How accessible is stone lifting to genetically smaller people? I strength train seriously but I'm never going to have the build or strength of the much bigger men who I usually see doing powerlifting and strongman.
Like the other reply, stones range in sizes and weights. Even if you're not massive, there are plenty of more accessible historic stones. You obviously tend to hear about the heaviest and most challenging ones that giants lift.
One of the most inspiring (and insane) feats of strength I've ever seen was Chloe Brennan's lift of the Replica Dinnie Stones (weighing 333kg (734 lb)) in 2022. She weighed ~64kg (140 lb): https://youtu.be/CRaEALQSxTI?&t=434
The historic stones are probably out of reach. I've heard of a range of stones (don't remember the name/location) where the lighter ones may be possible. With those it the claim is "X lifted all 7 forgot-the-name stones".
As a sport, strongman has atlas stones (cement spheres) going down to sizes that most people could lift to shoulder. However, as a sport, the bulk of the training to get strong enough to lift a stone doesn't involve actually lifting a stone. It's a very welcoming group, though, with most competition directed inward toward the self rather vs against another person.
Strongman (which stone lifting is related to) is an extremely accessible and welcoming sport. We have men, women, and children of all ages and sizes, and stones (and other implements) appropriate for everyone. Not everyone completes, but in competitions there are classes, so you can compete against other people your own age, size, gender, level of experience, and even level of disability if applicable. There are also historic lifting stones of all sizes, not just massive ones that require a giant to lift!
Note also that is not unheard of for people to "blank" i.e. not complete any reps of a particular event. It's often said that if you don't (particularly at the lower levels) you're not challenging yourself.
It's also bad form to enter a novice comp if you already have a 300kg deadlift.
My experience with stones seems to indicate that they come in an almost unlimited variety of sizes. There are boulders that are so large no human can lift them all the way down to stones that can be lifted by a small child or even a dog. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a stone with a weight appropriate for whatever level of difficulty you want to target.
One of the most inspiring (and insane) feats of strength I've ever seen was Chloe Brennan's lift of the Replica Dinnie Stones (weighing 333kg (734 lb)) in 2022. She weighed ~64kg (140 lb): https://youtu.be/CRaEALQSxTI?&t=434