Stallion size

Question
What is the largest stallion that is safe to breed to a 13 hand pony?  Can his size damage her legs and back when mounting?

Answer
hi Vicki,

A lot is going to depend on how old your mare is.  Under the age of 5, their bones are not fully fused yet.

If your mare is under the age of 5, I would not put a huge stallion on her.  The weight of the stud is really more of a factor than the height.

Your mare is going to let you know if the stallion is too heavy when he tries to mount.  If you see her legs buckling or she just looks like she is having a hard time holding him up, then I wouldn't continue to let him stay on her.

If she is 5 years or older, then you should still carefully consider the size of stallion you want to breed your mare to.  There are a lot of very nice 14.2-14.3hh studs out there that would be just about right to breed to a 13hh pony mare.  A lot of people don't realize how big a 14.2-14.3hh horse really is.  I know people who will claim that their horse is 15.hh+, when in reality, they are more like 14.2 or so.  That's actually an average height for a horse these days.  Unless we're talking about TB's or warmbloods or something.  But for a Quarter Horse or similar breeds, under 15hh is quite average.

You also want to consider that a large stud may also have a large penis, thereby possibly being able to cause damage to your pony mare internally.

I would suggest that you just use your good judgment when choosing the stallion to breed to your pony.

Happy breeding!