SamanthaG
Well-Known Member
Title says it all
He isnt a fine Tb I havent measured but about 9" bone
I have a 16.1hh tb and was horrified by a post yesterday that said only skinny people can ride tbs I am a size 14 and weigh between 12-12.5st (yuck hate admitting that) and have owned my mare for 7 years and done a bit of everything, judging by her behaviour sometimes I really don't think she has a lot of trouble carrying me although I will say I keep her fit and muscled and if she has any time off I make sure I bring her back into work carefully with lots of quality groundwork! Here are some pics, do you think I look too big?? (runs and hides too scared to see answer!)
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I found this study interesting:
http://www.horsesciencenews.com/horseback-riding/how-much-weight-can-a-horse-carry.php
Try weight tape, find out how much he is (when in normal condition), and for a regular rider, aim for a rider to weigh max 15-20% his weight including tack.
Lots of things can be taken into account when you consider weight, the horse's health/previous injuries/conformation/age/build/level of fitness/workload, size/shape/balance of rider... and, perhaps also on whether one takes a long term perspective (e.g. if one aims for the horse to push 30 it is natural to be more conservative in all aspects of use?)
Re Arabs - their shorter backs will make them more able to carry weight and I've also heard that their legs are stronger because some gap in them is thinner than in other breeds thereby making them stronger (that might not be true - and not very scientifically put- be interested if any Arab enthusiasts on here can comment on that...).
If I remember correctly arabs have denser bones, something to do with a denser arrangement of something that I want to call ocelots, but I KNOW thats not right![]()
I would have no issue with 15 stone of balanced rider on a 16.1 tb with good bone. Maybe not for a days hunting, but certainly for your average leisure type riding.
My 14.1hh 75% arab mare would happily carry 14 stone. Shes not particularly short in the back, but shes VERY wide across the loins, has short cannon bones and reasonable basic conformation. I don't ask her to carry that weight, mainly due to an historic tendon problem, and the fact that I lost a lot of weight when I bought her :lol: But she certainly has no issue at all with 12stone plus tack![]()