17 Stone beginner rider

Gingerwitch

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 May 2009
Messages
6,029
Location
My own planet
Visit site
Where on earth would you look to advise someone whom Weighs this much to go for a riding lesson. They only want to learn to hack but I am at a loss. And if they took to riding what on earth could they look to buy? Would a clydsdale, perchon shire be the only thing they would be looking at? If you add tack etc is 18/19 stone even acceptable for a horse to carry?
 
Last edited:

Gingerwitch

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 May 2009
Messages
6,029
Location
My own planet
Visit site
and I weighed him on my scales and he was telling the truth as I know one riding school that had a 14 stone weight limit but would go off the weight that was written down.
 
Joined
24 June 2020
Messages
11
Visit site
I think that although it may be hard to hear, it is just simply not in the best interest of the animal to be ridden by someone of this size that doesn't yet know how to balance themselves or be "light" on the horse's back. It's often hard on a horse's back when "average" sized adult beginners start riding, so I have to recommend to, with regret, inform him that this just may not be the sport for him.
 

Gingerwitch

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 May 2009
Messages
6,029
Location
My own planet
Visit site
Draught horses aren't necessarily able to carry vast amounts of weight. I would advise someone like that to either lose weight or look for another activity.
I suppose it's a mistaken conception that because they are18.2hh plus they must be able to carry weight. But a beginner is going to be a heavy unbalanced lump.
 

Cortez

Tough but Fair
Joined
17 January 2009
Messages
15,148
Location
Ireland
Visit site
I suppose it's a mistaken conception that because they are18.2hh plus they must be able to carry weight. But a beginner is going to be a heavy unbalanced lump.
Draught horses are designed to pull, not carry. You'd be better off with a proper weight carrier like a heavyweight cob or heavy hunter.
 

Gingerwitch

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 May 2009
Messages
6,029
Location
My own planet
Visit site
I think that although it may be hard to hear, it is just simply not in the best interest of the animal to be ridden by someone of this size that doesn't yet know how to balance themselves or be "light" on the horse's back. It's often hard on a horse's back when "average" sized adult beginners start riding, so I have to recommend to, with regret, inform him that this just may not be the sport for him.
It's not hard to hear for me, but he is a genuine animal lover and a decent chap and would love to have a lesson as he dreamt of it as a child but it was too girly according to his family so had guitar lessons instead which he hated. So I sort-of feel sorry for him.
 

Keith_Beef

Novice equestrian, accomplished equichetrian
Joined
8 December 2017
Messages
11,376
Location
Seine et Oise, France
Visit site
Where on earth would you look to advise someone whom Weighs this much to go for a riding lesson. They only want to learn to hack but I am at a loss. And if they took to riding what on earth could they look to buy? Would a clydsdale, perchon shire be the only thing they would be looking at? If you add tack etc is 18/19 stone even acceptable for a horse to carry?

This kind of question seems to crop up fairly often....

I'm quite out of practice with thinking in stones and pounds, so convert everything to kg.

17 stones is 108kg; that's heavier than I've ever been (105kg, back in 2010), and I usually hover between 89kg and 95kg, which are 14 stones and 15 stones, respectively. I've ridden a Clydesdale once, but all of the horses that I've ridden have been fine with my weight, sometimes riding for four hours at a time over varied terrain (road, rocky path, sand, grass, uphill and downhill, fording streams).

Often, answers to these kinds of questions bring up the subject of total novices being unbalanced and being harder work for the horse than better riders of the same weight. I've also seen claims that mules can carry heavier loads than horses, and that mules can do dressage and jumps....

Which leads me to wonder if a heavy person could perhaps learn on a mule, and then move to a horse after learning good balance and posture.
 

cobgoblin

Bugrit! Millennium hand and shrimp.
Joined
19 November 2011
Messages
10,206
Visit site
This kind of question seems to crop up fairly often....

I'm quite out of practice with thinking in stones and pounds, so convert everything to kg.

17 stones is 108kg; that's heavier than I've ever been (105kg, back in 2010), and I usually hover between 89kg and 95kg, which are 14 stones and 15 stones, respectively. I've ridden a Clydesdale once, but all of the horses that I've ridden have been fine with my weight, sometimes riding for four hours at a time over varied terrain (road, rocky path, sand, grass, uphill and downhill, fording streams).

Often, answers to these kinds of questions bring up the subject of total novices being unbalanced and being harder work for the horse than better riders of the same weight. I've also seen claims that mules can carry heavier loads than horses, and that mules can do dressage and jumps....

Which leads me to wonder if a heavy person could perhaps learn on a mule, and then move to a horse after learning good balance and posture.


Mules are usually quite smallish and large people need large saddles.
 

Red-1

I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
Joined
7 February 2013
Messages
17,814
Location
Outstanding in my field!
Visit site
I have taught several people of this weight.

1. The horse has to be the right type. Not a pure draught, more a 3/4 or half, with the rest a TB type. So hunter type.

2. It has to be fit, and fit in the right way. I am talking one who works correctly over its back, lifting and taking weight. So, not a typical riding school type.

3. The tack has to really fit.

4. The instruction has to be good. The horse is well schooled, so the rider usually has to start with a lead rein, then lunge lessons. Many lunge lessons concentrating on how to sit before even trying to control the horse. I always say, you have to be in control of yourself before you can control the horse.

5. The horse has to be in other work too, so not always ridden by the heavy rider. So, for one heavier to learn to ride, it might take 4-6 of that type of horse so one horse is not taking the strain. Half an hour, once a week is OK. Done 5 times, using 5 different horses, the rider improves rapidly whilst the horses are not caned.
 
Joined
28 February 2011
Messages
16,451
Visit site
For weight carrying ability you need short coupled and stocky. Big and rangey won't cope with carrying weight. Drafts are desgined to pull so tend to have strong front ends and weak back ends.

A short coupled maxi-cob that is fit enough through regular work should be able to cope for short periods of time doing flatwork not galloping or jumping.

Basically you need a 16hh shetland.
 

Shilasdair

Patting her thylacine
Joined
26 March 2007
Messages
23,686
Location
Daemon from Hades
Visit site
I have taught several people of this weight.

2. It has to be fit, and fit in the right way. I am talking one who works correctly over its back, lifting and taking weight. So, not a typical riding school type.

:oops: Don't know which riding schools you frequent - riding school horses are often better schooled and sounder than a lot of privately owned ones!
 

cobgoblin

Bugrit! Millennium hand and shrimp.
Joined
19 November 2011
Messages
10,206
Visit site
Hi cb, what would you class as weight though? 14 stone and we're talking a beginner here?

A heavyweight cob should be able to carry 16st..that would include tack. A cob with driving conformation would carry less.

I've only known one horse that would carry your friend's weight and that is a huge ID type hunter that is owned by a very large girl, but she is a very experienced rider.

.
 

Wishfilly

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 March 2016
Messages
2,715
Visit site
FWIW, I know a few riding schools who have weight limits of 16st- although they wouldn't necessarily allow riders of this weight to do all activities. It might be worth looking, as some riding schools do have big/solid weight carrying types (not draught horses, but more like a large hunter in build, or maybe draught crosses, some large ID types might cope). It's worth looking around to see if there is anywhere that could accommodate him at that weight.

At 17st, I think it will be very hard to find a riding school who are able to help.

Horses that can comfortably carry this sort of weight are rare- finding one that would carry a beginner safely would cost £££s.

It's also worth bearing in mind that finding a comfortable saddle can be difficult for this sort of rider too!
 

Red-1

I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
Joined
7 February 2013
Messages
17,814
Location
Outstanding in my field!
Visit site
:oops: Don't know which riding schools you frequent - riding school horses are often better schooled and sounder than a lot of privately owned ones!

I don't often frequent riding schools. I did when Mr Red was learning, and the ones for adult beginner riders were usually ridden by...beginners, and therefore were not using their cores to lift their backs and work correctly.

Riding school horses (around here anyway) for the larger beginner riders tend to be the full draught or cob types, not the best IMO for the job of the heavier rider.
 
Top