# confused



## Pallyshire

This may be a newbie question but I guess it is confusing. 

I just bought a mare and she is a 14 hand quarter horse. She uses a 4 inch bit and according to most people I talk to that is a pony size. So is she considered a pony even though she is a registered quarter horse?


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## Teej

Yes. And I don't know about the rules these days but I can remember folks I knew that showed talking about having to pad and shoe some of their horses to get them to meet the height requirement at shows. LOL


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## Pallyshire

wow that seems like a lot of work to compete!


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## oregon woodsmok

A quarter Horse, or an Arab, with a good correct head with have a narrow mouth. They use a narrower bit than a thoroughbred or a warmblood. It has nothing to do with being a pony or a horse.

Western horses, 14 hands is a horse. English riding: 14.2 is the dividing line between horse and pony.

If you have a Quarter Horse who is 14 hands, she can be entered in the pony classes at an English show if you would like to do that, but she is a horse at the western shows.


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## SFM in KY

It does sound like a 4" bit is pretty narrow even for a QH ,... and I've owned a number of them. That's the size I use for my Welsh ponies so you might want to just double check and make sure there is a little gap between the lips and the shank of the bit.

The pony question is really confusing especially for someone not familiar with the English/pony classes. Technically, a pony (in English class terms) is any equine that measures 14.2 or under, regardless of breed. Most English classes are divided into three divisions, small, medium and large, depending on the actual measurement, but there are no breed requirements. Any breed or crossbreed can be shown in these classes and most of them are limited to children showing in the under saddle classes, also further divided by age. Adults do show in some pony classes, in hand classes (halter classes in Western terminology) and driving classes. 

To make it even more confusing, ponies can be compete in shows, ridden by adults, in open classes that are not specifically limited to ponies, but they compete against the 'big horses', even over fences in hunter and jumper classes. Not too many years ago, a pony was competing in events, including the 4-star Rolex event, with an adult rider.

Then there is the question of the 'pony' breeds ... Connemara and Welsh Cobs especially are often over the legal height for ponies and while they are allowed to compete in their breed specific classes without regard to height, they still have to measure 14.2 or under to compete in the open classes for ponies.

Now, have I confused everyone thoroughly enough? :happy2:


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## CraterCove

Uhh... yes SFM *goes back to read that again* Four inches does seem really small, as SFM said you may want to double check the fit to make sure it's seated correctly.


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## Pallyshire

I originaly put my 5 inch bit in her mouth to measure her and it stuck out a little over an inch. To be sure before i ordered her a bit I measured her again with a string. I thought it was super small because.my last mare was quarter horse amd paint. she used a 5in.


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## arabian knight

Pallyshire said:


> This may be a newbie question but I guess it is confusing.
> 
> I just bought a mare and she is a 14 hand quarter horse. She uses a 4 inch bit and according to most people I talk to that is a pony size. So is she considered a pony even though she is a registered quarter horse?


Very well could be a Quarter Pony.

http://quarterponyassociation.com


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## SFM in KY

arabian knight said:


> Very well could be a Quarter Pony.


Possible but also very possible for a registered QH to be in the 13.2 to 14.2 hand range. When we were raising Quarter Horses back in the 70s, we were breeding for cutting and reining and several of our broodmares were from some of the older bloodlines and were under 14.2 hands.


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## Joshie

I would ask your trainer if the bit seems too small. Your farrier might be able to help. Our Paint is in the 14.2 or 14.3 range and uses a horse bit. A 4" bit is really small.


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## malinda

I also agree that a 4" bit is pretty small. My 12.2 hand pony used a 4.5".


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## Barn Yarns

can you post a pic? yes, 4" is considered a pony bit. what you havent told us is her age. my last morgan I started him in a 4" bit as a long yearling. by the time i started riding him, he had grown into the 5". so... if she is still a youngster, she might still be growing yet. 

14 hands at the shows up here was the breakoff between pony classes and horse classes. I showed at many shows where the ponys were seen in both classes while at others there was no cross entering. 

but if you arent showing.... it doesnt matter. if she fits you well than thats all the better. besides.. if you fall off... 14 hands is way closer to the ground than 17 hands


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## SFM in KY

Barn Yarns said:


> .. besides.. if you fall off... 14 hands is way closer to the ground than 17 hands


And I can absolutely guarantee that when you're 70 ... you will NOT be flexible enough to get your foot as high as your waist to put in the stirrup of a 17 hand horse ... especially if you're only 5' tall! :grin:


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## wr

SFM in KY said:


> And I can absolutely guarantee that when you're 70 ... you will NOT be flexible enough to get your foot as high as your waist to put in the stirrup of a 17 hand horse ... especially if you're only 5' tall! :grin:


I'm not much taller than 5' and that the whole process of mounting those tall horses is a huge production. In order to get your foot up by your ear, you need to make sure you don't split your jeans so it takes a bit of doing to get creases where you need them, then raise foot to ear level, make a loud old lady noise and heave on up. 

The whole preparation process is commonly called the old heifer dance.


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## Lisa in WA

I didn't know you were so teensy, wr! If you all rode in English saddles you could easily drop your stirrup way down and then adjust while you're in the saddle. Maybe you need to convert.


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## GrannyCarol

Just use a tall ladder...


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## Barn Yarns

i have a stool to get on my 17.1 gelding... but im not shy about asking for a leg up. BUT... I can get my foot up there. 

in school we had a HUGE mounting block. even on the biggest horses the sturrips were right above the platform. 

Ive seen my share of older folks on tall horses. where there is a will... there is a way


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## wr

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> I didn't know you were so teensy, wr! If you all rode in English saddles you could easily drop your stirrup way down and then adjust while you're in the saddle. Maybe you need to convert.


I'm actually about 5'2" and I've gotten pretty creative about locating low spots to make mounting easier.


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## Pallyshire

She is 6 years so I don't think she will grow anymore. I went with a 4.5 inch bit to give her some growing room. She lost a lot of weight before I purchased her and I have no clue if she will gain any in the face. I don't think so. The farrier and a friend checked it and they both suggested a 4 1/4 inch. She is very narrow in the mouth. If she wasn't registered I wouldn't believe she was QH. She is so petite. 

Thanks everyone for the clarification. I won't be showing her I was just confused what to consider her. She has been through a lot in her 6 years with a rough jerk owner for her first 5 years then being starved so I plan to give her an easy life. She will be used for trail riding. Also providing the vet isn't wrong she will be retired from being a brood mare as well. Thanks everyone


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## cedarcreekranch

Some quarter and other stock breed lines tend to be shorter than 14.2h, especially cutters and reiners. Don't worry about it, if her papers are AQHA, she's a quarter HORSE.  Enjoy her!


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## Farmerjonathan

Back in the '70's when I was in 4H, 56" was the cut off between horses and ponies (14 hands). If you were lucky enough to have a border line animal, you could pick which class you showed in. I had a bay QH mare that with shoes would measure 56.5", had a blue roan gelding barefoot that would measure 55.75". They measured in the spring so could show my gelding in pony class even though he was shod. That is the ideal size for me also as I am 5'9". Also they are easier keepers and stand up to heat better than large horses.


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## jennigrey

She could have been out of a malnourished and/or young mare. Being starved can account for some of it too.

The 12 hand Icelandic here probably had a scant 2-year-old dam. He is runty. But even he takes a 4.75" bit.


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## Lisa in WA

Farmerjonathan said:


> Back in the '70's when I was in 4H, 56" was the cut off between horses and ponies (14 hands). If you were lucky enough to have a border line animal, you could pick which class you showed in. I had a bay QH mare that with shoes would measure 56.5", had a blue roan gelding barefoot that would measure 55.75". They measured in the spring so could show my gelding in pony class even though he was shod. That is the ideal size for me also as I am 5'9". Also they are easier keepers and stand up to heat better than large horses.


I've never heard nor experienced anything about small horses faring better in heat than taller horses and I used to live in Phoenix with a wide variety of horses and ponies. The 13h pony never seemed to do any better or worse than the 16+h variety.


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## malinda

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> I've never heard nor experienced anything about small horses faring better in heat than taller horses and I used to live in Phoenix with a wide variety of horses and ponies. The 13h pony never seemed to do any better or worse than the 16+h variety.


 
I've never heard that either. 

Now, when working, a heavily muscled horse doesn't dissipate heat as well as a more wirey type horse, but height has nothing to do with it.


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## Pallyshire

I will enjoy her  She is a sweet heart and likes to please. The bit I have is 4 1/2 and it is very loose. The farrier said it will be ok to have it a little larger until she is up to weight. Thanks everyone.


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## Farmerjonathan

As I still work my team in the field days on end. I have a little experience from my side of the equation. I am not talking about riding or jogging or warming up your horse, I am talking about daylight to dusk work with your horse, on top, leading for a while. Day in and day out.


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