Glitter's fun
Well-Known Member
Thanks, "about" is as much as I need I think!
Should there be a weight limit for people at shows (and if so, what and how?!)
- Thread starter Morgan123
- Start date
Regandal
Well-Known Member
Maisie, I’ve never met you or seen a picture of you but I’d bet my last pound that you are not ugly. No one is. Have you ever seen the film ‘Shallow Hal’? If not, I’d recommend it.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
It’s still damaging for the horses and it’s not good enough .
SEL
Well-Known Member
I was thinking exactly this. I bet you aren't.
Instead of "dieting" set yourself a challenge to eat 20 different fruit & veg over the course of a week. I got my OH to join me in that challenge and you're so full with flipping veg that there's not much room left for carbs - get those gut bacteria working for you
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
Here’s some advice that helped me .
Don’t just set goals work on making systems that help you do what you want to do ,
without systems goals don’t help .
Its your system that gets you to goal not the goal .
If it’s not working you need a different system .
This how everything in life works reducing weight is no different .
Don’t just set goals work on making systems that help you do what you want to do ,
without systems goals don’t help .
Its your system that gets you to goal not the goal .
If it’s not working you need a different system .
This how everything in life works reducing weight is no different .
SmallPony
Active Member
Do you think that getting back to riding could be your "why" ?
We live in a world that is very visual and appearance focused, but if you think about the people in your life who you love, do you like them for their facial features? Would you invite someone out for a coffee based on their dress size? Do you pick your friends depending on how big their ears are or if they have straight teeth?
Our horses don't give a shiny sh*te about how we look - they care that we are kind to them and look after them as best we can. People are the same really, when it comes down to it. It doesn't matter how you look - it matters how you make people feel.
I come back to this quote by Roald Dahl when I am having an appearance wobble, because it reminds me that my place in the world is not defined by what I look like, but who I am:
"A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams, and you will always look lovely."
Ali27
Well-Known Member
I knew someone who was 17 stone and only 5ft 2 who signed up to Trinity Transformation! She had tried every diet going but they tackled her mindset as well as changing her diet. She went down to 9 1/2 stone within a year. She had stopped riding too! Apparently when in your 40’s it’s harder to lose weight by traditional methods. They weren’t cheap but it worked!
My motto now is, does it fill me up? If not then I don’t eat it so no cake or crisps!
Bruce17
Well-Known Member
Curious to know, what max rider weight would people put on a 16h ex flat racer TB? Has been on weigh bridge very recently and is 504kg. Top line is okay but recently diagnosed with changes in hocks. Now treated and is sound.
Just trying to work out how much more weight I need to lose before i get back on ...
Just trying to work out how much more weight I need to lose before i get back on ...
ponynutz
Well-Known Member
Have to say I have a bit of a guilty conscience. I have a 13.3hh Connie (tad overweight since I went to uni) and I hack her occasionally. Although I'm trying to lose I'm about 10stone2 and the max she can carry (with the 20% rule) is 10stone11. I do feel guilty every time I ride her given I'm also 5'7 but then again... we're only hacking now.
I put a lot of weight on with medication and so I'm trying to get back down to a weight of 8 stone which surely would be much nicer for her.
I put a lot of weight on with medication and so I'm trying to get back down to a weight of 8 stone which surely would be much nicer for her.
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
Max 15% of horse weight inc tack and clothing. IIRC that's about 10 stone 10lbs naked rider weight (I needed to do that calculation once for a 500kg horse), though do crunch the numbers properly.
It allows 2.5 stone for all tack and rider clothing. I weighed mine and that's what it totalled.
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ponynutz
Well-Known Member
https://good-horse.com/tools/calculator-much-weight-can-horse-carry/
This is the calculator I use and for this horse it spits out 14stone13 as tack defaults at about 6/7kg.
As I say above though, not sure I trust it fully.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
Max 15% a of 504
That’s about ten stone seven including tack .
Whoops lost my quote that’s in reply to B17.
That’s about ten stone seven including tack .
Whoops lost my quote that’s in reply to B17.
Glitter's fun
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know of a list of approximate weights of different horse & pony breeds?
w1bbler
Well-Known Member
The 20% rule seems way over to me, definitely believe 15% more appropriate.
A few years back I had fluffy weighed, 14.1 cob 480 kg. Friend who ways 15 stone happily announced she could ride her as that was just inside the 20% rule. I've been making excuses ever since...
A few years back I had fluffy weighed, 14.1 cob 480 kg. Friend who ways 15 stone happily announced she could ride her as that was just inside the 20% rule. I've been making excuses ever since...
Dexter
Well-Known Member
But clearly significant amounts of people dont care and will ride anyway, so if they have to do that, then if they at least stick to walk it minimises it
maggiestar
Well-Known Member
How awful, but well done to you for doing the right thing by that horse.
Soap On A Rope
Well-Known Member
Well done....They are horses , not HGV's
ponynutz
Well-Known Member
This. I'd never dream of jumping or working mine. If she's fat she gets hacked and lunged not subjected to me trotting her around.
cariadbach10
Well-Known Member
I’m sure all the riders competing in the Equestrianists Mongol Derby (longest and toughest horse race in the world) this week will be devastated to read this thread when they come in from galloping across the steppe on 13hh Mongol ‘horses’ this evening. ?
https://equestrianists.com/
Weight limit for this is 85kg including tack (super lightweight endurance saddles). Many competitors are men and women who only just come in under the 85kg limit. Watch ‘The Ride’ on Horse and Country TV- the guy who ends up with a second place has to starve himself for a few days before to make the weight limit.
https://equestrianists.com/
Weight limit for this is 85kg including tack (super lightweight endurance saddles). Many competitors are men and women who only just come in under the 85kg limit. Watch ‘The Ride’ on Horse and Country TV- the guy who ends up with a second place has to starve himself for a few days before to make the weight limit.
Attachments
Barton Bounty
Just simply loving life with Orbi 🥰
That looks so much fun ?
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
sbloom
Well-Known Member
Yes but this sort of research is very limited. In walk most leisure horses' saddles tip back slightly in order to balance the rider best in trot. If you look at posture, then canter is the best pace, as it has its own intrinsic lift to the back. Not black and white, I think long periods of walk can be very hard on the back, especially under riders that shove their seat rather than having the horse of the leg, not uncommon.
Please look up Rebelfit.
Glitter's fun
Well-Known Member
They do actually have a weight limit though, which puts them ahead of us.
TPO
Well-Known Member
Exactly
They aren't participating for the sake or benefit of the horses. It's humans doing something for themselves.
It's one thing fighters taking measures to make weight knowing that they'll both be heavier on fight night but in this case it's not as if the ponies will suddenly get bigger or stronger to carry the post weigh day rider.
I mean that example just solidifies (edited to fix autocorrect) what's been repeated on this thread. People will do what THEY want to do for THEIR enjoyment regardless.
"Oh but we only walk once or twice a week for 10mins" like that's better. If anything it verges on worse because the horse isn't fittened and strengthened to carry further excess weight. The "correct" way of going/outline is because thats the optimum for horses carrying riders, something they are not designed for, yet the perception is that sloping along on a hack is somehow less of a burden.
There always seems to be such a disconnect between how unfit people feel after a busy/active day or a training session compared to what they expect of the horse and how it will feel.
The "correct" way of working has been compared to a human doing weighted squats for the duration. Most people wouldn't want to go straight into that without gradual and consistent work yet expect their horses to.
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CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
Yesssss!
PapaverFollis
Well-Known Member
Myself and MrPF have often observed between us on various yards that many horse riders do not take part in other sports themselves and do not seem to understand that doing nothing for several weeks then doing a hard training session... hurts! We have often observed an ignorance or lack of empathy for the horse as an athlete that needs to be carefully conditioned to do the work we require of her. And our theory is that this may be down to many horse riders never having trained for a hard running race themselves for example, or anything similar.
Maybe this is just married couple b*tchiness ? and of course there are many, many riders who do no other sport themselves but DO have empathy for the horse as an athletes that requires regular work in order to work well etc.
I'm not of the mindset that work is intrinsically bad for horses and I feel like the work I do with mine seems to improve their enjoyment of themselves when at liberty (strange phrasing sorry but I don't know how else to describe what I see - like being fit and well muscled with good core tone kind of puffs them up and makes them move with a proud swinging step or something, they just seem happier when fit to me)... so I'm not as negative about the welfare of working horses as perhaps some are? I don't know. But I do think all work should be done with a very high degree of consideration for what we are asking them to do. Both in terms of conditioning for their work and in terms of the weight we ask them to carry.
Maybe this is just married couple b*tchiness ? and of course there are many, many riders who do no other sport themselves but DO have empathy for the horse as an athletes that requires regular work in order to work well etc.
I'm not of the mindset that work is intrinsically bad for horses and I feel like the work I do with mine seems to improve their enjoyment of themselves when at liberty (strange phrasing sorry but I don't know how else to describe what I see - like being fit and well muscled with good core tone kind of puffs them up and makes them move with a proud swinging step or something, they just seem happier when fit to me)... so I'm not as negative about the welfare of working horses as perhaps some are? I don't know. But I do think all work should be done with a very high degree of consideration for what we are asking them to do. Both in terms of conditioning for their work and in terms of the weight we ask them to carry.
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
People are rather obvious and selfish. We're all guilty to some extent. There are a lot of overweight riders out there and there are also overweight participants in other sports too, but the difference is that they aren't on an animal. Literally doesn't bother anyone but myself if I'm carrying a lot of extra weight and playing tennis, but it certainly bothers my horse if I do, and he shouldn't have to carry me around if I'm too heavy and/or not fit. Why should he be the fit one and not me? We both need to be.
I remember when I first started eventing as a teen and saved up enough money to by myself a TB that failed race training (too slow to be competitive but really lovely movement for sport). I spent time in the gym working on my cardio and strength to be fit for that horse and for what I wanted us to accomplish together.
I did play many sports when younger and have been working out for ages. So I'm aware of my body and how it feels. I also structure my horses routine with adequate recovery time and variety. He's not a machine nor is he something I can just joyride on whenever I see fit.
I almost wish that in addition to riding lessons, that people would take lessons on understanding the horse. The horse can tell and teach us a lot, but you need to listen. When you can understand the horse your training is better and your horse feels better. On the whole, it's just more rewarding and serene, but people are so clueless, or shape things into how they want things to be.
Normally I don't care about people being bad at a sport, only playing once a month, or not taking it seriously, but when you involve an animal, you've got to take things more seriously.
I remember when I first started eventing as a teen and saved up enough money to by myself a TB that failed race training (too slow to be competitive but really lovely movement for sport). I spent time in the gym working on my cardio and strength to be fit for that horse and for what I wanted us to accomplish together.
I did play many sports when younger and have been working out for ages. So I'm aware of my body and how it feels. I also structure my horses routine with adequate recovery time and variety. He's not a machine nor is he something I can just joyride on whenever I see fit.
I almost wish that in addition to riding lessons, that people would take lessons on understanding the horse. The horse can tell and teach us a lot, but you need to listen. When you can understand the horse your training is better and your horse feels better. On the whole, it's just more rewarding and serene, but people are so clueless, or shape things into how they want things to be.
Normally I don't care about people being bad at a sport, only playing once a month, or not taking it seriously, but when you involve an animal, you've got to take things more seriously.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
This. I've only been on one camp but I was shocked at people thinking that they should take a horse that's only ridden for an hour or so a few times a week, and rarely two days in a row, to a 3 day, twice a day camp and do the maximum work in each session. I overheard someone out on a hunt one day say that the horse hasn't been ridden for seven weeks, as an explanation for why it was losing its mind after 3 hours! Maybe we should make it mandatory for all riders to do a form of strenuous muscular exercise and experience the 48 hour build up to maximum pain from doing more than you're accustomed to ? ?
.
marmalade76
Well-Known Member
He may not have been too heavy, but too tall. My current horse is 15.1 TB x pony (looks like an over grown pony) and is noticeably uncomfortable with tall riders even though they weigh no more than I do (I fluctuate between 10.7 and 11 stone and am only 5'1" at the most). It had previously been noted by a friend who knew him before I bought him that he always went better for short riders. He is built a little downhill so this may be the reason, my little arab who was very up in front never seemed affected by rider height.
cariadbach10
Well-Known Member
Fair point. But it’s way over what 20% of those horse’s weight would be. And these are the horses that Genghis Khan’s army conquered much of Asia, Russia and the Middle East on. I should imagine the Mongol herders who own these horses would fall about laughing at the thought of an eleven stone lady being worried about trotting a cob around a showring for fifteen minutes. But then showing is pretty ridiculous nowadays anyway, when you start to break it down.