Re: Rider vs. Horse size

["sherman" <shermano@prodigy.net>]

Hi Patti:
   I think you are on the right track with a 14.3 Arab.  I have ridden my 15
HH Morgan many miles and he has more power than I will ever need.  He is
about 900 pounds.  I am 220.  With saddle and gear he probably carries 270
pounds quite well.  He has had a suspensory injury...  a year ago at the
Osceola 25/35/65/100, the same ride we all volunteered at this year.  He is
retired from CTR's and endurance type of activities because he gets too
hyper and uses too much energy on nervousness.  He's 25 years old, and he
still wants to go one more gait faster than I do.
  So, get a quiet horse.  Get an Arab if you plan to go long distances.  And
get one the right height for you to easily get off and onto without stools
and stumps, etc.  How heavy is this Arab you are looking at?  They come in a
range of "dainty" to "full-boned".
  Our younger Morgan is just about 5 and has done well in 25 mile CTR's.
Natalie is bringing him along slowly.  Maybe he will do a 50 by the time
he's 6.  Natalie is 5 foot 6", 120 pounds, and Spirit is 14HH.  She looks a
little tall for him, but they make a good team in competition.  She has
trained him since he was 6 months old and she was 12.
   Have you been to any more rides since Osceola?  We have a ride and drive
coming up this weekend in Withlacoochie, near Brooksville, and then the
following weekend there is a 25/50 in the Far out Forest near Altoona.
You could see a variety of horses at these rides, most with happy riders and
all quite able to do the task.  Most of them are Arabs, but sometimes it's
fun to play against the odds.   I hope you find a good horse for you.
  Sherman, riding and driving Morgans in the north Florida backwoods
community of Gainesville