Riding Holidays and Weight Limit

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Junebug44

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Hello all,

Would like to book a riding holiday for me and non-horsey hubby (over 50.) Just very gentle trekking at a walk - is this realistic?

Also hubby's horse would need to be weight carrying as he is a big and tall(ish) man. I'd love to do an Iceland trek, and I know the horses are theoretically weight-carrying but of course smaller so I'm imagining this wouldn't be the best option from a horse welfare point of view even if we could find somewhere that allowed for a heavier rider?

Thanks for any advice!
 
My sis and I went here in May https://www.unicorntrails.com/europe/italy/magicoftuscany/ and have now booked with Unicorn Trails to go here https://www.unicorntrails.com/europe/italy/umbrianadventure/ next June.

The company is very helpful and I am sure may be able to help you find what you are looking for. We looked at Iceland and thought it would be too gruelling (we are in our 60's ) and of course expensive. The icelandic horses would have been perfect for us as we are under 5'....

Hope you find something

Shirl
 
how weight carrying? It is impossible to say whether it is likely doable without a weight. There are certainly some set ups which will do so, a very chunky friend regularly goes away.
 
If you speak to one of the tour operators (In the Saddle for instance) they'll be able to say what locations are suitable. When I've ridden in the US they've always had horses suitable for heavier riders.
 
Thanks for the links, all. :) I guess aside from the weight guidance, the main thing is whether an older inexperienced rider is realistic... Will contact places direct and see how we go.
 
oo this sounds good -driving too!!

oops - edited to say this was in response to Bally J - but thanks to all for links - will certainly find something for myself if not hubs! I would love to do a beach ride too. Cumbrian heavy horses sounds fab for experienced riders. And thanks, Shirl - I was wondering if a full on Icelandic trek would be a bit gruelling...

So many tempting options, I might just end up packing hubs off fishing and doing the ride myself, lol.
 
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ester said:
If the heavies take your fancy friends have been here. They have a 16st limit for short and 14.5 st for long rides
http://www.adventureclydesdale.com/rides/daily-rides
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Oh, yes, this looks fab. And the short ride I think would be a good place to start. In fact, there's somewhere near us that does arena lessons on heavies for beginners, so perhaps I'll look into that as prep for the bigger adventure....
 
We went on a trek in Iceland. My husband was about 14.5 stone and complete beginner. He was on one of the biggest ponies. It was only a few hours though, I suspect a beginners muscles wouldn't take much more.
 
niki Christmas bells said:
Just to let you know that Cumbrian heavy horses does beginner rides as well - I checked before posting the link, more details here: http://www.cumbrianheavyhorses.com/html/riding_options.html#farmrides :)
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Ah, great! This does look good. And as Vodkagirly has said novice (and gently ageing!) muscles prob best suited to an "experience" rather than a full on trail holiday. Have just been discussing with hub and he's quite excited at the riding experience/holiday idea and while the heavies sound perfect, he's said that the prospect of riding will motivate him to trim some pounds and aim for better fitness in the new year. Am excited for him to get on board after years of being ground support!
 
Your options will depend entirely on what kind of weight we are talking, but riding for inexperienced, older riders is really no problem at all and you will find suitable options all over the world. Icelandic Horses are incredibly tough and strong for their size and the right examples of the breed have no problem to carry decent-sized men, but Icelandic trips tend to be quite adventurous and of course you should be prepared for chilly/wet weather!

There are plenty of rides out there for riders like yourselves so you will find something suitable. :)
 
HollyWoozle said:
Your options will depend entirely on what kind of weight we are talking, but riding for inexperienced, older riders is really no problem at all and you will find suitable options all over the world. Icelandic Horses are incredibly tough and strong for their size and the right examples of the breed have no problem to carry decent-sized men, but Icelandic trips tend to be quite adventurous and of course you should be prepared for chilly/wet weather! There are plenty of rides out there for riders like yourselves so you will find something suitable. :)
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Thanks! This is what I wanted to hear - that being inexperienced and older isn't a bar to enjoying some kind of riding holiday. Hub is aiming to get down below 14 stone over time as he's a fairly tall big-boned bloke. I'm thinking we'll aim for some arena lessons with the heavies near here (quite expensive as they're "experiences" rather than standard lessons) and aim for a holiday with some shorter rides on some heavies somewhere in the UK (looking into ones mentioned on here) and then with the longer aim of (skills, weight and fitness allowing!) an Icelandic adventure of some sort the following year. (We don't mind the cold and the rain!!)
 
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Junebug44 said:
Thanks! This is what I wanted to hear - that being inexperienced and older isn't a bar to enjoying some kind of riding holiday. Hub is aiming to get down below 14 stone over time as he's a fairly tall big-boned bloke. I'm thinking we'll aim for some arena lessons with the heavies near here (quite expensive as they're "experiences" rather than standard lessons) and aim for a holiday with some shorter rides on some heavies somewhere in the UK (looking into ones mentioned on here) and then with the longer aim of (skills, weight and fitness allowing!) an Icelandic adventure of some sort the following year. (We don't mind the cold and the rain!!)
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That sounds like an excellent plan to me! The average weight limit for riding holidays (abroad at least) is around 90kg, which is 14st 2lbs, but there are many with a higher limit. Many Icelandic riding holiday destinations have limits of 100kg or even 110kg in some cases. If you don't mind the cold and rain then you will love Iceland, it is truly a beautiful country and the horses are an absolute pleasure. It is worth having some lessons by way of preparation simply to help you get the most out of your experience. Good luck and happy riding! :)
 
HollyWoozle said:
That sounds like an excellent plan to me! The average weight limit for riding holidays (abroad at least) is around 90kg, which is 14st 2lbs, but there are many with a higher limit. Many Icelandic riding holiday destinations have limits of 100kg or even 110kg in some cases. If you don't mind the cold and rain then you will love Iceland, it is truly a beautiful country and the horses are an absolute pleasure. It is worth having some lessons by way of preparation simply to help you get the most out of your experience. Good luck and happy riding! :)
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Brilliant, thank you!
 
I've trekked in Iceland with a relatively beginner adult male - but, despite being tall, he was under 12st. We were appalled at the weights some of the ponies where expected to carry. The tolt makes them look like they hollow quiet a lot anyway but some were definitely struggling with larger tourists even in the walking groups. And a few of the larger riders ended up on the (lava stone - not soft!) ground at various points, I suspect not entirely unrelated.

Just because there is someone who will put a person on an equine for a fee doesn't mean it is right. (Remeber images like these: http://news.asiantown.net/r/9805/fa...elty-by-taking-donkey-rides-while-on-vacation) These aren't pets. They are an asset of a commercial enterprise being used in a cost effective way.


TBH I'd probably not rush to ride there again myself - I felt the ponies I was put on were really pushing the bottom end of what could carry me comfortably because obviously all the bigger mounts were being used for chunkier/more beginner tourists. Shirl and her sister (I think both a wee bit smaller than me) are definitely more suitable for Icelandics!
 
GirlFriday said:
I've trekked in Iceland with a relatively beginner adult male - but, despite being tall, he was under 12st. We were appalled at the weights some of the ponies where expected to carry. The tolt makes them look like they hollow quiet a lot anyway but some were definitely struggling with larger tourists even in the walking groups. And a few of the larger riders ended up on the (lava stone - not soft!) ground at various points, I suspect not entirely unrelated.

Just because there is someone who will put a person on an equine for a fee doesn't mean it is right. (Remeber images like these: http://news.asiantown.net/r/9805/fa...elty-by-taking-donkey-rides-while-on-vacation) These aren't pets. They are an asset of a commercial enterprise being used in a cost effective way.


TBH I'd probably not rush to ride there again myself - I felt the ponies I was put on were really pushing the bottom end of what could carry me comfortably because obviously all the bigger mounts were being used for chunkier/more beginner tourists. Shirl and her sister (I think both a wee bit smaller than me) are definitely more suitable for Icelandics!
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Ok thanks, well that's why I was asking in my OP from a horse welfare point of view... :) but from a human welfare point of view good to have a heads up about riders ending up on the ground! My husband hasn't even had a sit on my middleweight as we worry about the weight-carrying aspect so maybe we'll just see how we get on with the heavies and our own fitness plans.. (ps have seen some fairly horrific pics of clearly mismatched riders and mounts and we're nowhere near those, but yes, I do understand that the commercial aspect can be deceptive if people are led to think that this must be ok as someone's willing to put them on. I guess it comes down to personal sense and judgement. Thanks for "weighing in" on this lol. :)
Ps just managed to view those pics - at least twice the size of my hub - poor animals. :(
 
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I did the 6 day Landmannalaugar Tour in Iceland with Eldhestar this year which apart from Sprengisandur is supposed to be one of the most challenging. My sister and BIL (about 6ft 2 of slim but not slender build) also went. They are both 62 and hadn’t ridden since teenagers. They started having lessons a few months before then booked a couple of weekends riding on Dartmoor to prepare. They were not the oldest on the tour either there were a couple in their 70’s but they had Icelandic horses at home. There are some quite big Icelandic’s not all are small. They are all amazing power houses. Nonny who owns Eldhestar with his brother and Nonnys son Viesteinn are both tall and solidly built.

http://eldhestar.is/

We stopped every hour or so for a 10 minute break, got off the horses and took off their nosebands to let then graze. Every couple of hours we changed mounts so up to 4 times in one day. We almost never rode the same Horse twice. No Horse was ridden more than twice in one day. Horse welfare was totally the top concern. We got off to walk some bits too.

It was totally an amazing experience riding with a herd but some of the terrain was pretty challenging and not all tolts are equal! Accommodation is not luxurious.

There are loads of different tours though for different levels of experience and fitness. And they have a lovely hotel which you can stay in. Customer care and attention to detail was 5 star.

BIL, sister and me.

gqrCiuM.jpg
 
GirlFriday said:
I've trekked in Iceland with a relatively beginner adult male - but, despite being tall, he was under 12st. We were appalled at the weights some of the ponies where expected to carry. The tolt makes them look like they hollow quiet a lot anyway but some were definitely struggling with larger tourists even in the walking groups. And a few of the larger riders ended up on the (lava stone - not soft!) ground at various points, I suspect not entirely unrelated.

Just because there is someone who will put a person on an equine for a fee doesn't mean it is right. (Remeber images like these: http://news.asiantown.net/r/9805/fa...elty-by-taking-donkey-rides-while-on-vacation) These aren't pets. They are an asset of a commercial enterprise being used in a cost effective way.


TBH I'd probably not rush to ride there again myself - I felt the ponies I was put on were really pushing the bottom end of what could carry me comfortably because obviously all the bigger mounts were being used for chunkier/more beginner tourists. Shirl and her sister (I think both a wee bit smaller than me) are definitely more suitable for Icelandics!
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Aye you are right....Perfect size for us midgets...I remember way back when we were about 13 there was a place just outside Edinburgh which had 2 hour treks with Icelandic horses..We went a few times and basically held on and hoped for the best in those days...I certainly would not go to Iceland and have to watch people riding these horses that were too big for them. Mags and I decided to go back to Italy but a different place...

Shirl
 
SussexbytheChristmasTree said:
I did the 6 day Landmannalaugar Tour in Iceland with Eldhestar this year which apart from Sprengisandur is supposed to be one of the most challenging. My sister and BIL (about 6ft 2 of slim but not slender build) also went. They are both 62 and hadn’t ridden since teenagers. They started having lessons a few months before then booked a couple of weekends riding on Dartmoor to prepare. They were not the oldest on the tour either there were a couple in their 70’s but they had Icelandic horses at home. There are some quite big Icelandic’s not all are small. They are all amazing power houses. Nonny who owns Eldhestar with his brother and Nonnys son Viesteinn are both tall and solidly built.

http://eldhestar.is/

We stopped every hour or so for a 10 minute break, got off the horses and took off their nosebands to let then graze. Every couple of hours we changed mounts so up to 4 times in one day. We almost never rode the same Horse twice. No Horse was ridden more than twice in one day. Horse welfare was totally the top concern. We got off to walk some bits too.

It was totally an amazing experience riding with a herd but some of the terrain was pretty challenging and not all tolts are equal! Accommodation is not luxurious.

There are loads of different tours though for different levels of experience and fitness. And they have a lovely hotel which you can stay in. Customer care and attention to detail was 5 star.

BIL, sister and me.

gqrCiuM.jpg
Click to expand...

Fantastic pic..Brings back some very old memories of the Icelandics...

Shirl
 
Just to say I've been looking into Iceland a bit more (not necessarily with hub in mind as I think we might go a different route there) and have found this .. http://www.kalfholt.is/en/riding-tours Looks really interesting as they seem to provide a range of trekking/training/educational/cultural activities - and I am loving the idea of their "Ride of the Valkyries" for women. Seems like they would be pretty reputable and committed to welfare.

Ps edited to say I'm also looking at elhestar as Shirl suggested and also love the idea of the hot springs tour and the elfin tour ... :) :)
 
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Not entirely sure that isn't where I went OP... (not looking it up as probably shouldn't identify on here).

For something visually similar (was reminded by the 'breeds I've always wanted to ride' thread) how about Ardennes trekking in mid-France... I've been on hacks with lovely long gently uphill canters which even beginners could sit easily. Way bigger than you need - but like the Ardennes on the other thread, still quite short with not too far to fall!
 
GirlFriday said:
Not entirely sure that isn't where I went OP... (not looking it up as probably shouldn't identify on here).

For something visually similar (was reminded by the 'breeds I've always wanted to ride' thread) how about Ardennes trekking in mid-France... I've been on hacks with lovely long gently uphill canters which even beginners could sit easily. Way bigger than you need - but like the Ardennes on the other thread, still quite short with not too far to fall!
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Sounds lovely - thanks! Will look into that as well. Not too far to fall is good!
 
Hopefully any riding holidays organised by a British based company will have been inspected thoroughly as suitable. I have spoken to some organisers and they said they have visited some places as potential destinations and arrived, taken a look round and driven off again, as there undoubtedly some very bad practices.

I have had holidays in America, Italy and France and the horses have always been looked after very well - not always what we are used to, but they were certainly up to the job and gave everyone a great holiday.

The best thing is to have a short list and then contact the organiser and have a good chat about what you are looking for and for their opinion and hopefuly speak to someone who has been there, and then read the feedback.
 
niki Christmas bells said:
I have been on a Free rein holiday and they are absolutely fab but do have an upper weight limit of 94 Kgs
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The upper limit is 94kg? I don't consider myself particularly big, and I hover between 89kg and 105kg (I consider that the top limit of my weight); moof the time I'm between 90kg and 95kg.

I would hope that this limit is "conservative" and is allowing for the fact that people will honestly ;) underestimate their weight...
 
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