Vets guide to weight of rider V horse!

Devonshire dumpling

Devonshire dumpling

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A Friend posted this on Facebook from Your Horse... Haven't read the source,but thought I would post it here for you lovely people to discuss :)

Copied from Your Horse.
I am a heavyweight rider. To give you an idea I'll tell you what happened to me.. I've ridden since i was 3 and as i got older and heavier my horses got heavier and bigger. I had bred in my early 20's from my retired appaloosa a lovely filly, she was broken in and sent out on loan for all her working life as i was too heavy (or so i presumed) for her. She is a bulky little mare at 15.2.
She retired 5 years ago and she was turned away with my 2 percheron (18 and 19HH). Over time with no work she developed metabolic syndrome and i took her to Leahurst Vet Hospital in Liverpool. They told me the usual starve her and exercise her for 2 hours at least everyday. I said " this is a welfare issue, i weigh 24 stone and ive got 2 percherons sitting in the field at home cos she couldn't carry me!"
They then got really bolshy and said the only welfare issue was me not riding the mare! They then explained that as the mare weighed (from memory) 670kg and to work out a safe riding weight for a horse you say... "a horse can work under saddle all day every day for the rest of its life doing any activity carrying 25% of its weight, if the person weighs 30% of the horses weight then you can ride fast and furiously for 2 hours a day or slowly all day without doing any damage every day for the rest of its life, and finally if you weigh 35% you should ride everyday steadily for 2 hours, no trotting, or jumping but the occasional spell of fast work".
Sorry this is so long... anyway from there she has been ridden reg by either my 6ft2 husband who weighs 22 stone or me 5' 8" and 23 stone in conjunction with the heavies. I was so suprised and saddened by my own ignorance on this as i wasted all those years letting someone else ride her. Their is a general ignorance about the causes of morbid obesity and i do think that in the horse world many people take offence that someone big rides, and they use welfare as an excuse for their own prejudices, so i'd say to you what the vet hospital said to me, she's a lovely mare enjoy her dont waste time worrying about this just enjoy her, Having said that we had our own vet out who laughed and said she's very suitable for you people have no idea what these animals are capable of! We still carry around 2 letters with us though one from leahurst explaining all this and one from my vet! I took a lot of convincing! As for my app first day i rode her very sedately round field she took off at a gallop and jumped all the grass tussocks she could find! We never trot though!
If you have any other queries pm me i do ride in a special saddle which was developed for the cavalry, where a fully equipped cvalryman apparently weighs 28 stone! If you're only starting to ride as an adult you may find it difficult to find a riding school with a weight limit over 12 stone, however the BHS are very hot on this so they may be able to give you a list of schools where they take seriously heavy riders.
 
I just can't believe this is true! As a heavier rider myself I can remember what a physical effort it was to even prepare a horse for riding let alone ride it. I remember huffing around the yard thoroughly miserable and depressed. I just can't believe that a woman of 23 stone is physically fit enough for riding.

Am I alone in thinking this?

I have lost just over three stone and now feel much more capable and able to ride regularly, I still have 3 and a half to go!!

It's not that I am underestimating how much the horse can carry - I do think that we are far too conservative with our estimates. I am just amazed that this lady can physically ride!

Will have to look for this article myself!
 
23 stone is some weight. That's 4 of me so around 160kg before tack. My parents have spent since 2003 researching exercise and weight carrying capabilities in Arabs in the middle easy. Research to be published in 2013 but I can guarantee they would disagree with the 35% and gallop hard for 2 hour with no detriment. I can't say too much about findings so far but of 40 Arabs they have been studying for 10 year now there have been some common issues cropping up with weight and concussive work.....
 
Sounds very odd to me! How can you work out the weight a horse can carry as a percentage of it's own bodyweight when the horse is overweight itself? A horse doesn't increase its weight-carrying ability when it piles on extra fat (in fact it probably decreases it)!
 
I had always bellieved that it was a maximum of 20% of the horse's weight (horse in fit, healthy condition and the 20% includes the saddle).
 
Hi DD, as you know I'm interested in weight carrying abilities of horses as currently looking for a horse for my husband. I'm sure I was told 20% of the horses weight but can't remember where I got that information from. I guess you also need to take into account the conformation of the horse.
 
TGM said:
Sounds very odd to me! How can you work out the weight a horse can carry as a percentage of it's own bodyweight when the horse is overweight itself? A horse doesn't increase its weight-carrying ability when it piles on extra fat (in fact it probably decreases it)!
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Finally some one else who thinks this!!!

When I was at college it was deemed that a welsh d that was hugley over weight (belonging to the also hugley over weight YM funnily enough ;)) was a better weight carrier for being large. My logic that he is carrying a large proportion of what he could carry already ment he shouldnt have a larger rider was completly dismissed :eek::rolleyes:.
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
They told me the usual starve her and exercise her for 2 hours at least everyday.
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A vet said that? For a horse with metabolic syndrome :eek:

Devonshire dumpling said:
"a horse can work under saddle all day every day for the rest of its life doing any activity carrying 25% of its weight, if the person weighs 30% of the horses weight then you can ride fast and furiously for 2 hours a day or slowly all day without doing any damage every day for the rest of its life, and finally if you weigh 35% you should ride everyday steadily for 2 hours, no trotting, or jumping but the occasional spell of fast work".
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Again, a vet said that?

Sorry, but I think it is nonsense.
 
Definitely agree that it depends on the conformation of the horse rather than simply its weight, and if the horse is overweight it definitely doesnt mean it can carry more weight!! Surprised people would genuinely believe that..! Personally I wouldn't like to see 23 stone on a 15hh horse..by proportion that would be about 18 stone on a 14hh pony and to me that would be completely unacceptable. Just my opinion. x
 
Maybe the key words in that quote are the ones where it can work all day every day for the rest of its life - well the rest of its life won't be very long if it's working that hard will it?

I'm a heavier rider myself but there's no way I could ride a horse knowing I weighed more than 20% of its weight, and even at that magic 20% I'm afraid I have doubts. Definitely wouldn't do more than wall
 
That seems a bit odd to me!!

It means at the 30% bracket that my 15.2 550kg sturdy mare could carry 26 stone... That just can't be right!!

I'm not one of the people that thinks she should only be carrying 10 stone but 26 stone!!
 
I think the 20% rule allows for a fairly high weight allowance on most horses proportionate to their own weights. I mean 20% of 500kgs of horse is 100kilos! And that's 15 and a half stone on a fairly slight horse like a tb or Arab.
 
Alphamare said:
I think the 20% rule allows for a fairly high weight allowance on most horses proportionate to their own weights. I mean 20% of 500kgs of horse is 100kilos! And that's 15 and a half stone on a fairly slight horse like a tb or Arab.
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100 kg is actually more like 15 stone 10 lbs! How much do you think a fine 16.2tb would weigh?
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
"a horse can work under saddle all day every day for the rest of its life doing any activity carrying 25% of its weight, if the person weighs 30% of the horses weight then you can ride fast and furiously for 2 hours a day or slowly all day without doing any damage every day for the rest of its life, and finally if you weigh 35% you should ride everyday steadily for 2 hours, no trotting, or jumping but the occasional spell of fast work".
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That maybe but bet 'all of its life' wouldn't be long :p
 
I couldn't say without weighing it but I know my Arab who is 15'2 and built like a tb (ex racer actually) weighs in at 475 kilos so a 16hh tb would be 500ish I guess. a bit more for 16'2.
 
I think the guidelines are extreme. It would mean my LW 15.2h at about 515kg by the weight tape (he does have a bit of a tummy!) could carry 20st. I think he would collapse. I do think it depends entirely on the type of horse / age etc an that a stocky 15.2h could carry alot more than a LW 15.2h.
But life is never simple....
 
I know dad said the 4 horses carrying 35% bodyweight riders for 9 years. One is out of action and one had issues with wearing of cartilage at the joints. The 4 carrying 15, 20 and 25% have shown very little, I know heart rates took longer to recover in the horses carrying 25, 30 and 35% and saddle pressure points also more of an issue with higher weights. It's cost 3 million in funding sponsored by a group from Dubai so its for the endurance industry I think
 
Interesting...and then you would get say, something like a Highland pony....who was bred to carry a large man and a dead stag...so more needs to go into the equation when working out weight
 
Luci07 said:
Interesting...and then you would get say, something like a Highland pony....who was bred to carry a large man and a dead stag...so more needs to go into the equation when working out weight
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I don't think deer ponies are expected to carry their hander as well as the stag :eek: leastways, not the ones I've encountered!

Mind you, I always say that while I weigh less than a ful grown stag, my lad will just have to deal with my lard arse on his back :D
 
JFTD said:
I don't think deer ponies are expected to carry their hander as well as the stag :eek: leastways, not the ones I've encountered!

Mind you, I always say that while I weigh less than a ful grown stag, my lad will just have to deal with my lard arse on his back :D
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I stand corrected! I was told they did...but even so, in theory,,,pony....full grown man..

Anyway weight can be deceptive. 2 of the staff at my yard. One is 5 foot nothing and the other about 5.7". Seriously not a scrap of fat one either of them (think concave stomachs!) and yet..both weigh 10 stone.
 
Sorry, but I doubt vets said that unless they are looking for extra buisness. Using that logic, daughters 11.1, fine built minix can carry me & a saddle! Just out of interest, following this mad woman's logic, what happens when the horse reaches its correct weight? Assuming of course its back & legs don't collapse first? When horse is fit & healthy will she be too heavy for it? Really, I don't believe a word of it, probably something she dreamed up waiting for her pies to cook.
 
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