# I feel too fat to ride...



## BurntBuckskin

A few weeks ago I started a healthy lifestyle change. I use to eat crap;I literally eat hardly any, or no, green veggies in my diet and lots of quick processed foods. I have taken the last few weeks to adjust my new eating habits to something I am comfortable with. I only eat whole grains, lots of vegetables and leafy greens, healthy proteins with the occasional fruit and I only drink water or green tea. I am already down a couple pounds and my confidence is already starting to come back. I haven't yet incorporated a lot of exercise (except dancing, lol) because I wanted to get comfortable with my new eating habits before adding something new to my lifestyle. I am now ready to start incorporating exercise. With that...

My horse has been a huge motivation to get me started on the right path. I have probably only ridden 4-5 times since April 2018. Why? Because I feel too fat to ride. We have mirrors in our arena and every time I rode by, I just saw how fat and out-of-proportion I look compared to my horse. I was taught that a rider's weight plus tack should not exceed 20% of the horse's body weight. My weight plus my tack is 22% of my horse's body weight (I weigh my horse twice yearly). My horse is young and fit. I like to hike with him and we do a lot of ground work which keeps him in really great shape even though I am not riding him.

The last thing I want to do if hurt my horse's back because of my weight, so I just don't ride. I use to be a competitive rider growing up. I think back to those days and remember how strong I felt. I wasn't even super skinny and I never thought twice about my weight. I just rode a lot and felt fit and strong and had great confidence. But I gained weight and I let it get out of hand. Now, I want to improve my health and lose weight so I can get back in the saddle.

Maybe I just drilled it into my own head that I'm too fat to ride...

What is your opinion of the saying, "rider plus tack should not exceed 20% of the horse's body weight"?
Again, my horse is fit. In your opinion, am I too fat to ride with 22% being me and my tack?


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## QueenofFrance08

They did a study at the Tevis Cup ride (Western States Ride) in the 90's that was looking at several factors that effect completion. One of those was rider weight and rider weight as a ratio to horse weight. They found that neither rider weight or rider to horse weight ratio had any effect on completion.

For anyone who doesn't know what Tevis is, it's essentially one of the hardest 100 mile rides in the US. This year the completion rate was around 50%. The ride is in California in July so if the terrain itself isn't difficult enough it is also very hot and dusty. I know some of the best riders in MN haven't been able to finish (and one who won our Minnesota's 50+ mile division this year only finished by 15 minutes). The study was done by one of the most respected veterinarians in our sport. 

If rider weight doesn't have an effect at Tevis it shouldn't hold you back!

(If you Google Tevis Weight Study you can read the whole study and results)


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## ACinATX

From what I've read, people through that 20% rule around a lot, but it isn't a hard and fast rule. Other things to consider:
1. Your fitness level
2. Your riding ability (e.g. are you bouncing up and down on his back)
3. Horse breed (ponies can usually carry a higher percentage of weight, e.g.)
4. Horse's back (short back can carry more rider weight)
5. What sort of riding you are doing (walking probably OK, jumping maybe not)
6. How the horse reacts to your weight.

You are so close to that 20% that if you felt good about the other things I mentioned, then you should be OK to ride. I am not an expert by any means; this is a compilation of things I have heard other people say.


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## BurntBuckskin

ACinATX said:


> From what I've read, people through that 20% rule around a lot, but it isn't a hard and fast rule. Other things to consider:
> 1. Your fitness level
> 2. Your riding ability (e.g. are you bouncing up and down on his back)
> 3. Horse breed (ponies can usually carry a higher percentage of weight, e.g.)
> 4. Horse's back (short back can carry more rider weight)
> 5. What sort of riding you are doing (walking probably OK, jumping maybe not)
> 6. How the horse reacts to your weight.
> 
> You are so close to that 20% that if you felt good about the other things I mentioned, then you should be OK to ride. I am not an expert by any means; this is a compilation of things I have heard other people say.


Thank you for the advice. Just to answer a few:
1. Not the best fitness level. I can hike about two miles and run about one before I get really tired. I do tend to push myself a lot so I can break the mental barrier pretty easily. But I have a lot of room for improvement.
2. I am an advanced rider, even though I haven't ridden in a while. It all comes back right away, just some muscles ache after a good long ride. I have a good seat.
3. I have a 15.2 hand Quarter Horse gelding- built like a tank.
4. Short-backed horse
5. Light trail riding I love the most (at a walk) and flat work in the arena (walk, trot, canter with occasional pole work)
6. He doesn't react. When I mount from the mounting block, he just stands there mellow as could be.


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## AtokaGhosthorse

ACinATX said:


> From what I've read, people through that 20% rule around a lot, but it isn't a hard and fast rule. Other things to consider:
> 1. Your fitness level
> 2. Your riding ability (e.g. are you bouncing up and down on his back)
> 3. Horse breed (ponies can usually carry a higher percentage of weight, e.g.)
> 4. Horse's back (short back can carry more rider weight)
> 5. What sort of riding you are doing (walking probably OK, jumping maybe not)
> 6. How the horse reacts to your weight.
> 
> You are so close to that 20% that if you felt good about the other things I mentioned, then you should be OK to ride. I am not an expert by any means; this is a compilation of things I have heard other people say.



I'd add to this what sort of physical condition the horse is in. A fit, healthy, active horse vs. the equivalent of an equine couch potato will be able to carry more, longer, IMO.


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## Golden Horse

Go ride your horse, use those mirrors to be the best balanced rider you can be, enjoy, the more you ride, the fitter you will both get.


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## tinyliny

I don't like to see myself in a mirror, on top of my horse (I lease him , so technically , he is not 'mine') . . But, as long as there is no mirror around, we both are fine. 



I think I am right about AT the 20% with tack. Hard to know exactly, but close enough. I'm sure I look funny . . a bit like a Ms. PacMan on a pony , but, we keep up with all the other 'normal' riders, no problem.


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## ACinATX

tinyliny said:


> I think I am right about AT the 20% with tack. Hard to know exactly, but close enough. I'm sure I look funny . . a bit like a Ms. PacMan on a pony , but, we keep up with all the other 'normal' riders, no problem.


LOL like this guy?:cowboy:
:Angel:


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## karens1039

You are not too fat. The 20% is not all that accurate.


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## 3Horses2DogsandaCat

You're so close to 20%, I think you should be fine, especially based on your horse's description. With your current diet, you'll probably be at the 20% mark before you know it 



I also wanted to add that I think you're on the right track with getting used to your new way of eating before adding strenuous exercise. I work in a weight-loss clinic, and that is what we advise for our patients and it works really well. Good luck and keep up the good work!


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## lostastirrup

As someone young, skinny and woefully out of shape- If you can run a mile without getting tired youre way fitter than you think you are! Is the horse the one in the profile picture?- he looks like a handsome sturdy boy!


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## BurntBuckskin

lostastirrup said:


> As someone young, skinny and woefully out of shape- If you can run a mile without getting tired youre way fitter than you think you are! Is the horse the one in the profile picture?- he looks like a handsome sturdy boy!


Yep, the horse as my avatar is my boy 

Thank you for the kind words!


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## Walkamile

Golden Horse said:


> Go ride your horse, use those mirrors to be the best balanced rider you can be, enjoy, the more you ride, the fitter you will both get.



^^^This! I joke a lot about selecting horses based on their A$$'s being broader then mine in the saddle. So many of us are way too hard on how we look. Sounds like you are a balanced rider , your horse is fit and on the young side and you are not riding hard . He/she is fine. Enjoy your horse!


Side note: Bought my first polar fleece riding pants ever. Of course I bought way too large because I wanted them to "feel" loose. Now I just need to grow a few more inches so there won't be soo much extra length! :smile::icon_rolleyes:


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## stevenson

you sound fit. if that 20% rule applied and was accurate ,, no cutting horse would be ridden. lol. I had some fool on fb tell me by looking at a photo of me,(stalker) on my 16 h horse I was to fat. Just ridiculous. 

If you are not riding 13 h or smaller ponies, or some fine boned spindly 800 lb horse than I doubt if you are to heavy.


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## beau159

Ditto to GO RIDE YOUR HORSE! That 20% "rule" is not a rule at all. 



Your mental state will be better if you enjoy riding your horse, and that will help you stick long term with these new lifestyle changes. 



And don't look at the mirror!


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## PoptartShop

Screw that ‘rule’. Ride your horse and enjoy him!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Whinnie

BurntBuckskin said:


> What is your opinion of the saying, "rider plus tack should not exceed 20% of the horse's body weight"?
> Again, my horse is fit. In your opinion, am I too fat to ride with 22% being me and my tack?



The "rule" says "should not", it does not say "must not". It is a suggestion for optimum chance of winning. Doesn't mean you fcan['tm ride or en that you can't win. Ride!


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## DutchHorse

I'm 93 kgs, fit as a fiddle! NOW RIDE DAMMIT!


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## DutchHorse

PoptartShop said:


> Screw that ‘rule’. Ride your horse and enjoy him!!!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


+1 Girl! BIG FAT +1!


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## redbadger

Everyone, everywhere (with mirrors), has at one point looked at their reflection and been dismayed. Everyone has looked at themselves, poked and prodded, compared themselves to others, and thought "I'm not good/thin/strong/fit enough". A yoga instructor at my gym teaches the class facing the mirror wall, and I love yoga, but I just can't watch myself in the mirror. I hate it. No matter how strong I feel, I always seem to look terrible. But that's the thing: it's how you feel. Do you feel better when you ride your horse? Do you feel strong and tall? Do you feel like you're learning and getting better? Then ride. I hear you - it feels awful to look in a mirror and not see what you hoped for reflected back. It often hurts, and can make us feel discouraged and lonely. But the mirrors are just objects - they tell us nothing about who we really are, or how hard we're working, or where we've come from. 



You said your horse is young and active and fit. Great! He's beautiful, too. But he has no mind for how he looks, right? He's thinking about how he feels - if he's warm, cold, sluggish, has a bellyache, is full of beans, or - pleased to see his interesting and kind human coming up to the gate.


tl;dr - if riding makes you feel better, and you enjoy it, and you love your horse and working together with him, by all means go and ride. Time will do the rest.



(as a side note, not everyone is made to be a runner/jogger, so don't feel bad if it turns out to not be your thing - personally, I would love to be able to jog, as it'd make activity easier, but d/t bad genetics my knees at 32 are shot to hell. But there's lots of other cardio to try, too, if you're able.)


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## tinyliny

DutchHorse said:


> I'm 93 kgs, fit as a fiddle! NOW RIDE DAMMIT!





While your sentiment is admirable, and cheering, there is a difference between 93 kg and 123 kg. At some point, the amount does matter. I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but there is a point where the weight matters. I agree that most of us who think we are too much can find a way. But, it's not something you just blithely ignore. You have to respect the limits of the horse. And that the OP is considering all this, with care, is also admirable.


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## DutchHorse

tinyliny said:


> While your sentiment is admirable, and cheering, there is a difference between 93 kg and 123 kg. At some point, the amount does matter. I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but there is a point where the weight matters. I agree that most of us who think we are too much can find a way. But, it's not something you just blithely ignore. You have to respect the limits of the horse. And that the OP is considering all this, with care, is also admirable.


True


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## AndalusionTales

I had a mare for 25 years I rode every day. I was at 30% riding her bareback with a halter. I did time and game events with her and jumped with her in the ring and out on trail rides up until she was 23 years old, because she wanted to. She took it all as playtime! She was a stout little mare, paso/appaloosa cross almost 15 hands and weighed give or take 800 lbs. She had wonderful conformation, top line, hooves, etc. I rode her when I was 125 lbs, and through my pregnancy where I was 160lbs, through after my pregnancy where I had a thyroid condition and went up to 210 lbs and then finally came down again.

I remember feeling much like you, embarrassed to be so large on my poor little mare who only aimed to please but if she had ever shown one sign that I was hurting her, I never would have ridden her again until the weight was off or I would have leased her to someone I trusted to work her out. I thought, oh my gosh, my body is all bouncing at a different beat now, this poor horse. She never showed anything bothered her, it was just my own opinion of myself guilt tripping me.

My horse grew accustomed to my weight because I gradually increased while I rode her. If you feel like you may be a little much for her then there is nothing wrong with taking it slow for both you and her. Start at 30 minutes a day, work it up to an hour a day if she's responding well to it. The only thing that can tell you what is and isn't ok is your horse. Listen to her.

Right now, my new mare, an Andalusian of 19 years old, 15'2 and about 1100 lbs hasn't been worked out for years. Her prior owner used her as a broodmare for the last 3 consecutive years. So her top line is sagging and her belly muscles are bulging not really because she's overweight if anything she's under a bit but because her muscles are so weak. I sat on her the first time a couple of weeks ago and after 5 minutes her back muscles were trembling. I got off of her and she moaned with relief. I checked her back to see if anything was painful to her, nothing was wrong, the vet checked her out, everything was AOK there too. Just an overbred mare with weak muscles due to not being exercised at all.

Since, she's been lunged daily, starting at 15 minutes and slowly building it up 5 minutes each day to 30 minutes for a week and now 30 min each side. I sat on her again last weekend and did one lap around a very large ring, she never shook or gave the, "thank you for getting off of me sigh" but I could tell it's still a little much for her. Take it slow and let them get used to the added weight.


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## Sunstreakersgirl

I felt the same way, and was worried to ride... but then my dad pointed out all those muscular bigger built cowboys in the rodeos and said they probably weigh a decent amount and their horses do just fine with them... it's about knowing how to sit in your seat and use your weight to your advantage! 
Seeing Andre the Giant riding a white horse at the end of Princess Bride helped too 😉


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## bsms

The 20% rule is bogus. A former cavalry officer interested in jumping promoted a 20% rule - one the cavalry ignored all the time since jumping wasn't the main goal of the cavalry. The US Cavalry looked for horses weighing between 900 & 1100 lbs and assumed a field weight (rider plus gear) of 250 lbs. The British Cavalry, IIRC, wanted horses between 1000 & 1200 lbs and assumed a field weight of 300 lbs. Obviously neither cavalry believed in a 20% rule!

Some years back, a badly flawed study "proved" the 20% rule. They didn't ride the horses for 4 months, so the horses were not riding fit. They then rode them twice a month for 45 minutes, ensuring they did not GET riding fit. At 30%, they found physical signs of stress in the blood. Not at 25%. But they brought in equine massagers who said they found signs of soreness at 25%, so the study concluded 20% was the maximum a horse could carry.

Suppose you prevented a group of people from walking for 4 months. You then see how far they can jog without showing signs of pain or discomfort. Would that prove that the maximum distance a person can jog is 100 yards?

My horses haven't been ridden for squat this winter. As we start up, I won't ride them 10 miles at a time, or ask them to run laps in the arena for 30 minutes. We'll do a lot of walking (as always since I live in the desert) and some trotting. A little cantering. And we'll work back into it - just as I am working back into jogging.

That doesn't mean a person of any weight can ride any horse at any time without harming the horse. But I'm 170-180 lbs, use a saddle that weighs either 20 or 30 lbs, and I've never owned a horse who weighed over 900 lbs. That means 23% is about the lowest at which I've ever ridden a horse, and my horses are fine. This is Bandit, my main horse - and hardly a giant:


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## AtokaGhosthorse

I wonder how OP is doing these days with this?


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## GrittyGrulla

Firstly, I love your post. You have such a love and dedication to your horse. Secondly, I love the new love and dedication you also have for yourself! You sound like you are on a fantastic track toward your goals. Cleaning up your diet and getting more exercise will benefit so many aspects your life and even so much of your future. I work in physical therapy and I can say I wish more of my patients had your motivation and mentality on health and fitness. Small steps are still steps in the right direction. 

About the 20% rule? I've heard this before and I can say I think its more of a guideline than an actual rule. As pointed out by others, you are already so close to that 20% that I wouldn't stress it too much. I find that staying fit for riding not only helps with better posture (and all over riding), but makes any injuries you incur easier to bounce back from as well. 

Keep on doing what you are doing, girl! Your goals are fantastic and I think I can say we are all proud of you!


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## Acadianartist

Go ride! Look at is as both you and your horse getting fit together. Start slow, so you both get used to it again, and build from there. It will be a huge motivator in keeping you on track! 

I sometimes joke that the picture I have in my head of myself is about 20 years out of date, but that's ok, I'll just keep thinking that's what I look like. I hardly ever look in a mirror. Fitness and health are really important, so keep striving for those goals, but forget about how you think you look. We are all our harshest critics.


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## Spanish Rider

@BurntBuckskin , congratulations on making the change towards healthier eating!

About the 20% rule: this was a completely arbitrary percentage defined for cavalry horses who were being ridden ALL DAY LONG. I honestly would not worry at all about a measly 2% if you are riding for a more reasonable amount of time. To confess, I am probably borderline 'heavy' for the horses I ride (I am 5'11, horses are 14-15 hh PREs), but with good balance, seat, and short workouts (I rarely ride over 45 min), my horses still always have enough energy and spunk to trot or Spanish Walk back to the barn. And, we school passage on a daily basis. Of course, certain professional Dressage riders here in Europe argue that you can't possibly be an excellent rider if you weigh more than 170 lbs (some even say 150). But, my Spanish trainer jokingly says that that is only true of central European horses, as Spanish PREs are much tougher and have more 'heart'. :rofl:

Anyway, I would suggest that, as you lose weight, you reward yourself with some riding. Lose 10 lbs? Ride 15 minutes. Lose 10 more? Add a bit more time. It would be a great way to motivate yourself and to stay on track.


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