Find a horse for a 18stone + rider

Kat said:
Rubbish! I am not one of these "people over 12st shouldn't ride types" but if you are 16st and 6ft you are clinically overweight. A person of 6ft can healthily weight significantly less than 16st. My husband is 6ft2" and weighs significantly less than 16st, but he could also stand to lose some weight. He rides our shared horse who isn't a "weight carrying type" but he wouldn't be riding her if he weighed 16st. WFP is about 6ft4" and weighs about 12 and a half stone.
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sorry, i keep seeing WFP popping up everywhere, can someone explain what it means?
 
There is a girl at my last yard who has a 17.2hh dutch warmblood, she must be about 5ft6 and she probably weighs 16 - 18 stone easily. Her horse is never sound and if it's not one thing, it's another, she's had it since it was 3 and it's now 12. Cant imagine that weight on it's back for all those years is good for the horse, it has to do some damage! I have a little 15.2 ISH who has plenty of bone, he was on box rest and over that time I put on at least half a stone and even now at just under 11 stone I am starting to feel that he doesn't appreciate the extra weight on his back, he's only 5 and that is a motivation to lose some weight!
 
Beans2000 said:
My goal weight at 5'6 is 10 stone and I bet my boy will go like a dream when I get there :))))

I'm on the treadmill pretending I'm going round badders lol :')
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:D You're heading in the right direction anyway! Just keep reassessing your own health and fitness, BMI is good for looking at populations, but not necessarily individuals within that population. I doubt I'll ever be a 'healthy' BMI but am fit and healthy :)
 
Wagtail said:
That is overweight even for a HW cob! I would say that he is carrying at least 80kg excess.

The flaw with the 20% rule is that it is intended to apply to horses that are 'ideal' and healthy/fit weights. Many leisure horses are not. If you apply the 20% rule you are saying that the fatter a horse gets, the more weight it can carry, which is rubbish. A horse that is say 80 kg overweight is already carrying the weight of a substantial person. :(
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Absolutely agree that the horse needs to be fit and healthy - as does the rider :-) There are many other factors that I mentioned that make the 20% rule a generalisation.
Incidentally, the 15hh cob at 600kg - that may sound like he's 80kg overweight however you can just see the outline of his ribs so losing 80kgs might not be right for him - he's a very heavy boned lad! (always used to be my excuse when people asked how much I weighed lol)
 
I have a horse who "can" carry this kind of weight.
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Combined weight of hubby and I fully dressed is somewhere between 20-21st depending on when this was taken. I would not do more than walk around to get some pictures though as we could feel him using the muscles in his back to take the weight. I once had a munchkin of 15st ride him and do quite a bit of damage so size does not equate to weight carrying ability.
Clydies (and many shires) have notoriously poor conformation as weight carriers, they're pullers! This is the closest I have to a confirmation pick.
picture.php
 
mil1212 said:
For anyone who is interested, the olympic site is great for giving details of all the athletes, I spent a while checking if I was lighter than any of our equestrians!

http://www.london2012.com/athletes/

(not that any of the equestrians are 18 stone, but I bet some of the other athletes are)
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Well, according to this, Carl is 12 stone 7. Definitely wouldn't let him on my horse in that case :D
 
Here is your horse Beans, 16h, short coupled, Clyde x RID, weighs in at 780kg, forward going, kind, won't get round Badminton other than at a trot. Very comfortable, would hunt easily in a slow country, jumps small fences and all you need to do if it's too big is wait for another horse to smash it down a bit !, cheap to keep apart from the clipper blades. She is for sale, but I would want a lot of money for her. She is a rare combination of safe, forward and show quality (she is heading for maxi cob classes)

With the tack I ride at around 161/2 stone, yes I am dieting and that is not me on the photo. They are out there but take some finding, look for short cannons and lots of quality flat bone and don't be fooled into thinking you need 18h plus, a lot of very tall horses won't have the bone.
Marthaxcountry008.jpg


http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p512/Banksgreen1/1stSept12278
.jpg
 
mil1212 said:
For anyone who is interested, the olympic site is great for giving details of all the athletes, I spent a while checking if I was lighter than any of our equestrians!

http://www.london2012.com/athletes/

(not that any of the equestrians are 18 stone, but I bet some of the other athletes are)
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Well, it's definitely normal for some of the rowers to be 16 stone and if anyone thinks they aren't fit and healthy they're an idiot! So definitely not out of the realms of possibility for a healthy (tall) man to weigh 16 stone. Haven't found anyone at 18 stone yet but I'll keep looking :)

Really interesting to nose through everyone's weights though :D
 
AdorableAlice said:
Here is your horse Beans, 16h, short coupled, Clyde x RID, weighs in at 780kg, forward going, kind, won't get round Badminton other than at a trot. Very comfortable, would hunt easily in a slow country, jumps small fences and all you need to do if it's too big is wait for another horse to smash it down a bit !, cheap to keep apart from the clipper blades. She is for sale, but I would want a lot of money for her. She is a rare combination of safe, forward and show quality (she is heading for maxi cob classes)

With the tack I ride at around 161/2 stone, yes I am dieting and that is not me on the photo. They are out there but take some finding, look for short cannons and lots of quality flat bone and don't be fooled into thinking you need 18h plus, a lot of very tall horses won't have the bone.
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You have not just
a) advertised your horse for sale
b) put a pic up of it in draw reins...

*head in hands- peeping between fingers


I would start errecting a bombshelter....i fear i may need more than just popcorn...!
 
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Tinsel Trouble said:
You have not just
a) advertised your horse for sale
b) put a pic up of it in draw reins...

*head in hands- peeping between fingers


I would start errecting a bombshelter....i fear i may need more than just popcorn...!
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Very broad shoulders so not worried, remember I ride overweight, use draw reins, a twitch, smack them if they are naughty, would sell my granny if enough money was on the table, swop my husband if a richer model came along and could find a picture without a crash hat on......it's an age thing !
 
Beans2000 said:
She is lush but too much horse for me for sure...plus I'm not looking!!
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Thank you, I am thrilled with her, bought her very recently to get my confidence back, it's a bonus she may be good enough to show.

I have struggled with weight most of my life and there are plenty of horses I couldn't ride, but it is perfectly acceptable to ride overweight with the right horse that is fit and the right stamp.
 
jesstickle said:
Hmm, I was sort of looking for chaps who filled my 'heavy but healthy and athletic ' box. Whilst he is an athlete by definition I'm not sure I'd want him on BH!! :D

ETS: he is defnitely more than 18 stone. And I love that he is 'just there for the BBQ' :D:D
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And.....I am not swopping my husband for him or selling him my horse. I don't think any of us could find him a horse.
 
Between the Wars my father used to breed specialist heavyweight hunters for the American market. They were 3/4 or sometimes 7/8 Suffok Punch to 1/4 or 1/8 TB (I know this would be very politically incorrect nowadays as the Suffolk Punch breed is in such a fragile state). He reckoned the only other true heavyweight (i.e. FOR heavyweight) horses were Normadny Cobs and Percherons. His crossbreds were beautiful horses - and very expensive - they were very short-coupled. Don't know if anybody breeds anything like this nowadays?
 
AdorableAlice said:
Here is your horse Beans, 16h, short coupled, Clyde x RID, weighs in at 780kg, forward going, kind, won't get round Badminton other than at a trot. Very comfortable, would hunt easily in a slow country, jumps small fences and all you need to do if it's too big is wait for another horse to smash it down a bit !, cheap to keep apart from the clipper blades. She is for sale, but I would want a lot of money for her. She is a rare combination of safe, forward and show quality (she is heading for maxi cob classes)

With the tack I ride at around 161/2 stone, yes I am dieting and that is not me on the photo. They are out there but take some finding, look for short cannons and lots of quality flat bone and don't be fooled into thinking you need 18h plus, a lot of very tall horses won't have the bone.
Marthaxcountry008.jpg



http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p512/Banksgreen1/1stSept12278
.jpg
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I do like this horse and yes, she has plenty of bone, but that back looks quite hollow and weak around the loins to me. A common problem with the heavy sorts. I would not like to see more than 15 stone on that mare. I had a very similar, but bigger 17.2 full up ID gelding. He had a similar back confo and really struggled when an 18 stone rider got on him.
 
littlelegs said:
Sorry op, I wouldn't put 18 stone on that horse myself, let alone as an owner/ rider. Wouldn't it be easier for the 18 stone rider to find their local weight watchers? Or, afraid its a case of waiting for an old-fashioned hw hunter to come on the market.
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Nice horse. I wouldnt sell a horse to someone of that weight,sorry but the poor horse!!!!!!
I rest my case:)
 
Rose Folly said:
Between the Wars my father used to breed specialist heavyweight hunters for the American market. They were 3/4 or sometimes 7/8 Suffok Punch to 1/4 or 1/8 TB (I know this would be very politically incorrect nowadays as the Suffolk Punch breed is in such a fragile state). He reckoned the only other true heavyweight (i.e. FOR heavyweight) horses were Normadny Cobs and Percherons. His crossbreds were beautiful horses - and very expensive - they were very short-coupled. Don't know if anybody breeds anything like this nowadays?
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How interesting - I know there is no set formula for breeding a show-type cob but I have always thought that a Suffolk Punch crossed with a TB would give you something rather nice. Don't suppose you have any pictures of anything he bred?

I had an Ardennes cross and my physio said that the draft horses are bred more for pulling than carrying great weights.

If you are 18 stone plus because you are obese rather than Amazonian in build riding is never going to be enjoyable for you or your horse as you are just too big!! That is probably not politically correct to say these days but I watched an overweight friend who was desperate to ride and because of her weight and size she struggled to get on and off the horse, was uncomfortable in the saddle as it was just too small for her and really found it difficult to balance on the horse because of her size. She tried a couple of times and was very embarrassed by the RS. The only good thing was it spurred her on to do something about her weight and ended up having a gastric band fitted and is now slim and healthy.
 
littlelegs said:
Where on earth does this myth of 'riding light' come from? Everytime this subject comes up we hear of these riders whose weight magically lessens once mounted. Sorry, that just isn't how it works. It's just if you ride badly, you feel heavier than you are.
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Exactly. It's not possible to weigh less than you weigh, however well you ride. Pure physics. An 18 stone rider + riding kit + tack is probably more like 19-20 stone... and I don't think it's fair to ask a horse to carry than for more than a very brief period. The fact that it can carry it doesn't mean it should be expected to.
The horse's back is a suspension bridge held up by ligaments and muscles, too much weight on top for extended periods will make it sag (just as the weight of the gut usually makes the back sway in old age). Heavy horses were bred to pull (and can pull tonnes and tonnes) NOT to carry.
Overweight riders are a real bugbear of mine, and it is getting more and more prevalent now that everyone is so PC and obesity is seen as an affliction rather than a choice. Sorry, I know that sounds horrible and tough but 99% of us could be obese if we didn't make an effort... as riders it is up to us to make that effort for the sake of our horses' long term welfare! If all you're going to sit on is a chair or sofa, great, get as big as you like, who cares, your business. But if you're going to be sitting on a living animal then it's only fair to make the effort. Also, being overweight affects your balance, use of leg muscles, everything, hugely.
btw, my German trainer told me he had a girl go to him asking for training. He told her to go away and lose 3 stone first. She did, he trained her, and he told me she's a very good rider now. I wish it was acceptable to be that blunt over here! ;) ;)

*sits back and puts on body armour* ;) ;)
 
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