Rider "obesity" makes it on the Beeb

canteron said:
Its bl**dy hard to keep to a sensible weight and resist all the temptation thats around, but the amount of people I see around me with medical problems which are diet (ie eating badly) related is immense, so if people don't want to do it for their horse, or to save the NHS drowning in diabetics, etc, then they should do it for themselves!!! Its up to everyone to educate themselves, the information is out there.
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It's a global epidemic and the more I look into it the harder it is to see how a single individual can change what is an overwhelming tide of obesity.

Especially as, yes, there is a lot of education out there; however, a lot of it is contradictory, fad diets with no evidence or outdated it is incredibly difficult to know which direction to go for the best. So yes we need education but we need the right education and for everyone to be singing from the same page in order to make a difference to the worlds waistlines and I don't see that happening any time soon.

But no one has the right to get on a horse even if that horse appears to carry you. Everyone has to be realistic about their weight and a horses ability to carry that weight. Just because everyone is getting bigger doesn't mean we have to hide our heads in the sand.
 
So going with the 10% rule would that mean that my weight, on average at 8 stone, is too heavy for my little 13h new forest pony who weighs on average 300k? I know I'm alright for my 15h cob :)
 
We may argue that the percentage rule is not "optimal" but what do those who oppose it have in mind instead of this?

We have to draw the line somewhere.

Do you have a simple calculation that could take into accounts various factors?

One suggestion from elsewhere suggests it could be that we make an assumption that firstly the horse in question should be:

FIT i.e. conformationally sound, optimum weight, good fitness, at least 9" (or whatever) of bone for adults.

THEN use the AVERAGE 15% rule.
 
tallyho! said:
We may argue that the percentage rule is not "optimal" but what do those who oppose it have in mind instead of this?

We have to draw the line somewhere.
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I don't oppose it and I agree we have to draw a line somewhere. We do need to be aware that it is a guide though.
I suppose the important thing is awareness about these issues, as said above we can't (shouldn't) just bury our heads. :)
 
Well according to that i am seriously harming my pony!!:confused:
i am 5ft9 and 62kg (healthy bmi ) and am about on the 20% mark with my 14.3hh 400kg pony .......:confused::confused: should i stop riding ???
 
Thank you for highlighting this article Tallyho. I have held back from commenting on weight issues as I think I am a bit fattist where riding is concerned, but then I did grow up on a Flat Racing yard!

I have often winced internally at the relative weights of some riders. I know my riding is really affected by weight gain and no matter how well you ride, if you are too heavy the weight is still there and having adverse affects in the long term.

I do hope this article gets highlighted elsewhere.
 
I am a little over 11 stone (72kg) - well within the healthy range for my height (although aiming to lose some!)

My horse is a 16hh TB x Connemara - probably somewhere between 500 - 550kg, at a healthy weight (although that is admittedly a guess based on an old weight tape measurement plus a bit)

With tack and clothing, hats and boots, I must be somewhere between 84 - 90kg - best case scenario I'm about 15%, worst case I'm at about 18%.

If we take him to be 550kg, and we go by the 10% rule for weight of the rider only, I'd need to be 55kg - that's 8 stone 9lbs, which is only just into the healthy weight for my height.

10 stone would be bang in the middle of the healthy weight for my height (and where I'd like to be), but even that is 63kg and means I need a 630kg horse :rolleyes:

They're also using the word "optimum", which suggests it's also possible to be too light.

Much as I support the drive to a) get people losing weight and b) make sure we don't overload horses, I'm afraid this survey looks like cobblers to me.

ETA: having done these sums, I'm staggered the number of people at the right weight is as high as a third!
 
According to those figures, it also makes the 75kg MINIMUM that your average 400kg racing fit arab has to carry at FEI championship level endurance too heavy...
 
Going by that once I'm fully cothed and the horse is tacked up I'm only a satisfactory, about 13% on my two horses. One's a 14.3hh overheight connemara and the others a 15.1hh Welsh DxTB both are quite happy carrying me! I only weigh 8 stone and at 5ft 6 I'm classed as underweight according to the BMI. I'm not underweight, but I certainly wouldn't want to be losing 1 1/2 stone to put me within the 10% catagory including tack!
 
I'm not very good at adding up, but I should think that just looking around you would be enought to prove the point that a LOT of overweight people ride.
 
Hmmmm. Totally agree there needs to be guidance but the optimum weight for my almost 15h h/w cob would be only 7.5.stone...reckon we'll all have to start riding elephants instead then!! ;-)
 
I have a 17hh TB, a classic lightweight hunter look. He weigh tapes at 550kg, and at 80kg and 5'10" myself (not overweight, but big boned, I promise!) I would be over the 15% easily. However I'm less than 20% and my horse has never shown any problems carrying me, even cross country over big fences, so whilst il keep going to the gym four times a week I'm not about to call it a welfare case and stop rising him.
 
I know of a guy who was overweight for his horse. Must of been 16 stone on a very slight little tb. The horse got arthritis in his back and ended up being pts. I wondered if he'd been a lighter rider if the horse would still be alive. The rider also used to bounce up and down quite a lot on his back. I just felt really sorry for him.
 
Stupid question.... But how do you calculate the weight of a horse?

I am 5'5, 9.5-10 stone and own a 14.1 connie. I am quite a light rider.
 
I have always aimed to be 15% or less than the ideal weight of any horse I ride. 10% probably IS optimum. I am sure our horses would benefit! However, it is also completely unrealistic and impractical. It would rule out the majority of riders including top competition riders.
 
The article lost all credibility when it said " ridden by people who are too fat for them. "

You can never bee too fat for a horse... too heavy for sure :rolleyes:


Strange use of words in the survey too, optimum, satisfactory and welfare case. so at 15% your satisfactory, but at 15.1% your horse is now a welfare case.... uhh huu... :confused:


Its been done to death, there is no exact set parameter that works 100% all of the time, just a rough guideline and some blooming common sense.
 
Just wondering why there is emphasis on people being overweight on their horses now, when traditionally a tall, fit man riding a horse/pony is never commented on.

Yet as muscle weighs more than fat, a fit, taller man (who doesn't look overweight) will probably weigh more surely?
Natives were bred to carry men

Just thinking back to seeing pictures of Christopher Reeve (Superman) jumping the horse that he was injured on. At the time he looked (to me) too heavy for the horse he was riding if doing jumping ect., nothing to do with obesity.

But then he wasn't a woman.
 
Why is there an assumption that these riders were obese? They may be perfectly within their BMI and are just allegedly riding a horse that is too small for them?

The study only looks at riders in Devon and Cornwall and there are Regional differences in BMI also so hardly representative.

Where does the 10% come from? I've not heard this before. Carl Hester would have to have a horse of 800kg or over to be within the 10% weight limit - I'd be surprised if Uthopia was that big.
 
tallyho! said:
Commendable attitude and I would do the same if I ever get too heavy to ride. Driving is a much overlooked way of enjoying horses :)
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Thanks. I am really looking forward to getting started and suits me perfectly as I love the groundwork side of things! Have a couple of suitable geldings so this will keep me out of trouble for a while!!:)
 
Cortez said:
I'm not very good at adding up, but I should think that just looking around you would be enought to prove the point that a LOT of overweight people ride.
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Yes, I think everyone would agree with that, and everyone would agree that we need to get people to lose weight for their own sake and for the horse's sake. But bad science and shoddy reports don't help the cause - if anything they make it more difficult to get the message across, because they add to the storm of (mis)information.

The problem with this report is that it hasn't stopped at overweight people - it's effectively saying the vast majority of people, even if they're at a healthy weight for their age, sex and height, shouldn't be riding the vast majority of horses and ponies!
 
My horse has lost about 40 kg this winter as was rather round before, by this percentage weight theory this would mean she would find it harder to carry me now she is lighter... do I need to make my horse put on weight for her find it easier? I doubt it!
 
ohh well - I am just over 15% mark. Best stop riding then as will now feel guilty I heave my bulk onto my mare even though she seems perfectly happy to carry me around for a couple of hours a week and more than happy to proceed at a gallop!
 
So by those guides I am 13% of this guys weight and therefore above optimum despite the fact he is 17.3hh and has 11inches of bone.

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