Related Dressage Saddles information

Tall Riders and Their Mounts

l*v2ride113 said: First, let me say that I am a beginner and I don't mean for this topic to offend anyone. I just read this month's USDF Connection and the inside front cover really got my attention. It shows Debbie McDonald on Brentina and Adrienne Lyle on Felix. We all know that Debbie McDonald is a petite rider. However, her legs appear to be far enough on Brentina to give effective aids. I also believe that Debbie uses a lot of subtle seat aids when she rides. On the other hand, it appears that Adrienne Lyle is waaay too tall for Felix. Are riders' legs supposed to hang so far down below the horses' sides? I'm sure that Adrienne's primary means of communicating with Felix involves her seat as well, but it's just not a pretty picture to me. She looks too tall for this horse. Also, shouldn't dressage riders have some bend in their knees? By the way, I'm not implying that tall riders should all ride super tall horses, but there should be some consideration given to size and height when selecting your mounts. Any opinions?

r*bicon said: I'm not going to show a pony anytime soon probably except my daughters 14.2 H pony just to help her and him, but its not really to compete persay. I'm not that tall at 5'7 1/2 but I do have a lot of leg so I like them to be atleast 15.2 and can fill up my leg okay.

Br*vestrom said: I love big horses, my main horse is 17.1, my 2 yr old colt is already 17.2. I am 5'7" My boys are both 6'+ - one rides a 17.2hh sport horse and one rides a 16.2hh mare and is training another 16.2hh mare. Most of our horses are 16.3+ and nothing in the barn less than 16.2. Its just our personal preferences but I do think my 6'2" son would look funny on a 14.2hh - 15hh horse. It just looks so much better when a larger rider is on a larger horse and I would think the balance comes into play too.

b*gyellowmoose said: It IS a prettier picture when horse and rider are physically suited to each other, but in dressage the emphasis is on training, not just the picture. Quite often ponies are shown by adults who are not perfect matches for them, size-wise. As long as the rider isn't overloading the horse/pony, it's not considered an issue at all.

B*gey2 said: she is a lovely rider and winning...so I guess it's a good "pair". Felix is 17 hands BTW. Are you a jealous troll?

*quibrit said: First, let me say that I am a beginner and I don't mean for this topic to offend anyone. I just read this month's USDF Connection and the inside front cover really got my attention. It shows Debbie McDonald on Brentina and Adrienne Lyle on Felix. We all know that Debbie McDonald is a petite rider. However, her legs appear to be far enough on Brentina to give effective aids. I also believe that Debbie uses a lot of subtle seat aids when she rides. On the other hand, it appears that Adrienne Lyle is waaay too tall for Felix. Are riders' legs supposed to hang so far down below the horses' sides? I'm sure that Adrienne's primary means of communicating with Felix involves her seat as well, but it's just not a pretty picture to me. She looks too tall for this horse. Also, shouldn't dressage riders have some bend in their knees? By the way, I'm not implying that tall riders should all ride super tall horses, but there should be some consideration given to size and height when selecting your mounts. Any opinions? You are correct - you are a beginner.

n*dasy said: I just looked at the photos, and agree with the OP that this horse and rider combination appears (from the angle of the photo perhaps), to look a bit odd. It has nothing to do with her position, or the horses movement, but she looks very tall on a horse that looks almost pony sized. I understand that this is a horse that is 17 hands? Is Adrienne Lyle over 6' tall? I'm not trying to be difficult here, but your comment to the OP that she is a beginner was rather rude, particularly in view of this particular photo. She/he was just asking a question. No need to be cranky. Adrienne Lyle appears to have very long legs AND a long upper body in the photo. She looks to be a lovely and sensitive rider, but honestly, from a photographer's point of view, looks like she is riding a pony-albeit a very very lovely one.

B*gey2 said: http://www.clubequestrian.com/photos/view/0/adrienne_lyle_and_felix_national_dressage_grand_pr ix_championship/2418.aspxhttp://www.clubequestrian.com/photos/view/0/adrienne_lyle_and_felix_national_dressage_grand_pr ix_championship/2418.aspx

C*sMonster said: Maybe it's just me but Lyle doesn't look too tall for Felix at all to me. :confused: But in general, it doesn't matter. It may not be as pretty a picture but it isn't a big deal. I do think people give consideration to selecting horses, but sometimes that horse that is perfect in every way except he's a hand or so too small comes along and it turns out that height isn't that big of a deal after all.

C*roline Weber said: I'm 5'6" with long legs and ride a 15.2 mare. My feet hang below her stomach. I deal with this by (1) using more seat than leg, (2) using more calf than heel, and (3) riding with swan-neck spurs. She's the only horse I actually own, so I can either deal with it or not have my own horse to ride. Having ridden a wide range of heights, part of horse/rider compatibility has to do with barrel width...I've fit quite nicely on a narrow 17.3 guy.

B*gey2 said: http://www.sporthorse.tv/video/e148f8c6-2733-4fa3-878f-beec26652783/6995b092-8254-4732-bbbf-8af3dbfe0ec8

JWB said: No need to get mean or call names! Lendon Gray rode Seldom Scene and Last Scene - They were connemara crosses and she's not a "short" woman. There is a 5'8 lady in my area who is well known for showing PSG on her 13.1 hh Section C wesh cob I'm 5'9 and gave up my 14.3 hh Arabian mare last year - not because of size but because of navicular. Sure I was a little tall for her but she didn't feel small, she could lengthen with the best of them and my weight was not a problem. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=294931&l=e28c7c0421&id=665238181 I think it's just as odd to see a TINY lady on a massive horse. I saw a stallion ad this spring and I don't know much about the rider or the horse (Hexagon Louisville) but it seemed akward the other way.... The horse was just massive and the rider looked dwarfed in comparison.... I've seen other pics of the combination and they look like a nice pair too so the camera angle can change a lot.

L*rkspurCO said: Maybe it's just me but Lyle doesn't look too tall for Felix at all to me. :confused: Me neither.

B*gey2 said: Lendon Gray rode Seldom Scene and Last Scene - They were connemara crosses and she's not a "short" woman. huh? would you call her tall? Lendon, how tall are you?:lol:

B*gey2 said: If the person is riding well what do you care? Kathy Connelly is tiny as is Debbie MacDonald and both have done quite well. YIKES! I will have to let my 4'11 niece know that I don't care how well she is doing on that 17 hand horse she is not to ride him...just get off...people will talk! :winkgrin:

c*ryledee said: I watched the video...all I can say is wow! I think they are a beautiful team and she is a very elegant rider. I'm tall and I don't look petite on anything I ride! If I'm on a slab sided or smaller horse, I just have to close my leg more. I've always been told by the dressage crowd that I am lucky to have such long legs. I think we all just got used to seeing 5' women on 17 hand massive warmbloods and it skewed our judgment a bit.

F*ntastic said: Well, I remember seeing Debbie ride Felix as a naughty youngster, back when he popped lots of wheelies, and she wasn't sure he was going to go anywhere! My, have things changed! I thought he looked like a nice large horse back then (says the 5'2" shorty who's largest horse is almost 17.2 (we didn't think he'd finish so big)), and he was quite the handful! Anyone remember that? That being said, I think Adriane is extremely tall, and she could use a taller and wider horse. In fact, I have one I could trade her that would take up her long leg better than Felix!:D Honestly? I think she makes him look small, which he is not.

F*ntastic said: I think we all just got used to seeing 5' women on 17 hand massive warmbloods and it skewed our judgment a bit. Ya talkin' about me?;) I ride the 10 hand pony Hot Rod to the 17.2 hand Snortalupagus. I've learned to ride whatever comes my way. I prefer larger horses myself with medium width to it's rib cage, and not really the 15 or under handers. The 17.2 is wide and deep in the heart girth, and he really is a bit big, but he is not super long. I actually had a judge tell me I was too small for that horse! I was a bit offended, since I own him. I mean, what was I going to do, sell him just because he grew a bit too tall?:no: I think it just really boils down to how effective a rider you are. It's not the size that matters in this case!:lol:

JWB said: A few pics.... Lendon Gray & Seldom Scene... http://www.hudsonvalleyhorsesource.com/horsetalk/lendon2.jpg Jo McCracken & Dragon's Lair Pink Perfection "Mollie" http://www.mobilehorsesupply.com/images/Breeding%20Program/Mollie-2.jpg

F*ncyFree said: I think we all just got used to seeing 5' women on 17 hand massive warmbloods and it skewed our judgment a bit. That's interesting that you bring that up because I was just talking to my vet about this very thing. She made a comment about being happy to see that my mare was a "reasonable size" at 16.2 after I told her that I was her breeder. She said she thinks the trend for the bigger sized WB has swung the other way because she seen that a lot of her smaller female clients have difficulty with the really big horses. So we'll see if this is so.

c*ryledee said: Ya talkin' about me?;) I ride the 10 hand pony Hot Rod to the 17.2 hand Snortalupagus. I've learned to ride whatever comes my way. I prefer larger horses myself with medium width to it's rib cage, and not really the 15 or under handers. The 17.2 is wide and deep in the heart girth, and he really is a bit big, but he is not super long. I actually had a judge tell me I was too small for that horse! I was a bit offended, since I own him. I mean, what was I going to do, sell him just because he grew a bit too tall?:no: I think it just really boils down to how effective a rider you are. It's not the size that matters in this case!:lol: Forgive me...I am just a little bitter! :lol: Actually I agree with you 110%; it just seems like everything in our society is coming down to appearance and looks and skipping over what's really important. If the horse is happy and the rider is happy, does it really matter?

l*v2ride113 said: No, I am not a jealous troll (Bogey2) and I admitted at the beginning of my post that I am a beginner (Equibrit). While I agree that it's the training that's important, the picture caught MY attention because Adrienne Lyle looked too tall for Felix. When she is on him, he does not look like a 17h horse. It's nice they're winning, but it's not a pretty picture. That's my opinion and I'm standing by it, beginner or not. Also, I questioned in my post whether or not the position of a rider's legs on the horse's sides was important. I guess that's a moot question, though, if your legs hang down below the horse's sides.

s*euatx said: Different strokes for different folks. I actually think she looks well paired with that horse, where as I think Debbie looks too small. The point is, both get the job done which is the important part. Some people like to be able to wrap their legs around the horse, others want their leg mid-barrel and they choose their horses accordingly. I personally feel like a Weeble on anything bigger than 16.2, so I shall stick to my little horses. If you want to see too big, let's talk Mark Todd and Charisma. But he was so spectacular in balancing his weight around that little gelding that his size never was a problem, and they had the medals to prove it.

l*v2ride113 said: Just looked at the picture Bogey2 posted. It is a much better looking picture of horse and rider. I also see the bend in her knee in this picture.

Th*HorseProblem said: There's also a thread over in H/J on this topic, called Does size matter? Maybe in the eq classes, there's more of an obsession with a bigger horse, and breeding in dressage *seems* to be trending that way (and please chime in if I'm wrong about that), but if you watch the streaming video of the last Olympics, it's like a Spanish horse parade, and none of them are over 16 hands, I bet. Having said that, when I was last horse shopping, I only looked at horses 16.2 or taller, because I am tall but my legs are short, so most of my height sits atop the horse. I ended up with a horse that was exactly 16.2 and all withers, but I loved him so much I never cared a whit how I looked on him. I totally agree with the people who said it depends on the size of the horse, not necessarily the height, because I rode a stocky 15.2 hand QH a few weeks ago, and we made a nice picture. Until I realized that he hated me.:lol:

l*v2ride113 said: I agree that the size of the horse affects leg position. I am only 5'5" and I have ridden horses whose heights have ranged from 15.2h to 17h. The 15.2h horse had a "substantial" body type and she and I made a nice pair. I have also been on a 16.3h hand horse who had a "substantial" body type and I looked like Debbie McDonald on Brentina.:lol: However, while I am generally more comfortable on horses 16.2h - 16.3h, I wouldn't preclude riding a horse that was outside of those height ranges. I didn't mean for this thread to be about tall horses. What I wanted to know was are riders' legs/feet that are placed squarely on the horses' sides more effective than legs/feet that hang below the horses' sides, if that makes any sense. It seems like this would be a factor when leg yielding or asking for the canter depart.

Th*HorseProblem said: Boy, it took a while to find this, as I couldn't remember either the rider's name or the horse's, but... http://hipicaagras.com/durgo.jpg You can see that Martin Schaudt's leg hung down well below Durgo's belly and he had to really bend his leg to get a spur on. He made it work, but it looked like such a challenge.

C*roline Weber said: What I wanted to know was are riders' legs/feet that are placed squarely on the horses' sides more effective than legs/feet that hang below the horses' sides, if that makes any sense. It seems like this would be a factor when leg yielding or asking for the canter depart. That's what your calves and bum are for. It's certainly easier to get a spur on a horse that's a better match for you in terms of height, but you really learn to rely on your seat when it's the primary tool at your disposal.

Br*ggsie said: sorry, i think they look fine. But, I traded in a 16.2 for a 17.2....because I felt better on the bigger horse...i am 5 9"..but still rode the smaller one well, for several years.

H*mpton Bay said: So since I am 5'9" with long everything (except my arms), then should I sell my 15.2h mare, or my 15.3h gelding? What about my yearling filly, who I bred and absolutely adore, who should end up about 15.3h to 16h? Do I need an 18h horse so I don't offend people like you who might see me ride? America really is a culture of appearances huh.

q*ietann said: Was hoping my trainer's assistant would show up here to speak for herself, but, she's done a fine job with my fairly lightly built, narrow 15 hand mare and she is 6'1"! Her current leased horse is a very thickset WB who is about 17.2 hands and takes up her go-on-forever legs very well. The bigger ones are better for her aesthetically, but I swear she can ride anything and make it look good!

J-L* said: I don't think she's too tall for her horse at all. I think she looks fine. More importantly, the horse looks just fine. Ulla Salzgeber rides with very little bend in her knees and it doesn't seem to be a problem for her. ETA: Many of the Spanish Riding School men are taller than you might expect for their mounts but they do just fine...it is why swan-neck spurs exist.

Gl*ria said: Too tall? huh? Her feet are hanging just at the bottom of the horse's belly and that is just right. I would much rather see that than seeing the rider's feet barely touching the middle of the horse' torso.

D*ne said: I think they're a beautiful match, FWIW. ;) Now, of course you can use any excuse as far as why you can't get something done...or you can have "skills" and get it done anyway. :yes:

r*bicon said: She is tall :yes: Or so it seems from the photos but I think she looks nice and if I could ride that well I'd be happy :yes: Now on the other hand I always thought Bretina and Debbie looked funny togehter. She was such a big girl with such a little tiny rider so it put off a funny picture, but with that said when I watch them together I really don't pay much mind to her size compared to the horse because they are just amazing together and thats really all that matters. :winkgrin:

p*intlady said: I'm 5'8" with a 32" inseam. I ride a foundation bred QH/Paint mare that stands at 15.2 hh. She is pretty broad. I feel quite comfortable riding her.

C*mstock said: No, I am not a jealous troll (Bogey2) and I admitted at the beginning of my post that I am a beginner (Equibrit). While I agree that it's the training that's important, the picture caught MY attention because Adrienne Lyle looked too tall for Felix. When she is on him, he does not look like a 17h horse. It's nice they're winning, but it's not a pretty picture. That's my opinion and I'm standing by it, beginner or not. Also, I questioned in my post whether or not the position of a rider's legs on the horse's sides was important. I guess that's a moot question, though, if your legs hang down below the horse's sides. Maybe he does not look like a 17h horse ridden by a shorter rider, but he still looks like a 17h horse. The horse does not change. Your perception has changed. I am 6'3". My legs will always hang down below the horse's girth, and pretty much every horse I compete on is 17h or more. My horses and I seem to manage. So do William Fox Pitt and Mark Todd. Simply stating the fact that you are a beginner and that you don't mean to offend, does not negate the fact that you are talking like a beginner and offending people. I am speaking for myself only.

Dr*mapony_misty said: Geez people! I don't get why people are jumping down poor luv2ride's throat here. I have not seen the pictures she is referring too, but I have seen some pretty silly horse/rider combos of both extreme persuasions (huge/tall rider on little horse or pony, or tiny person on a giant). She's not saying that it is wrong, harmful, laughable, or should be banned. She made no reference to a horse's training or person's riding other than asking about leg position. She is certainly NOT stating that taller riders should sell their horses or not rider shorter horses. It is a matter of asthetics...not ability. Simple observation is all. There are a plethora of ranting/offenive threads and posters on these forums, but this thread and this OP is certainly not one of them. And now I'm off to saddle up my own pony (14 hands..I'm 5'5" and all leg). I may look a little silly on her, but I don't care.

B*gey2 said: the picture caught MY attention because Adrienne Lyle looked too tall for Felix. When she is on him, he does not look like a 17h horse. It's nice they're winning, but it's not a pretty picture. That's my opinion and I'm standing by it, beginner or not dramallama.....what do you call the above statement?

Dr*mapony_misty said: dramallama.....what do you call the above statement? I call that an observation. :yes: Maybe he doesn't look like a 17H horse in that particular picture. It could be the angle it's taken at, lighting, etc. As I mentioned before, I haven't seen the picture. And maybe it is a gross exageration saying that Adreinne was WAAAYY too tall. To someone who is a beginner and/or only familiar with H/J, the longer legs look different. It's one thing to inform someone how a taller rider would cope with a shorter horse, how dressage has no real basis on looks as Eq (for example), or address her question about how much bend there should be in a rider's leg. It's another assume that this was an insinuatory remark against tall riders.

Tr*velyan96 said: You are correct - you are a beginner. And this is part of the attitude that gives dressage a bad name and scares away what could potentially be a whole new community of great dessage enthusiasts! OP was asking a question, is all, and deserved a civil and productive answer. To the OP: As long as the rider is able to communicate effectively with the horse, size really is unimportant. That said, I think at 4'11", I'm definitely more comfortable, look better, and can communicate better with anything under 16H if I'm jumping or doing the hunters, but dressage is more about seat, upper thigh, and calf, so its not as crucial. I'm just more aware of the combined effect of old age and hard ground.

H*me Again Farm said: Maybe it's just me but Lyle doesn't look too tall for Felix at all to me. :confused: Ditto and her leg position is exemplary. The rider should look almost like she's standing in the stirrups, with very little bend to the knee.

B*gey2 said: I call that an observation I call it rude...we can agree to disagree then. It is one thing to make a geberal comment but to single one person out who happens to be a lovely rider is ignorant.

*jierene said: Personally, I think Debbie McDonald looks a bit small on Brentina and Adrienne Lyle looks a bit big on Felix. I think part of Adrienne's look is because she has a long upper body and it make her look comparitively taller. If they were in an equitation or hunter class, people would want them on different horses..... In dressage, it does not matter. I still find it hard to believe that Felix is 17HH, looking at Adrienne Lyle on him.

B*ts79 said: No, I am not a jealous troll (Bogey2) and I admitted at the beginning of my post that I am a beginner (Equibrit). While I agree that it's the training that's important, the picture caught MY attention because Adrienne Lyle looked too tall for Felix. When she is on him, he does not look like a 17h horse. It's nice they're winning, but it's not a pretty picture. That's my opinion and I'm standing by it, beginner or not. Also, I questioned in my post whether or not the position of a rider's legs on the horse's sides was important. I guess that's a moot question, though, if your legs hang down below the horse's sides. Well honestly - get out of dressage then and stick with hunters! It's only in recent generations that dressage was done on horses this big anyway. Prior to 40 - 50 years ago 17hh horses that could balance and move with rhythm were very rare. (Dressage has a lot to thank jumping breeding for). Dressage is about making the horse more suited to the task at hand. To make him more supple, athletic, balanced and rhythmic. Not about what pleases the individual on a purely asthetic consideration. My God if it was poor Otto Hofer and Limandus would have been booed out of the ring not won the Olympic Bronze medal. Be sad if everyone made their judgements (or felt so judged) before they took up dressage. There would be very few of us stepping into the ring if asthetics were judged first.

JWB said: It's not a size thing that keeps me out of dressage competition... It's an attitude thing. Settle people! It was a fair question. I can't believe how rude some of the answers have been. Name calling (jealous troll)? Are we in 5th grade? I much prefer the line of thought that says there are no stupid questions except the ones you don't ask. How are people supposed to learn anything if they get bashed for asking?

r*bicon said: I took no offense to the OP. I don't' understand why people are. She called out that picture just because thats one she saw and made her want to ask a question. But she is not saying just Lyle. She is asking a round about question that includes this picture. Anywho, Like I said before if you are to tall or to short it doesn't matter so much unless you can use your body to influence the horse. That is what she does and she does it beautifully. Take Karen O'Conner on Teddy. (RIP) He was a pony and maybe she looked a little silly on him but he was a hell of a pony and she made him look amazing.

*jierene said: I took no offense to the OP. I don't' understand why people are. She called out that picture just because thats one she saw and made her want to ask a question. But she is not saying just Lyle. She is asking a round about question that includes this picture. Anywho, Like I said before if you are to tall or to short it doesn't matter so much unless you can use your body to influence the horse. That is what she does and she does it beautifully. Take Karen O'Conner on Teddy. (RIP) He was a pony and maybe she looked a little silly on him but he was a hell of a pony and she made him look amazing. I think in dressage it matters less, but Karen O'Connor has talked about being careful about her size when jumping Teddy. She had to be careful that she did not lean forward to much in 2-point and unbalancing him. In dressage there should be essentially no movement of the upper body (as in leaning forward or back), so height/weight is not as much of an issue as in something else like eventing, jumpers or even hunter/equitation.

H*mpton Bay said: Some of us took offense because she is talking about how the pair is not pretty and that those of us who are tall should pick horses that we will look pretty on. It's not about how nice the ride is, but how "pretty" the rider looks sitting on the horse.

r*bicon said: Hampton Bay I agree it could be taken that way. I don't think she meant it that way, but even if she did now she is educated a little more about dressage ;) I just didn't think it had to be in a mean way, thats all :cool: When I was saying Karen and Teddy I just meant the dressage part not her jumping him ;)

*quus_girl said: I am a tall rider (5''11) with smaller horse. Catan is 16'1 on a good day with shoes :) I probably should have gotten a bigger horse, as I definitely look better on my old horse who is 16'3, but I think that personality match is much more important than height, and I am not in a position to pass on a match made in heaven just because the horse is a bit too short. Also, riding smaller horse makes me a much balanced rider, as I have to watch my position every second of the ride. While my bigger horse could perfectly hold up his canter on tight circles with me hanging over his shoulder, Catan will break to trot immediately as changes in my weight distribution will unbalance him. I do not think that either my trainer, who is 5'10 or myself look funny on Catan, although I have heard comments from the rail :( http://www.hansenimages.net/gallery/8313182_4HZ9W#544566362_Rdvdu http://www.hansenimages.net/gallery/8313182_4HZ9W#544566478_JkpVe

*jierene said: Hampton Bay I agree it could be taken that way. I don't think she meant it that way, but even if she did now she is educated a little more about dressage ;) I just didn't think it had to be in a mean way, thats all :cool: When I was saying Karen and Teddy I just meant the dressage part not her jumping him ;) I figured you were. I probably was not clear enough, I was making a correlation between viewing the Teddy and Karen match from a 'jumping' perspective and a 'dressage' perspective. A strict hunter/jumper may be adding the need for two-point into the equation. It could be just a 'picture' thing that was drilled into someone's head. I know I still cringe when I see someone on the inside diagonal. I 'know' that it is not the 'wrong' diagonal, but after growing up in a hunter/equitation world and it being drilled that it is, I cannot help but still cringe when I see it. If I were younger/less experienced when first encountering this board, I may have posted a question about a video I saw of a winning training level ride where the rider was on the inside diagonal half the time and wonder how this ride one. So, someone came here to be educated, that is all. No slight on the tall riders out there, just a question.

S*renaGinger said: Here is the original photo in question: Nutrena ad in USDF (http://share.ovi.com/media/SerenaG.mymedia/SerenaG.10009) ok, let's try a website you don't need to log into! second try same photo (http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2903490040105449800YcXyJL)

H*mpton Bay said: Equus, where do you live? Its so beautiful!! As for how she meant it, what I wrote is what she said. That the pair did not look pretty and that tall riders should pick horses they look nice on. Not that a tall rider might unbalance a short horse, but that the "look" was not "pretty". So I kinda think she meant exactly what she said.

*jierene said: That's interesting that you bring that up because I was just talking to my vet about this very thing. She made a comment about being happy to see that my mare was a "reasonable size" at 16.2 after I told her that I was her breeder. She said she thinks the trend for the bigger sized WB has swung the other way because she seen that a lot of her smaller female clients have difficulty with the really big horses. So we'll see if this is so. When I go back to her first post, the first thing I read is this: On the other hand, it appears that Adrienne Lyle is waaay too tall for Felix. Are riders' legs supposed to hang so far down below the horses' sides? I'm sure that Adrienne's primary means of communicating with Felix involves her seat as well, She does mention a 'pretty picture', but it is after the effect aids questions and appears to me more of a phrasing than a worry that the horse and rider should be marked down for it. but it's just not a pretty picture to me. She looks too tall for this horse She also goes on to ask other, dressage related questions. Also, shouldn't dressage riders have some bend in their knees? By the way, I'm not implying that tall riders should all ride super tall horses, but there should be some consideration given to size and height when selecting your mounts. Any opinions? It may be just a difference of opinion on how the initial post is interpreted, but it does not seem snarky to me at all, just questions from someone not that familiar with dressage.

r*bicon said: AJ, I see what your saying sorry. Little confusion :lol: Been a long hot day, I think my brain maybe a little fried. ;) Oh yes, I still cringe with the wrong diagonal. :lol: It drives me crazy for someone to be on the wrong diagonal but I know its not wrong in dressage. I still stick with the outside leg when I ride no matter what, but it is the years and years of hunter in me that my brain has been wired to do it and see it. Really crazy how that works. :winkgrin:

*nchorsaway said: How tall is Adrienne Lyle? While she may appear too tall to some, I think she is absolutely lovely on Felix. I'm 5'8(and all legs) and my gelding is 16 hands...on a good day. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1458832&l=6bade42145&id=511834097 http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1965538&l=b252e26d1a&id=511834097 Sometimes the best things come in smaller packages! As a taller rider, I'd rather have a smaller horse that I can really get my leg on...I've had the opposite. My last guy was 17.2 :lol:

H*mpton Bay said: I seem to remember reading that Adrienne is 5'11".

Tr*velyan96 said: I'm just a height challenged troll who is jealous of all you COTHERS who can consider a 16H horse as being SMALL!:mad:

slc2 said: Lyle looks absolutely fantastic on Felix. The OP's observations are inaccurate. Lyle's leg is placed properly and effectively on the horse, her spur is properly located on the horse's sides. In addition, the horse and rider look very well proportioned for each other. Both are elegant and slim and the overall picture they create is very appealing. Lyle has a very open, soft, supple seat. She usually gives a very quiet, elegant, refined picture, as does the horse. Horses and riders are judged on very well understood specifics that are specified in the rule book, and that's it, they are not judged on matching size or leg length. Jeanette Haazen is the size of a peanut, so is Carol Lavel, who rode an especially big horse. Hans Peter Mindenhout is rather tall on slim Nadine. the rider/horse size means absolutely nothing in judging. Horse and rider can look harmonious and together regardless of their relative proportions. The riders at the Spanish Riding School are typically quite tall and many of the horses aren't very tall - not too many people find a lot to complain about the quality of the riding at the Spanish Riding School. There are show rings in which such things are a factor, such as county fair classes and 4h classes for 'Pleasure Hunter'. The proportions of horse and rider are not a factor in dressage. Adrian Lyle is very effective on the horse and scores very well.