Guessing riders' weights

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geronimostilton

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It's happened to me a few times when I go to riding schools/trekking centres when on holiday, they have a weight limit but no scales and so they have a guesstimate of your weight!
The first time it happened I genuinely had no idea what I weighed and the lady reckoned I was 'about 10 stone' but when I got home I popped round to a friend's house and weighed myself to find I was over their 12 stone limit. Other guesses of my weight have also been very inaccurate, even telling me I can't be as heavy as I say I am!

So, do you work at/go to a riding school with a weight limit and how is it enforced? Do they use scales, rely on customers telling the truth or do people guess weights?

I don't want a debate about weight limits, their rights and wrongs etc, as obviously rider skills come into it, I just want to know how these places enforce their own limits :)
 
Anywhere i have been with a weight limit have always asked for weight on booking the lesson (usually over the phone) but i guess some people don't know their own weight and would guess wrong.
 
Where I worked we used to ask weight over the phone, though sometimes people lie etc, one guy, a complete novice must of weighed over 20stone, and my boss still let him ride. The horse had over 2 weeks off work with a bad back. Maybe there should be scales!
 
I went up to 15 1/2 stone when I was pregnant (I'm 5'9") and stayed at that blasted weight for about 5 years afterwards although to be fair, most of it was boob and hip/thigh (this is where I naturally carry my weight). We went on holiday to Ilfracombe and I wanted to go on a holiday hack so the holiday camp we were staying at booked it for me.

I later found out that the stable had a weight limit of about 13 stone but no one at the stables said anything to me when I turned up (I had my 32" waisted breeches and my leather riding boots on), all they asked was what riding experience I had and made everyone who turned up, do a test ride in front of the instructor to weed out who could ACTUALLY ride and those who "imagined" they could :D

I did ask the instructor if I was too heavy to ride and she said that there was "nothing wrong with my riding" and put me in the experienced group where we got to canter and gallop over the fields!
 
I've never been weighed, and I think most places are poor at judging your weight. Otherwise my husband wouldn't be allowed to ride at many places.

I think mostly they take a look at you and give you a horse that they think will carry you and the maximum weight is just so that they can deter the real massive heavy people.

Most horses can carry more than we expect comfortably and most people will feel/look wrong on a horse way before it is uncomfortable.
 
I know a stables that introduced scales to avoid issues. They also use a phrase something like 'weight in riding wear' so that people can always feel a bit better by being told they must have a heavy jumper on or something.

TBH I think it is a good idea. There are a few places I told my correct clothed weight (because I was coxing so regularly weighed in fleeces etc and because I'm an honest person who care about horses!) who put me on something massive the first time and then swapped downwards when they saw me. (Most memorable phrase: "You don't normally ride anything this big do you?" and then to stable hand "I think you'd better get Pixie for her..."). I think they were just assuming most people lie through vanity!

Oh, and I have to say that when I gained weight after stopping coxing I wasn't at all offended about being given chunkier mounts. I'd expect anyone who wanted to ride a horse of mine to care enough to be honest & diligent but would have no hesitation in telling them not to if they gained weight. Yes, ability matters but so does bulk!
 
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Tickles said:
put me on something massive the first time and then swapped downwards when they saw me. (Most memorable phrase: "You don't normally ride anything this big do you?" and then to stable hand "I think you'd better get Pixie for her...").
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The exact same thing happened to me just this Wednesday! Instructer said I made it sound like I was a complete elephant over the phone, but when she saw me said I could've had a smaller horse, so we don't always look as heavy as we really are, which is quite morale boosting :-) :-)
 
The trekking centre I worked at seemed to have no weight limit, and I was horrified at the weight of some of the clients. My words fell on deaf ears of course, money over ruled everything. *sigh*. This was a BHS approved yard btw.
 
The stables where I ride have scales. You get weighed when you start and re-weighed about every 6 months (lots of kids & teenagers which grow up quick).
No-one seems embarassed when being weighed - we all understand it's for the welfare of the horses.
If I go anywhere else I always add a bit of weigh onto my 'scales' weight because I'm sure body protector and hat must add a bit.
 
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