# heavy rider and tbs......



## Golden Horse

180 pounds is nothing, well for a normal size horse anyway, go for it.


----------



## EighteenHands

I ride a 16.0 hand quarter horse and I've ridden a 15.2 arab with NO issue. You weigh significantly less that I do, so I don't see a problem. The quarter horse has absolutely no issues what so ever carrying me...

here is a good article about horse and rider size/weight bearing capacity:
EighteenHands ~ How Big is Too Big? (The Great Weight Debate)

there are also 2 other articles referenced in that one. You can additionally do an internet search for "How much weight can a horse safely carry?" and ALOT of literature comes up. 

a 16HH TB should have no problem carrying you. If the horse's rider is consistantly someone who is skinny, it just may be a matter of getting the horse used to extra weight (conditioning and easing into it before riding hard on the horse).

Often times thin poeple are not educated about weight issues and just need some information. If you can present material to her in a polite and professional way she may re consider....and you'd have opened her eyes up to the fact that big girls can ride too.  At the end of the day some poeple are ignorant and closed minded to larger riders but hopefully this person isn't one of them.

best of luck

send her to my website or facebook fanpage...I have some videos of large riders competing in professional level cross country, low level dressage, and horse versatility games....she can see first hand that horses CAN carry 180 pounds, no sweat

best of luck....and let us know!

xoxo

~Lizzy


----------



## XxemmafuriaxX

Thankyou  i dont think the owner is so much scared of hurting him, i think it is hammered into peoples brains over here in the uk .... when i was looking for a horse most ads would state *lightweight rider* or *rider no more than 10 stone*. the owner originaly stated she didnt want a rider of more than 11 stone and im about 12 1/2 stone... well see how it goes


----------



## DraftyAiresMum

I've ridden a 14hh arab mare and a 14.2hh arab/saddlebred cross with no problems. I've also ridden a 13.3hh paint mare (fat little ******) and she carried me with no problems. I weigh about the same you do. It all depends on how you carry yourself in the saddle and the amount of bone the horse has. A well-boned horse carrying a heavier rider with a good seat shouldn't have any problems.


----------



## nuisance

I rode my 16+hh TB gelding that my boss owns, and unfortunatly, I'm much more than 180lbs, and he could care less.... of course I didn't jump or anything like that, but even at a lope, he carried me well


----------



## waresbear

This horse will carry you with no problems. Most men weigh over 180 lbs and they ride all kinds of horses. Riding is not confined to a certain weight unless you want to take up riding minis, there you might have some problems.


----------



## Serendipitous

It's not just how much you weigh, but also how you carry that weight. For example, carrying around a stack of bricks of a certain weight feels more difficult than carrying around an awake child of the same weight. Beginner riders can bounce or flop around and act more like dead weight sometimes; a more advanced rider, even if he/she is heavier, should be easier for many horses to carry because the riders use their body weight to their best advantage to help the horse out.


----------



## BarrelracingArabian

I would say it would depend on the horse like if they have a weak back or not. My BO rides a TB and shes a larger lady and isn't particularly the best balanced, however this particular mare does not have a very good back either and therefor having the extra weight of my BO the mare tends to be in pain where as with the lighter riders she does a lot better. If this horse has a good strong back and you are a balanced rider I see absoultely no problem with you riding a TB :] Heck you could ride my 14.2 arab gelding with no problem :]


----------



## XxemmafuriaxX

Thankyou all for your replies  i do like to think i carry myself well  i would say i am well balanced as some of the stuff my old mare (furia) used to do to me and i never fell i must have some balance in me haha but i supose at the end of the day it is up to his owner.... i really hope she doesnt think im too big for him maybe she thinks 10 stone is bigger than it is ill try and get some photos when i try him out and ill post it and see what you guys think


----------



## Sketter

No worries! I own a 16.1 hand Tb.. hes pretty stocky and im around 200 pounds, he carries me fine.


----------



## eventerdrew

i would rather you ride my horse any day, over a stick who can't ride and is bouncing on my 15.1 hh tb's back!


----------



## KDeHaven42

I weigh a little over 200 and my 14.2 finely built Arab has no problem-- for example I worked with her yesterday w/t/c, collection, extensions, w-c transitions and 2'3" jumps. It was approx 1.5 hours of riding at a fairly demanding pace. I got off, tired and a little sweaty while she pranced around and came no where near breaking a sweat. I was fully prepared to hand walk to her to cool out, but clearly, not really necessary. This is not particularly surprising given I've been overweight for the past 7 years and she has shown no particular strain with our normal work. She also has no sign of particular back problems or other strain associated with carrying too much weight. Given my history, I'd think you'd have no problem with this horse. I have heard the UK is particularly touchy on this issue, and that the 20% model is strictly followed. I think it's more of a societal stereotype but that's my opinion of course. 

However, I will make one point that no one else has brought up: If you intend on competing on this horse, judges (in the US) do look at whether you look to large on your horse AESTHETICALLY. This doesn't mean whether the horse CAN carry you, but whether you look like a good match in height, weight, etc. If the issue is larger in the UK, you might find placing in classes difficult depending on your actual look on the horse. It's not fair or nice, but it happens a lot over here. 

Good luck to you!


----------



## XxemmafuriaxX

Its official!! im too heavy for the horse (aparently) i didnt even get a chance to try him out i had a phone call last night from his owner saying that she had spoken to someone (cant remember who she said) and they said it would be harmful for him to carry more than 10 stone..... im kinda angry... it makes me feel horrible and its not fair. in the end of the day it is her horse her choice but i really think its pathetic... thankyou everyone for your input on the thread ill just stick to looking for some stocky breed.... i do prefer stocky breeds but i think its unfair that it makes it harder for me to find a horse to ride.... sorry about the rant it just upset me a little. 
emma


----------



## Golden Horse

It is quite ridiculous, think of the Grand National, the worlds greatest steeplechase, run over a course of 4 and a half miles, run at full racing gallop with 30 fences all above 4 feet high. Last time I checked this race was competed in by TB's and guess what, they can be handicapped up to 164 pounds. In fact poor Crisp carried a weight of 168 pounds and got beaten in that long run in by Red Rum, even after all these years I still have to cheer him home when I watch






Anyway, if a racehorse can carry that weight at speed, then you can see that 180 for a less competitive ride is quite realistic.

That said everyone of us is entitled to make decisions what our own horses can carry, and because we love them some people will err very much on the side of caution. Don't get down about it, 180 is a perfectly reasonable weight to ride at.


----------



## waresbear

XxemmafuriaxX said:


> Its official!! im too heavy for the horse (aparently) i didnt even get a chance to try him out i had a phone call last night from his owner saying that she had spoken to someone (cant remember who she said) and they said it would be harmful for him to carry more than 10 stone..... im kinda angry... it makes me feel horrible and its not fair. in the end of the day it is her horse her choice but i really think its pathetic... thankyou everyone for your input on the thread ill just stick to looking for some stocky breed.... i do prefer stocky breeds but i think its unfair that it makes it harder for me to find a horse to ride.... sorry about the rant it just upset me a little.
> emma


 You didn't really wanted to ride her horse anyways. It was a feeble weakling if he couldn't pack around a mere 180 lbs. Gimpy thing prolly would've tripped over a pebble and fell on you.


----------



## 3Nicks

XxemmafuriaxX said:


> Thankyou  i dont think the owner is so much scared of hurting him, i think it is hammered into peoples brains over here in the uk .... when i was looking for a horse most ads would state *lightweight rider* or *rider no more than 10 stone*. the owner originaly stated she didnt want a rider of more than 11 stone and im about 12 1/2 stone... well see how it goes


There was an older thread from a rider in England who was 5'5" tall, 9-1/2 stone (133 lbs.), and afraid she was too big to ride a 14.2 hand horse. Wow! There is catty weight discrimination in the horse world here in the US for sure, but it sounds much worse in the UK. Absolutely no reason someone 180 lbs can't ride a TB. Hell, no reason for someone 180 lbs not to ride a 14.2 horse. And the fact that this issue seems to plague only women really irks me. There are 200 lb adult men riding horses all over the world and I never, ever hear them being shamed for their size.


----------



## XxemmafuriaxX

its soo frustrating and makes me really sad..... while i was living in spain i rode any horse i wanted when i wanted. Now im in england i cant even ride unless i pay the stupid prices for a lesson which im not really interested in. :-( all of you that have riding as a part of your life try your best to never let yourself get into a situation where you cant ride even if you want to because its HORRIBLE! :-( yes im over wieght but i would never get on a horse that i thought i ould cause any pain to but people cant understand that..... sorry for the 3rd rant but im still very upset about this whole subject.


----------



## WildAcreFarms

XxemmafuriaxX said:


> its soo frustrating and makes me really sad..... while i was living in spain i rode any horse i wanted when i wanted. Now im in england i cant even ride unless i pay the stupid prices for a lesson which im not really interested in. :-( all of you that have riding as a part of your life try your best to never let yourself get into a situation where you cant ride even if you want to because its HORRIBLE! :-( yes im over wieght but i would never get on a horse that i thought i ould cause any pain to but people cant understand that..... sorry for the 3rd rant but im still very upset about this whole subject.


WOW that is TERRIBLY UNFAIR!! you'd think that these ppl that have horses they want to lease out would be HAPPY to have a good rider wanting to exercise their horses and pay part of their bills.... it's CRAZY IMO to discount a 180lb woman from riding a HUGE TB!! I mean COME ON!
and like someone else said I've seem many many large men 200+ on small 14.2hh quarter horses and NOBODY seems to care. why is it that We allow these skinny riders to play on our guilt?? 

I was slim when i rode as a kid and now i'm older about 240lb and i have a 17hh Warmblood who carried me NO problem. sometimes ppl look at me when i'm riding in the road and i always thought they were just saying "Hey there is our neighbor riding her horse, nice lady.." but now i wonder ....
Jesus Christ look at that big *** lady on that poor horse  lol hes ornery and well fed that sucker owes me a little fun now and then LOL.... 

I wished you lived by me I'd welcome you to come out and ride any time and i have 3 big horses 16.2hh to 17hh. we have a nice mounting block, trails and a really nice arena. come on down girl you are always welcome at Wild Acre Farms.


----------



## XxemmafuriaxX

wow i wish i lived near you that would be some much fun! unfortunately im stuck in england where ill always be looked at like a whale haha!


----------



## WildAcreFarms

Yes it's funny that everyone knows and understands that some horses are very easy keepers and some are very hard keepers. why don't they understand that people are just exactly the same?? HELLO?? 
I have always said that i come from a family of VERY easy keepers LOL!

but its cool there are getting to be more of "US" then there are of "them" 
so i just go about my life and don't let it bother me one bit. Honestly until I heard people talking about it on the forum i never really put much thought into what anyone else thought who saw me riding..... 

My butt is probably as big as my horses from behind LOL but oh well that's life. We all have to play the hand we are dealt right. I just try to be healthy, surround myself with supportive and loving friends and family and what mean spirited strangers think... well I can't let that bother me.


----------



## Golden Horse

:rofl: So true WildAcre, We are happy that there are hard and easy keepers, and heavy and lightbuilt horses, but all sorts of convinced that people are all the same.

Also come the famine all us easy keepers will survive, while the skinny fast burners will starve!


----------



## WildAcreFarms

so TRUE Golden Horse SO True!! _I totally think that myself! 

i GROW _an organic garden and raise my own meat for that very reason 

Adopting these Thoroughbreds was a real Eye Opener as far as how much one individual can eat and stay skinny VS another horse eating 1/4 that amount and being butterball fat. It proves to me what I have LONG SUSPECTED and I think what Science is just now discovering that Metabolism is* largely Hereditary. *

I mean I was skinny in high-school but I starved myself on about 500 calories a day in order to stay slim, which is eating ONE very light meal a day NO pop no candy or chips EVER, no rich cream sauces, nothing GOOD LOL ....! I think as we get older and more secure in life we come to question "what is the point of life if you don't ENJOY your life./" Its simply not worth it to ME to starve myself and walk around forever hungry and grumpy in order to fulfill someone else s ideas of beauty. which is not realistic for the majority of women in the first place. I choose not to buy into the media's and the advertising consumer driven idea of what "beauty" is. I truly believe that there are beautiful women of all sizes shapes and ages. 
I'm reminded when i watch kids movies with my little Nephew that we teach our children (via movies, cartoons and books) from a young age that beauty is on the INSIDE, it funny but as women I think that WE forget that sometimes


----------



## WildAcreFarms

*your foal is GORGEOUS btw*

hey Golden Horse your foal IS gorgeous!! super cute little head and the pic os absolutely adorable!! what kind of horse is your baby??


----------



## Golden Horse

WildAcreFarms said:


> hey Golden Horse your foal IS gorgeous!! super cute little head and the pic os absolutely adorable!! what kind of horse is your baby??



totally special precious one of a kind, yeah you could say I'm a little in love with her

Her momma is my beautiful arab mare, Ace, here she is, very big because she was still cooking my little Angel










And the sire is my very handsome Haflinger Stallion, Alto.










I'm overjoyed at the pairing, they managed to give me everything that was on my wish list, little bay filly, lots of chrome, beautiful head, plenty of substance. Now to see how she matures, she does have some faults, some she may grow out of, some she may just have to grow into:lol::lol:


----------



## Chiefie

I'm usually around 90kg and had a 16.1hh tb mare for almost 2 years.









Of course they are all different but I felt she carried me with no issues, even though I'm not the most balanced rider out there!


----------



## bsms

Goodness! I lived in England from 89-92, and I could have SWORN that England had both men & 'plus-sized' women!

I'm a bit overweight, but a 5'8", 175 lb male. If I'm on short rations and working hard (like I was in Afghanistan in 2007), I get down to 165. Butt naked, which is a mental picture no one needs...

Put clothes & boots on my 175 lbs, and add a western saddle (30 lbs - tho an Aussie saddle in the pic below), and I'm at 210-215 mounted. My gelding is 14.3 & 835 lbs. We do fine. Trooper agrees. At least, we trot and now canter with his neck lowered, ears forward, and when I slow him down he kind of prances like he's saying, "Let's get going again!"

I've now had 10 days since I started cantering with him, and he'll transition from a walk if I ask him to...no hard breathing, and no sign of tenderness whatsoever in his back.

Now, unless no male in England rides horses, I'm sure there are guys who weigh more than 120 lbs in the buff who ride. Where in the world do they get some 10 stone limit? No offense to anyone, but I don't remember England as an island filled with pencil-thin women and tiny men!

835 lbs, 3/4 Arabian Trooper hauling my somewhat prosperous body around on our first day cantering (he hadn't cantered in a year, so he was rusty too!):










BTW - a thread where I posted some research links on weight and horses - links found in post 16 on up:

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-hea...effecting-horses-soundness-96747/#post1164700


----------



## its lbs not miles

I've come across so many threads that touch on, in some way, the weight a horse should carry. So I'm going to put out some information that may be useful (or not) to anyone who really wants to know.
You may often here people talk about a horse carrying 20%, 25%, 30% of it's weight. There are different reasons for these % being used.
20% is probably from the old US Cav (when they rode horses). They went by a 20% rule, although it was probably more like 18%-23%.
People have competed in endurance races with their horses carrying 30% of it's body weight and so they will argue that 30% is correct. (25% is just in-between so I won't address if :lol
Actually, both can be argued as correct depending on what you are requiring from you horse.
Can a horse carry 30% of it's body weight? Yes, but it's not obtimal. There are physical and chemical effects.
Several years ago a study was done, but I don't keep copies of everything I read :lol:. However, in this case I was able to locate the study and result thanks to the to wonders of the internet.

Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute did a study.
To read about it check out:

http://www.ker.com/library/EquineReview/2008/ScienceUpdate/SU41.pdf

It was an interesting study and certainly worth reading for those who really want to know the effects of what happens with their horse when they ride.

Now, don't read this and think that a persons weight should keep them from ever being able to ride. While it's true that heavy people shouldn't ride lighter horses, I can assure you that there are horses out there that could carry virtually anyone who has the ability to pull themself into the saddle on it's back. Most of the draft horse of today originated as war horses for armor clad knights. A 2,000 lb Shire can have a 350 lb rider on a 35 lb saddle (girth, etc...) and still have 15 lbs to spare before even reaching the 20%.
And before you think that sounds stupid looking (for those who have never seen it). The sight (and sound) of seeing or riding a large Percheron (I never saw a Shire do it, so I'm sticking with first hand knowledge) galloping across a field is like nothing else with the power that it conveys and that you feel when you're the rider. No light riding horse can match that, althought the light horse will be faster and more agile. Both are fun to ride.


----------

