Who cares if you are too heavy?

Wagtail

Wagtail

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Genuine question. It has long puzzled me why there are some people who are too heavy for their horses, but who obviously know that they are, and care enough for their horses that they stop riding until they are a suitable weight again, or they find a horse that IS up to their weight. But there are others who don't seem to care one jot, who are in denial, or who refuse to believe it. Or worse still, simply refuse to deny themselves anything that they want.

Why is that?

This is not a fat bashing thread. I am referring not only to people who are overweight but also to slim people who ride diddy ponies. Or muscle bound cowboys weighing in at 17 stone riding in three stone saddles on 14hh quarter horses. I also do not care if someone is happy being fat and if they are not so bad as to endanger their health then it's not a problem. I am simply talking about people who are underhorsed.
 
Personally I can't think when I last saw someone under horsed except in a picture over horsed on the other hand is much more common.
 
Perhaps because they see their horse as a service provider rather than a loving sentient being?

I am finding it so hard to make any progress that I again find myself considering selling. There is a lovely big shire near me for sale but what then....I get bigger and buy bigger?

As a nation of largely overweight people I'm not surprised at all that this topic comes up day after day on here. To be fair the only real life example that I have ever balked at was a very large girl riding a 16.1/2 hunter type at a show jumping competition, when she got off she was much shorted than me and we were probably the same weight she just looked much bigger. She was a wonderful rider and won several classes. She really was cracking.
 
Goldenstar said:
Personally I can't think when I last saw someone under horsed except in a picture over horsed on the other hand is much more common.
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I see it all the time at shows. There are also loads of pics on horsey websites (even this one), though the thread usually gets pulled. :o
 
I care, but am useless at doing anything about it!

I am not too heavy to ride any of my horses, but I believe I am on the upper weight limit of being effective to ride them in competition. I still do ride them in competition but am concious I could be more effective if I shed a few pounds.
 
Goldenstar said:
Personally I can't think when I last saw someone under horsed except in a picture over horsed on the other hand is much more common.
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this, and the quality of the riding makes a huge difference too. In extreme it is an issue, esp if it goes on for years and years but I think it is much less related to horse height than people sometimes assume - Im pretty confident my 14.2 can carry just as much as my 17 hander, partly because horses in the wild tend to end up as smaller size as optimum and they arent as fragile.

The 18 stone plus I saw riding a tiny welsh a youngster from the local travellers site near old house across the dual carriageway beating it as they went as he was too lazy to walk to get his fags and booze on the other hand.....now that does count as a problem!
 
I've seen people round local shows who are overweight for their horses and others who are under horsed, the sad thing is most of them then try to justify it with the 'stone a hand' argument but don't take into consideration the horses age, fitness or build. :(
 
Spiritedly said:
I've seen people round local shows who are overweight for their horses and others who are under horsed, the sad thing is most of them then try to justify it with the 'stone a hand' argument but don't take into consideration the horses age, fitness or build. :(
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Yes, that stone a hand saying :rolleyes: In that case, I am fine riding a 10 hand section A :D Always preferred ponies...
 
Truthfully though, I do much prefer ponies to horses, but as I am ten stone and tall, I choose to deny myself a pony and ride horses, great lumbering beasts. If I was 15 stone, I would get something like a 16.2 hh ID. If I was 20 stone, I wouldn't ride until I had lost 4 stone.
 
Wagtail said:
Yes, that stone a hand saying :rolleyes: In that case, I am fine riding a 10 hand section A :D Always preferred ponies...
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You can joke but there is someone round this way who pretty much does this :eek: And everyone who mentions it might be unfair on the pony is just 'picking on her' :rolleyes:
 
I have a 17hh ID with a fair amount of bone. I continually struggle to keep her weight down as the vet said if she is too heavy it may affect her soundness. She is a perfect weight carrying type but I could not justify spending so much effort keeping her weight down just to put a 15 st plus rider on her. People are very quick to criticise overweight horses and the damage that does to their joints but are more than happy to add rider weight with no consideration. A big horse has more of its own weight to carry on feet that are often not proportionally bigger without adding an overweight rider. It does annoy me that big riders just think they should get a bigger horse without thinking of the additional weight a big horse is already carrying.
I also have a 13.3 highland pony who I think is carrying more of her own weight than I'd like without adding a heavy rider. At 5'7 and 10st I don't want to get on her until she has lost some of her own weight and I have lost some of mine.
 
LynH said:
I have a 17hh ID with a fair amount of bone. I continually struggle to keep her weight down as the vet said if she is too heavy it may affect her soundness. She is a perfect weight carrying type but I could not justify spending so much effort keeping her weight down just to put a 15 st plus rider on her. People are very quick to criticise overweight horses and the damage that does to their joints but are more than happy to add rider weight with no consideration. A big horse has more of its own weight to carry on feet that are often not proportionally bigger without adding an overweight rider. It does annoy me that big riders just think they should get a bigger horse without thinking of the additional weight a big horse is already carrying.
I also have a 13.3 highland pony who I think is carrying more of her own weight than I'd like without adding a heavy rider. At 5'7 and 10st I don't want to get on her until she has lost some of her own weight and I have lost some of mine.
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Excellent point about the horse being overweight as well. When my mare first got lami, I'm ashamed to say she was 608kg on the weight tape. She is now 525kg So has lost more than the weight of me and her tack. Yet at 15.3 hh and a well built, big shouldered middleweight, I never would have hesitated at putting 13 stone on her. When I think back, the weight had crept on her and I hadn't noticed as she didn't really look fat. She carried it well. Now her ribs show but she is well covered elsewhere and I have to keep her weight below 550kg at all times as I have found that to be the tipping point when she will get lami, even if she isn't on grass.
 
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I care if I am! I have kept the weights down on my horses to avoid joint issues etc. Plus i cannot abide fat horses. I am mainly ground schooling my 13.3 while I lose weight and have a potential sharer coming to look at her Sunday so she can keep up ridden work as its not fair on her not to do all she likes to due to my weight. She loves to work. If that 'stone per hand' is right, she could take almost 14 stone, I think not. Someone of 14 stone got on my 14.3, solid Welsh D and her back sagged and she immediately looked uncomfortable and ears flat back. They only sat on mind for a saddle check but she clearly would not be happy, whereas if they did ride my 13.3 she wouldn't make a murmur. Doesn't make it right though!
 
I think its mainly down to being selfish, or ignorant. I know people say there are deeper reasons, like someone deeply unhappy with their size trying to convince themselves they are normal cos they can still ride. But imo that still comes down to being selfish when an animal is involved.
One thing I've noticed now though is the increasing number of heavy kids on ponies. It used to be the norm that with rare exception, kids & teens were ridiculous height wise on a pony, to the point they couldn't even hack it, long before weight was even a consideration. And seeing rather leggy kids on ponies was pretty common. Certainly as a kid it was widely accepted you knew you were too big when your feet had the poles. I'm not saying I see loads of too heavy kids now, although there are some. But I certainly see & know of quite a few who outgrow ponies weightwise, & just look too big, rather than too leggy, which is something that was rarely considered years ago.
 
ok- now you guys are Scaring me
do you think i am to big ???
me: 5ft9 , 9.5st :o
horse: 4 year old, 14.3hh standardbred
what do you guys think??
 
Chrisrtmas has been good to my waist line and i need to trim down but finding it hard, so would myself and l my saddle together = 11.17 stone be too heavy for my 15hh cob, i always feel guilty that i am getting to heavy for him.
 
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