Following on - can you be too light??

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Luckylocalian

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Don't want to add to anyone's misery and apologies if this has been discussed before but is there such a thing as being too light for a horse? I often wonder if I weighed a bit more whether my aids might be clearer for my horse etc? I lose a lot of weight after a serious illness (I can't recommend it as a diet!) and I don't know if it is my lightness or my lack of energy that makes me so consistently pants in the school!

Just wondering if anyone had an opinion on the other side of the coin?
 
I wouldnt say too light, may be too weak (although thats not the right word either!) but I think that sometimes to clear you have to be strong with your aids, I dont mean booting your horse in the ribs or pulling his teeth out, but if you are recovering from an illness it will take a great deal of time to build up your strength and muscle tone, which yes does make a big difference.
 
gosh all paranoid now!!! how do you work out the weight a horse can carry? my TB mare is 16hh and she weighs 530kg. I am 5ft8 and 11 stone(not often i admit to that!!)
 
i think you can be slightly too weak to be effectual on some horses, having said which, a well-schooled horse will obey the lightest of aids.
some of the very best riders are very very strong, though... for instance Andrew Nicholson is well-known for being very strong in the seat and leg. this isn't criticism, btw.
 
Big strong horses used to being ridden by 15 stone men can take the mick a little when an 8 stone girl gets on but, as mentioned, it can all be worked on.
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i think its strengthmore than lightness which can make a difference.

Im only 8 stones and 5ft 5, and my 17.3hh obeys the lightest command, but he is that genuine.

Strength comes into it with the 16.2hh though, he is a much stronger horse, and lazy, so sometimes a bit of extra strength would be handy.
 
I love my boy to bits but I do believe he takes advantage of our comparative strengths sometimes and pretends i'm not even up there and not only am I small and weak but I get all paranoid about his mouth and being too heavy handed which is rediculous really as it just allows him to be naughty all the more!!! I wish I had an instructor with me 24/7 so I always knew how to react in the right way!!!
 
Luckylocalian, i think the golden rule is that if he's being nice and polite, so should you, but if he's being rude, so can you... i'm not above reminding my big lad that i'm up there occasionally. a very quick sharp tug with one hand on the rein can work wonders if he's started remembering he's 50 times stronger than me...
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I think that you can be too small and light, if I ride my sisters 17 hh shirexclydesdale, she really feels to have to be hugely worked at, I'm three inches shorter than sis and four dress sizes smaller. I think the other problem I have is that I'm used to an araby built 15.3 Appy.
 
Thanks guys - I think I probably just have to toughen up and ride him like I mean business - jesus for the full board and luxury pampering that he gets you would think he wouldn't mind an hours decent work every so often!!
 
I am sometimes glad that I am heavy and strong as George can sometimes be a little lazy (not at the moment mind!) and needs holding together as he's not wonderfully balanced. On the other hand, I am a very uncoordinated person and I sometimes worry that when I get unbalanced my weight must be a real disadvantage.
 
My girlfriend rode race horses, being 5 foot tall and weighing 6.5 stone! She is considered small even for the racing world, never had any more problems than anyone else.
 
LOL I am 5ft5 and only weigh 6 stone! My horse isn't backed yet, but everyone at the stud keeps joking that he won't even notice I'm there!

I'm also weak and feeble (due to a long-term illness). My horse a 3yo Arab stallion - about 15.1/15.2 - fine build and ultra-sensitive, so he will with any luck be a very responsive ride and my lack of weight and strength won't matter too much.

I keep hearing that 'a bad rider adds a stone' - my riding is so atrocious it'll probably add 2 stone!
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