# plus sized riders and jumping



## SAP101196 (May 25, 2015)

opinions on plus sized riders and jumping?


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## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

Depends how 'plus-sized', the build of the horse, the height of the jumps, and the skill level.

I don't jump, because a) I don't know how, b) I weigh around 250lbs and c) up until now I didn't have a capable horse. I think it would have been wrong for someone my size to jump any size jump on an arthritic old horse, especially when I'm no jumper.

BUT, if you had a capable rider around my size, on a solid horse, doing small jumps, I see no issue. My opinion is the bigger the jump, the smaller the rider should be. That's not to say that plus-sized riders shouldn't jump - it just means I don't feel someone my weight should go around jumping 5 foot fences on a light-boned thoroughbred.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

As with any question regarding plus-size riders, "It depends" is generally the answer. I do see some plus-size riders out there on half or full drafts doing low jumps, and they seem to fare just fine if both horse and rider are otherwise fit. If you plan on doing Hunters, you have to be aware that it is a very image-centric sport where every little detail counts, including whether the horse and rider "fit" together. 

I ride western, so I have no personal experience in jumping other than jumping logs out on the trail.


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