A follow up to the "would you get on the scales" post...

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In the "would you get on the scales" post some people mentioned that they thought a 12 st weight limit was too low for a riding school.

Here is the flipside of the coin: according to the website of one UK trekking operator that uses native ponies, mainly 11-12h and a couple 12-13h, their weight limits are 11 1/2 stone, or 76kgs in one location and 12 1/2 or 79 kgs in another.

In my opinion, this is way too high for a 11-12hh pony, no matter how robustly built it is.
http://www.horsesciencenews.com/horseback-riding/how-much-weight-can-a-horse-carry.php

Are there other schools and trekking establishments out there who either have unreasonably high weight limits, or none at all?

Should riding schools and trekking establishments be forced to limit horse/tack weight on welfare grounds?
 
There are well documented guidelines for what a horse or pony should carry and I believe those should be adhered to at all times. People should also remember to include tack in the calculation too, some saddles are v heavy.
 
12st is far too low. At my riding school we have huge 17 odd hh horses who can and do carry much more than that.

Just because there are tiny ponies in the school doesnt mean the weight limit should be lowered, as those people never ride them....?
 
I noticed in the other post that people felt 12 st was too low for riding schools. What I tried to say was that I think some places may have too HIGH weight limits.

The example I found was a UK trekking operator which shall remain nameless, which uses ONLY ponies that are mainly 11-12hh and some 12-13hh. Their weight limits are 11 1/2 and 12 1/2 stones which IMO is too high for ponies of that size.
 
flamehead said:
12st is far too low. At my riding school we have huge 17 odd hh horses who can and do carry much more than that.

Just because there are tiny ponies in the school doesnt mean the weight limit should be lowered, as those people never ride them....?
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Weight limits are a very good idea. I don't think anyone would argue with that. However it seems a little strange to me that a 16.3hh heavyweight cob would struggle to cope with a 12st rider.

I know they are ridden far more than pleasure horses and they have to contend with unbalanced novices who ride more heavily than others, but surely a riding school who truly had the welfare of the horse in mind would just let it have an hour off, or put a more balanced or lighter rider on it for the next lesson?

Yes, putting a 12 stone rider on an 11hh pony would be unfair. But surely it would not be difficult to grade weights and horses accordingly?
 
I can't remember the weight limit we had at the RS I trained at, but as we had horses of all sizes we could cater for most customers.

Part of the booking process was to ask approximate height and weight so that a customer could be matched with a suitable horse/pony.

I am pretty sure that even back then, and we are talking 20 years plus, as a BHS approved yard, there were rules regarding maximum weights, there were rules about everything else that's for sure.
 
I think that common sense has to come into the equation too, certainly a lightly built type isn't going to be as able to carry as much weight as a stocky native. Worth bearing in mind that Shetland ponies were supposed to be able to carry a man shepherding all day over difficult terrain!

I think you've also got to look at the work that the pony is required to do, plodding along at a walk will be different to school work/jumping.

I don't like to see horses and ponies overburdened, but at the same time I think we can be too bad the other way, if nobody over 12 stone could ride I think a lot of potentially great riders would be ruled out! Most places I know of have an upper limit of 16 stones, which providing they have the horse to carry that weight, is fine.
 
I work and live at an RDA centre and our weight limit is 12 stone. At first this may seem light to some people but when you consider the amount of work that a lot of riding school horses cope with it seems only fair that we lighten the load. Remember you don't HAVE to get on a horse!

It is also worth considering the ability of your riders as this can make a huge difference. Working with disabled people really emphasizes this as supporting a 'dead' weight of 10st can be far more tiring than a well balanced heavier client.
 
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