Comments on: How Heavy is Too Heavy to Ride?

By: ARIADNE

ARIADNE — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 02:23:20 +0000

I know I’m really late in the game, but I really wanted to comment! I think this article was really excellent, but I’d like to add one more thing. Sometimes weight restrictions can actually be really restrictive specifically for mixed-race people or People of Color, because body shape and body type varies so much based on ethnic background. Therefore, some folks [like me] have significant booty and chest, which adds a lot of weight–but doesn’t have a whole lot to do with limiting our health or fitness. Meanwhile we can get scored down in dressage or hunters based on appearing to be messy, bouncing around, etc., when in reality these are simply ways to describe being a) obviously female, and b) not built according to the Western European body type for whom these forms of competition were invented.
I absolutely do think that setting a weight limit is necessary. I watched a video in which a quite large man broke and rode a very small mustang, and the sight just about broke my heart. However, I support all the commenters here suggesting that riders buy appropriately for their weight, instead of eschewing riding.
However, I literally just spoke with someone who told me that 170 pounds was “pushing it” for taking lessons at their barn, which is probably not so strange–I’ve seen the limits even at 150 pounds. That seems unnecessary to me, as a heavier horse with an English saddle could, it seems to me, carry this weight for the duration of one hour-long lesson, in a schooling ring on soft ground, without suffering lasting pain.
I just think there’s a lot of misinformation out there, and trainers have created unnecessarily exclusionary policies based on ill-disguised sizeism. Meanwhile in my experience, terrible riders who “look like riders”–are thin, pretty and rich–can get away with some pretty awful horsemanship, and no one dares say boo to them.
Classism and raceism and all the other -isms are real, and parts of our world. We need to confront them head-on.

By: Pam

Pam — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 03:58:34 +0000

I own a business that breeds, foals, raises and trains Belgian draft horses to ride and drive. We have helped many people over the past twenty years find the perfect companion. Plus Size Riding , a division of Double Tail Farm, recognizes this need and caters to the individual who wants to ride a draft horse! Contact us in Thurmond, NC.
Pam and Tom Vybiral dbltail@aol.com 3369576111

By: Pam

Pam — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 03:56:30 +0000

By: Tammi

Tammi — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 09:14:02 +0000

I feel that another item to be addressed is whether a horse that just turned 2 means he’s automatically capable of bearing a person’s weight. I see so many sway backed horses out in the pasture in our area and wonder why people can’t give the horse an extra year to allow his back to develop more completely. Same premise as heavy riders causing/inflicting problems and pain…

By: o

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 16:52:08 +0000

great info

By: PKL

PKL — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 06:36:50 +0000

Sometimes light weight people have a hard time controlling a horse using leg or butt muscles alone.

By: lam

lam — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 10:28:20 +0000

There’s weight, and then there’s weight–I’m no lightweight, but I’m also fairly strong with lots of muscle (from farm work). A muscular, but heavy rider, is better for the horse than a sloppy rider with lots of adipose tissue. Since I’ve owned my horse, I’ve dropped about 40 pounds. Give us large riders a chance to lose the weight! I can see setting weight limits, but an overweight person maybe inspired to drop some weight, if it will get them in the saddle. Suggest they help around the barn, mucking, washing, brushing, etc.
I’ll never wear a size 10, but I also won’t ask my horse to do an Advance CC course. I understand what limits I’m going to ask of my 15.3 OTTB. If I think he’s tiring on a trail ride, I get off and walk with him–better for him and me! A lot of this should be awareness on the part of the rider, but shunning large riders just isn’t fair–I’ve been there.

By: Khutulan

Khutulan — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 12:35:38 +0000

Having spent 16 years as a professional equine massage therapist, I can attest to the fact that a rider’s body weight does affect the horse. One of my very first clients called me saying her horse had a sore back and three vets and a chiropractor were unable to fix it. I said I am not a veterinarian or a chiropractor but I will see what I can do.
When I got to the barn I immediately realized the problem: the rider was at least 350 pounds and her horse a thin paint mare no more than 15 hands high. The woman had a huge western saddle covered with silver, possibly adding an extra 60 pounds. That mare was sore from nose to tail, poor thing. I had no idea how to broach the subject of the obvious problem and of course,was not able to make any lasting improvement to the horse. The woman told me it wasn’t her weight because her mare was “Foundation Stock” and therefore ‘capable of carrying her weight”. Yet here she was calling yet another pro to ‘fix her horse’. Upshot was: I didn’t help the horse, who was oh so very sore, and the woman called me names, said she was going to file a complaint about me (to whom?) and refused to pay me for my work.
Later on I talked to one of the vets she’d fired and he told me, Join the club. Everyone knows that ….., and no one will work on her horse anymore.
If someone is upfront about her weight, I have respect for that, but to blame the HORSE is just disgusting.

By: L

Mon, 16 Mar 2015 11:48:06 +0000

There are several gaps in this article. First, although the cavalry manual may suggest 20%, that is for heavy, all-day work that most of today’s horses don’t do. Second, the US cavalry conducted test in the 1920s (results available online) 60 miles x 5 days over hills, carrying 225 to 275 lbs each. No boots or bandages allowed. This was supposed to imitate cavalry conditions. Most of the horses were remounts. Winners were between 15 and 16 hands and 850 to 1100 lbs. So the cavalry themselves did not meet that 20% requirement. Third, the tests cited did not confirm the 10% rule or even the 20% rule. They found stresses over 25%. Fourth, none of these rules takes into account the horses own size. Once the horse gets over 1000 lbs, then the stresses on his body increase due to his own body weight. So putting a heavy rider on a heavy horse (like a draft) is counterproductive. The horse has to not only handle his own excess bodyweight as well as the rider. This aspect of the problem is not even considered. I am not making this up, ask a vet who deals with draft horses.
Think about this weight problem for a moment. When I was lean and mean (and younger), I weighed 125 lbs. I regularly carried a backpack of weighing 30 lbs. That is 24% of my weight. I was fit and used to this, and didn’t think anything of it. Why is it worse for a horse as long as the horse is in good condition?
Those who complain about big cowboys on small horses being abusive need to screw their heads on right and go to a rodeo. Lots of small horses there getting their big cowboys where they need to be fast. If the horse couldn’t get the job done, they wouldn’t be riding him. But he can. If the stress made him lame he’d be no good for work either. These people don’t care about theoretical numbers. They care about whether the horse can do the work. We’ve forgotten about that.

By: virginia white

virginia white — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 22:46:03 +0000

I agree that to much weight on a horse is not good but if a rider is heavy he should find a big horse according to his weight like perchon or steeldust or other draft animals that can carry more weight without harming the horse that is what I think.