16 stone, to heavy to ride or not???

[nutty mare!!]

Hi i was just woundering what peoples oppinion was of someone weighing 16stone and riding, i have a friend who has just decided to take up riding and was told at one perticular place that they wudnt take her, and that the weight limit was 13stone (i think!) as u can imagine i think this upset her!, i understand that you have to look at a few things when it comes to matching the weight of a rider to horse, e.g how old the horse is, what breed, and also how a person rides, so i wud be interested in hearing if their are people out their who( and please dont take this the wrong way!!) are on the plus size,and what type of horses are you riding?, this would be much appriceated and if nothing else i think it wud help my friend to feel a little better about herself xxxxx
( please excuse the spelling mistakes!!!)

 

[galaxy]

No, I don't think she's too heavy.

I think the problem is that not many riding schools have big enough horses to cater for that type of client. Although I think 13stone is a little light! they can't teach many men!!! Most schools I have heard of with weight limits are around 15 stone.

 

[Benji1]

Hey,

I know plenty of plus size people who ride - and to be honest, riding schools, particuarly if they are smaller often don't have 'weight carriers'.. if you are in the North and can get to Reeth I happen to know of a place that has a Clydedale cross dales (just over 15 hh) that can carry 16 st easily and a cob that can carry 15 stone.

 

[soulfull]

I know several people of similar size on here ride their own and other peoples horses. There are many horses able to carry the weight, but also to carry a novice rider of that weight are generally bigger type and not many riding schools have them these days for several reasons

they cost more to keep, not many novices what to ride such big horses

While I feel for your friend at the end of the day they are their horses and it is their choice

 

[UnaB]

Riding schools are quite strict on weights as the horses will often do several lessons a day, every day. And like someone else said, they often dont have the real weight carriers at riding schools.

 

[Sparkles]

Problem with riding schools is the amount of work the horses are in, it's not necesarily fair on them to have regular clients that weight on their horses because of how many lessons they do in a day/week and they could have a few people per day coming in for lessons at that weight, etc, which adds alot to the horse as they usually won't have a huge amount of 'heavy' build horses, ie, heavyweight cobs, draft breeds, etc. Also because a new rider to start with can generally sit a lot heavier until they learn their core balance, etc and ride lighter and more balanced it's a lot of extra stress and wear on the horses how they derive their income from.

I'd be looking at the Draft breeds, Full Irish Draughts, Heavy Gypsy cobs etc. Anything short coupled, sturdy built and a good amount of bone.

[None meant offensively....only from previously working at a riding school myself and had this problem also, as we only had 1 true weight carrying horse there which was capable ourselves.]

 

[JessPickle]

My dad rides, and is always between 15.5-16 stone however he is just over 6ft3 and very fit. (he ran a half marathon in a decent time recently) I think it depends on proportions a lot, you don't mention your friends height in the post. I work at a RS and they go on case by case. However they do obviously have to have some kind of limit as the horses already have a fair bit to do.

My dad rides Pickle, ours 17.1hh clydie x, he is 18 years old now and manages fine

 

[sidesaddlegirl]

I used to ride a 17.3hh TB at a riding school when I was doing my NVQ there when I was 15 1/2 stone (I'm 5'9"). I also rode that year, a sturdy cob type which was about 15hh at a holiday riding center in Woolacombe which did have a weight limit of 13 stone or something like that but the instructor there said there was nothing wrong with my riding and let me go on the holiday ride!

BUT, I was not a beginner rider though so that may have made the difference with both places letting me ride.

I don't agree with the mentality that horses are delicate flowers and no one over 7st should be allowed to ride after all, horses ARE beasts of burden and have been so since man domesticated them but as long as the horses's build is appropriate to the size (height and weight) and ability of the rider, then no, I do not think your friend is too heavy at all.
The riding school your friend rang, may have just had small ponies or smallish horses available.

 

[gnubee]

A lot round here limit at 12/13st, and even at that limit you would tend to be stuck on one or two horses, which are unlikely to give you the full range of experience which you would really want as a beginner.

IME the way heavier people get to ride at riding schools is either to go to the rubbishey places where they arent so bothered about welfare (but where the teaching is usually of a similar quality to their welfare standards), or go to one of the proper "equestrian centre" type places which will have some nice big dressage horses etc. capable of carrying the weight comfortably. Downside to the second is they are expensive, so will often put beginners off by the price.

 

[Spit That Out]

She isn't too big/heavy to ride but many Riding Schools have weight limits due to the type of horses they have available for their clients.
One Riding School near us has a weight limit of 15st and the other no limit at all but they do have a couple of shires and chunky cobs.
Maybe phone around and find out if there are any other schools near by.
I am "plus sized" myself but riding and owning horses since a child i've always been lucky enough to not have to restrict myself to Riding Schools but all my horses have been chunky cobs, a clydesdale and now a shire x TB so you have to be realistic about what type of horse she can ride...Saying that horses can cope with more than you think...I mean before cars all shape and sized people rode to get around.
Someone in an earlier post made a comment that bigger horses cost more to keep and i would like to say that my Clydesdale eats less than my friends warmblood that eats buckets of mixed foods...I have 2 feed bins which contains Happy Hoof (chaff) and Fibre nuts she has 6 and thats not including the cocktail of vits, mins, powders and liquids!!!
The only way i can see them costing more is if they haven't got the clients to ride the bigger horse on a regular basis and a lighter horse could be used in more lessons/more popular.
Also you don't have to be overweight to be a heavy rider...Thinner people still bounce on horses backs when trotting, pull saddles round when mounting and lean out of position causing stress on the back.
It's a shame that the horse world is so sizest but i think most sports are?!!?

 

[nutty mare!!]

thankyou all for your replies, i pritty much told her the same things as your replys say, but i just think it makes her feel better to hear it off otha people, i can understand how she must feel, its like everything these days, everyone has to look like a model!! much appriceated thanks x x x x x

 

[JessPickle]

I think its silly to say the horse world is sizest! its just a fact of life isn't it! My dad lost weight so he could ride! Its only fair on the horses. My boy is on working livery, and is probably one of the largest horses they have, I respect the fact the RS havent put the weight limit too high as its just helping to put less strain on him. The fact I have my boy on working livery just proves I am not against larger people riding, but its a sport and in general in order to take part in a sport you need to be at some level of fitness!

 

[sidesaddlegirl]

Problem is, that you need to do a sport to lose the weight! When I was pregnant, I went up to 15 1/2 stone and the weight stayed even after my son came out, LOL! It was riding that helped me to get down to the weight I am now and help me stay at it.

 

[Sparkles]

Ditto, also just common sense really If you've got a weight carrying horse then fine,it suits and is ideally matched for its rider/purpose. If you have a fine built, say hack type horse, then it's not designed for weight carrying.

If they have the horses, they'll do it. If not, they can't. It's not offensive, just realistic.

 

[benson21]

and in the end, if us 'biggies' were not meant to ride, they wouldnt make jods and jackets in our size, would they!!!!!

 

[JessPickle]

I am far from a skinny minny! I just think some people seem to expect to be able to ride whatever there size, even if they really are a silly weight/height (I am talking 4ft9 and 16 stone)

 

[benson21]

I know I have got to loose weight before I can ride again, but I had Benson for almost 10 years, he was a dutch warmblood, and never showed any problems with carrying my 17 stone. I know its pointless me looking at a fine thouroughbred, I need something with lots of bone, irish draught has been recommended to me.

 

[pastie2]

Men in the hunting field are often that weight and ride big rangy horses, but they can ride and not sitting like a sack of unballanced spuds. I dont think a woman should ever weigh 16 stone, there is no need to be that obese, if I was that weight and wanted to ride I would go on a diet first. I know that this might be an unpopular post. Just stay on the sofa or do something about it. Sorry.

 

[nutty mare!!]

very funny!!, i knw wot u mean, my friend is about 5ft 7, i personaly think she carries the weight well, i have let her on my chuncky monkey (15h cob) i just hope she finds sumwhere to go and nt be put off!! xxxxx

 

[otter2]

my yard has a riding school too and they have one huge horse that would easily carry 16stone, but he never gets used in the riding school because there just isn't anyone that size who has lessons, so unless a riding school had the facilities to have essentially a field ornament who occasionally gets ridden, catering for the larger rider isn't economical!
plus, because he's so big not many other people want to ride him, especially if they don't have to! huge horses can be pretty scary for beginners!

 

[alainax]

As has been said, riding schools tend to run lower that the 20% rule alot of us believe in. (an old rule - some evidence here - http://www.horsesciencenews.com/35/how-much-weight-can-a-horse-carry)

for reasons already mentioned ie higher work load, novice riders etc.

I worked at a riding school when i weighed 15stone, i always got the bigger horses to ride. I was very fit and agile rider.

At home i rode a 15hh tbx, competed succesully and live into his early thirties with not a single health problem.

(ive lost weight now lol)

 

[nutty mare!!]

i think that cud be quite hertful to say sumthing like that, there was no need, i was trying to make my friend feel better, but think she might go home in floods of tears now!!

 

[benson21]

Men in the hunting field are often that weight and ride big rangy horses, but they can ride and not sitting like a sack of unballanced spuds. I dont think a woman should ever weigh 16 stone, there is no need to be that obese, if I was that weight and wanted to ride I would go on a diet first. I know that this might be an unpopular post. Just stay on the sofa or do something about it. Sorry.

So a 16st man is ok to ride, and wouldnt sit like a sack of spuds, but a 16 stone woman would.!!! Its people like you that make me so angry. What difference does it make if you are male or female? 16 stone is 16 stone! I find your comments extremely rude and completely un necessary.

 

[pastie2]

5ft7 and 16 stone is obese, people often say it is in their genes or their build, it is food and exercise, there were no fat POWs in prision camps during the 2nd world war. I would be ashamed to go to a riding establishment at that weight and expect them to be able to caterto my requirements!

 

[benson21]

but that still does not explain why its okay for a 16 stone man to ride, but not a 16 stone woman?

 

[PurplePickle]

Absolutely not, I should images alot of male riders are this weight if not more. Obivously depends on the horse type


Riding schools used to always have a big heavy cob available is that not the case any more~? having said that Ive ridden ISHs at my heaviest of 16stone and non of them had issues at all

Havent read the replies as Im sure there are some rude fatist comments amongst them

 

[nutty mare!!]

So a 16st man is ok to ride, and wouldnt sit like a sack of spuds, but a 16 stone woman would.!!! Its people like you that make me so angry. What difference does it make if you are male or female? 16 stone is 16 stone! I find your comments extremely rude and completely un necessary.

i totaly agree with you, i am by no means a skinny minny im about 14 and a half stone , but i wud never say sumthin like that, its people like them that put people like my friend off

 

[pastie2]

but that still does not explain why its okay for a 16 stone man to ride, but not a 16 stone woman?

I am sorry benson, I am well aware that you have had the most awful time and my thoughts have been with you. All I am trying to say is that a 16 stone man is not necessarily overweight. He would be fit and active and would have the ability to ride a fit quality hunter. I know I came over sexist, but women are not generally as heavy as men unless they are overweight.

 

[benson21]

sorry, did I say something in my comment that offended you nutty mare?

 

[benson21]

and I am sorry too, I just cant see how you can say a 16 st woman is unfit and obese, and a 16 stone man is fit and healthy. Surely its got to be one or the other?