# Buying a Horse aka "Not on MY horse!"



## Sallypop (May 19, 2014)

I'm just in the process of buying my third horse - does anyone else have the fear of rocking up to try a horse and being told "not on MY horse FATTY!"? 

Imagine my utter DELIGHT when I turned up and the owner was probably 20lbs heavier than me! 

I get in such a state when I go to look at a horse - I'm so worked up about being "fat" that I don't enjoy it. Just meeting this woman has meant I'm so much more relaxed about this horse.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Even at my heaviest I've never had anyone tell me no. Of course, I'd never show up to ride a pony or anything inappropriate. As long as you're reasonably athletic and know how to ride, weight usually isn't an issue.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I always make sure that they know I am big, I am honest about my weight, even sent a pic once, just to be sure that there are no misunderstandings. I know how you feel


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

I had someone larger try out my boy.

My trainer said she'd turn her away.

I refused.
The horse was well muscled enough.

The only time I have EVER told anyone to be careful was on my old mare. The male rider had super long legs, and she was tickly. She behaved, mind you.

It depends on the horse, and rider. If the horse is a super sensitive soul, or is prone to back problems, I'd advertise, as many do, that he is not a weight carrier. If the rider is experienced, and can carry his or her own weight, I have no issue. A larger rider who can ride does less damage than someone of a normal weight bouncing around up their, IMO. 

Just be upfront and honest when you ask about the horses, ask if they are weight carriers and explain your riding abilities. It'll save any awkward situations.


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## EquineBovine (Sep 6, 2012)

I have a fear of it but no one has ever said 'aw heck no'. But I always make sure the horse is a solid lil thing and advise that I am bigger etc.
Good luck!


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## Sallypop (May 19, 2014)

The one I went to try is a big 17.2hh - and tbh if I'd been told his back wasn't up to it then I wouldn't have been interested anyway. 

But... I live in the UK and as has been mentioned on these boards before - a lot of people think 140 is a max! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

I just let my riding speak for itself! :wink:
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## EquineBovine (Sep 6, 2012)

Ahh yes. Kiwis are pretty easy going. We Brits no so much haha.
How did the ride go though? Did you like him?


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

140 pounds the max? That excludes about 70 % of the adult population . Why would people think a horse cannot carry more than 140 lbs.?
Most men weigh well over that.


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Sallypop said:


> The one I went to try is a big 17.2hh - and tbh if I'd been told his back wasn't up to it then I wouldn't have been interested anyway.
> 
> But... I live in the UK and as has been mentioned on these boards before - a lot of people think 140 is a max!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



I don't think a lot of people think 10 stone is the max over here:?, I would guess 10 stone would be an average weight not a maximum viewed, certainly on all the local threads I've read it is nearer the 14 stone that people start to question appropriate weight for horses and getting the correct sort of horse with plenty of bone, which is why I imagine a lot of riding schools here have that size as a maximum. Most men out hunting will be well in excess of 140lbs (10 stone).


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## Sallypop (May 19, 2014)

EquineBovine - yes, I do like him very much. Just having the vet check out a question I have about him, but fingers crossed he'll be mine!

Clava - we must move in very different circles. There's a "riding school" which specialises in Clydesdales with a max weight of 12 stone (178lbs)! Friends of mine run a centre where they think a 9 (126 lbs) stone woman is on the chunky side !


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Sallypop said:


> EquineBovine - yes, I do like him very much. Just having the vet check out a question I have about him, but fingers crossed he'll be mine!
> 
> Clava - we must move in very different circles. There's a "riding school" which specialises in Clydesdales with a max weight of 12 stone (178lbs)! Friends of mine run a centre where they think a 9 (126 lbs) stone woman is on the chunky side !


My local School asks people to be weighed at about 13 stone but not turned away. Your friend's centre would get very few riders at 9 stone, unless they only have ponies for children.

That aside, the view in the Uk is certainly not that 10 stone is heavy, I enjoy reading lots of forums and this often comes up as a topic and many riders are well over 10 stone (I myself am) and I should think all hunting photos across the country will show big men hunting all day. Horses simply need to be appropriate for their riders, with enough bone and substance, in the Uk we are blessed with some very good weight carrying natives such as Highlands, Welsh cobs, even Shires.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

The heavier rider should use a high quality saddle. This makes all the difference in the world to the horse. It's not just about being heavier. The obese rider has a different weight distribution than a heavy, well muscled rider. The stomach should not protrude over the front of the pommel, not the bum behind the cantle. This places the riders weight beyond the load bearing area on the horse.


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## 3ringburner (Feb 8, 2014)

i read something the other day that the ideal weight a horse should carry is 10% or less of the horses body weight. I dont think it would effect the horse that much because think about it. Most horses are well muscled. 10% of a 1500Lb horse would be 150lbs. Well say someone weighs 150lbs and "can only carry 10% of their body weight" that would be 15lbs......... i am 130lbs and Very well muscled, .7% of me is body fat. 50lbs to me feels like a fly. i can carry 75-85lbs by myself no biggie... and thats Aprox. 60% of my body weight. So if a horse is 1200lbs and lets say 45% (less than half) of their body weight they can carry because we dont want them going lame or having back problems or hurting them they would be able to carry around 400lbs. Now i wouldnt put that much on a horse but i have seen horses carry 200lb+ riders and not go lame or have any problems. Then i could hop on them and they would do every thing at the same speed/ pace. I have seen some really good "heavy" riders. I dont think weight should be an issue.


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## sea (May 15, 2014)

I'm chubby and I have this fear all the time. Luckily it's never happened to me, even this fine boned Arab mare I tried out, the owner said we looked well matched. I was so shocked. (Unfortunately she didn't pass her vet check.) 

Usually I tend to look for bigger, stockier horses. I was the most comfortable on my big boned 16.3hh OTTB because I knew there was no way I would look too big on her!


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## sea (May 15, 2014)

*Double post sorry!*


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

3ringburner said:


> i read something the other day that the ideal weight a horse should carry is 10% or less of the horses body weight. I dont think it would effect the horse that much because think about it. Most horses are well muscled. 10% of a 1500Lb horse would be 150lbs. Well say someone weighs 150lbs and "can only carry 10% of their body weight" that would be 15lbs......... i am 130lbs and Very well muscled, .7% of me is body fat. 50lbs to me feels like a fly. i can carry 75-85lbs by myself no biggie... and thats Aprox. 60% of my body weight. So if a horse is 1200lbs and lets say 45% (less than half) of their body weight they can carry because we dont want them going lame or having back problems or hurting them they would be able to carry around 400lbs. Now i wouldnt put that much on a horse but i have seen horses carry 200lb+ riders and not go lame or have any problems. Then i could hop on them and they would do every thing at the same speed/ pace. I have seen some really good "heavy" riders. I dont think weight should be an issue.


You cannot make a comparison between what a human can carry, and what a horse can carry , as a percentage of their respective body weights. humans stand vertically. we are designed to carry weight well. horses are not designed to carry weight on their back. the spine is not positioned to bear as much weight, proportionately, as a vertical spine.

however, horses CAN outpull us, porportionately to their/our body weight, by FAR.

and, you have only* .7 % body fat?* that's like starvation level.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

this horse is just 15 hh, about 1000 lbs, tops. the rider is 200 lbs. does that look out really out of porportion?


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## bitinsane (Jun 5, 2013)

tinyliny said:


> this horse is just 15 hh, about 1000 lbs, tops. the rider is 200 lbs. does that look out really out of porportion?
> 
> View attachment 443234


no, that looks like a good match actually! ^


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## 3ringburner (Feb 8, 2014)

tinyliny said:


> You cannot make a comparison between what a human can carry, and what a horse can carry , as a percentage of their respective body weights. humans stand vertically. we are designed to carry weight well. horses are not designed to carry weight on their back. the spine is not positioned to bear as much weight, proportionately, as a vertical spine.
> 
> however, horses CAN outpull us, porportionately to their/our body weight, by FAR.
> 
> and, you have only* .7 % body fat?* that's like starvation level.



No im not at starvation leval. Im healthy and fit. Im muscled and actually pretty buff, from muscle. I am 5'2-4 and im not looking like im starving.
And i didnt think about the standing vertically.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

googled 'typical body fat" got this chart:


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## 3ringburner (Feb 8, 2014)

ok. Well im not at starvation leval and it might of been 7% but im pretty sure it was .7%. I have alot of meat on my bones and am very healthy. No Back on topic, The typical body weight a horse would/should have to hold is 10% of its own body weight.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

3ringburner said:


> ok. Well im not at starvation leval and it might of been 7% but im pretty sure it was .7%. I have alot of meat on my bones and am very healthy. No Back on topic, The typical body weight a horse would/should have to hold is 10% of its own body weight.



Sorry but that is bull poop, both statements .7% fat sounds way to little and very unhealthy, 7% is way low as well! each individual varies! but the body needs a little fat around.

I' reading your second statement as a horse should only carry 10% as a load! and that is crazy, if that were the case we best shoot a whole bunch of horses and make a whole bunch of people quit riding.

Trouble with that % calculation is that it takes no account of the physical weight carrying ability of the individual horse. If you look at my guy, wide, big feet, short back, strong bone, he can carry 30% long and slow all day. He is currently at a great weight, but soft condition, as he muscles up and gets fitter, he could carry that 30 % doing anything.

Now take a delicate boned horse, fine build, poor feet long back, and currently FAT as in obese, it could be that an extra 5% would be too much for his already overburdened frame. 

People don't like to hear it, but riding ability, level of fitness, sort of riding you are doing, all play a part, so we can neither condemn or condone a horse and rider partnership purely on weight and %.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I would definitely turn someone down- both my horses have lameness issues and can only hold someone who is lighter.

My friend raised and bred a 17 hand warmblood who I used to ride. He was only 4 yrs old. He was so beautiful. He looked like one of those black horses from the lord of the rings. 

A very large lady came to try him out. She kicked him forward, lost her balance and pulled on his mouth so hard that he fell backward and broke his hock. :-( 

I loved that horse so much. He was truly a gentle giant. Super intelligent too. I was teaching him simple changes, and after 2 tries we were doing flying changes. It was like a light bulb went off- you could just feel him go "oh that's what you wanted!" 

That was over 10 years ago and I still miss him. 

After that incident, I would definitely be cautious about having a larger rider on my horse! I know it was an accident, but still. Especially when they are a stranger, and you don't know their riding ability.

How many times do people say they know how to ride when they don't? 

I would also turn down someone if I didn't think they were suited to the horse. I think sellers have a right to decide who they want to sell too.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

4horses said:


> I would definitely turn someone down- both my horses have lameness issues and can only hold someone who is lighter.
> 
> My friend raised and bred a 17 hand warmblood who I used to ride. He was only 4 yrs old. He was so beautiful. He looked like one of those black horses from the lord of the rings.
> 
> ...


But what that the fault of the size or the experience? A average sized people could have done the same thing.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sallypop (May 19, 2014)

0.7% body fat is not sustainable with life, even 7% is extremely low for a woman and your reproductive organs may be suffering.

Anyway, boring science aside (my husband is a pro body-builder, you should see what they do to strip fat!)...

I BOUGHT the horse - having seen a picture of me on him, I resemble a small rotund peanut on him.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

It was a team of vets during WW1 who decided the % values. Soldiers would be riding all day and the horses had to carry not only the soldiers and their saddle but another 30 to 50 lbs of gear. That is why a soldier was weighed before being assigned a horse. If I recall correctly it was 20%.


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

Reading this made me think, that maybe I should be counted in plus sized too then? Even though everyone tells me there is barely any weight I could lose. I am 175 cm and 75 kg at the moment, not perfect fitness level, but I get my daily horse/dog/house care done without any difficulty. 
That is 5'7" and 165 lbs. I could maybe lose another 20 lbs but I would probably become quite bony as I have heavy bones and a lot of muscle mass. 
My horse is about 16.3 hands and I would guess around 1300 lbs. He is big and strong and I have no worries that he can carry most people when properly trained and gets his balance under a rider too. 

I am contemplating getting another horse which is about 14.3 hands and a heavier Arab cross, but even that I should be able to ride, as I have ridden big ponies without much problems 

Some people are just crazy. Though my friend told me once that she had taken her overweight friend to go work with one mare, the owner had told, that the friend is not allowed to ride that mare AT all, because she is fat. The owner just said that.. I was like, ye, sure, that girl probably weighed the same as me when I was a bit fat a year ago 196 lbs or so, I could feel the extra weight and so on, but my trainer let me ride her horses even then, and no problems! Most horses here are over 16 hands and plenty of bone and muscle, so weight rarely is an issue. Of course you cannot jump 3-4 ft jumping course if you are close to 200 lbs and the horse you ride is under 15 h. It just doesn't work out well.


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## SammysMom (Jul 20, 2013)

Oh, yea. When I was looking, I was terrified. I even skipped viewing a couple of horses because I saw their owners were tiny and I didn't want to be judged. But no one I _did_ see made me feel uncomfortable about my size. And I'm glad I didn't worry too much about it, because I ended up with my perfect boy


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## Sallypop (May 19, 2014)

Thought I'd show you a quick pic from the day I tried him - please excuse the seriously overcast skies and uneven stirrups. Hopefully you'll agree I'm not too big on him at all!


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## Cielo Notturno (Sep 12, 2013)

I just read this, and I hope that the 9 stone centre is for racehorses… I understand that jockeys need to be light. 

I have the mixed luck of being very short, so even when I'm pretty overweight I'm under 12 stones, but that is the average weight for a fit, adult, tallish person. A tall person that is even a bit out of shape weights easily more.


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

I can't see the picture as I'm in work.. but will check it out later.. congrats on your new horse OP!


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

You look great on him


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## danny67 (Nov 27, 2012)

Yeah, I showed up at a barn and the lady saw me and her jaw droped. She was into Arabs and what I was there to see turned out to be an endurance horse. small and lean. she immediatly showed me some other broken down horse I didn't like.

It's a very good idea to up front in emails about your weight and type of riding you plan to do.

And then there are people who just want to get rid of the horse and don't care about you or your weight.

Some folks with a genuine concern for the horse may balk, but I give it a 30% chance. 

I suppose us fat peeps should look for bigger horses. I meant to, but ended up with a 15h QH who now has to carry almost 300lbs. I try to keep my rides short, no galloping, and on soft ground while I work on my weight.


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## nikelodeon79 (Mar 3, 2008)

Sallypop, you look fantastic on him!

I bought an OTTB. I imagine the first time I got on him, being used to 100 lb jockeys, he thought, "What the @$#@$?!" But he carries me without complaint. 

(As a side note, I wish we could have a "post your pic to prove you're plus" on this section. We really don't need people bragging about their low percentage of body fat on here! I know of a couple of male pro athletes at 2%, but that's the lowest I've heard of on a healthy person. But then again, there are a lot of supportive non plus people on here so it would be a shame to block them out. Ah well.)


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## danny67 (Nov 27, 2012)

Saddlebag said:


> It was a team of vets during WW1 who decided the % values. Soldiers would be riding all day and the horses had to carry not only the soldiers and their saddle but another 30 to 50 lbs of gear. That is why a soldier was weighed before being assigned a horse. If I recall correctly it was 20%.


100 years ago, men were smaller. About 5'4" or so and 130lbs on average. A large part of that was diet and manual labour. A far cry from our processed foods and sedentary life styles today.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

This is a good read about army and Arabs and weight carrying Welcome to Arabian Horses.org - Education


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## EquineBovine (Sep 6, 2012)

You look like a great match! Can't wait to see more photos of you two!


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## SullysRider (Feb 11, 2012)

3ringburner said:


> ok. Well im not at starvation leval and it might of been 7% but im pretty sure it was .7%. I have alot of meat on my bones and am very healthy. No Back on topic, The typical body weight a horse would/should have to hold is 10% of its own body weight.


There is no way you are 7% body fat. I used to be. I was a wrestler in high school and I was 5'9" 106 lbs and I was 7% body fat. I know because I had to take hydration tests. I was so thin I didn't even have periods. I have seen pictures of you and there is no way in heck. I am around 117 lbs now, and you look a lot heavier than I am, even body fat wise (which I'm now at 11%). It's ok to be confident and all, but you don't need to go saying this stuff especially in the plus sized forum, even if it isn't true. While I'm not plus sized myself, I know how hard it can be. So plus sized riders rock on!


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