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Re: [RC] Height of horses - heidiOf the horses that I had the height information on that thru 2003 had lasted for 10 ride seasons (Decade Club Horses), http://aerc.org/long_table.asp these are the results. Of course, some of these horses may not be as tall as was reported, but I know some of them and they are definitely that tall -- there are some very good taller (and also shorter) horses out there, to judge them by size would be like judging them by color. :=) I think that a taller horse has just as good a chance of lasting a long time in this sport as a smaller horse, it all depends on the individual horse and how it is managed. Karen 17.0 1 16.1 1 16.0 1 15.3 2 15.2 5 15.1 8 15.0 10 14.3 9 14.2 4 14.1 3 I would bet my lunch that most of the taller horses were NOT measured with a stick and level. I can't begin to count the number of times that riders have actually ARGUED with me, trying to tell me that my horses are taller than they really are, particularly the ones with really good substance. And no, despite the claims of these horses being so tall, it has been my experience that there are only a handful of Arabs that REALLY stick 16 hands that have persevered in this sport. Bezatal was one--he was an even 16 hands. He was also incredibly balanced. I was briefly at the big Arab expo in Denver--one prominent Sport Horse sire there has long been billed at 16 hands. I talked to his breeder, who had hauled him there, who said heavens no, he was between 15.2 and 15.3. And he is HUGE. There are still only two horses that have earned "10s" in this sport--one of those was Rio, at 14.2, and the other was Khalil Khai, at 14.1. Don't forget the Susan G Tevis studies--doesn't have to do with height per se, but if the horse is in proportion, as he gets taller, he will also get heavier. In her Tevis studies, the horse/rider combos that weighed over 1200 lbs together started to be at a higher risk for lameness. So the bigger horse actually needs a SMALLER rider to keep up his odds for finishing, and the HW rider needs to find a horse with substance in a narrow range to keep the combined weight from going over that (or from going much over that). That has sure been my observation over the years. The taller horses simply haven't held up ON AVERAGE as well as the ones of more average height. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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