Fell bad saying this but letting a larger lady ride your horse?!..

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charliecrisps

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This is awful... (im no skinny bean by the way) but a girl came up to ride my horse today on potential share. (Lets hope she is better than the last sharer!) Anyway, my mare didnt look happy to say the least when this woman hauled herself up (i held the other stirrop as i was fearful the saddle wouldnt stay put, so it didnt twist round!)
Misty put her ears back, and was really unsteady. She certainly didnt move as freely as she did when i was lunging her.. But she is stroppy and hates being worked! Do you think this is arsey mare syndrome or genuine pain for the heavy load> LOL. Id say the woman must weigh 14- 15st but then i have a 15-3 cob?

She is having the saddle fitter out Tues just incase though.. but she doesnt do that with me ? Would you let her ride... or take Mistys reaction as a sign. She seemed a good rider apart from the lack of spring getting up!
 
If the horse looked unhappier than they usually would, then I would take it as a sign that she wasnt happy!!!

Sorry to say that I wouldnt want someone of that weight on merlin, but then he isnt really heavy enough for a cob.
 
Sounds like your mare made it clear she didn't think much of her new rider! I'd listen to your horse and wait for someone lighter or maybe just someone who your horse takes to. Its also putting more wear and tear on your horse in the long run carrying a heavy rider - just something to bear in mind.
 
i should imagine a 15.3 cob would be ok with this weight - might take some getting used to though but as you said she was a pretty decent rider when she was on board.

better to have larger rider in balance then a skinny one all over the place
tongue.gif
 
If it helps...my 14.2hh Welsh D is out on loan to a family who's older daughter is quite a big lass. He's been used to me (9st) for years and the older daughter now rides him more than anyone else in the family. I'm told she weighs about 12.5st - she's a very experienced rider (more so than me), does a fair bit of BSJA on her mum's skinny type with no problems. She's regularly schooling and jumping my Welshy without any issues. They actually had the physio out recently because I said he was due and he had nothing wrong with him - my 15.3hh mare had a catalogue of issues and I'm tiny!!

I would rather have a larger person on him who is balanced and rides quietly, than a skinny novice who bangs around on his back. That said, it does sound like your horse was saying this particular lady was probably too big for her!
 
Your mare would be able to carry a good amount of weight regardles of weight.
My friends cob is 14.3 and he can take 15 stone or more.
 
I let a friend ride Ralph once who was came over the saddle and he was not a happy bunny and vowed never to do it again, your horse tells you what he thinks and if they are not happy dont do it......
 
i would get a tall enough mounting block so that no-one EVER has to haul themselves into a saddle again. i think that, and the saddle's fit, are far more important than the size and weight of the rider, since you say your mare is a cob.
fwiw i let my very tall cousin ride my (lightweight, 16h) advanced mare years ago. he came out for a nice hack for about 40 mins. it was only near the end that i happened to ask, and he said that he weighed 17 stone... she carried him very happily with pricked ears the whole time.
if she's comfy in her back and saddle, pure weight isn't such a bad thing imho (as long as the horse has the bone and maturity to take it.)
 
Maybe you could suggest she mounts from a higher mounting block in future, this should make the horse a little more comfortable and more willing to work if she is a good rider.
 
Don't feel bad your only thinking of your horse. Regardless of what weight your horse "should" be able to carry, I wouldn't be happy if my horse wasn't happy.

It might be better to have a bigger good rider than a crap skinny one, but you don't have to have either as a sharer!
 
As a larger lady myself it has been commented on how light I ride in the saddle but I think thats because I am aware of my weight ( if that makes sense ) I have alighter friend ride my horse in the school last week she rode like a sack of spuds. I asked her very nicely to get off. I think its good advice that has been given already try from a mounting block and see if your horse unsteady.

Don't feel bad because she is big. You know your horse best.
 
Im 6ft tall and not the lightest person in the world but have been riding all my life and have had my 17 year old 15.2hh mw irish cob for 12 years. I am very careful/balanced with him but wish he would be careful with me! we frequently go out for an hour and half ears pricked, jogging (most the way, which is most uncomfortable!) and he nearly always trys to bolt if we go anywhere near a grassy hill and he is a complete powerhouse.

I think your mare probably wasnt expecting the heavier rider when she got on but I also think that people underestimate how strong and powerful horses are, especially cobs.
 
No, sounds like too much weight to me. I speak from experience, I am no lightweight, my daughter rides my 15.3 middleweight and he goes so much better for her. He is happier, moves better and jumps more freely.

I am not as heavy as your potential sharer but my horse has to make much more effort with me, and so I have cut back my riding until I sort out my weight. He shouldn't have to lug my excess eating habits on his back, it's my problem not his!

(Just off to grab some food from fridge...)
 
A good sturdy mounting block- well fitting saddle
shoudl not be a problem. BUt n o-one, even at just 8 stone, mounts my 16h cob from the groung- the saddle would slip ( round barrell shape) and make him uncomfrotable, and it twists the saddle too,
Sure there are more sore backs since we had spring tree saddle and yards no longer all have mounting blocks built outside each stable block.

at 15.3 your cob, if a true Cob, would be in the Maxi Cob category 'to carry more than 14 stone'
even a LW 15.1 cob is to carry >12 stone,
and a HW , >14 stone- that's expecting 9 inches of bone. on matching and fit body
 
Thanks.. i love putting my problems on here and getting sensible advice back! Im gonna put her off riding until i get the saddler out on tues, just incase it isnt her at all but the saddle.... then i would feel bad indeed! If the saddle and back are okay... then i think i will listen to my mare on this one. She was recently diagbosed with COPD and i dont think her lungs can take the weight if she isnt comfortable with the extra weight.

Cheers all ...
 
Oh. When I read your OP I was going to say that your horse should be fine with this rider on board, weigh-wise anyway. Whether or not the horse actually likes her is another matter altogether. Leaving the weight issue aside, you really do need to make sure your horse gets on with the new rider otherwise problems could arise.

Then I read your final post about your horse being diagnosed with RAO - with this information, I have to say, I'd say no to having a heavy rider ride a horse with RAO. I don't think you should give her any extra stress to have to deal with, so perhaps it would be best for you to find a lighter weight rider....and one she likes.
 
Does ur horse have COPD? Do You know how much extra stress it puts on them for working? It has all come on very sudden, and literally within a week her breathing changed, then i had the vet out... and then started the norm, soaking hay, leaving her out a lot more etc... but when i lunged her earlier (walk only) her belly seemed to get a 'heave line' although she wasnt wheezing or coughing or anything... is this normal for a horse with COPD?! Will she actually return to normal workload....
 
One of my previous horses was diagnosed with RAO a number of years ago. It came on suddenly too. He was on Ventipulmin and Sputulosin and it became manageable quite easily after the initial treatment. I ended up just feeding him haylage for easiness sake and he went back to normal, but you could never feed him dry hay again.

Once the RAO was managed correctly, he was fine and his heave line disappeared but I always was very careful with him and whom I allowed to ride him. I had him for 13 years (I bred him) and he came down with the RAO when he was 6 years old. The person I ended up selling him to was fully aware of his RAO experience and has always been careful to manage him correctly. He has never had a relapse in all of this time. Hope this helps you.
smile.gif
 
Im no lightweight but i like to think i ride light. My mare carries me very happily (shes a heavy cob).

About 6 months back i had a friend ride her, now shes alot lighter than me (weighs just over 7 stone!!) and Mae decides shes going to rear up. Shes never done that before. Now saddle fits fine, had her teeth done etc. Infact I had rode her for about 10 minutes before she got on!
 
My mare is 15"3 and stocky,but i got a 12 stone weight limit on her,yes people can ride very light but 14-15 stones is still a bit too much if you ask me,and with her putting the ears back i think tells you that,1 horse at our yard now got severe back problems due to a heavy rider ,he was a not a bad rider but the weight has turned out to be a problem...
Yes i know thats its hard to find a good sharer but its your horse at the end of the day
 
You know you're horse best, and if you think she's not happy then do whats right for the both of you, my cob's face changes when other people get on him as im only 7st 10lb! but then again 2 different people of about the same weight got totally different reactions. 1 he plods as normal and the other he cant wait to get off his back!!

Sophie xx
 
I think it depends on a lot of things, ability of the heavier rider, type of horse and most importantly the horses' age! Just because it may be a weight carrier, it does not mean that it should be expected to carry a lot of weight if it is an older horse or has stiffness issues.

My mare is a 15.3hh Irish Draught, she is 14yo now, over the last 8 months I have lost 37lb and she definitely goes better than she did before i lost the weight. Makes you think!!
 
I told the lady i had changed my mind about sharing. I just dint want to risk it, and i didnt want to say, sorry youre too fat! I will have to re-advertise next week .. lets hope she doesnt see the new advert though ... oops.
 
I think she'd be ok with that sort of weight, but sounds like the didn't like the ride - so good choice, and don't be put off letting another rider of similar weight try her - sounds like she'll let you know!
 
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