# New Report, weight a horse can carry



## Shoebox (Apr 18, 2012)

Do you have a link to this report? I'd be interested in reading it


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## ladygodiva1228 (Sep 5, 2012)

How Much Weight Can Horses Comfortably Carry? | TheHorse.com


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Interesting. By that study, my 1500 lbs draft cross can carry 435lbs.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

THAT'S good to know. My gelding is about 1,450 lbs and my DH is working down to get lower than 250 lbs. Guess the horse will be ok. =b


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

The study was done on 6 mares, hardly a statisticaly significant amount. The Brits did one not long ago studying 150 horses found that 10% of the horses weight was optimum and 15 % was OK. That one is more statisticly significant but still doesnt take into account the varying breeds and conformations of horses. 
You would need to study Thousands if not Millions of horses to make a study statisticly significant and relevant.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

This study was done omn relatively small horses( breed standard being 13hh, slender legs), and clearly states it can be performed on different breeds to get an idea how height and build influence the weight carrying capability. 
Interesting enough is the study done on Tevis Cup FINISHERS, who carried 32% of their own weight over rough terrain for 100 miles and passed a vet check. Again, rather small, light horses. 
10 and even 15%......come on, seriously??????


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

Over and over it gets pointed out but people ignore it - the report that says 10 & 15% was nothing but a numbers game. There was *no actual physical study on the horses.* They picked a percent they wanted to consider "too much weight" for the horse and then looked at a large amount of data of horse weight vs. rider weight and any rider that was over 15% was said "too heavy" to report a % of riders that were too heavy for their horses. 

Even though this study was only 6 horses, it seems to be a more valid start to the research since it actually looks at the physical effects on the horse. They just need to continue and expand it to a larger group with a larger variety of horses involved.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

LOL, I wonder if this report will cause more or less fur and feathers to fly on message boards around the world, than the 10 - 15% one did.

Certainly interesting reading, but again, same as the much quoted study on the 20% rule, such a small sample size as to be of no significant relevance.

I don't know if there will ever be a scientific determination of this, there are just to many variables of rider and horse to make it an easy study. I agree that the Trevis Cup study is probably the best one, a wide range of horses and riders crossing harsh terrain with several vet checks, but althought that is a bigger sample size, to be fair I don't think it actually states what % of the horses were carrying over 20%.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

And not to forget the Icelandic horse and the usual Icelandic man...13 h, 300-350kg horses ridden hy at least 6' tall, normally built men, fast, over long distances and not really smooth terrain. The rider's weight I'd put at at least 200 lbs. Plus tack. Horses weighing 660-770lbs. IF they even weigh as much. Pretty close to the Japanese study, I'd say....


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## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

I think this study is on the right track. They're acknowledging that horses have different abilities, and they've found a method to determine what is too much for each horse.

I don't think that percentage would be right for every horse though, but that method of figuring it out definitely sounds promising. The quote under the photograph says it all -

_"While the horse used in the study topped out at 209 pounds, certain types of horses can handle more (or less) loading, Matsuura noted. Ideally different breeds should be evaluated for maximum weight loading recommendations, he added."_

Trust the Japanese to know how to get it 'right' xD


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Did everyone miss the part about when riding the horse in a circle? This is where overload can show up, if the horse isn't moving freely as when moving in a straight line. Altho the test didn't involve a lot of horses, it was in a control environment. When the horses could no longer move well at the trot when circling, it was figured at about 29% of it's weight. The report admits it can vary from breed to breed, even individual horses. Think about it, if a horse has trouble doing circles at the trot there is an assumption of soreness with never a thought about the horse carrying too much weight.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

That's all well and good, I believe that the study was sound, but they just used such a small pool of horses.

Their study wasn't comprehensive enough to take into consideration the conformational differences of horses, the ability of the rider, even where the majority of rider's weight was (everone knows that someone who's weight is in their upper body will have a different balance than someone who's weight is in their lower body).

That study makes a good _start_, but it's just too small to conclusively say "Yep, horses can carry 30% of their body weight fine". There are simply too many other mitigating factors to consider.

I've _always_ believed that many horses are capable of carrying more than the general 20% guideline...given the rider was balanced and fluid, the tack fit properly, and the horse was working properly.


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

Smrobs - even the guy conducting the study pointed out that there should be more research into different sized horses, etc. But all good research needs a start somewhere and there finally looks to be one. I hope they can continue the work.


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