Re: How small is too small?

[K S Swigart <katswig@deltanet.com>]

On Fri, 5 Jun 1998, Joe Long wrote:

> On Fri, 05 Jun 1998 10:03:18 -0700, keithr@nocdc.bc.ca (Ann Hatfield)
> wrote:
> 
> >I have been given a scant 14:1 hand registered Arab to put trail experience
> >on so that he is more saleable.  He has had ring riding, some show
> >experience and some road work.  An instructor who worked with the young
> >owner felt this horse might make a CTR  horse er, pony, and I think they
> >are right.  I also think they may have set their sights too low-I think he
> >may make an endurance horse.
> >
> >Is he too small to be saleable for this purpose?  
> 
> Kahlil is 14.1, I'm 5' 9", and he's in the Hall of Fame with 11,475
> career miles over 17 consecutive years.  Many other horses with
> outstanding endurance careers are 14.2 or smaller.

WHile I agree with your statement that endurance horses do not need to be
big to be good at endurance; my experience is that they need to be bigger
than 14.1 to be "saleable" as endurance horses.

So, what I would say is, "Yes, you can do endurance on a small horse, but
no, don't count on being able to sell a small horse as an edurance horse."

Sad, but true.

Me?  I ride small horses and encourage everybody else to do likewise.  As
far as _I_ am concerned, there is only one reason that anybody NEEDS a big
horse

...

and that's to jump big fences (and fences aren't big fences until they get
bigger than 4'3").

kat
Orange County, Calif.
(who just rode a 13.3 hh horse on a 75 miler)