What does 12 stone including tack actually look like?

[katastrophykat]

Here's my 11st on my 14.2 out cubbing

On the beach

In total agreement that cream jods do no favours!

In contrast- on a full up (still lean not long after I bought him) 16.3

And on my baby three year old- 15.2/3 at the moment though the string vest does nothing for me

I have a hard time convincing people theres 11st of me clothed- once naked no-one argues I think riders carry the weight all over, rather than having a big belly or huge arse, I know I'm bigger than I should be everywhere, and a size 10-12 usually x

 

[millitiger]

I am about 11st 7lb at the moment and about 5'10ft...
Vinnie is 18hh

 

[Irishbabygirl]

I'm 5'6 and bang on 11st so with tack etc I would be 12st or over...my horse is 15.2 cobxtb type.

 

[mystiandsunny]

I think in someone who already rides, weight can be very deceptive. No one ever believes I'm 9 stone (size 8, 5ft4) - but I am, and below that weight I get ill too easily, have little energy etc because actually most of it is muscle, and a certain amount of body fat is necessary for good health!

Everyone above looks great on their horses, but I bet a 12 stone person who rarely exercises would look a LOT bigger than you all do!

 

[AMW]

i am 5'4 & weigh about 10.11, so with tack total weight would be over 12 or thereabouts.
Pony is only 13hh but I dont think Im too big or heavy on her, obv if she was a finer type I would be

 

[AMW]

btw I think its fab to see all of us similar sized ladies riding lots of different types and looking good on them all

 

[BobbyMondeo]

I am about 5'6" verging on 12stone here including tack probably more like 13stone
robbie is 15.3 hh and makes no bones about carrying me about.

 

[Jesstickle]

Whoever asked for heights

I am a piddly 5'3'' and weighed a good 11.5 stone in those two pictures. I've dropped a bit now as I wanted to ride my 4yo.

 

[Bernster]

Am loving all the nice piccies. You all look grand !

 

[WestCoast]

It may well be that riding schools with a limit of 12st have mostly smaller horses/ponies and just don't have the capacity to manage a lot if heavier riders. Also they will probably get people a bit heavier than that underestimating their weight and don't want the argument when someone 16st turns up claiming to be 14st if they set the limit higher. It is a bit tough for the taller men though.

When I get my riding back up to scratch I fancy doing a bit of kids pony training - so I'd probably need to get my weight down to about 8st. I love my food, so it's not just the larger ladies who need to suffer for the riding.

Paula

 

[4x4]

Girls, girls, whoa there. What you are all forgetting is that most horses (flat race TBs excepted) were designed to carry sometimes heavy men in battledress -look at the horses that were requisitioned in the 1st WW and used for fighting-so I say don't beat yourselves up - you will know if you are too heavy to ride, the horse will tell you. (Runs for cover)!

 

[Taisypops]

Skippys Mum was the first pic you posted taken at lawmarnock? x

 

[rubysmum]

Thank you to everyone who posted on this thread, lots of lovely horses and riders.
My aim with it was not to ignite any sizeist comments but to show people what 12 stone actually looks like as I suspect and other people have agreed that the 12 stone weight limit has been adopted as it 'sounds' like a lot, rather than being particularly scientific.

 

[BobbyMondeo]

Girls, girls, whoa there. What you are all forgetting is that most horses (flat race TBs excepted) were designed to carry sometimes heavy men in battledress -look at the horses that were requisitioned in the 1st WW and used for fighting-so I say don't beat yourselves up - you will know if you are too heavy to ride, the horse will tell you. (Runs for cover)!

Totally agree with you, my horse is fine carrying me and jumps 1.10 wirh my sharer who is heavier than me. I dont think myself as heavy at all (obviously wouldn't ride a fine small pony but i dont want to so thats alright )

 

[Gwena]

I am 5ft4 & fluctuate between 9st2 & 9st 6. I look a lot heavier because I am wide & muscular but side on I'm tiny. I wear size 12. Taller friends who are over a stone heavier wear size 10. I see myself as a Suffolk punch- small, short clean legs, muscular & very strong. Built for strength not speed!

 

[Nannon]

This just shows how bad I am at judging weight! None of you look like what I would guess at! I'm 5ft10 and 8.5 stone but look a similar size to lots of you guys!

 

[JoBo]

 

[JoBo]

Whoops silly phone! That would be me to, I weigh 11st 10. As you can see my horse (at 15'1hh) carries me no probs.

 

[Jesstickle]

Well, when I was 10 stone I looked like this (please excuse lack of legs, weirdo face and odd driving a boat posture. I hate my photo being taken so they're always naff), and my BMI was 24.8 so verging on tipping over into the 'overweight' bracket. I think some people must just weigh more than others because although I'm clearly not emaciated I wouldn't say I was about to rush head long into ill health through a BMI over 25 either? I have no idea what it is that makes me heavier than other people of them same size as me but I definitely am!

Sorry, that was a bit off topic but I am genuinely curious as to why I weigh so much!

 

[FfionWinnie]

Everyone looks great and much thinner than me although I am in the same bracket. Hummmm

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Thank you to everyone who posted on this thread, lots of lovely horses and riders.
My aim with it was not to ignite any sizeist comments but to show people what 12 stone actually looks like as I suspect and other people have agreed that the 12 stone weight limit has been adopted as it 'sounds' like a lot, rather than being particularly scientific.

I'm really glad you have done this and have thought of doing something similar before. I am another 5ft 6in 11st rider .

I think some of the naturally small finer boned riders have a bit of a warped view of what 11 /12stone looks like and just don't get that if you are a solid type you will struggle to get under 11st - I used to be about 10st when I was in my twenties and only time I was less was when I went through a bad break-up and physically could not eat (the stress diet works well ) Most I've been is about 12st 9lbs but I didn't feel good being that and I do feel better now I've lost it again and kept it off (thank you Dukan) but that's because for my height and build I was overweight not because my horse suffered in anyway

 

[Skippys Mum]

Skippys Mum was the first pic you posted taken at lawmarnock? x

Yes

 

[FfionWinnie]

Jess you look great. I don't think you weigh "so much" tho. Maybe you have dense bones or a heavy brain.

 

[Jesstickle]

Jess you look great. I don't think you weigh "so much" tho. Maybe you have dense bones or a heavy brain.

Ha, I don't look like that these days! But I'm happy with my weight/figure etc even now it is more squishy/ orange peely.

I don't mean that 10 stone is much, just that I really thought I should weigh less than that. I know so many people who say they weigh less than me but look fatter than I am.Unless they're telling porkies which is perfectly possibly I guess. I like the idea of having a nice heavy brain though.I may run with that

At the point those photos were taken I was working riding flat horses. I rode 5 a day and mucked out 10 boxes and was running regularly. And do you know what? When I went to the nurse for a pill check and got on the scales she felt the need to tell me to watch my weight! No wonder so many girls have eating disorders Fortunately I thought it was hilarious.

 

[kerilli]

Girls, girls, whoa there. What you are all forgetting is that most horses (flat race TBs excepted) were designed to carry sometimes heavy men in battledress -look at the horses that were requisitioned in the 1st WW and used for fighting-so I say don't beat yourselves up - you will know if you are too heavy to ride, the horse will tell you. (Runs for cover)!

Sorry, I disagree. First of all, that was decades ago, that isn't what most horses are bred for now. Also, Most well-schooled polite horses won't tell you. In a mad moment once I offered my cousin a hack out on my horse (16h 7/8tb Adv eventer, grey in my siggy, very polite!) because he hadn't ridden since he was a teenager. He's very tall but was very lean/fit (RAF fireman at the time), it never even occurred to me to even think of his weight, let alone ask it. We went for a 30 min hack, she was saintly. On the way back he happened to mention he was 17 stone, I nearly had heart failure! The mare had carried him as if he was 7 stone... not a peep out of her. I think it would have done her damage if she had been ridden by someone as heavy as that daily.
Oh and fwiw I am just over 10 stone, 5'10", but my saddle weighs a stone on its own and my boots aren't light, ditto body protector, so I bet this little lot is 12 stone+:

(which is why I am still dieting even though people are saying 'that's enough'... not for me and my mares, it isn't!)

 

[benson21]

So, whats your thoughts on this picture? Too big?? Ok??

Sorry for the size of picture, cant work out how to get it smaller!!!

 

[Blitzen]

Not the best picture in the world (do excuse my poor position ) but this is me riding my mums 15.1hh Sec Dx. I am 5ft 7 and hover somewhere between 13-13.5 stone, so + tack/boots/hat etc will be nudging 14.5 stone.
https://fbcdn-photos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/222156_1882905644299_4056717_n.jpg
Another of myself and my 14.3hh chunky cob, who also manages fine lugging me and my lardy bum round an xc course or out hunting all day
https://fbcdn-photos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/198536_1789661073243_1254580_n.jpg
I think this is why me and my mare get along so well - we're both fit but chunky lasses, who like our food and would be mardy if we were on a diet all the time. Why fight nature? I'm never going to look like an Jessica Ennis and she's never going to look like Frankel. I'd rather be chubby and happy, than hungry and miserable all the time, which is what it would take for me to weigh 11 stone! Horses for courses, ain't it? Or in my case, horses for arses

 

[Littlelegs]

I'm going to buck the trend & say actually I think the pictures do look their weight. And I certainly don't mean that in a rude, you all look heavy way at all. I just think in general most people don't realise what a healthy adult actually weighs. Especially if they have a lot of muscle.

 

[Abacus]

I think all of you look great on your horses and not one is too heavy to be carried.

But as a point of dissent - you are all very accomplished riders and your horses probably do a couple of hours work a day. You also have good-quality saddles and probably get backs and saddles checked as often as necessary.

I can see that an RS doesn't want BEGINNER 12-stone riders on their horses, perhaps with less than ideal saddles, and for several hours a day. Some horses could carry it, some would struggle. It's more rider ability combined with weight than just the weight, I think.

For the record I don't think 12 stone especially heavy. But it might be too much when bouncing and unbalanced.

 

[Flame_]

Well, when I was 10 stone I looked like this

I don't mean that 10 stone is much, just that I really thought I should weigh less than that. I know so many people who say they weigh less than me but look fatter than I am.Unless they're telling porkies which is perfectly possibly I guess.

I'm 5'2 and go between 9 and 9 1/2 stone. I could never get away with wearing that! I think a lot depends on diet. I'm very active but I live almost entirely on carbs so I know i'll always be chubby, but not necessarily heavy, IYKWIM.