How do you decide on a weight limit for your horse??

Leo Walker

Leo Walker

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 July 2013
Messages
12,384
Location
Northampton
Visit site
Following on from a few posts asking about weight limits, and a history of posts like that, all of which have hugely differing opinions, I'm curious as to how people decide on a weight limit? Is it based on personal opinion, gut feel, research, professional opinion? I do NOT want to start a bun fight about what is acceptable and what isnt, but I am interested in how people decide what is ok and what isnt :) So how do you decide??
 
As I'm not a riding school and I don't weigh my friends I take it more on the overall picture of their size and what I know their riding and experience to be. I wouldn't allow a 5stone novice off the lead-rein of one, but he's had 12 stone on the lead and around 10 off (10 is less than me). The other I'd let anyone I don't consider to be more than a couple of stone more than me on, unless they're ride judging ;) He could probably take more than that but he doesn't need to and luckily my friends are polite and don't demand rides when they're larger! The other no one can ride these days :(
 
I am a lightweight and I have an easily offended horse so thought it safer not to let anybody heavier than I am on him the few times somebody else got on his back. He might have objected to the unaccustomed extra weight!
 
I judge by eye, by knowing what the rider is like and by what they want to do. Depends on how balanced they are, whether they want to ride on the flat, jump on a surface or on the other extreme go hunting. I wont hurt my horses so I might err on the side of caution, especially as the older weight carrier is 19 now. But I also won't weigh anyone - or indeed ask!

There is, I think, a formula somewhere based on the amount of bone for the horse. But if memory serves it comes out so light that many posters on here suddenly found on that calculation they were all too heavy for their horses. I do understand why riding schools must impose weight limits - but as private owners we can be a bit more real world about it.
 
By eye really. Being 5'10 and 12 stone, I look for horses over 16.2 and of mw type, as I prefer to have a few kilos in reserve. They won't always be in peak fitness, I could gain weight, and as I am a forever home owner as they grow older I don't think it fair to ride them to maximum capacity. It does mean sometimes coming across that reverse snobbery size thing but in the saddle I look right.
 
I asked professionals I trusted - I have a pony I know I am too heavy for - I am not riding him but was curious to know what weight I could ride him at. I was fed up with people saying just get on he will be fine. I asked my vet, his osteopath and my saddler. All of which independently came up with the same weight which I am now aiming for.
 
Comes down to experience.

It's not just about the weight of the rider, there are other factors to consider.

Age of horse
Muscle development over back
Injury history
Type of work expected
Balance/experience of rider
 
For my 14hh cob it was watching my OH ride him. With OH at just over 11st 5lbs he was fine. The next time OH asked to ride him I noticed his stride length had shortened a little, I wouldn't say he was struggling and you would only notice it if you knew the horse. I told OH to get off, then he admitted that he was now 12.5st.
So the weight limit was set at about 11st, although I wouldn't want him ridden hard even at that weight.
 
I was taught that chunkier horses can carry 1/5th of their weight and finer horses can carry 1/6th of their weight but that sounds like a lot to me so I guess go off eye. As said above the rider's experience/balance will also have an impact
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top