My first attempt at a picture upload

[dancinghorse]

Or, why people have been laughing hysterically when I ride this horse. (She's not 18 hands! Really! And I'm not 4 feet tall, either.) (Also, why nobody "needs" a 16-hand Lipizzan.)

Comments

[maryosmanski.livejournal.com]

Having seen these horses in person and ridden one of them, I'd have to say it's not the height of the horse, it's a utter fitness and muscularity of them (combined with how damned smart you know they are) that gives a 5'4" less-experienced rider a bit of a pause once you're up there on one.

[plutosonium.livejournal.com]

As a 5'4" rider, I totally agree. Sitting on my guy, I feel like he's capable of anything. Which is good, right? But intimidating. You never know just how he's going to apply that intelligence.

Last year we were standing between an electric fence and a truck, and we needed to be pointed the other way for the farrier to work on the horse. I looked around and said to the horse "There really isn't enough room for you to turn around here, is there?"

Smart horse reared, spun 180 degrees, and came down. He didn't touch the fence or the truck. He did, however, take up the space I had been using. I went flying, displaced by his massive head and chest.

You have to watch what you say around them.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

He needs to get the memo about not squishing your human.