Vet comment on weight...

[Maesfen]

12st 5lbs is the max weight for a point-to-pointer nowadays I believe and they can carry that over 3 miles plus, over fences and at speed. Yes, they are probably just a tad fitter than most of our horses, but some food for thought.....

Yes and they will be a heck of a lot fitter than most other TBs unless they are in racing yards too. They will also be carrying less excess fat than your normal non racing TB even though they might be eating more.
There's also the case for static weight on a horse usually weighs less to them than a moveable object (rider) as the rider can unbalance them so easily unless the rider is super balanced and rides light. I know many TB hunters (admittedly usually of NH breeding rather than flat bred) that regularly carry up to 14 stone or more over all terrains and cope extremely well because they are fit and used to the weight of the rider right from first coming in off grass for fittening.

IME, it is the balance of the rider with an experienced independent seat and good hands that can ride virtually any height or build of horse whatever the rider weighs; it's the unbalanced riders you need to restrict as they will always weigh heavier to the horse however light in weight the rider is.

 

[be positive]

12st 5lbs is the max weight for a point-to-pointer nowadays I believe and they can carry that over 3 miles plus, over fences and at speed. Yes, they are probably just a tad fitter than most of our horses, but some food for thought.....

Our little pointer, 15.2 and slight in frame, carried 12 st 5lb last season in one of his runs, a fair bit was lead, saddling up was not easy! he would not carry that every day without struggling I would say no more than 11stone ideally, they may manage to carry weight in races but the strain of lugging that about every day would take its toll, a bigger type would easily carry 12-13 stone as long as it was well muscled.

 

[Nudibranch]

Interesting. I shall ask him to clarify when he comes back for the next round. In fairness he was stood next to my elephant...sorry youngster who is 17hh, still growing and makes my TB look like a gazelle. Incidentally TB is 9, short backed, he is a little straight through the hocks but otherwise no major confo issues. Currently turned out as 1/10 lame in trot pending a proper work up. I just thought it was an odd comment.
Anyway I can't win, my neighbour asked what I needed a "great big horse like that for" (referring to the youngster) as..wait for it..."you're only little"!!! I am 5'10

 

[Evie91]

Cobgoblin - what a brilliant vet, if only more spoke out!

 

[Orangehorse]

I would say 12 stone max. This is not based on scientific calculations just my opinion for a tb.

Some racing TBs are expected to gallop and jump 3+ miles with up to 13 stone on their back.

 

[Evie91]

Yes Orangehorse im aware of that - but they are super fit, well muscled and do this for a short amount of time. Jockeys are slim, additional weight is made up and I believe evenly distributed.
They can also have rather short careers.
Tb's are not bred to be weight carriers.

 

[Ditchjumper2]

"An ounce of blood is worth an inch of bone"...best I get rid of my 3 horses as I am at present at my winter weight (very fat) so no doubt am far too heavy for mine!! However, they all hunt all day quite happily ......

 

[Wagtail]

I always aim for 15% including tack, and only if the horse is of 'ideal' weight. You can add two stone on for tack and your clothes/hat/boots etc. That is why I am aiming to lose weight for my little mare. She's an ideal weight at 460 kg at the moment. I am currently 10 st 6 and at my 'ideal' weight for my height, but need to lose another stone to be light enough to ride her. She still has some growing to do though.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

This thread reminded me to look up the horse marathon results - just incase anyone is interested - and I actually managed to find them.

So from 1919 - 1923 five endurance tests were carried out. Each one was 300 miles long and the horses had to complete 60 miles a day for 5 days.

BREED. AVERAGE WEIGHT OF HORSE.
arab 860lbs
arab blood 903lbs
morgans 918lbs
anglo-arabs 1000lbs
TB 1025lbs




TEST. AVERAGE WEIGHT CARRIED.
1, 200lbs
2 and 3, 245lbs
4 and 5, 225lbs




BREED. PERCENTAGE OF HORSES WHO SUFFERED LAMENESS.
arab 15%
arab blood 25%
morgans 39%
anglo-arabs 55%
TB's 90%




BREED. AVERAGE SPEED.
arabs 5.3mph
arab blood 5.4mph
morgans 6mph
anglo-arabs 6.5mph
TB's 6.5mph

 

[Smurf's Gran]

Thanks for posting Faracat - its really interesting stuff

 

[Meowy Catkin]

This might be interesting too. http://www.j-evs.com/article/S0737-0806(07)00413-3/abstract

 

[Gloi]

This might be interesting too. http://www.j-evs.com/article/S0737-0806(07)00413-3/abstract

I've read that article in the past. These are American light horses being evaluated here, I wonder how, for example, some British native ponies would compare in their results. It's interesting it mentions loin width, I have a 13.2 Fell pony here (not overweight) whose loins are far wider than any of the 16 hand horses in the stables.

 

[pip6]

I'm not a light weight (though thankfully short), and was concerned I was too heavy for a homebred arab. I asked my vets opinion, as I knew it would be based on an honest assessment.

 

[Cragrat]

This might be interesting too. http://www.j-evs.com/article/S0737-0806(07)00413-3/abstract

Interesting, thank you.

So if I have read the abstract correctly, 'significant' changes/soreness showed up at 25% and 30% of bodyweight, but not at 10%, 15% and 20%.

Obviously this was only a tiny study of 8 horses, but it tends to corroborate the 20% 'rule'.