max weigt to break shetland?

Shetlands have carried adult men round their native islands for many many years. It's what they were bred for. Providing, like any horse, it is mature and finished growing I wouldn't hesitate. The only problem I'd have with it is looking ridiculous.
 
I don't mind looking stupid just don't want to hurt his back. He is 10 years old so fully filled out . I have leant over him a few times and he just wanders off not bothered . Hmm wouldn't he just try to get me off if he wasn't happy ? Or would the weight be to heavy for him to throw a person off ? :-)
 
the only issue i found was getting him used to leg pressure as my legs where not on his sides... but everything else went really well and he always had his ears pricked up and would happily walk around :) bless him, i will never find another shetland like him
 
all about Romeo said:
you are completely missing my point, i asked you way you think that i am too heavy to break him in... i did not want to risk a child being thrown off when he was very first backed.
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I think you are too heavy to break him in because...... wait for it..... I THINK you are too heavy to break him in. I have no science, didn't claim to have any specific, factual evidence. This all comes down to one thing - my opinion of what a shetland should/shouldn't carry when they are just starting out.

If you notice there have been several other people on this thread who think that the weight is ok and several who think it might be too much. Not sure why you are only particularly concerned with what I think.

Sheesh - just incase anyone isn't clear. In my opinion 8.5 stone or more on that shetland isn't necessarily a good thing...... I would be interested to know how big he is....
 
Billie1007 said:
I think you are too heavy to break him in because...... wait for it..... I THINK you are too heavy to break him in. I have no science, didn't claim to have any specific, factual evidence. This all comes down to one thing - my opinion of what a shetland should/shouldn't carry when they are just starting out.

If you notice there have been several other people on this thread who think that the weight is ok and several who think it might be too much. Not sure why you are only particularly concerned with what I think.

Sheesh - just incase anyone isn't clear. In my opinion 8.5 stone or more on that shetland isn't necessarily a good thing...... I would be interested to know how big he is....
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I did put in my orginal post that it was my opinion and was tried and tested with that paticular shetland and it was not an issue with him... that is why i was trying to understand why you were disagreeing with me when i have already done it and it went well.
what is the maximum weight you would consider acceptable to back a shetland? (just wondering)
 
all about Romeo said:
I did put in my orginal post that it was my opinion and was tried and tested with that paticular shetland and it was not an issue with him... that is why i was trying to understand why you were disagreeing with me when i have already done it and it went well.
what is the maximum weight you would consider acceptable to back a shetland? (just wondering)
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Phew we seem to be getting somewhere...... the point is that it is ok for me to disagree with you.

It depends on the shetland I guess. Your boy is beautiful but he isn't half as stocky as some. By eye it seems to me that 6-7 would be about right for him but then I still don't know quite how big he is. I just know that, to me, by eye, he looks as if he shouldn't be carrying 8-9 stone.

I am going to shut-up now.
 
Billie1007 said:
Phew we seem to be getting somewhere...... the point is that it is ok for me to disagree with you.

It depends on the shetland I guess. Your boy is beautiful but he isn't half as stocky as some. By eye it seems to me that 6-7 would be about right for him but then I still don't know quite how big he is. I just know that, to me, by eye, he looks as if he shouldn't be carrying 8-9 stone.

I am going to shut-up now.
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it was not the fact that you were disagreeing with me that i was responding to, i was surprised at you saying i am too heavy when its been done and was ok... well more then ok, it went really well, no tantrums (which is always a bonus when you break anything! lol)

no he is not stocky at all but i took it really slowly and did all the usual longreining and lunging ect first and he never acted like i was too heavy for him (i know i put he struggled with the weight at first but that was a balance issue, i have backed bigger so i know this from experiance) and i only sat on him a small amount of times to get him going and was never on for long periods of time or for very far
 
when its been done and was ok... well more then ok, it went really well, no tantrums (which is always a bonus when you break anything! lol)
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No, all about romeo, you THINK he was ok with your weight. You cannot know he didn't find it difficult. And YOU were the one who said he struggled initially......

Horses are specifically trained to tolerate things that are uncomfortable : having wounds washed, standing quietly to have vaccinations, tolerating us prodding and poking them etc. They are stoic animals and most do not put up a fuss until they can't tolerate it any more and we spend a great deal of time re-inforcing that trait. So when we put a saddle that's uncomfortable on them, or a rider who is too heavy, how do they know that it's 'ok' to make a fuss about it? They don't, so they just carry on and do the best they can. We can look for signs but most don't show anything until they cannot tolerate it anymore.

Because they cannot talk, and they are stoic, it is a guessing game and we need to err on the side of caution. For that reason I too would agree that 8.5st (plus your clothes etc pressumably) is too much to enforce on a small (he looks small?) young shetland. Just because you didn't have anyone lighter than you to break him does not make it 'ok', in the same way that ' it's the only saddle I have' is no excuse for putting a badly-fitted saddle on a horse.
 
Kallibear said:
No, all about romeo, you THINK he was ok with your weight. You cannot know he didn't find it difficult. And YOU were the one who said he struggled initially......

Horses are specifically trained to tolerate things that are uncomfortable : having wounds washed, standing quietly to have vaccinations, tolerating us prodding and poking them etc. They are stoic animals and most do not put up a fuss until they can't tolerate it any more and we spend a great deal of time re-inforcing that trait. So when we put a saddle that's uncomfortable on them, or a rider who is too heavy, how do they know that it's 'ok' to make a fuss about it? They don't, so they just carry on and do the best they can. We can look for signs but most don't show anything until they cannot tolerate it anymore.

Because they cannot talk, and they are stoic, it is a guessing game and we need to err on the side of caution. For that reason I too would agree that 8.5st (plus your clothes etc pressumably) is too much to enforce on a small (he looks small?) young shetland. Just because you didn't have anyone lighter than you to break him does not make it 'ok', in the same way that ' it's the only saddle I have' is no excuse for putting a badly-fitted saddle on a horse.
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^^^ Wot she said ^^^ :D
 
Kallibear said:
No, all about romeo, you THINK he was ok with your weight. You cannot know he didn't find it difficult. And YOU were the one who said he struggled initially......

Horses are specifically trained to tolerate things that are uncomfortable : having wounds washed, standing quietly to have vaccinations, tolerating us prodding and poking them etc. They are stoic animals and most do not put up a fuss until they can't tolerate it any more and we spend a great deal of time re-inforcing that trait. So when we put a saddle that's uncomfortable on them, or a rider who is too heavy, how do they know that it's 'ok' to make a fuss about it? They don't, so they just carry on and do the best they can. We can look for signs but most don't show anything until they cannot tolerate it anymore.

Because they cannot talk, and they are stoic, it is a guessing game and we need to err on the side of caution. For that reason I too would agree that 8.5st (plus your clothes etc pressumably) is too much to enforce on a small (he looks small?) young shetland. Just because you didn't have anyone lighter than you to break him does not make it 'ok', in the same way that ' it's the only saddle I have' is no excuse for putting a badly-fitted saddle on a horse.
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you have obviously never met my TB if you are going to catagorise all horses as being that tolerent!

and how can you comment if he was or was not able to cope with my weight as you were not there when he was backed and broken...

how can you compare my shetland being happy to take my weight for short periods of time to having a badly fitting saddle? if i had put a badly fitting saddle on him or my TB i would have most definatly been launched into outter space!

its done, it worked well, no one got thrown off, no one got upset, he was easy to catch (so im sure he couldnt have found me that heavy!) and he is now a very good and easy to ride childs pony who has never been naughty so far, so what is wrong with that?
 
all about Romeo said:
you have obviously never met my TB if you are going to catagorise all horses as being that tolerent!

and how can you comment if he was or was not able to cope with my weight as you were not there when he was backed and broken...

how can you compare my shetland being happy to take my weight for short periods of time to having a badly fitting saddle? if i had put a badly fitting saddle on him or my TB i would have most definatly been launched into outter space!

its done, it worked well, no one got thrown off, no one got upset, he was easy to catch (so im sure he couldnt have found me that heavy!) and he is now a very good and easy to ride childs pony who has never been naughty so far, so what is wrong with that?
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I think there has to come a point then no matter what a horse might 'put up' with we have to assess whether that 'thing' is actually fair and proper for the horse in question. You assessed that and saw that he was 'happy' (although he couldn't tell you for sure so how do you know he wasn't just stoic, obliging and forgiving?).

It SEEMS that by the look of the boy he is small and not at all stocky.

I think your point where you keep saying - he was happy with it so it must have been ok - is a bit impractical. My mare 'could' carry 22 stone but I know for a fact she would struggle and then get on with the job in hand and do her best because she is the most forgiving horse I have met. Should she carry this weight? Is it right........? Those are very different questions.
 
all about Romeo said:
wn off, no one got upset, he was easy to catch (so im sure he couldnt have found me that heavy!) and he is now a very good and easy to ride childs pony who has never been naughty so far, so what is wrong with that?
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Do you really think that a pony would think 'oh that person is too heavy, I won't catch'? Very anthropomorphic way of thinking IMO.

I would never expect to be 'thrown off' a pony if it had enough handling on the ground, so that wouldn't be a guarantee of good practice either.
 
rhino said:
Do you really think that a pony would think 'oh that person is too heavy, I won't catch'? Very anthropomorphic way of thinking IMO.

I would never expect to be 'thrown off' a pony if it had enough handling on the ground, so that wouldn't be a guarantee of good practice either.
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I think if the pony was not happy with its work it will likely to become difficult to catch yes
 
I was told by a breeder that they would carry my 10 stone self no problems (full up 42")....as someone has said men used to ride them all the time :) I always thought they would be a good alternative to a quad ha ha!!!
 
Billie1007 said:
I think there has to come a point then no matter what a horse might 'put up' with we have to assess whether that 'thing' is actually fair and proper for the horse in question. You assessed that and saw that he was 'happy' (although he couldn't tell you for sure so how do you know he wasn't just stoic, obliging and forgiving?).

It SEEMS that by the look of the boy he is small and not at all stocky.

I think your point where you keep saying - he was happy with it so it must have been ok - is a bit impractical. My mare 'could' carry 22 stone but I know for a fact she would struggle and then get on with the job in hand and do her best because she is the most forgiving horse I have met. Should she carry this weight? Is it right........? Those are very different questions.
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Do i think 8 1/2 stone was ok for short periods to back yes, do i think 8 1/2 stone is ok for going hacking, schooling, jumping or long periods of work no i dont.
I know the pony so could assess if he was comfortable with me or not, he never gave any indication that he was unhappy.
would your mare be "happy" to carry 22 stone? prob not as you said she would struggle. my shetland did not struggle once he had learned to balance himself (like any other horse/pony not used to carrying extra weight)
 
sallyballybee said:
I was told by a breeder that they would carry my 10 stone self no problems (full up 42")....as someone has said men used to ride them all the time :) I always thought they would be a good alternative to a quad ha ha!!!
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lol! :) definatly hardy little creatures! i think by the sounds of it my shetland must have been half arab! :rolleyes:
 
Timmy12.jpg


having a snooze :D

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does his fluffy legs make him look any smaller? :rolleyes:

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He is seriously cute. Proper cute. Doesn't change what I think though. Right or wrong - it just happens to be different to you!
 
There is a big difference between what a mature full up 42" with plenty of muscle & fully fit can carry & what a small lightly built one should be backed with.
And I'm not a fan of assessing what is suitable by whether or not it can still walk or be caught ok. Horses are very forgiving, its up to us not to test their good nature & if in doubt not to ask & see what they'll tolerate.
I stood over a friends miniature that has been ridden for years, messing around to demonstrate I could touch the floor both sides. Then taking silly photos with me stood on the far leg only so it looked like I was sat on him. Something spooked him & he shot forwards into canter. I bailed off asap but he didn't try & ditch me or seem to struggle. This doesn't make me think at 9stone I'm ok to ride miniatures in future.
 
littlelegs said:
There is a big difference between what a mature full up 42" with plenty of muscle & fully fit can carry & what a small lightly built one should be backed with.
And I'm not a fan of assessing what is suitable by whether or not it can still walk or be caught ok. Horses are very forgiving, its up to us not to test their good nature & if in doubt not to ask & see what they'll tolerate.
I stood over a friends miniature that has been ridden for years, messing around to demonstrate I could touch the floor both sides. Then taking silly photos with me stood on the far leg only so it looked like I was sat on him. Something spooked him & he shot forwards into canter. I bailed off asap but he didn't try & ditch me or seem to struggle. This doesn't make me think at 9stone I'm ok to ride miniatures in future.
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yeah course i only thought he was ok because he had not buckled under my weight... :rolleyes:
there was no doubt that he could carry my weight.
so you sat on your friends miniture and you weigh more then me but are saying i was wrong to sit on mine? I do not go hacking about on minitures by the way and its entiely up to the OP what weight they think their pony is capable of taking... i was just sharing my experiance and dont expect to have to defend my actions :mad:
 
I didn't sit on it. My bum was above its back & I had my feet flat on the floor so it wasn't carrying my weight. Same when I stood on one leg, didn't have my weight on it at all. When it shot forwards I ended up on its back for a couple of strides. I didn't say it was ok for me to be on it at all, it was silly but not intentional. My point is that because it managed ok that time, it doesn't mean I would consider sitting on one deliberately let alone riding one.
You are perfectly entitled to your opinion on what yours or anyone else's can carry. But I am equally entitled to disagree.
 
littlelegs said:
I didn't sit on it. My bum was above its back & I had my feet flat on the floor so it wasn't carrying my weight. Same when I stood on one leg, didn't have my weight on it at all. When it shot forwards I ended up on its back for a couple of strides. I didn't say it was ok for me to be on it at all, it was silly but not intentional. My point is that because it managed ok that time, it doesn't mean I would consider sitting on one deliberately let alone riding one.
You are perfectly entitled to your opinion on what yours or anyone else's can carry. But I am equally entitled to disagree.
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yeah ok, its abit pointless disagreeing with what iv done though as it was a year and a half ago now.
 
Can I just point something out - It's a bloomin Shetland! They were designed to carry men and coal out of the mines! And being the bloody minded little sods that they can be I am pretty sure the critter would have made it well known if he wasn't happy!

What's done is done, it may be reviewed and reconsidered if ever such an oppertunity arose again to break another Shetland but until then the current case is done and dusted!
 
I seem to remember being told a long time ago that Shetlands were proportionately the strongest breed of horse, capable of carrying massive weight in relation to their size. However, I'm guessing that would be a mature, well muscled pony, not sure about excessive weight on a youngster.
 
EKW and smokey. You are Perfectly correct.
I have refrained from getting to involved in this thread because it's one of those subjects that can provoke some opinions that are not based on facts.
Shetlands are incredibly strong, however they are quite different from miniatures, who are not built the same way at all.
 
EKW said:
Can I just point something out - It's a bloomin Shetland! They were designed to carry men and coal out of the mines! And being the bloody minded little sods that they can be I am pretty sure the critter would have made it well known if he wasn't happy!

What's done is done, it may be reviewed and reconsidered if ever such an oppertunity arose again to break another Shetland but until then the current case is done and dusted!
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well said! :D :) lol
 
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