Fat people...

Kao said:
Ooh fun fun fun! :D Just what I needed to cheer me up.

No, I don't agree that fat people should ride. Harsh, might make a few enemies, but the bile actually rises when I see a fat person on a horse attempting to compete.
If they're genuinely trying to get fit and slim down then fine, but get off the bloody horse, get slim, THEN get back on.
Shetland or Shire, a spine is still a spine, and it can still be severly damaged by the riders weight. Not to mention the saddle digging into the horse's back when the rider eventually get's aboard.

Why am I so anti-fat riding folk?
They can't get on.
But, when they do get on they ride ponies, on a regular basis. Just because it's not publicised doesn't mean it can't/doesn't happen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11i-Nslbfho&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV9FLSNaMzE&feature=related

I resteth my case -.-
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It's the parents fault :rolleyes:
 
Its not someones physical weight IMO.
Its the proportion of you to the horse.
People seem to have these arguments all the time...

You wouldn't expect to see someone over 16stone on a 15hh lightweight (not middleweight -LIGHTWEIGHT), just as an example.
Generally though, this only applies to the extemeties I see very few people that I think 'omg they are too big for that horse' and even then It seems to be out grown kids on tiny ponies rather than adults.
I think its up to people to judge for themselves. I know that I conciously think about my weight all the time even though I'm quite slim, and I assume this is no different for anyone else. I certainly wouldn't want to be jumping on anything under 15hh, but thats just about feeling comfortable. I don't think that dancing around screaming 'your to big for that horse' is going to get anyone anywhere anyway.
 
horseyscot said:
I don't disagree, but people are also short, skinny, ugly...... doesn't mean others have the right to have a go at them for it! It's their business.
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But its okay to ride if you're short, skinny, ugly.... Being fat and riding on these little fine horses is totally different. If its their business, they should do something about it so others dont need to get involved and feel the need to comment like I am :)
 
horseyscot said:
I don't disagree, but people are also short, skinny, ugly...... doesn't mean others have the right to have a go at them for it! It's their business.
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Completely agree with you... it;s what is INSIDE that counts. Your souls weighs nothing but means the world.

Another thing, there should only be tb's in the world, anything else is just plain boring.
 
smelly_horse said:
But its okay to ride if you're short, skinny, ugly.... Being fat and riding on these little fine horses is totally different. If its their business, they should do something about it so others dont need to get involved and feel the need to comment like I am :)
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lol!!! Yes sad but true, most horse riders ARE ugly. (And smell)
 
smelly_horse said:
But its okay to ride if you're short, skinny, ugly.... Being fat and riding on these little fine horses is totally different. If its their business, they should do something about it so others dont need to get involved and feel the need to comment like I am :)
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You're missing my point, maybe what I should have said was that I don't disagree with what you are saying, but how you are saying it. People may be too heavy for their horse regardless of their physical appearance in that they may weigh too much for the animal, but they way you put it across is that no fat people should ride. :)
 
Well I am 5ft 6, a size 16 to 18 and have just got a 16.1hh TB on loan.
He has plenty of bone and is quite stocky for a TB.
I am always wary of looking too bog for my horses but I can honestly say that I don't feel or look to big for my horse at all.
 
tallyho! said:
Bet you were a right showoff! I'm sure I've seen you an Antiques Roadshow...
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No not me... I was too fat!! Must leave this rivetting stuff....off to bed with Jilly Cooper....not literally...I am not that way...well not on a Sunday.........could post a pic of fat me and my horse....but why should I....night night!
 
horseyscot said:
You're missing my point, maybe what I should have said was that I don't disagree with what you are saying, but how you are saying it. People may be too heavy for their horse regardless of their physical appearance in that they may weigh too much for the animal, but they way you put it across is that no fat people should ride. :)
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I think we have a politician in the house... probably Lib Dem....
 
horseyscot said:
You're missing my point, maybe what I should have said was that I don't disagree with what you are saying, but how you are saying it. People may be too heavy for their horse regardless of their physical appearance in that they may weigh too much for the animal, but they way you put it across is that no fat people should ride. :)
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Fat people shouldnt ride if they dont have the correct size/weight horse to accommodate them....
 
horseyscot said:
Speak for yourself................;):D
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I haven't seen any pretty people on horseback yet! They usually look down so you can't see a face so I assume they are hiding it because they are proper munters.

And you cant smell people on a forum so i can't actually prove that one.

Sorry.
 
I think there is an underestimation of what weight a fit horse or pony can carry PROVIDED that weight is on a well fitting saddle

I have watched displays by this re-enactment group, they use Fell type ponies not hugely powerful. The saddles are very heavy but the weight is spread over a wide area.
The ponies were not struggling
Estimate on their web site they can be carrying 22stone/308lbs
I doubt the ponies are over 500kg/1100lbs
So over 30% of their body weight

http://www.theborderers.info/horses.html

My concern however with heavier riders is balance:

A heavier person, especially a shorter person would have a higher centre of gravity.
The heavier the rider, the more difficult it is to maintain balance.
The heavier the rider, the more difficult it is for the horse to maintain balance.
The "greener" the rider and the "greener" the horse, the greater the risk of injury.
The heavier the rider, the more serious the injuries are likely to be.

When a heavier person gets their weight moving it takes more time and energy to change its direction or to stop it than it does a lighter person.

I have seen a very bad accident when a heavier rider and her horse parted company
in mid air over a show jump
 
asterid said:
A girl at our yard is lets say short and voluptious and always buys tiny horses. Last horse was an arab and now has a 15.3 TB, which apparently is unrideable (unrideable by her as others have ridden it!)

Anyway, on the arab in a dressage test the judge wrote, 'a little too big for your horse' . Oh how I laughed!
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Nice of you to laugh at another's embarassment and a potential welfare issue!

Arabs have very dense bone, and are thought to be capable of carrying substantial weight.
 
Naturally said:
Nice of you to laugh at another's embarassment and a potential welfare issue!

Arabs have very dense bone, and are thought to be capable of carrying substantial weight.
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She's a charmer, isn't she, that Asterid?! It's what they're bred to do and to be endurance horses-they come from the desert, you dummy!
 
I dont see why overweight people shouldn't ride providing they are on a suitable horse that can comfortably carry their weight, with correctly fitting tack and they aren't bouncing about like a sack of tatties :D
 
i know how hard i work on my lessons with my horse and it is exhausting hard work, if i were obese there is no way i would be able to keep up. I do know someone who is absolutely huge- their horses are huge also and one is quite a fiesty one who is really skittish but doesnt get the chance when the rider is on board due to being anchored down with about 18 stone of weight....and a saddle!

i have to say, when i see HUGE people on not so huge horses i do tend to think it looks like the horse should be riding the person!
 
But what do you call obese??? 9 stone or more, I have a very good friend who is what you lot call obese and she rides like a feather and I've seen slender or thin people ride like a bag of spuds.
 
While the Body Mass Index isn't that reliable a method of deciding correct weight, it is the best tool available to most. Overweight is usually thought to be a BMI of over 25. BMI is worked out with a height weight ratio, there are some good calculators on the web. I think 9st. would only be obese for someone under 4' 11" :D
 
Whoever said small people riding big horses rarely get the best from them is talking from their bum. Control of any animal is nothing to do with size especially lack their of. If yoi believe strength has anything to do with riding ability your doing it wrong!
Rant over.
Larger people larger horse. Don't think it's that bigger people shouldn't ride just find something suitable. Agree 'suitable' needs to be explained to some people more than others.
 
xxRachelxx said:
I agree. However, I do also think it depends on how the good the rider is. If your a good rider and carry your weight properly you can get away with riding smaller horses than people who just sit there like a dollop!
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Weight is weight is weight.

A fat person will not have the range of movement, flexibility or speed of movement that a person who isn't overweight will have.

Inky_and_Sunny said:
To a horses' mouth maybe but the weight issue is with their backs/joints. As I said earlier, just because a horse can carry 25-30% of its bodyweight, doesn't mean that it is nice...
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Exactly this.

And no comment from anyone about Alainax's post? But no surprise there, it'd put an end to all the bitching with no solution that you all seem to love so much.
 
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MrsMozart said:
Popcorn anyone?

How horses survived in the days of yore carrying knights in full gear.......

How horses cope with two plus people on (vaulting)......

How horses manage to leave the ground with their 'overweight' riders......

Oh I really need to go and stick my head in a 'fridge.

h040.gif
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hahaha love it
 
Llewellyn said:
Whoever said small people riding big horses rarely get the best from them is talking from their bum. Control of any animal is nothing to do with size especially lack their of. If yoi believe strength has anything to do with riding ability your doing it wrong!
Rant over.
Larger people larger horse. Don't think it's that bigger people shouldn't ride just find something suitable. Agree 'suitable' needs to be explained to some people more than others.
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Sorry but small people on big horses really get me annoyed as much as obese ( and i mean obese not just a pound or two over ) people riding.
Your right riding ability is not about strength, but someone that is 5ft on a 16.3hh looks rediculous , they are usually overhorsed and rarely get the best from the horse if they cant get thire legs around it. I know some people do, but most dont , to me it just loks wrong and i dont get why anyone would want to be so over horsed.
And i'm not 'talking from my bum' , i'm expressing my opinion based on my experiences, lets try to be a bit objective eh:rolleyes:
 
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