What do you classify as a "BIG" rider? (I have a complex now)

Andiamo said:
Thanks everyone, you've all been really supportive. Celery sticks and Diet Coke for all of you... (my new diet ;))

Just before she made the comments, she'd been telling me how to ride my horse, which really wound me up - because she doesn't even ride - and is obviously not an International Grand Prix trainer & rider. I had gotten very pee'd off. Out of politeness and good humour, I had tried to do what she told me, but it caused my horse's behavioral issues to escalate - he started napping, he stopped and was running backwards and threatening to rear /bronc...and it undid all the excellent work we'd done the day before in an £80 lesson with an International GP rider. She just kept after me, wandering around the school after me, annoying me, and I couldn't work my horse properly because she was in the way, and she kept waffling about utter nonsense and telling me I was doing everything wrong. I got so annoyed, I jumped off him, and went to get my lunge gear, I thought if she won't get out of the way and won't shut up, then I will just lunge him - because he needed to do some work (he is a sharp, energetic, anxious type and he needs daily work to keep him sane). Running her over would have been the other option, but I wasn't sure if I was covered for 3rd party liability on my insurance....and inconveniently didn't have the policy document with me.

It was when I finished lungeing that she made the comments about me being a big rider carrying lots of extra weight, and said "thank goodness your saddle is big enough for you...I hate to see big riders squash themselves into saddles that are too small". It's a 17.5 inch saddle, same as nearly everyone elses!!!!

I am very serious about my training and about my riding, and I am happy to pay for the professionals, and I do so on a weekly basis with top International trainers. I don't appreciate someone who doesn't even ride telling me what to do, especially when they're built like a s*** brickhouse and don't even ride horses!!! I was very obviously pee'd off, and it might have hurt her ego (as she thinks she knows everything)...so maybe that's the reason for the nasty comments...

Rant over...ahhhhhh....feels better!! :)
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Unfortunately I know the exact type of person you mean. As I said before, empty vessels make the most noise.

Hats off to you though, I wouldn't have been able to just humour her and go along with it. I'd have not been able to keep my cool and would have told her where to go long ago I think!!
 
Woah.. 11.5st isn't big! Cheeky mare, wonder what opinion she has on her own weight?!

My OH rides my TB and he weighs in at 15/16st
 
How rude! Really, it worries me that people like that actually exist - do you think they are so delusional that they actually *believe* what they are saying or whether secretly they know they are a fraud? :confused:

Either way, ignore, ignore, ignore........but next time stick up for yourself by asking her to leave you to school in peace, and repeat until she leaves you alone. If you don't say anything other than "please leave me alone" then eventually she will disappear as she won't be getting a response.

Alternative you could keep your horse moving just a tad too quickly so she has to waddle her fat arse to keep up (or is that really mean? :D)
 
Andiamo said:
Someone called me a big rider the other day, and said "you're carrying lots of weight", and proceeded to say she was relieved that my saddle was big enough for my bottom, because she finds it annoying when "big" riders squash themselves into small saddles... this was coming from someone who is about 5'3 and 18 stone, and doesn't ride at all. I was (and still am) massively offended, it really upset me.

I am female, 5'8, which is fairly tall, and about a size 14, with a medium sporty build. Definitely not a twig, but definitely not "big". My horse is 16'1, a Spanish horse, very muscley. We are in proportion.

I now have a serious complex, and it's been eating away at me. Firstly I think it was really rude of her to say this, secondly, she doesn't even ride, thirdly she is built like a brick sh**house herself.

Does my size make me a big overweight rider? What is the "right" size for a rider? Not everyone can be twiggy, and a size 6.

I'm sooooooo offended!!!! :(
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Dont be, shes just trying to make her self feel better because shes a heifer her self *im allowed to say that as i am fat too! ha*

Either way dont get worked up, she knows jack tbh, she cant ride because shes too big!, and probably cant find a horse that fits lol!
 
redredruby - I like your style ;))

She frightened my horse, and kept blocking our way, and kept telling me to slow down etc, and there was a horse being lunged at the other end of the school, so I couldn't get away from her. I was getting wound up, and my horse was definitely wound up, I didn't want to have an *incident*, so it was better to get off.

When I started to lunge him, she was trailing around behind me and still winge-ing and waffling, my horse took off at full tilt and almost did gallop over her, she had to run to get out of the way. I didn't pull him in to avoid her .... I did actually think, "let her run, she shouldn't have been in the way or following me about"...

When I finished lungeing - she said that she was greatly concerned that I bring the stress from my day with me to the yard, and she was very concerned that I come to ride my horse like that.... WHAT????
I wanted to shout "It's you who's pee'd me off, not him!!!" Really couldn't believe it!!!! Going to the yard to see my little sweetie is the best part of my day everyday, even if he's naughty!. It is always a happy time. The only reason I was wound up, was because of her!!
She's completely delusional!!!
 
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Andiamo said:
Someone called me a big rider the other day, and said "you're carrying lots of weight", and proceeded to say she was relieved that my saddle was big enough for my bottom, because she finds it annoying when "big" riders squash themselves into small saddles... this was coming from someone who is about 5'3 and 18 stone, and doesn't ride at all. I was (and still am) massively offended, it really upset me.

I am female, 5'8, which is fairly tall, and about a size 14, with a medium sporty build. Definitely not a twig, but definitely not "big". My horse is 16'1, a Spanish horse, very muscley. We are in proportion.

I now have a serious complex, and it's been eating away at me. Firstly I think it was really rude of her to say this, secondly, she doesn't even ride, thirdly she is built like a brick sh**house herself.

Does my size make me a big overweight rider? What is the "right" size for a rider? Not everyone can be twiggy, and a size 6.

I'm sooooooo offended!!!! :(
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You should have just thrown it back at her, and said "I know - I hate big riders too, imagine if you got on how small the saddle would look!"

Ignore her. You said yourself you're in proportion to your horse.
 
Anyway if there is a rider weight limit imposed, there'd be a lot of homeless horses in shelters ...

IMO, if you love your horse then you do what is best for him/her, and you ride as well as you're able (whether or not it is good in anyone else's eyes), and have him regularly shod, and you feed suitable forage etc.
If you do all of the above, it doesn't matter what you look like, whether you're tall or short, large or small, where you're from, what the facilities are like.... or how competent the riding is....the most important thing is that the horse has a loving, caring home, and a trusting relationship with their human. I don't care how anyone else rides, or what they look like, as long as they care for and love their horse.
 
OP - I am 5'10" and currently a size 16 and 13 1/2 stone
I have quite a big bottom - therefore my saddle is an 18" :D
I ride a 17.1hh medium build TB and he carries me as if I am a celery stick.

Six months ago I was just under 15 stone and he still carried me quite happily.

I am still dieting now I have my underactive thyroid under control. I plan to lose another stone just because I have always been around 12 stone and a size 14.

I don't care what size people are - as long as they ride a horse capable of carrying the weight.

Ignore her.
 
how do you upload an image from your computer on here? I just tried and it didn't work... I want tp put up a pic of the two of us...
 
Andiamo said:
When I finished lungeing - she said that she was greatly concerned that I bring the stress from my day with me to the yard, and she was very concerned that I come to ride my horse like that.... WHAT????
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My god. How in the world did you not just knock her out there & then? Massive credit to you for being so cool about it, I think I would have flipped at that comment TBH!
 
Oooh how rude, ignore & move on. Hell, my Appy who is 15hh carries my OH who is 14 stone + 2 stone of western saddle and still is a major prat (the Appy not the OH - just to clarify)
 
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this is us...
 
FFS you're not even chubby!! What a rude, irritating biotch. If she tries it again just kick her out of the school, tell her she's interfering with your horse's training & you know perfectly well what you are doing & don't need her ill-informed input. Then call her a fat cow. (lol!)
 
I was a show yesterday and there was a bloke probably 6ft 2ish, about 9 stone dripping wet on a big Irish horse and he rode so heavily it must of been like having 2 people on the poor horse, it was painful to watch. So I wouldn't worry about what the rude lardy arse woman said about you OP :)
 
You have nothing to worry about! Ignore the idiot, she clearly has no idea what she's talking about - and I think you did incredibly well at biting your tongue and ignoring her, I'm not sure I would have been able to keep my calm so easily when faced with such nastiness!

Just keep enjoying your horse, and don't waste another minute thinking about the rubbish she has spouted. :)
 
If I were a horse, I'd be a traditional heavyweight cob - and guess what I'm riding at the moment! One girl on the yard has stopped riding her lightweight horse until she's lost a couple of stone and I think she has made the right decision but it is definitely about the match between the horse and rider.
 
Well she is also clearly blind as well :cool:

It depends on what your riding though. I ride a 11.2 and on him I am a big rider he doesnt struggle with me at all but I am big on him. Now on my 14.2 I'm not big at all and on anything over the 16hh mark I'm a midget :p. I'm 5ft2 and a size 6-8 but I dont know how much I weigh because I dont have any scales, I was 8 stone something last time I checked though so probably arround that sort of mark. A big rider is relevant to the size of horse they are riding and horses are far more capable than most people give them credit for as long as they are conditioned and fittened for the work expected of them.
 
BoolavogueDC said:
Personally, I regard a lady above maybe 16 stone as a "big" lady and a man above 18stone as a "big" man.

Couldn't care less about their weight so long as they are on an appropriate horse :) and when I say big it means just that, big. It doen't mean anything less or more rude than calling a 7stone rider, slight. :)
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I agree with this actually, I am 5'1 & weight about 8st & ride a 14.2 ISH, my friend was helping me at a show said to me "I've adjusted your stirrups, come on shrimp legs I'll give you a leg up" I wasn't offended by being told I have shrimp legs, which I have in comparison to him at nearly 6', so why do larger people get offended when people remark that they are larger, if its true & they are?
 
What bugs me is that riding clothes manufacturers evidently assume all horse riders are tiny. That is why all the XXL size riding attire I see is actually a mere size 14. Presumable anyone larger than a massive XXL (aka UK size 14) doesn't ride :mad::mad::mad: I mean, since when is a UK size 14 XXL????? WTF.

OP: Ridiculous comment about your bum!!! Jeeze, I'd give my right arm to be your size again :rolleyes:
 
I weigh just over 14 stone and ride a 17hh heavy weight (rising five baby horse) and a 15'2 Arab. Neither has any problems carrying me.
 
I have a real thing about my size when riding I always have had I think it goes back to when I went to dancing classes when I was lttile and I realised one day that all the other girls were little twigs and I was a square little thing that spent every moment I could out of doors riding a Shetland.
I am five foot five 12/14 on the bottom 14/16 on top I avoid going to competions if I feel big I know it's stupid but its a real thing with me . OP erase that silly womens comment from your mind at once and never think of it again.
 
Spyda said:
What bugs me is that riding clothes manufacturers evidently assume all horse riders are tiny. That is why all the XXL size riding attire I see is actually a mere size 14. Presumable anyone larger than a massive XXL (aka UK size 14) doesn't ride :mad::mad::mad: I mean, since when is a UK size 14 XXL????? WTF.

OP: Ridiculous comment about your bum!!! Jeeze, I'd give my right arm to be your size again :rolleyes:
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I so agree with this it must lose them so many sales it really puts me of.
 
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