Posted on 03/25/2013 1:37:01 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
Plague of the overweight riders who are too heavy for their horses
• Only one in 20 riders are within the optimum weight for their horse
• A heavy load can mean back pain, lameness and bad behaviour in horses
• Vet guidelines advise that riders weigh less than 10 per cent of their mount
• Weighing more than 15 per cent of horse's weight poses health risks
• Research is published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour
Horses are the latest victims of the obesity crisis as they take the burden of their overweight riders, experts have warned.
A study found a third of recreational riders were too obese for their mounts, leaving the animals at risk of health problems such as back pain and lameness.
They can also develop behavioural problems, such as bucking, rearing and problems following commands.
Hayley Randle, one of the scientists behind the research, said: ‘People tend to think horses are such big animals they must be okay, and not to take notice of the weight issue of riders. But the health impact on the horse can be quite extreme, quite quickly.’
Published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour, the study assessed 152 horses and their adult riders from stables across Devon and Cornwall.
Guidelines set by vets state that riders should weigh less than 10 per cent of the weight of their horse. But researchers from Duchy College in Cornwall found that just 5 per cent of the riders passed the test.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
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 doesn’t seem like that should be right. Something is out of whack in this story. I posted this thread (hopefully) in a tongue-in-cheek manner ... it would not surprise me if this study was put out for some sort of political agenda; i.e., PETA type activism or by English nanny-staters searching for another snack or beverage to ban.
True Grit (1969)
[last lines]
Mattie Ross: Trust you to buy another tall horse.
Rooster Cogburn: Yeah. He’s not as game as Beau, but Stonehill says he can jump a four rail fence.
Mattie Ross: You are too old and fat to be jumping horses.
Rooster Cogburn: Well, come see a fat old man some time!
My first thought was “What would Hoss Cartwright think about this?”
Yes, they were.
The US Army’s mounted soldier had a maximum weight of something like 140 pounds in the 1870’s.
The Pony Express riders were thin, wiry young boys - perhaps less than 130 lbs in order to get the maximum speed and distance out of their mounts.
in 1977 my friend showed me what to do and I did this with a pair of Gentle Giants, Bill and Bob for an afternoon.
This city boy had never been that up close to a horse in his life and I tell ya ... THAT was one of the mileposts of my life.
Percherons are magnificent beasts.
Hoss always had larger horses. Horse profiles are somewhere on the Bonanza website.
Little wiry scrappy suckers.
I was looking for someone to bring up Percherons.
Hoof prints as big as a dinner plate.
That looks like fun, but not having to do 100 acres of it! I did some reading about the history of John Deere. It was his plow design invention that caused the population of Kansas to nearly double within 10 years back in the day.
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.
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
I have seen many TB’s with cannon bones like a deer and their legs lasted forever.
And I have seen many big boned TB’s and half breds with knots all over their legs, splints being the least of their problems.
So generalities are worthless.
Good for you. A big draft-cross sounds like the perfect animal for you.
Of course, rider’s balance and skill are important. Saddle fit is absolutely CRUCIAL with a heavier rider. The trouble is that if a rider really has a big posterior, the panels of the saddle have to extend pretty far back, which means the rider’s weight presses on the horse’s kidneys. This is not a joke.
We're not necessarily talking about damage to the legs, which anyway is more a question of tendon and ligament damage than bone damage. Most of the issue is back pain, or pain that's referred from the back to the shoulders and hindquarters. I don't think the height or weight of the horse are a good guide in any except the most general sense; conformation is essential in considering appropriate size. (Ponies, for example, are structurally stronger than horses and can carry a larger percent of their body weight without discomfort.)
I would also point out that cutting and roping horses are typically barely more than pony size and typically carry some pretty big men.
Go to the RFD channel, 345 on DirecTV, and watch them work. Those horses work hard and when they are changing direction so abruptly they are putting a lot of strain on their legs.
Chamberlain stated that the ideal cavalry horse was 15.2 to 16H and that the larger horses did not stand up well in the cavalry.
Someone posted that the cavalryman of that day weighed an average of 140 lbs., but forgot to mention that saddle, weapons, blanket roll and personal supplies probably brought the total weight to more than 200 lbs.....a guess on my part as I really don’t know what their equipment weighed.
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.
Please note that the message to which I replied was devoted specifically to the size of the cannon vs the rider’s weight.
As for back pain, your own post settles that. As you said, little horses can usually carry a higher percentage of their weight.
Size does not matter. The individual horse and the saddle fit, pad selection and rider’s melding with the motion of the horse are much more important.
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