>>> At 13.3, Tosca doesn't feel small , but 13 h Yrsa makes me wonder if she'll >>> be big enough for me to actually ride. I suspect it is because she is not >>> yet four and still has a bit of a baby look.
Height isn't an indicator of how well the horse will carry you. I have a stocky barely-13H, but not overly stocky, well-built Icelandic mare that completed a few CTR's and at least one endurance ride with her prior owner. She isn't fast enough to win in endurance, but she finished, with all A's on her vet checks. Her rider was 185 pounds, and she rode in a BMSS, adding at least another 20 pounds of saddle and tack. (Maybe more.) I'd rather see13-ish H Eitill carry my husband than some closer to 14H Icelandic's. Eitill's legs are correct, and he's built to carry weight, even if he's not a huge Icelandic. He has wide hips, good-sized cannon bones, and well-sprung ribs. In my experience, despite what all the for-sale ads say, a 13.3H Icelandic is pretty tall, with average probably about 13.1H. Also, IME, Icelandic's will do a LOT of filling out between 4 and 8. I thought Bjola a little "refined" when I bought her at 5, but now, at nine, she's a tank. Karen Karen Thomas Wingate, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.487 / Virus Database: 269.13.21/1010 - Release Date: 9/15/2007 7:54 PM
