# When considering a riders weight



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I was going to put this in Plus Size, but I figure it will be a good 'point to ponder' for everyone.

Look at this picture











ALL these ladies weigh around 154 pounds, the Aussie Average.

Look at all the different shapes, types of body, all weighing the same amount.

Everyone may want to take a moment to reflect in this image next time they make assumptions on a riders, or anyone else's weight.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

Interesting!
I would not consider some of the ladies "plus" by any means, and some others only chubby.
Thanks for posting this.
I'm sick of the "ideal" being 105 and a size 2!


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

That's a really interesting image!!! Very cool to see so many women, of different body types, weighing the exact same weight.


Maybe this is terrible of me and maybe I'm different than the average person, but I could care less WHAT anyone else weighs as long as they're healthy and take care of themselves.
For instance, my best friend is very overweight and is constantly picking at herself due the weight. However, at this point, her lifestyle of low activity and high caloric intake is so ingrained that for her, a small meal is 1500 calories. Just the other day I watched her eat a massive slice of pizza (it was probably 6-7 inches crust-tip and had perhaps a foot of crust) and a few baby carrots, then tell me she was excited about eating "healthy" because since the pizza+carrots were "organic and gluten-free", like that somehow made them inherently healthy.

Maybe this is mean but I have a problem with that sort of lifestyle. The one that doesn't know what they're eating, eats crap, then complains about their weight or about how no one accepts them for the weight they are.
I love "round" women. At 5'9" and 145lbs, I'm the skinniest and tallest of all my friends. My friends are all built like most of the models in that picture, I love it and I'm even a bit jealous of them. I wish I had hips and boobs...but I don't.
I just want them to be a healthy curvy. None of this complaining about how people judge them. Really, why does it matter if people judge you?
People judge me when I eat a salad for lunch but a salad is one of my most favorite foods. Who cares that it's stereotypical "skinny people" food? If I love myself and love the way I look, judge away. But if I hate the way I look, well, I should probably do something about it instead of trying to force others to accept me how I can't accept myself.

Basically, I just cannot stand complaining for the sake of complaining. If you want to complain about your weight while exercising and making healthy eating choices, bummer, but I'll support it and encourage you. If you want to complain while sitting on the couch all day, drinking 5 cans of soda, and downing 5000 calories a day, I'm not going to stick around. 

Just be a healthy you: plump, stick skinny, round, curvy, whatever. Weight is just a number.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Very interesting! 

I'm 5'6" and definitely not thin and have put on a few extra lbs as of late (but the extra lbs I've put on are okay with me right now because they replaced cigarettes. Today is 3 weeks smoke free!) When I am super fit, I'm still not a lightweight. When I was at my most fit I was riding 6-8 hours a day and working out for another 2, had less than 15% body fat and was still a size 6 & 140 lbs.

Wallaby, I got plenty of T&A to share, come visit - there's a plastic surgeon in Chicago that takes donor fat and does boob jobs with it. I'll donate for ya!


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

MHFoundation Quarters said:


> Today is 3 weeks smoke free!)


YEAH CONGRATULATIONS, now keep on going, you are officially smoke free, so all you have to do is not start. Very proud of you.:thumbsup:




MHFoundation Quarters said:


> There's a plastic surgeon in Chicago that takes donor fat and does boob jobs with it. I'll donate for ya!


OMG, I have enough donor fat to make a person or two, not just boobs..I will gladly donate.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks GH! I haven't killed anyone yet either! DH has probably wanted to run away a few times though lol!


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

MHFoundation Quarters said:


> Thanks GH! I haven't killed anyone yet either! DH has probably wanted to run away a few times though lol!



LOL, sounds just like me in the early days, that was biggest accomplishment, non smoking and not a dead body in sight.

I am a couple of weeks away from my 4th year as a non smoker, after 35 years of a pack of day habit.

I never did kill anyone, and am no longer killing myself.

Oh and as a benefit, had the flu last week, plenty of coughing, never peed myself once Only older women, with a couple of kids and a smokers cough will get that one!


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

That's awesome! Congrats!


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

I'm not sure I understand the point of this, GH. What are you trying to say? 

I've read this over and over again. I just don't understand. Maybe just that weight alone as a number means nothing? That I will generally agree with. Of course, there are exceptions, but mostly just because someone is "x"lbs means nothing without knowing their height, lifestyle, bodyshape and health issues, if any. Is that it? If so, then I am very naive because I never figured anyone would judge someone's health or abilities just because they weigh 90lbs or 200lbs. 

However, I definitely judge someone's health and abilities based on their appearance. Wrongly so in some cases, I found out a few years ago, but I still do it.  I have learned and I believe I am much more open to be shown that I am wrong, but still and all... ya, I still look at overweight people and mostly think either "poor soul, it must be hard" or "jeez, doesn't (s)he care what (s)he looks like and feels like?" Still, the lesson I learned a few years ago really taught me that I am just an outsider looking at the wrapping paper.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

NorthernMama said:


> I'm not sure I understand the point of this, GH. What are you trying to say?


It comes from people getting upset about weight when it comes to riding. I can quite see that people with the body shape of the first beautiful lady could be told that she is to 'fat' to ride, but lady number 5 may not be questioned, because her proportions are more regular.

Obviously at 154 pounds none of these ladies are to heavy, but put 50 or 100 pounds on all of them, then some would be told their too heavy, but others wouldn't.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Oh. Okay. I get what you're trying to say, I think. If RiderA looks overweight and RiderB looks slim, even though they are the same weight, RiderB is not questioned about weight. Ah.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Also when it comes to riding, look at the length of the second ladies legs, built like a rider for sure!


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## muumi (Oct 17, 2011)

_Personally_... I wouldnt find any of these ladies too heavy to ride.
When I get worried about rider's weight, and start feeling quite passionately about the topic, I'm certainly thinking in more extremes.
I really hope none of these girls consider themselves plus-size. They are not the definition of that word in my personal understanding. Which is substantiated in my mind by the fact that they weigh the national average, no matter what their height is.


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## Calming Melody (May 20, 2012)

This thread makes me life because I have been called a "plus" sized rider ...I know I am chunky (and only like 5'1!)but plus size ,come on now ! I'm not hurting my horses ! Of course the person that said this doesn't even ride horses , but is enrolled at the college I go to and is from somewhere up north and skinny as a twig lol.....to each their own ! Sorry had to post pictures , I always love a good chance to show off my Cash !!


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

NorthernMama said:


> Oh. Okay. I get what you're trying to say, I think. If RiderA looks overweight and RiderB looks slim, even though they are the same weight, RiderB is not questioned about weight. Ah.


But rider B would be questioned if the horse wasn't up to that weight, personally I'm only interested in the overall weight bearing on the horse's back and joints (and that includes long legs hanging down). A shorter person who weighs the same has a higher centre of balance and so might be more easily unbalanced but if the weight is the same then that is the thing which shoud be considered.


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## Wolfetrap (Jan 7, 2013)

I agree that what society (hollywood) considers normal is usually too thin. I think another thing that is interesting....I've been heavy and I've been thin in my life. When I was heavy people never said anything really negative more supportive. If I mentioned I needed to lose weight people would respond "are you exercising, maybe we could go for walks together, I need to lose some too." Being thinner people got nasty!!! " you're too thin, you need to gain weight....You're nothing but skin and bones....Are you eating enough...Do you have an eating disorder?" nothing supportive, not anything kind. And these were my friends/family/coworkers!!! And no I was not too thin. I'm tall and have a very small bone structure. I was always a little heavier in my teens and young adult life, then I fell in love with running. So I was muscular and strong!! People can be just be mean in general about other's bodies!


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

The point wasn't to say any of these ladies are over or underweight, the point is that they all weigh the same.

If you didn't know their weights then I really don't think that you would have guessed them as all being equal.

While I'm guessing, I would guess that some of them have been called overweight, or feel overweight.

I'm guessing that they all find different challenges in finding clothes that fit.

I'm guessing that they all eat very differently.

Clava, I wonder how often people consider all those things? 

This is not an attack on the skinny or a justification for the fat, it is merely a lovely eye opener and though provoker about judging peoples weight by eye.


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Golden Horse said:


> Clava, I wonder how often people consider all those things?
> 
> .


That I don't know, but I have seen posts where people have thought that longer legged riders (sometimes men) look acceptable on some horses and given weights which I have felt were in excess of the horse's ability, so yes I'm sure you are right and the taller rider is often viewed as less of a problem, but that is not how I would assess them.


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## waleybean (Jan 20, 2013)

I think pretty much all riding schools that I'm aware of ask a person's weight and height when they start riding there, I know some people tell porkies but you can usually rough guess someone's weight. As long as the horse they are riding is right for their height and weight it doesn't matter how that person looks so much. I think a person needs to be self aware when buying their own horse though, it's no good buying a horse that is just too small or big for you. 

I'm quite lucky as I'm very slim and long legged at 5' 6" so I can ride most from 14-16hh happily. I don't think I would want to ride any bigger to be honest but aesthetically I probably look better at the bigger end of things because of the length of my legs but I generally feel better on 15hh as 16hh can feel pretty huge if it's a really chunky horse, not to mention I like the nippiness of ponies compared to the plod of big heavy beasts.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

I certainly wouldn't have guessed that they all weigh the same. 

Overweight is a measure of the body weight to height and structure. Whether it can ever be an objective measurement or only subjective, I don't know. The first and third ladies are definitely overweight. Some of the others are not toned out with six-packs but are they overweight? Hmmm... possibly, but muscles weigh more than fat and skin, so if you only go by weight it's a tough call. And when standing relaxed, I've meet many people whom I first thought were out of shape only to find out it was all muscle, not fat at all. So, appearances can be deceiving, but there are definitely lots and lots of situations where it is very easy to say "overweight" or "underweight".

Plus, sometimes there is some amazing muscle and control underneath the fat. I no longer judge someone's abilities in all situations just based on how (s)he looks.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Calming Melody -- I would certainly call you a plus-sized rider, but that doesn't mean I think any less of you. I would also call you a brunette that wears glasses between 17 and 20 years old. It's just what you are. So what? If I had to send someone to find you, they need a description.

But when people insult others about their appearances, that's just wrong. There is a difference between stating what is and calling someone names, whether it be "fatty" or "beanpole" or "four-eyes". 

It's also about how you take it. When I got my glasses in grade school, everyone called me "four-eyes". Keep in mind, I was never popular in the first place, so this just gave them extra to target me with. But, it never stuck. Know why? Because I was just so darn happy to be able to see, they could call me four-eyes all they wanted and I would just smile with the wonderfulness of being a four-eyes. I thought it was great!

Oh, and I certainly agree - I don't see that you would be hurting your horse.


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## Calming Melody (May 20, 2012)

I'm 25


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Well, see there you go! What do I know? What does anyone know just by looking?!


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

NorthernMama said:


> Well, see there you go! What do I know? What does anyone know just by looking?!


Exactly.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

I think it is wonderful to not be judgmental. People can be excellent riders in all shapes and sizes. However, I hope others won't make the mistake I did and get their horse hurt because they let someone ride the horse who was too large and heavy. It can be difficult, but sometimes you have to hurt someone's feelings by saying they are too big to ride your horse.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

Gottatrot...I agree with you about letting others ride your horse. We used to have a family member-by-marriage who would comment "We'll have to come out and ride the horses." I would just let the comment go by. Why do people think because you have horses you are running a riding stable, anyway? But as the owner and caretaker of the animal you have to make the call as to the suitability of the rider to the horse...and horse to rider. And sometimes that call won't make you very popular.
What we now say is, while grinning, "Well, one you really don't want to ride, one is green and the gelding really hates riding in the pasture," which actually is all true. Solves the issue and helps with liability.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

gottatrot said:


> I think it is wonderful to not be judgmental. People can be excellent riders in all shapes and sizes. However, I hope others won't make the mistake I did and get their horse hurt because they let someone ride the horse who was too large and heavy. It can be difficult, but sometimes you have to hurt someone's feelings by saying they are too big to ride your horse.


I don't see why it is difficult, it is not a condemnation of their size, it is just that they are not a good match for the horse you have. To me it is the same as matching ability and temperament


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

I believe plus size starts at size 14 FWIW.

For all those women, 154 isn't enough weight for me to hesitate in saying they could ride or not. Their heighs play a bigger factor in my eyes in terms of the size of horse - the shortest woman and the tallest women would likely feel comfortable on a different range of horses.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I don't pass opinions on obese people. But I do see a bunch of health issues lining up at the door all yelling "pick me, pick me".


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## Ripplewind (Mar 22, 2012)

I guess I'm pretty lucky. I am 5' 7 and 3/4" (have not seen a 5'7" here so far) and weigh around 135-145 lbs. I have not weighed myself in about five months, though, so that is why I gave a 10 lbs range. My legs are long, and I have a shortish torso. People have called me "tiny" and "skinny". I just see myself as normal. The only thing I don't like about my body is that it could be more toned and muscular, especially in the arms. Nothing 50 push-ups a day won't solve, as I build muscle very easily.  Also, having an hour-glass figure helps with feeling better, too. XD

Threads like this used to bug me, but they don't anymore, and I really appreciate them now. I have struggled with anorexia since I was eight years old (I am sixteen now), and I was even rehabilitated for three months in Arizona at a place called Remuda Ranch. I'm doing so much better now, and I am happy to say that I can read this thread without feeling crummy.

Anyways, that little tangent was off-topic-ish. Sorry, heh heh....

My older sister wants to ride with me sometime before she goes to Poland for a year. I would love to do that with her, but she is six feet tall with redwood legs, and the only horse big enough for her is mine, and he is NOT safe for someone with so little experience as she. (The funny thing is, as tall as she is, she is so skinny! She only weighs around 150 lbs.) The only other horse available (out of the thirty-something horses at the farm) is a 14.3hh, sixteen year old mare named Brandy. Not that her name has anything to do with anything. But I am worried that my sister simply will not fit. I'll have to ask around and see if there is a horse that is big enough for her.


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## Calming Melody (May 20, 2012)

I'm 5'1 and my horses are around 15.2......Would like something shorter just for the sake of being able to get my foot in the stirrup without having to stand on something , but if I go as short as I would like I would have a pony and not a horse lol ! The joys of being short haha


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