Interesting article on weight of riders.....good read

Some horses can carry weight. What people seem to forget is horses would carry big men, in full suits of armer. In a day when they didn't have specialist to come tweak all the problems we find and fix today. I am not a heavy rider, but I am sorry to say I totally disagree with a lot of these comments.
I know a rider who must tip 18stone. She is a very expierenced and well sought after horse woman.
Granted she isn't on 15hh tb. But does ride Irish draft and cobby types. All her horses are fit and healthy. And regular back and physio visits through all the riders on the yard rarely result in her horses need any treatment or if any its your typical bit of a tightness anyone of our horses could suffer with.

I must add these horses are fit and up to weight. They have correctly fitting tack etc.

She's a better rider than most, and until a serious accident was a much lighter rider.

You don't have to agree with it, but she is a prime example of a heavy rider that isn't heavy through low fitness or eating too much. She has steroid induced weight gain. Which will not just drop off.

I bet in the fitness stakes shed give most a run for the money! I know she can muck out 3 stables to my one and I am "thin" and fit!

Don't judge!!!
 
Why do people always decide that lighter riders will ride in an unbalanced manner? Some will, as will some larger/heavier riders, some will not. It is always trotted out on these threads, believe me lighter riders do not automaticaly ride badly!
 
YorksG said:
Why do people always decide that lighter riders will ride in an unbalanced manner? Some will, as will some larger/heavier riders, some will not. It is always trotted out on these threads, believe me lighter riders do not automaticaly ride badly!
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I think its a larger persons line of defense !
I do feel sorry for the poor beast of burden whose job it is to lug round any unbalanced lump on its back.
 
Horseymadgirl1992 said:
Some horses can carry weight. What people seem to forget is horses would carry big men, in full suits of armour........
I know a rider who must tip 18stone. She is a very expierenced and well sought after horse woman!!
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Have you ever looked at a suit of armour in historical buildings? They are tiny in height and a waist that Kylie woudl be proud of, please this argument is just not as its being painted, back in days of yore men were much smaller.

And sorry, but I can't really see her being "sought after" not a chance that anyone I know would allow this Obese rider anywhere near their horses, and the ride light thing is a not relevant when you get to this kind of heavy IMO.
 
PollyP99 said:
Have you ever looked at a suit of armour in historical buildings? They are tiny in height and a waist that Kylie woudl be proud of, please this argument is just not as its being painted, back in days of yore men were much smaller.

And sorry, but I can't really see her being "sought after" not a chance that anyone I know would allow this Obese rider anywhere near their horses, and the ride light thing is a not relevant when you get to this kind of heavy IMO.
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Can I just confirm by sought after I am referring to her teaching and training.

As far as I am aware she only rides her own horses.

I've never known her ride anything she doesn't own since I've been on the yard.
 
windand rain said:
I am in no way suggesting 20 stone riders on tb or fine horses or on any horse come to that but it has become a real pain listening to 8 stone people telling the slightly larger rider they are fat Lucky them if they can maintain this weight but the average size female human is size 16 I weigh in at about 12.5 stones and am a size 14 so I am slightly smaller than average so sorry it is not simply a question of doing a faddy diet, that makes you heavier, it has more to do with evolution even small people are getting heavier and bigger due in part to genetics and in part to a healthier diet. The Eventing weight used to carry weights to 12.5 stone so even the smallest rider had lead to carry to that weight they did 10 miles roads and tracks, dressage showjumping steeple chased and then did a 4 mile long technical cross country
12.5 stones would appear to be the most suitable weight to ride at I know that is not the case now but things are even more the case as riders especially men get heavier.
I dont ride as I feel too heavy but I would expect a rider to be able to ride pretty much any horse and almost all native ponies at 12.5 stones cobs maybe a bit more and fine bred ponies a lot less. The only huge exception would be Welsh B as they have been breed out of bone. I do think 15 stone should be a maximum weight for any horse though and of course the horse in front should be a fair judge. Was watching showing classes the other day and there were ponies struggling to move under their riders strides choppy and over balancing to compensate it is those riders that need to sort out the weight to horse ratio and the judges need to tell them and not place them.
Bring back rationing then everyone would have the same access to food and the same diet
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Really?? I wouldn't expect a 12.5 stone rider to be able to ride practically anything.. I'm 82 kilos (11.5 stone in old money) and I wouldn't expect to ride "just about anything". I have an Arab cross who has good bone, is 15.3hh but only weighs in at 480 kilos fully fit (on a weighbridge, NOT with a weight tape). I think a lot of people over estimate their horse's weight when they try and justify the weight the horse can carry.
I dropped about 10 kilos to get myself under the 20% limit for this horse, who I ahve owned since he wa s baby (and for the sake of my own health). I DON'T ride my daughter's 15hh finely built Arab as I think I would be too heavy for her.
I'm 48, a mum of 2 kids, work full time and don't have access to a gym as we live pretty remote. If I can lose weight to be light enough to ride my horse so can most people! (Expecting those with medically diagnosed issues, thyroid and the like).
 
OwnedbyJoe said:
Really?? I wouldn't expect a 12.5 stone rider to be able to ride practically anything.. I'm 82 kilos (11.5 stone in old money) and I wouldn't expect to ride "just about anything". I have an Arab cross who has good bone, is 15.3hh but only weighs in at 480 kilos fully fit (on a weighbridge, NOT with a weight tape). I think a lot of people over estimate their horse's weight when they try and justify the weight the horse can carry.
I dropped about 10 kilos to get myself under the 20% limit for this horse, who I ahve owned since he wa s baby (and for the sake of my own health). I DON'T ride my daughter's 15hh finely built Arab as I think I would be too heavy for her.
I'm 48, a mum of 2 kids, work full time and don't have access to a gym as we live pretty remote. If I can lose weight to be light enough to ride my horse so can most people! (Expecting those with medically diagnosed issues, thyroid and the like).
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82 kilos is not 11st 5lbs, its about 12 st 12 !!!!!
 
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I used to help out at our local BSSJA being a scribe for the judges - I gave up as I could not cope with watching huge children jump 14.2 ponies when they needed horses, but their parents wanted them to compete with other kids.

The most appalling sight was a woman of about 20 stone who jumped a fairly chunky horse of about 16.2 the horse could barely canter with her weight on it let alone jump. I raised this matter with the judges as I felt it was an example of horse welfare. they just looked at me - the rider was a daughter of one of them. I could not bear to watch this so never helped again. It is not a matter of going to the gym, just eat less - and no chocolate and fizzy drinks.

I have a 16.1 horse and battled to keep my weight at 10.5 so I know what I am talking about
 
Only read first half. But size isn't everything at 12.5st I wore bigger clothes than friends I knew at 14 & 14 & half stone. They looked lighter yet weighed more. Very upsetting when ppl accused me of being to big, because my weight is belly & loose skin from losing 5st. I was on a heavy weight cob they ride tb types.
 
Can I just lay this "but knights in armour were big men in heavy suits made of metal" thing to rest: in Medieval times (approx. 1200 AD - 1580 AD) the average man was 5'6" - 5'7" tall, absolutely LEAN and very, very fit; average weight 68 - 72kgs/10.5 - 11.5 stone. Full plate armour (which didn't come into use until approx. 1450 AD) was at most 20 - 25kg/45 - 55lbs and was only worn on horseback for the duration of a battle or jousting tourney. The horses were for the most part 14h - 15h lightweight cob types carrying around 14 stone INCLUDING tack and armour.

Thank you for indulging my pathological need to exercise my "day job" of historical advisor and horsemaster in one!
 
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Cortez said:
Can I just lay this "but knights in armour were big men in heavy suits made of metal" thing to rest: in Medieval times (approx. 1200 AD - 1580 AD) the average man was 5'6" - 5'7" tall, absolutely LEAN and very, very fit; average weight 68 - 72kgs/10.5 - 11.5 stone. Full plate armour (which didn't come into use until approx. 1450 AD) was at most 20 - 25kg/45 - 55lbs and was only worn on horseback for the duration of a battle or jousting tourney. The horses were for the most part 14h - 15h lightweight cob types carrying around 14 stone INCLUDING tack and armour.

Thank you for indulging my pathological need to exercise my "day job" of historical advisor and horsemaster in one!
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Thank you, Cortez; that is very useful information, and very relevant to this thread.
 
I've not read the whole thread, sorry, but saddle size and ribcage length is often more the limiting factor rather than weight carrying ability - the weight carriers tend to be short backed. Wider panels can help but they won't work on all horses, causing instability on neater shaped horses. A too large rider will often have weight on the back of the saddle and that can be hard to correct, rear gussets can only be made so deep and can only take so much flocking before becoming too hard. So, when buying a horse check that its ribcage can take the size of saddle you need :) This applies to modern English saddles post Caprilli, Western saddles, those ridden on chargers, spread the weight in a different way and so it's comparing apples with oranges. Though I do raise my eyebrows at some of the QHs carrying half a ton of cowboy and saddle!
 
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