How much does the height of a horse factor into whether or not you would purchase them? I am tossing around the idea of selling my Kandyman 3 year old but she is quite petite. Taping out at about 14.3 hh and still filling out. When I sold my gelding who is 15.2 hh I didn't realize how many people wanted smaller horses. 

What do you prefer? 

I'm 5'3, I'm like a 15.1 to 15.3 horse.  I now have a 16.2 giant and I am old and fat and I don't like to crawling on and off anymore.

Lie. 16 hands is the new 15 hands. ?? I see more women advertising horses as 16+ when their little short legs are past the underline and standing next to horse they're head's above withers. 

I thought so too but when I sold my gelding I had 4 people reach out interested but once they found out he was over 15 hh they weren't anymore. They all said they were looking for something smaller! 

I think it's good to remember that Sherry Cervi(6 ft) and Stingray(14.3hh) still kicked butt! But I do agree, it does seem like everything is trending toward taller horses right now. 

I definitely prefer a smaller horse. When I am looking to buy I won't consider anything over 15.2 (and that is pushing it). 

I prefer 15.3+

Height is a huge factor for me.  But....BUT it also requires someone who actually knows how to measure one. I am tall so looking like I stole the little kids pony out in the warm up pen doesn't work for me.  I have heard for years that it takes an awful big horse to make 16 hands, and that's so true with the number of 15h horses that are advertised as 16h.  

I don't care much about height - I don't want one drastically short (14 hands) or drastically tall (17 hands). And like mentioned above, everyone eyeballs height differently. I have a 16 hand horse that most people say "has to be close to 17 hands". I've gone to look at 16 hand horses that are maybe 15 hands. My 16 hand horse was advertised as 15.2.

Of course we all know that good barrel horses come all different sizes and running styles.

I myself prefer a larger horse. Probably because I went through my teenage years riding a 16.1 hand long-strided horse, so I just tend to feel more comfortable. With that said, I've also ridden 14.2 - 14.3 hand horses too with shorter strides and quick feet.

It's just going to be personal preference.

I will say the smaller horses are SO much easier to climb aboard!!! That can be appreciated, LOL.

I buy a horse once every 10 years (LOL), but I generally prefer a height 15H +/- (not much on the + side). I dont care for a really big horse (15.3+) nor something really small (14.2 is about the limit). Then again, I bought a cutting reject he was 3 and 14.2+14.3 and now he is 15.2+ and 1300# LOL.

From by experience buying, selling and listening to people on horse height, most people have no idea what they are talking about.  They also usually just echo what they have heard someone popular say.  In the rope horse market, Trevor Brazile said the perfect height is 15H, now everybody want a 15h horse. 

With that said, my opinion is it all depends on the horse and what it can do.   

I like 15.1 or shorter but I also like thick builds and good bone and foot, those are more important than height 

I strictly look at horses under 15 hands.  I prefer the ASOF bloodlines and there are a lot of them that fit in that range.

Height doesn't matter much if the horse is a bad ass. It all depends on what they are being used for and what they can do.....and how fat the rider is...

I want and what I have is a bigger horse that runs like a small horse.  I have a couple that are several inches about my head and I crawl up an actual small ladder and then REACH to get on.  But honestly both can be great. 

I marketed a FG/Hancock mare that was drop-dead gorgeous buckskin, broke, trail ridden in mountains, patterned and close to being finished on barrels. She was 14.3 and slender. I couldn’t give her away. Everyone said she was too short.

Pedigree will have a lot more to do with marketability than size. 

I always had a little more trouble selling inder 15h. 14.3h maybe but shorter than that cut the buyer numbers by a lot.

I don't think many sellers know how to measure a horse, or take the time to do it recently.  Very few I've looked at match what was on the ad so I don't put a lot of stock in what is posted.  I don't have a strong preference but I don't dig very deep if the ad says 14.2 or under and I rarely believe the ones that say 17.  And I take height into consideration of the whole package.  I have one that is 14.3 and one that is 15.1 and the 14.3 horse feels like way 'more horse' than the 15.1.  That's the difference between body mass, no withers, thoroughbred withers, short and squatty, long and lanky, etc.  From behind, the 14.3 is just as tall and much wider.

And then I have one that MEASURES 15.2 and 1/2" and he absolutely dwarfs these other two in every way.  Friends talk about how huge he is and how much bigger he is than the really big, wide, stout, 15.3 and 3/4" mare I used to ride.....   Nope, not even close.  He just has that 'presence' and it fools me too.  I've been measuring since he was barely 4 years old thinking 'man, he's really grown - I better measure him and see how much'.  He is 8 now and there is less than 1/2" difference.  

And I measure on a concrete floor with a level and carpenter's rule so I feel I get a pretty accurate reading.

If a horse is winning then people don't care, they will try to buy the horse. But for a propect there's a broader market for a taller horse.