advice please!!

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chels90

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hi,
so below is me and my mare....she is only 14.3hh but shes an irish draught x gypsy cob! i just wondered if anyone out there could tell me if im to big for her?? she is very stocky and very has lots of bone and muscle but im not the smallest of riders....im only 5ft exactly and weigh 14 stone!! i have had loads of people tell me that i look perfect on her and that she carries me with ease but i cant help but think that im to big for her!! shes my baby and i could never imagine riding anything else!!

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I'm gonna sound really harsh here but yeah I think you are.

She looks really weak, especially in her neck and hind quarters.

I think if she muscles up though and bulks out then you will be fine, just not now.

Sorry :0S
 
This isn't going to sound kind and please bear in mind it comes from someone who is not exactly sylphlike.

If she is 14.3 and you are only 5' then she has a very dipped back either due to poor conformation or because she is very old and whichever is the reason she is not built to carry anything other than light loads. She looks a nice quiet girl, had you considered breaking her to harness where her dipped back would not be so much of a disadvantage?
 
^^^^^ agree with above I am afraid.

Is she either very young with no muscle or very old with dipped back? Doesn't have any muscle at all.

But also agree that if she tones up then she would probably be ok.

Sorry....
 
I was going to ask if this post is for real?? The horse in the pictire looks ver very poor weight wise and I wouldn't be riding her at all!! Her neck muscles look completely wasted. As for size and weight - well sorry I agree with the above poster. IF that mare was of proper weight then maybe you'd be ok but certainly not now. I am 5'6" and have a 14.2hh pony I have owned for 18 years, I still ride him now but I am a good 2+ stone less in weight and feel I am really the top weight he should be carrying.
 
thanks for you replies guys but this is a old photo....i will take a recent one for you but she is now very very musically and has filled out a lot more. shes 8 year old so not young and not old either. i just needed someone else to tell me what ive been thinking coz then it will help me do the right thing and let her go to someone smaller x
 
She looks very sweet! It's hard to judge a horses weight carrying ability by their type, condition and height, as so many other factors. But either way it's nice to see you're looking to do what's best for her. Hope it works out.
 
Ah, that's better.

Now that she's in better condition with more muscle tone etc then I would say that she should be able to carry you. However, I wouldn't ask her to carry anymore weight (bearing in mind you have to take into account tack etc too).

:)
 
Nope, she looks good but she has high withers, a very long back, is light behind the saddle and is not deep through her girth, she really is not built as a weight carrier. For that you want a nice short back and deep girth with lot of width between the front legs.

Sorry
 
honestly no one can begin to imagine how much she means to me! i have been through a lot with her, from her causing me to be air lifted to hospital, chucking me off whilst out hacking and now after a lot of hard work and one to one....shes perfect....we understand each other and she does everything i ask her to!! shes my baby and i think i either need to diet and lose weight for her so that i can keep her or give her up to a smaller rider!! i have a friend who is willing to ride her for me until ive lost a bit of weight!! dieting is so tough tho lol xx
 
As she looks now I think she will cope, however remember with tack etc she is closer to having 15 stone on her.
Have you thought about maybe using her as an incentive to loose a couple of stone? I am slowly wittling myself down from 14, hoping to get to 11 or under. Thoughts of my boy having to carry less is really helping to keep me going!!
 
You're fine in height but horse has no muscle on her top line and poor hind leg conformation (unless its the camera angle she looks both cow hocked and sickle hocked. If she's old or has sway backed conformation then I agree with the others she can't carry you. If she's young and her back is dipping in response to your weight then when she matures, and if you build her top line on the lunge, then she may be in better able to carry you in a few years time. If you really can't face riding anything else, is it possible you could lose some weight? I realise some people have reasons why they can't, just wondered if it is an option.
 
She is a gorgeous girlie, but I agree with the others, she does look weak inthe back and hindquarters and so I would agree that 14 stone is too heavy, please do not take this the wrong way but why not make a personal goal of losing a bit of weight if you are worried? It would be great for your horse and great for you! (: good luck with her though, she's lovely x
 
my weight has always been an issue...up until the age of 18 i only weighed 9 stone and then i became a chef and i plunged up to 16 stone ( i didnt have my mare then) i started dieting and got down to 13 and half and then bought my mare and then its slowly crept back up to 14....your right i think i am going to use her as an incentive to get it back down because i really dont wanna give her up...i think i might get my friend to ride her for me until ive got down a little x
 
chels90 said:
my weight has always been an issue...up until the age of 18 i only weighed 9 stone and then i became a chef and i plunged up to 16 stone ( i didnt have my mare then) i started dieting and got down to 13 and half and then bought my mare and then its slowly crept back up to 14....your right i think i am going to use her as an incentive to get it back down because i really dont wanna give her up...i think i might get my friend to ride her for me until ive got down a little x
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What better incentive then being able to ride your horse again :) It will be worth it in the end!
 
How old is she? I agree you do look a little heavy on her. Hopefully getting to ride her again will be a great motivation for you and you'll be back on her in no time!:)
 
She looks much better in the second photo - well done on losing some weight, I get to the end of the road and am absolutely cream crackered so stop for some chocolate lol.
 
chels90 said:
my weight has always been an issue...up until the age of 18 i only weighed 9 stone and then i became a chef and i plunged up to 16 stone ( i didnt have my mare then) i started dieting and got down to 13 and half and then bought my mare and then its slowly crept back up to 14....your right i think i am going to use her as an incentive to get it back down because i really dont wanna give her up...i think i might get my friend to ride her for me until ive got down a little x
Click to expand...

I couldn't think of a better incentive to lose weight! Just set little targets for yourself and you'll do great. Me and my friends have just started the 'couch to 5k' NHS programme, why not look it up and give it a go? It builds everything up gradually, it's great! (:
 
She looks MUCH better now!!!

Unfortunately I would still say ur slightly too heavy :0( sorry I know that's not wot you want to hear
 
Without seeing you actually ride I don't know. The back is long, and she is croup high so not great for weight carrying. She isn't as muscled as she could be - could benefit from correct long-lining and plenty of hill work.
 
She looks much better in the 2nd photo, really pretty :-)
I would say too heavy but then I won't let my 13 stone brother in law ride my 16.2 Friesian.
Like others have said what better incentive to loose weight the being able to ride your lovely horse :-)
 
Lots of long-reining. It will do you both the power of good and bring you closer to where you both need to be :)
You can do it, do it for her and for yourself. xxx
 
honestly guys thank you so much for your advice and feed back...ive taken them all on board and not been offended by any of it...i think i knew deep down that im a little heavy for her, i just needed someone else to tell me.. i hope you all dont think im cruel for riding her but starting tomorrow im gonna get on it...ive just got my other half to get all of my photos out of my mare and im about to stick them all on my food cupboards so that when i go to get a snack ill be reminded not to!!! im gonna do this for her coz i love her and i want to feel comfortable on her again x
 
chels90 said:
honestly guys thank you so much for your advice and feed back...ive taken them all on board and not been offended by any of it...i think i knew deep down that im a little heavy for her, i just needed someone else to tell me.. i hope you all dont think im cruel for riding her but starting tomorrow im gonna get on it...ive just got my other half to get all of my photos out of my mare and im about to stick them all on my food cupboards so that when i go to get a snack ill be reminded not to!!! im gonna do this for her coz i love her and i want to feel comfortable on her again x
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Gold medal to you!! :D

So nice to see a new member that doesn't take the hump/troll/have a paddy/take offence etc. and actually listen to advice.

I wish you all the luck in the world with your diet, I'm sure you can do it!! Please come back and post piccys when you've reached you goal :)
 
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