Larger rider on on lightweight horse. Picture inc

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ejwhitmore

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Hi everyone,

I know a person (not naming and shaming) She is around 15/16 stone and has brought a lightweight cob. She had a thoroughbred before. If anyone could say if you recon she is too overweight for her horse that would be great. Thanks in advance.
 
Posting photos of overweight people on open forums generally goes down like a turd sandwich so if you are genuinely concerned why not go and help her, instead of posting about it on the internet.
 
ejwhitmore said:
Hi everyone,

I know a person (not naming and shaming) She is around 15/16 stone and has brought a lightweight cob. She had a thoroughbred before. If anyone could say if you recon she is too overweight for her horse that would be great. Thanks in advance.
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Can't see any pictures?

The question is a bit vague. How big is the Cob she bought? How much bone does it have? Is she a kind rider?
 
CasinoThePalomino said:
She probably is, sighhhh.

Everyone is too quick to defend larger riders.

Get a new hobby, ride a bike for awhile - then come back to horses.

Makes for a happier horse and rider :)
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If the horse is happy and healthy then why not??
I'm sure your friend is fine for her horse!
 
I have pushed the button.

I hope this post gets renivee and you get banned, or at least a warning.

If you are genuinely concerned talk to the person involved.

Don't speculate and insult people that arnt size 0.
 
smellsofhorse said:
I have pushed the button.

I hope this post gets renivee and you get banned, or at least a warning.

If you are genuinely concerned talk to the person involved.

Don't speculate and insult people that arnt size 0.
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That's a bit harsh - she is concerned for the horse :(

Fwiw - I stopped riding my mare for 6 months after I was appalled to find I had put nearly 2 stones on. There's lots of talk about ill fitting tack and the damage it can do but a heavy rider can be just as bad :(
 
Why has weight become a topic we cannot discuss ? It can be a welfare issue, therefore sensible debate seems fair enough.
My view is the horse comes first. With obesity becoming a major health problem in the UK, it's something that affects horse's well being.
 
RunToEarth said:
Posting photos of overweight people on open forums generally goes down like a turd sandwich so if you are genuinely concerned why not go and help her, instead of posting about it on the internet.
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How do you help an overweight rider though?

Personally I don't get why it's such an issue to discuss weight of riders...I'm sorry but it really is a welfare issue, and if that offends some people then so be it.
 
MerrySherryRider said:
Why has weight become a topic we cannot discuss ? It can be a welfare issue, therefore sensible debate seems fair enough.
My view is the horse comes first. With obesity becoming a major health problem in the UK, it's something that affects horse's well being.
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Same as some people think its perfectly fine to have digs at skinny folk but not to anyone who is overweight.

Now, I don't believe it's fair to make comments unnecessarily on either (welfare issues, then yes if fair and in context) but as someone who's always been small and slim i regularly get "oh look at you, skinny thing" "do you ever eat?" if I refuse a cake/biscuit/whatever "oh have some, you could do with more than one!" "i'd have thought you' have been fitter for a skinny person" the list could go on.....

Yet people seem to think this is perfectly fine, but they would never say to someone who is overweight "don't eat that cake, you're too fat".

Get what I mean?

Sorry a bit off topic i guess.
 
gembear said:
Same as some people think its perfectly fine to have digs at skinny folk but not to anyone who is overweight.

Now, I don't believe it's fair to make comments unnecessarily on either (welfare issues, then yes if fair and in context) but as someone who's always been small and slim i regularly get "oh look at you, skinny thing" "do you ever eat?" if I refuse a cake/biscuit/whatever "oh have some, you could do with more than one!" "i'd have thought you' have been fitter for a skinny person" the list could go on.....

Yet people seem to think this is perfectly fine, but they would never say to someone who is overweight "don't eat that cake, you're too fat".

Get what I mean?

Sorry a bit off topic i guess.
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There's no comparison there though. Being too skinny doesn't have any welfare implications for the horse.
 
I agree with the sentiment about how we should be able to discuss rider weight, despite being a good load carrier I don't want to ride my friends New Forest who is 14.2 as I am 10stone 8lbs and wouldn't feel happy about that at all even if people say "that's fine". I would be happy to post that on here and ask for opinions but I already have my own and have gone with it, but in this case no good was going to come out of it being asked about someone else. What was the OP going to do, walk up to the lady in question and say "hey, I posted on H&H about you being too heavy to ride and they all agreed with me and say you're fat and cruel", asking on here about opinions of someone else was never going to end well or be helpful and posting up a photograph without this persons permission is pretty spiteful/stupid in my opinion.
 
Whatever the answer to this problem is, surely it isn't right to post pictures on a public forum. There must be a more sensitive way. The braver option would be to approach the person with your concerns.
 
Moomin1 said:
There's no comparison there though. Being too skinny doesn't have any welfare implications for the horse.
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As i said, I kinda went off topic and by the end was talking about weight irrespective of a horse.
It was more in response to the taboo of talking about weight.

EDIT
Although tbh if you are small and skinny, you probably wouldn't fair as well on a 17.3 beasty as someone who was a bit bigger. I know personally, I find it harder to wrap my legs around and really work with the horse. Some smaller folk may though.
 
MerrySherryRider said:
Why has weight become a topic we cannot discuss ? It can be a welfare issue, therefore sensible debate seems fair enough.
My view is the horse comes first. With obesity becoming a major health problem in the UK, it's something that affects horse's well being.
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Moomin1 said:
How do you help an overweight rider though?

Personally I don't get why it's such an issue to discuss weight of riders...I'm sorry but it really is a welfare issue, and if that offends some people then so be it.
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With you both.
 
I do agree, that big post about that rider on the skinny TB had some interesting points but it was out of order.

It doesn't seem like anyone can talk about heavier riders without getting defensive.
 
Depends what you mean by lightweight cob. I have a Haflinger and she can carry 16st happily although I am not quite that heavy. She is not a heavy draft type but is very wide in the barrel and naturally muscular, she is probably a similar build to some lightweight cobs hence why I think it might be similar.

Hard to judge really and I don't think anyone should post pics of someone without their say so. Discussing without identifying is just another topic in my eyes as long as it doesn't get personal, sometimes I have felt a little paranoid reading things but hey ho, I think it is easy for a 9st person to imagine that someone weighing 15st must be overweight and therefore unfit, therefore not athletically able to be a good rider, which most of us know is possible but not always true.
 
Why is any ones weight anyone elses issue. If you , op, have a concern then go and speak to theperson concerned. If you are that concerned about it being a welfare issue report it. I am sure that all those charities would gladly leave all the fields full of lice ridden, half starved, over bred, neglected horses to chase up your concern.
Thse sorts of discussions are unproductive, they end up being a slagging match.
 
Sukistokes2 said:
Why is any ones weight anyone elses issue. If you , op, have a concern then go and speak to theperson concerned. If you are that concerned about it being a welfare issue report it. I am sure that all those charities would gladly leave all the fields full of lice ridden, half starved, over bred, neglected horses to chase up your concern.
Thse sorts of discussions are unproductive, they end up being a slagging match.
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tbf you're the one turning into a slagging match with that comment. people have offered fair advice and mentioned it's not really right with regards to posting the picture.
no-one else had sad anything bad IMO - you're making a big deal out of it, and that's the point a few of us have made.
 
As I sat watching the Welsh C's at the Highland Show the other day the call to Canter on rung out and this wee Welshie promptly buggered off! Said pony did a lap of the ring full pelt - ears pricked having a ball. The stewards calls everyone to a halt and this wee pony is still going. 2 and half laps of the ring and aiming towards the judges later the pony stops. Why is this relevant or funny? The older teenage/early twenty year old lad that was riding him must have been 14-15stone.

Not really relevant to the topic but I just thought it was funny. Fair play that pony!
 
Sukistokes2 said:
Why is any ones weight anyone elses issue. If you , op, have a concern then go and speak to theperson concerned. If you are that concerned about it being a welfare issue report it. I am sure that all those charities would gladly leave all the fields full of lice ridden, half starved, over bred, neglected horses to chase up your concern.
Thse sorts of discussions are unproductive, they end up being a slagging match.
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Actually, overweight riders are just as much of a welfare concern as those others you mention.
 
I have to say going slightly off horse topics.

I do find people are fine calling me skinny or assuming I don't eat and how extremely tiny I am is acceptable. But if I approached a larger person saying how big they were, they eat to much and how large they were they'd be deeply upset. It works both ways in my opinion I get sick of people pointing my weight out.

In regards to horses and being to heavy is an issue. However I feel this thread was only started to cause a reaction rather than a productive conversation.
 
Why can't we talk about the weight of rider. Provided there are no names mentioned and perhaps a photo is a bit to personal. Why should weight be something we have to sweep under the carpet, never speak of or discuss!?
The simple fact of the matter is there are a lot if people out there who are too heavy for their horse, I'm sure most of us can think of someone! ...and frankly comments like "how nasty" aren't in any way helpful!
I mean if you think there may be reason for concern regarding the welfare if a horse then why shouldn't you be allowed to ask other peoples opinions/advice?!
This sort of thing will put people off posting on here more often!! What's the point in making someone feel inferior or belittling them? Is calling someone 'nasty' for showing concern not as bad as, if not worse than calling someone to big for there horse...
I agree the post could be worded differently but there is really no need for these reactions.
 
Arnt the words cob and lightweight horse rather contradictory? I just love these good old HHO bitch fests. I wonder how many who leap in to criticize heavier riders have any understanding of the mechanics of weight carrying ! For example ,riding bareback, (or how to ruin your horses back in one easy step!) Load per square inch, Load as a percentage of equine body weight, and when was the last time you saw someone out hunting ,get off and unsaddle for a few minutes? There are many things that seem to be overlooked yet have a much greater effect on the horses wellbeing.
 
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