Very fat people on horses

Cliqmo

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Lexibell - I really do not think you are too big for your horse.

Hell im 10 stone and have been known to sit on the odd pony when its being a tit *insert shocked smiley* (dont know how to do it!)
Trust me with my fat arse it soon realises being a tit is not worth it lol!! :D


Tut tut tut not knowing the most important smilies!

: mad : = :mad:
: eek : = :eek:
: rolleyes : = :rolleyes:

You will find them all invaluable :p :D
 

HollyWoozle

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I too think that seriously overweight people should not expect a horse to carry them, though there are horses that can obviously carry a decent amount of weight without issue and this is fine by me.

What is not fine by me is seriously obese people who are offended when others voice the opinion that they shouldn't ride. I don't care how you got to be so overweight, whether it's your fault or not, horses are not designed to carry us and there are some weights which are simply not suitable to put on a horse's back (though I don't know what I would class as the cut off point and I'm not an expert obviously). It is not 'sizeist' to suggest that you shouldn't ride, it is not a personal attack on you, it is just the fact that it's cruel. Horses are not machines that can carry an infinite amount of weight.

If you are an overweight rider then please don't jump down my throat! I have been an overweight rider and I'm sure some would stay I still am one (or at least a slightly chubby one). I am not suggesting that overweight people shouldn't ride, I am just sharing the opinion of many on here that such riders should have a suitable horse. I also think that there's a point where people should say to themselves "I am too overweight to ride so if I want to get on a horse, I need to lose weight first." I rode when I weighed more but feel far happier knowing that my horse carries less.

For the record, I'm 5'8" and used to weigh about 13st 10 and now weigh a little over 11st (and hoping to shift a little bit more).
 

guido16

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LOL, so she is half welsh and violent, doesnt surprise me of a welsh person, their all mad.... (body armour now on)


p.s - damn smilies wont work on this computer otherwise I may have used a few.....
 

martlin

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LOL, so she is half welsh and violent, doesnt surprise me of a welsh person, their all mad.... (body armour now on)


p.s - damn smilies wont work on this computer otherwise I may have used a few.....

I have a feeling I should refrain from comment:D:D:D
Can we get back to being Polish and chubby, please? It's a much safer subject;)
 

KitKat_89

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As a matter of fact, she almost is (mum is Welsh):D
If she reads it, she's gonna kill me:eek:


She may not kill you.....but the OH is not impressed that I have just woken him up by giggling histericly at the laptop! :D (yes yes I know its 11AM but...)

I'm just jelous of the fat people riding - at least when it all goes tits up they have more padding for landing on! (though im not doing too badly for that myself....) :D

And as for Polish and chubby... *rolls eyes*
 

minesadouble

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Haven't read all of the replies but had to tell a funny story -

A few years ago an Australian chap came to stay and work for a very well known show producer in our area. At the time my mum had a pony with the producer, and was at a show when the Australian started chatting to her as a Mountain and Moorland class came in the ring.

He asked my mum wht kind of class it was so she explained it was a Mountain and Moorland class for native ponies. The Australian looked a little puzzled but when a rather large lady rode into the ring on a Highland he said "Ohhh so I get it now - the Mountain's on the Moorland"!!

Please take this tale in the spirit it was intended - not a dig, in fact my mum herself is a larger lady herself, but I can't help but think of it every time I watch an M & M class! :)
 

Spudlet

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I too think that seriously overweight people should not expect a horse to carry them, though there are horses that can obviously carry a decent amount of weight without issue and this is fine by me.

What is not fine by me is seriously obese people who are offended when others voice the opinion that they shouldn't ride. I don't care how you got to be so overweight, whether it's your fault or not, horses are not designed to carry us and there are some weights which are simply not suitable to put on a horse's back (though I don't know what I would class as the cut off point and I'm not an expert obviously). It is not 'sizeist' to suggest that you shouldn't ride, it is not a personal attack on you, it is just the fact that it's cruel. Horses are not machines that can carry an infinite amount of weight.

If you are an overweight rider then please don't jump down my throat! I have been an overweight rider and I'm sure some would stay I still am one (or at least a slightly chubby one). I am not suggesting that overweight people shouldn't ride, I am just sharing the opinion of many on here that such riders should have a suitable horse. I also think that there's a point where people should say to themselves "I am too overweight to ride so if I want to get on a horse, I need to lose weight first." I rode when I weighed more but feel far happier knowing that my horse carries less.

For the record, I'm 5'8" and used to weigh about 13st 10 and now weigh a little over 11st (and hoping to shift a little bit more).

^^I quite agree with this.

Horses for courses - but the horse should come first. There are ponies I'd love to ride but I can't because I'm too tall, and while not overweight, I am too heavy for those particular ponies and my legs are too long. I don't complain and say people are being tall-ist or leg-ist.

I too rode when I was heavier (12 stone) but big horses, and I am much happier now being a bit lighter.
 

Kub

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Lol I have spent the first 30 minutes of my working day catching up with this thread and I must say, I think some people take things a bit personally. Like I've already said, I'm a fuller fillie at 14st and 5' 6 and although I worry about being too heavy, I am realistic about the horses I can ride and eer on the side of caution. I've got a rising 3 heavy weight cob, bone over 9.5" and a very sturdy frame. Now I know he will be able to take my weight, but I intend to lose some before I break him next year and I'm having lessons to improve my riding and balance in preparation.

Fact is, us horse lovers just need to be realistic, especially when it comes to what our horses can comfortable do. Unfortunately, some are not, and there are always going to be those, but no reason why us larger folk can't ride suitable horses and have a great time :)
 

MontyandZoom

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I too rode when I was heavier (12 stone) but big horses, and I am much happier now being a bit lighter.

Whoops! I'm nearly 6foot 12 stone and my mare is a 14.3 tb with skinny legs. :p Being a polo-pony her original owner was at least as heavy as me as he was a tall man! I'm sure people would be shocked and horrified by this but she has never had any problems carrying me!

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martlin

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She may not kill you.....but the OH is not impressed that I have just woken him up by giggling histericly at the laptop! :D (yes yes I know its 11AM but...)

I'm just jelous of the fat people riding - at least when it all goes tits up they have more padding for landing on! (though im not doing too badly for that myself....) :D

And as for Polish and chubby... *rolls eyes*
See, guido? Told you I have to be careful! I'm being threatened with the OH:eek:

Not afraid of him though, nananananaaaa:p
 

Kat

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would you have been the only fat person in Belson then?

There are genuinely people out there who can't lose weight. There weren't any fat people in Belsen, but the people I'm talking about would have been dead in those conditions.

How do you lose weight if you are
1. A type 1 diabetic on insulin (you can't eat less without having a hypo, and insulin tends to increase your weight anyway)
2. On steroids for another unrelated medical condition (steroids make you pile on the weight irrespective of how little you eat)
3. Have an injury which makes most forms of exercise very difficult.

A member of my family is fighting all of the above disadvantages at the same time, she is struggling with her weight as keeping it down will make a big difference to her diabetes and to her injury. She is overweight but not obsese, largely because she is on an incredibly strict diet that she follows. She knows how much carb is in ANYTHING and goes as far as weighing slices of bread. There is literally nothing more that she can do without jeapordising her health to reduce her weight.

She is so short that she weighs less than many jockeys so horses wouldn't be an issue if she rode (she doesn't) but that is a demonstration of how difficult it is for some people.
 

TheresaW

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Gingin&Tonic, you need to give that horse to me! I love him, one of my forum faves.

As for the ginger Suffolks, this one struggles to carry himself somedays.
22052010053.jpg
 

benson21

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Katt I am absolutely with you on that one! I am a type one diabetic, taking insulin 4 times a day. I know if I could cut my insulin down it would help with my weight but at the moment I am recovering from a broken back so cant get about and exercise to keep my sugar low enough so I end up taking more insulin. So I agree, to some who says anyone can loose weight, thats just not true. It is much easier for some than it is for others.
 

Kat

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Moving on, I am 14 stone and 5 foot! :eek: I ride a 14 2 arab, (joke)
I dont have my own horse anymore, but previously when 3 stone heavier, I rode a clydesdale.

I feel I must point out the following:

1. Arabs are very good weight carriers, they don't look it but they are. Look around in arab countries and you will see them comfortably carrying men whose feet hang down to their knees!

2. Clydesdales and Shires are not actually particularly good weight carriers. They are bred to pull not carry and their conformation suits this. A good maxi cob or a draught breed that is "dual purpose" would carry more weight, say a percheron or ardennes.

3. Proportionally for their size native ponies are the best weight carriers, and a big Highland or Welsh D will carry loads more than most people expect. Haflingers, Fjords, Icelandics and Quarter horses are all bred to be able to carry full grown men plus pack despite being small.

4. The ultimite weight carrier is the mule. Maybe we should breed more of them over here, they are quite popular in other countries and can carry massive weights. In the USA mules are used for trail riding because they can carry more weight than the quarter horses are cheaper to keep and are terrifically sure footed. They even have classes for them at shows. Most mules over there are quarter horse crosses, but you can cross anything, including heavy horses for maximum strength.
 

Kat

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Katt I am absolutely with you on that one! I am a type one diabetic, taking insulin 4 times a day. I know if I could cut my insulin down it would help with my weight but at the moment I am recovering from a broken back so cant get about and exercise to keep my sugar low enough so I end up taking more insulin. So I agree, to some who says anyone can loose weight, thats just not true. It is much easier for some than it is for others.

Benson, you have my sympathy, this relative of mine has changed her management recently under the supervision of the hospital diabetic clinic and now does this carb counting thing where the insulin is tailored to what is eaten and reduced. It has enabled her to more than halve her insulin intake.

Many doctors and GP/nurse clinics don't know about it so you might have to do some investigating. Most GPs will just increase your insulin doseage if you aren't managing to control your blood sugar but this can be counter productive leading to increased resistance. I'll try and find out the name of the system and PM it to you if you like.
 

benson21

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Thanks Katt, I have been put on the list for this, its called DAPHNE, but the wait is ages in this area.
 

Kat

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Thanks Katt, I have been put on the list for this, its called DAPHNE, but the wait is ages in this area.

Good news that you are on the list, it works amazingly well, although it can be confusing at first as it is so different. Hope it goes well, and maybe see if your GP can get you bumped up the list a bit as your situation is complicated by your injury making exercise difficult.
 

Brandy

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I am very concious about this subject as I am on the bigger side and constantly worry that I am too big for horses. There are a lot I wouldn't even dream of sitting on. I'm 14st, though working on getting this down as I will be breaking my traditional next spring and although he's a heavy weight, I do worry that this is still too heavy for a rising 4 year old, would people agree?

I'm interested to see the replies as I think I'm a little deluded as to how much a horse can carry, and I think I would break most of them.... :eep:

I don;t think you need to worry.All I would think of is maybe get a small person to get on his the first few times just to ease him in a bit. Hope that doesn;t sound offensive! I am 12 1/2 stone. I ride a welsh C that is 13.2hh. On paper that looks very bad, but if you actually saw him and me you would never think I was too heavy for him

Depends a lot on how you ride too.
 

Kub

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I don;t think you need to worry.All I would think of is maybe get a small person to get on his the first few times just to ease him in a bit. Hope that doesn;t sound offensive! I am 12 1/2 stone. I ride a welsh C that is 13.2hh. On paper that looks very bad, but if you actually saw him and me you would never think I was too heavy for him

Depends a lot on how you ride too.

Thanks Brandy :) I totally agree on the smaller person, I've had a couple of the young girls sit on him at the yard and he wasn't phased at all, I'll do the same once he has a saddle on his back. I'm working on improving my riding too so I'm not too much of a hinderance :)
 

Spudlet

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DAFNE can be excellent bensen21, well worth the wait!

Montyandzoom - I wasn't trying to offend anyone ffs, was just trying not to come across as some kind of holier than thou fattist. Can't win, can I.
 

MontyandZoom

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DAFNE can be excellent bensen21, well worth the wait!

Montyandzoom - I wasn't trying to offend anyone ffs, was just trying not to come across as some kind of holier than thou fattist. Can't win, can I.

Whoa! I wasn't offended so need for FFSing :) I just don't personally think that 12 stone is that fat.......but then if someone was 5foot it probably would be fat!

I was merely commenting on the fact that some smaller breeds are much more capable of weight-carrying than we give them credit for. I have never seen a cobby polopony yet they carry grown men at very fast speeds.

Weight posts are ALWAYS going to put people's noses out of joint, not mine though, I like pies but my pony's legs haven't buckled yet :D
 

Spudlet

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Whoa! I wasn't offended so need for FFSing :) I just don't personally think that 12 stone is that fat.......but then if someone was 5foot it probably would be fat!

I was merely commenting on the fact that some smaller breeds are much more capable of weight-carrying than we give them credit for. I have never seen a cobby polopony yet they carry grown men at very fast speeds.

Weight posts are ALWAYS going to put people's noses out of joint, not mine though, I like pies but my pony's legs haven't buckled yet :D

Sorry. Screwed up body image and hot and bothered not a good combo:eek:
 
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