Hmmmmmm ... other than going on a diet, another solution to this problem; get a FATTER horse! (heh) Hmmmmmm ... other than going on a diet, another solution to this problem; get a FATTER horse! (heh)I’m 5’ 10” and sit at a beefy 258. I wouldn’t even think of riding a horse smaller than a Clydesdale. A Percheron would probably be better.
I charge plagiarism. Other than a few of the comparative percentages, I think I saw this same report about British sex. :-)
Oooh, what a big, random sample! Let's generalize this over the entire population of horse owners/riders, worldwide!!!
Plague of over weight government!
These kids are already way out of the proper weight standard ratios to their horses ... I expect their horses will have short lives.
Not a good copy - but the original caption was: "The Body Beautiful: What Three Months' Riding Can Do"
from Thelwell Country
A 10 percent rule I think is silly. Cobs and ponies can carry more weight, as my instructor says "they're like ants". I have very short legs and can ride a pretty short pony, they don't seem to mind my weight. Normally I ride big TBs and warmbloods.
Also, there are too many variables - saddle, pads, and riding ability. A well balanced but heavier rider is much easier for a horse to carry than a lighter weight rider who is flopping all over the place. If a horse is sound and not in distress, I don't see the problem.
I rode my 16.1 hh TB mare for 13 years before retiring her at age 27.
The American quarter horse and the Tennessee walking horse, among others, average about 1,000 to 1,200 pounds. That means no one who weighs more than 100 to 120 pounds should ride them. Can that be right?
Wow, I guess cowboys were smaller than I thought, or these experts are idiots.
“Wilbur! Get off my back!” Mr. Ed
How does one determine the proper size horse for him/herself? Here is a formula with example:
Add up the total weight of the horse, rider, and tack. Our example: Horse + rider + tack= 1188 pounds
Measure the circumference of the cannon bone midway between the knee and fetlock. Our example: 7.5 inches
Divide the total weight by the circumference.
Our example: 1188 / 7.5 = 158.4
Divide the result by two. Our example: 158.4 / 2 = 79.2
Values below 75 are great! Values from 75-80 are acceptable. Values over 80 indicate weaker legs and a need to train carefully, especially downhill. At this level a rider needs a horse with more substance.
* Reference: The Heavier Riders’ Guide by Beverly Whittington and Rhonda Hart-Poe
It's all about the "tree," for those who know their saddle nomenclature.
People that I know that work around livestock are big men’s men. Ain’t no little wirey girly boys hangin around my place. But they are all fit. The amount of work involved in being a farmhand or rancher will not allow one to become fat. I did it for years and I was in the best shape of my life when I was tending to 2000 head of cattle.
I can’t say the same for people who ride recreationally, but people who do it for a living are inherently fit just because they work ALL DAY. Hard work... MAN’S WORK.
My wife and I went horseback riding on our honeymoon. The wrangler looked like he’d come from an old John Wayne movie. He gave me a mule to ride. I didn’t care. It was in the mountains. He must have thought I was a real green horn because he kept telling me how good that “horse” was. We had a nice ride and came back. He asked me how I liked my horse. I said he was OK, but he seemed to have big ears. He gave me a long look. “You’re not from back East, are you?” I told him some of my relatives raise mules. My wife and I still laugh about my honeymoon horse.
