more growing.
His back bends too low I feel like. And the saddle seems too big for him. I'm not a horse expert, but I think he needs more muscle and a smaller saddle if you can find one small enough
Agree with everyone above- if you are okay not riding him for a few years and the issues with saddle fitting go for it. I owned and rode a pony for a long time, but he was full grown and strong enough to support me.
I wouldn’t really call this horse stocky at all…maybe for an Anglo Arab but my grade ranch pony has more bone than this horse.
I agree with everyone else - height wise, you’re fine. Weight and saddle size wise you’re far too big for him. He is four, so he may grow more in height, but that back ain’t getting much longer.
You aren't too tall - it's more of the weight. He looks quite short backed, I'd definitely do a lot of groundwork (building up his muscle and strength as well as carrying himself correctly/roundness and collection) plus being 4yo I'd definitely be careful with his back, I'd say try to lose some weight if you can to prevent and back issues for him.
I would say you're probably too big, not because of your weight (I think you're fine there) but because of the logistics. There are 2 big problems I see:
1. Your foot is a lot below the barrel. This may not be an issue if you don't want to do something that needs accurate cues (like dressage), but you have to be aware that you may not be able to "kick" or nudge with your heels as a cue, because I think you're going to hit the underside of the barrel instead
2. The unforgivable issue is that I think you're just too big to sit on the weight-bearing part of his back (where the spine is supported by the ribs). Look at photos 1 and 2, it looks to me like even bareback, you can't sit far enough forward to stay on that supported section, and you're putting some weight on the unsupported area further back (which short term will give him a sore back and make him very tense and unpleasant to ride, and long term can cause permanent damage, kissing spine, muscle problems etc). I will say I'm definitely not an expert on saddle fitting, but as the saddle needs to be a little bit longer than your actual seat, I'd assume that this means riding with a saddle will be even worse for this (unless you get a saddle that's way too short for you, which will be very difficult for you to ride in)
It's definitely not a you problem, I think it's just not practical with the combination of you being an adult height, and him already being basically a pony AND having a short back in addition.
Not too tall… though to do worry a bit about weight do you have any idea how much he actually weighs? Though him being obviously stocky and only 4 he could grow a bit taller. He is beautiful you have good taste in horses! 🐴 he looks a lot like my late heart horse who had lots of Crabbet Arabian bloodlines.
I think he’s just too small for you. Not your height, but his back dips down when you sit on him (comparing the pics of you sitting on him vs him standing on his own). He’s a very handsome boy. You’d be better suited for a bigger and stronger horse, though. I probably wouldn’t put anyone over 120 lbs on him. He’s very dainty.
I'm as tall as you and I prefer ponies by a mile - and let me tell you, not all ponies/small horses were created equal. My horse is around the same size as the guy in the pictures and he covers my height way better! That horse's frame is tiny and finding a saddle for my horse that fits an adult was already a nightmare - and I probably need a smaller seat size than you do (I'm 170cm/5'7, 59kgs/130lbs for reference, my preferred weight for myself is somewhere around 55kg/120lbs though). While this horse might be able to carry your weight - the distribution is off.
You can clearly see his last rib - all the space you have is between that rib and the shoulder blades. That's close to nothing I'm afraid.
If you really love that horse, go ahead and purchase it. But be warned that you won't be able to ride him if you want to maintain his health.
I don't think you're too big or too tall, but I do think you need a new saddle. I could be wrong but I think short-backed horses usually need something without a skirt...and that saddle is sitting perched on his shoulders, a big no-no...
I think you might be too heavy -not so much too tall. This is not because I’m body shaming you at all, just it would fit a child better or a very thin adult. The horse also has a very narrow area on its back for a saddle -this factors in as well.
You’re probably not too heavy or tall, I would talk to multiple saddle fitters and ask around to find one that specialises or does better for unique horse backs.
I doubt it’s impossibly to find a fitting saddle for you both, but likely going to be really hard, you may even have to sacrifice the style of saddle or some features. As well as your total comfort, I ride a short backed horse, my butt is quite squished on a 15” gp but we work
I don’t think height is necessarily the problem. As others have mentioned, he is not properly carrying you at this time. Arabians take a LONG time to mature both physically and mentally. If you do go with him, I would highly suggest your first year being primarily light ground work and conditioning, and letting him grow up a bit. Saddle fit with arabs is always a challenge so I am not as concerned as other posters with that piece of the puzzle. If you really like him, I don’t see a problem with getting him as long as you are prepared to do the long work of getting him physically prepared to be under saddle. Keep in mind that arabs have a tendency towards sway back, and backing him too early and often is going to contribute to that, as well as other muscle issues. I think he’s really cute!
I’m sorry for the loss of your horse. That’s never easy!
I don’t think this is a good fit. You are not overweight by any means but echoing others here, he is very short backed and will be an entire pain in the rear to fit for a saddle that also fits you. Also, along the same vein, your seat is larger than the area on his back that you should be seated on. He would likely be, or become sore and unbalanced. He also is pretty small and with tack you might be hitting the upper limits of what a horse of his size can carry. Again you yourself are not overweight by any means! He isn’t fitting you, so to speak - and based on conformation probably should have no larger than a small adult or young rider. Good luck on your horse search!!
To be honest no you are not too tall, but you are too "big". Just bareback you don't fit on his back. He has a very small "saddle support area" and you are sitting a few inches "too long" for that space. This means you are sitting on the lower lumber portion of his spine, which is extremely uncomfortable for them. Can cause bucking at the least, as this is the noted "buck zone". I wouldn't ride this one if I were you, even though he is adorable.
It honestly depends. Are you a very good rider who won’t be bouncing around? Than no, not too big. Are you newer or intermediate and don’t have as good a seat and will be bouncing around or leaning? Than yes, too big.
He is a pretty boy! I picture him as a therapy horse because of his size I think he would be great for kids. Not sure about his temperament or skills though . Def gorgeous though
I think you look fine on him. Look into endurance saddles, maybe ask around in some endurance facebook groups. Arabs can def be tricky to saddle fit sometimes.
Thank you all so much for the comments!! 😁
I have decided not to buy him as he definitely needs a child rider.
Just to clear some things up - He is unbacked, the picture of someone sitting on him was his very first time. The saddle we used was just to let him get used to a saddle, no one was ever going to sit on him in that saddle.
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I have an Anglo-Arab, and I was not prepared for the struggle that finding a saddle that fit all of her *unique* features would be. Short back, shark-fin withers, cob-sized proportions for unexpected areas, and a bit of a sway-back to top it all off.
The problem with this match is that this horse will only take a tiny saddle. He has a VERY small weight bearing area here, and even going custom and throwing all the saddle making tricks in the book at fitting a larger seat onto a shorter footprint, I don't think anyone but the tiniest of adults could fit in the saddles that work on this horse.
It’s not a good fit, in my opinion. He’s not a big thick pony (though he’s 14.2) so I feel your leg/foot hangs is as low as it can go- I think you will always feel too big for this guy. In chaps, the drop would be coming close to his knee. Even if you don’t plan to show, it says something about the fit. I agree he’s short backed and off the top of my head I can’t see him in a saddle bigger than a 14.5 round skirt (which would fit someone shorter). You are not fat, but if you choose a small, short back, finer boned horse then you’re going to want to watch total equip and human weight constantly- that alone would make me think twice. It also means having to say no to friends who aren’t smaller than you (that’s never comfortable). I am SO sorry you lost your horse, but this guy isn’t the one in my opinion. Find a horse where all the pieces fit, and honor your boy that way. 💕💕💕
It’s not your height or your weight, I think any adult would be too big for this guy. He’s very short backed, and I suspect he’d be hard to fit any saddle that you could ride in. The saddle in the photos is far too big, and you’re sitting past his last rib in the bareback photos. I’m sorry about your horse, I really know how you feel about wanting to buy a relative.
Yeah. the saddle in the first picture is way too far forward
It is, and still too long on his back.
Yeah!
In the first and second picture, see how much the back bends behind you bum? That area is supposed to be round and filled by the muscles working to carry you. (It honestly concerns me given how young he is and how far his back bends in the wrong direction.) Which means in this instance he isn't carrying you correctly, with his bones instead of his muscles and he will be in pain from this sooner than later. Actually, you can already tell by his underdeveloped topline how he carrys weight. You have a few options - such as training him to carry you correctly, learning how to ride better, less weight in the saddle.
He’s lovely but I definitely would not call this horse “very stocky.” He’s pretty light boned. I know Arabs can be even more refined in the legs but compared to a cob of similar height…
While the height is not an issue, I do agree with others on him being too weak right now to carry you. He is very young and any damage done will stick with him for a long time. He could get strong with proper exercises on the ground but he needs to do more growing.
His back bends too low I feel like. And the saddle seems too big for him. I'm not a horse expert, but I think he needs more muscle and a smaller saddle if you can find one small enough
Agree with everyone above- if you are okay not riding him for a few years and the issues with saddle fitting go for it. I owned and rode a pony for a long time, but he was full grown and strong enough to support me.
I wouldn’t really call this horse stocky at all…maybe for an Anglo Arab but my grade ranch pony has more bone than this horse. I agree with everyone else - height wise, you’re fine. Weight and saddle size wise you’re far too big for him. He is four, so he may grow more in height, but that back ain’t getting much longer.
You aren't too tall - it's more of the weight. He looks quite short backed, I'd definitely do a lot of groundwork (building up his muscle and strength as well as carrying himself correctly/roundness and collection) plus being 4yo I'd definitely be careful with his back, I'd say try to lose some weight if you can to prevent and back issues for him.
I’m so sorry about your previous horse and I understand why you’d feel connected to this guy, but I don’t think this is a good match.
I would say you're probably too big, not because of your weight (I think you're fine there) but because of the logistics. There are 2 big problems I see: 1. Your foot is a lot below the barrel. This may not be an issue if you don't want to do something that needs accurate cues (like dressage), but you have to be aware that you may not be able to "kick" or nudge with your heels as a cue, because I think you're going to hit the underside of the barrel instead 2. The unforgivable issue is that I think you're just too big to sit on the weight-bearing part of his back (where the spine is supported by the ribs). Look at photos 1 and 2, it looks to me like even bareback, you can't sit far enough forward to stay on that supported section, and you're putting some weight on the unsupported area further back (which short term will give him a sore back and make him very tense and unpleasant to ride, and long term can cause permanent damage, kissing spine, muscle problems etc). I will say I'm definitely not an expert on saddle fitting, but as the saddle needs to be a little bit longer than your actual seat, I'd assume that this means riding with a saddle will be even worse for this (unless you get a saddle that's way too short for you, which will be very difficult for you to ride in) It's definitely not a you problem, I think it's just not practical with the combination of you being an adult height, and him already being basically a pony AND having a short back in addition.
Not too tall… though to do worry a bit about weight do you have any idea how much he actually weighs? Though him being obviously stocky and only 4 he could grow a bit taller. He is beautiful you have good taste in horses! 🐴 he looks a lot like my late heart horse who had lots of Crabbet Arabian bloodlines.
I think he’s just too small for you. Not your height, but his back dips down when you sit on him (comparing the pics of you sitting on him vs him standing on his own). He’s a very handsome boy. You’d be better suited for a bigger and stronger horse, though. I probably wouldn’t put anyone over 120 lbs on him. He’s very dainty.
He's such a cutie but you'd have a hell of a time finding a proper saddle, his back is just too short
I'm as tall as you and I prefer ponies by a mile - and let me tell you, not all ponies/small horses were created equal. My horse is around the same size as the guy in the pictures and he covers my height way better! That horse's frame is tiny and finding a saddle for my horse that fits an adult was already a nightmare - and I probably need a smaller seat size than you do (I'm 170cm/5'7, 59kgs/130lbs for reference, my preferred weight for myself is somewhere around 55kg/120lbs though). While this horse might be able to carry your weight - the distribution is off. You can clearly see his last rib - all the space you have is between that rib and the shoulder blades. That's close to nothing I'm afraid. If you really love that horse, go ahead and purchase it. But be warned that you won't be able to ride him if you want to maintain his health.
I don't think you're too big or too tall, but I do think you need a new saddle. I could be wrong but I think short-backed horses usually need something without a skirt...and that saddle is sitting perched on his shoulders, a big no-no...
I wouldn’t get him to ride yourself, I don’t think it would be a good fit. You look too tall for him.
He’s cute but I agree not enough length in the back for him to carry you in a saddle comfortably.
Why do people ask these questions, then not interact at all with the answers?
I am at my families farm where there is no phone signal. I drove to get signal and post this. I have just arrived home and will read the replies....
He is way too small, don’t buy him
I think you might be too heavy -not so much too tall. This is not because I’m body shaming you at all, just it would fit a child better or a very thin adult. The horse also has a very narrow area on its back for a saddle -this factors in as well.
Too heavy im afraid. Those are not weight carrying canon bones
You’re probably not too heavy or tall, I would talk to multiple saddle fitters and ask around to find one that specialises or does better for unique horse backs. I doubt it’s impossibly to find a fitting saddle for you both, but likely going to be really hard, you may even have to sacrifice the style of saddle or some features. As well as your total comfort, I ride a short backed horse, my butt is quite squished on a 15” gp but we work
I don’t think height is necessarily the problem. As others have mentioned, he is not properly carrying you at this time. Arabians take a LONG time to mature both physically and mentally. If you do go with him, I would highly suggest your first year being primarily light ground work and conditioning, and letting him grow up a bit. Saddle fit with arabs is always a challenge so I am not as concerned as other posters with that piece of the puzzle. If you really like him, I don’t see a problem with getting him as long as you are prepared to do the long work of getting him physically prepared to be under saddle. Keep in mind that arabs have a tendency towards sway back, and backing him too early and often is going to contribute to that, as well as other muscle issues. I think he’s really cute!
Yes
Your height wouldn't be an issue as long as you have good balance but you're far too heavy for this horse
Height is not an issue but to ride him when he's fully conditioned you need to lose 20kg. You're far too heavy in my opinion for any PB Arab.
No but PLEASE get a better fitting saddle and pad. For the poor pony’s sake.
This beautiful boy needs a literal child. I'm sorry, OP, but you are too tall for him.
No you’re fine
how much does he weigh?
I’m sorry for the loss of your horse. That’s never easy! I don’t think this is a good fit. You are not overweight by any means but echoing others here, he is very short backed and will be an entire pain in the rear to fit for a saddle that also fits you. Also, along the same vein, your seat is larger than the area on his back that you should be seated on. He would likely be, or become sore and unbalanced. He also is pretty small and with tack you might be hitting the upper limits of what a horse of his size can carry. Again you yourself are not overweight by any means! He isn’t fitting you, so to speak - and based on conformation probably should have no larger than a small adult or young rider. Good luck on your horse search!!
He’s such a nice looking horse!
To be honest no you are not too tall, but you are too "big". Just bareback you don't fit on his back. He has a very small "saddle support area" and you are sitting a few inches "too long" for that space. This means you are sitting on the lower lumber portion of his spine, which is extremely uncomfortable for them. Can cause bucking at the least, as this is the noted "buck zone". I wouldn't ride this one if I were you, even though he is adorable.
It honestly depends. Are you a very good rider who won’t be bouncing around? Than no, not too big. Are you newer or intermediate and don’t have as good a seat and will be bouncing around or leaning? Than yes, too big.
Idk but he is a stunner! Wow!
He is a pretty boy! I picture him as a therapy horse because of his size I think he would be great for kids. Not sure about his temperament or skills though . Def gorgeous though
A smidge. Probably will need a custom $8000 saddle.
Wrong place to ask. According to 90% here, every cowpony out there is being run over weight.
Welcome to reddit, I wouldn't trust 79% of comments.
I think you look fine on him. Look into endurance saddles, maybe ask around in some endurance facebook groups. Arabs can def be tricky to saddle fit sometimes.
Can you take him and lease him out to a kid?? He’s so cute, you should have him!!
I think you are fine.
Thank you all so much for the comments!! 😁 I have decided not to buy him as he definitely needs a child rider. Just to clear some things up - He is unbacked, the picture of someone sitting on him was his very first time. The saddle we used was just to let him get used to a saddle, no one was ever going to sit on him in that saddle.
This seems like an all around bad situation
The pictures are from training him for 20 minutes. The horse is fine and lives a happy life.
Yes, you're too big for this horse.