IHSA Show Weight Limits – How Common Are They?

[Kirikou]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been coaching the local college’s equestrian club for the past few years, and this year, a dedicated group of their members has worked hard to establish an IHSA team (club sport so it’s entirely student run). They’ve completed the paperwork, raised funds, and are now set to compete in their first show (joining halfway through the season).

However, upon receiving the entry form, we noticed that the host school has a weight limit for riders. I am not disputing a school’s right to set limits based on their available horses (especially given the draw format), but half of our club’s board members (seniors) exceed the limit for this particular show.

So I am wondering:

• How common are weight limits for IHSA shows?
• What are the typical weight limits you’ve encountered?

We couldn’t find any mention of height/weight restrictions in the general IHSA eligibility criteria, so we’re trying to determine whether these riders paid membership dues only to find out they might not be able to compete…

Any insights from teams, coaches, or others with IHSA experience would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

[Sarah616]

They are very common, though typically on a specific horse basis. An example from my experience is that our lesson horses are mostly older and they work hard and in order to preserve them, some of them would have a weight limit. Typically schools with a big equestrian program with lots of donations will be able to accommodate more heights and weights of riders, but a small team/small host farm may put pretty tight restrictions.
Our weight limits are typically normal numbers like 150 or 175. On IEA entry forms there’s a box to check for riders over 200 pounds as well. It is very farm specific as to what they can accommodate for their horses

[emeraldcity]

We would see them at shows for some particular horses, usually ponies, which is completely appropriate. If your rider was over the limit for the horse they drew, they’d get swapped to the alternate for that class. NEVER saw it as a blanket rule for an entire show.

[Renn_aissance]

I captained my college’s IHSA team and since graduating have worked IEA shows. I’ve also loaned my horse to both types of events.

Weight limits are relatively common. They may be imposed for a variety of reasons, including both the welfare of the horse and as a practical way to keep 6’ tall boys from drawing a medium pony. Typically, I’ve seen “150lbs” or “175lbs” thrown around as a weight limit.

Here’s the thing. My horse, when used, had a weight limit of 150lbs. I am a street size 6 and I weigh more than 150lbs. Nobody is putting you on a scale at the side of the ring. Nobody ever asked me how much I weighed. They eyed me up and said “hey, you’re tall and built like a Mack truck, and you just drew a fine-boned hony,” and either the owner said that was fine or everyone agreed I shouldn’t ride the hony. That weight limit, in practice, kept people who were basically physically compatible with a larger-bodied animal on those animals. At the end of the day, that’s a benefit to horse welfare, and in an equitation class, that is a rider advantage. The reason I put a weight limit on my horse, even though I personally exceeded that limit, is that my zone had several riders who likely weighed significantly over that number, and no one was going to be served if that rider drew my horse, whether or not he was fit to carry them or how well they rode. So the number was both arbitrary and lower than it needed to be, and for the context of my region that gave everyone the basic information they needed to assess whether the horse was physically appropriate to the rider and a reasonable out if they weren’t.

If half the animals in the draw have a weight limit and your riders fit into the bell curve of body composition for athletes, I would assume this barn has a lot of ponies. It might not be the right show for your riders. Call the barn and ask. If you’re thinking about this more broadly across the season, call your region coordinator.

[Montanas_Girl]

I’ve been involved in IHSA as a rider, alumnus, faculty advisor, (briefly) coach, and volunteer for over 20 years, and I have never heard of an entire show having a weight limit. Specific horses, yes - usually older, smaller lesson horses used in the lower divisions. But shows should make an effort to provide enough suitable horses to accommodate typical riders for each division, even if that means having other teams in the region bring extra horses for the show.

I would reach out to the higher ups at IHSA for guidance here.

[Kirikou]

Thank you, everyone, for your insights—I really appreciate the feedback!

To be clear, I absolutely understand the need for weight limits, and I fully support barns and horse owners setting rules that prioritize their horses’ well-being. I do the same in my lesson program, though I’m fortunate to have a few draft crosses and stocky QHs that allow me to accommodate a range of rider sizes.

That said, it’s interesting that everyone seems to be saying weight limits are usually applied to specific horses , rather than as a blanket rule for an entire show. I’ll check in with our region coordinator to see if this is common practice in our area. If it is, I’d love to encourage making that information available on the IHSA website so students can check their eligibility before joining and paying membership dues.

Thanks again for the feedback!

[Renn_aissance]

@Montanas_Girl

But shows should make an effort to provide enough suitable horses to accommodate typical riders for each division, even if that means having other teams in the region bring extra horses for the show.

They should, but depending on the region, such horses might not be available. In my sister’s region, you basically had the barns who were very lucky in their donations and has a wide variety of quality horses, and then you had the barns with 14.3 QH types. Unless the same barns brought their horses to every single show, they had to work with what they had, including using weight limits to manage the draw and getting very creative with alternates.

[Montanas_Girl]

@Renn_aissance

Unless the same barns brought their horses to every single show

That is exactly what was done in one (very successful) region to accommodate a couple of very tall walkt/trot riders one year. A barn that happened to have two very tall, quiet horses brought them to every show to ensure those riders would have mounts.

IHSA should be an inclusive environment. Most longstanding programs and regions understand that and behave accordingly. However, there are some schools and regions who believe no one over a certain (arbitrary) size should ride.

[blondewithchrome]

This ^^ is so true. I volunteer a LOT with IEA and IHSA in my zone and weight limits are very very common. Unfortunately, there are host barns that cannot accommodate riders over the limit of 200lbs because they just happen to have horses that cannot carry more than 200lbs. These barns often have that limit in place for the entirety of their riding program so naturally the limit would apply to the show as well.

I would echo reaching out to your regions coordinator and clarifying what barns typically have more than 50% of their horses subject to a weight limit and perhaps plan your show schedule accordingly.

[Sarah616]

I would also be curious what the blanket weight limit is. If it’s something like 200 or 225 pounds, well, I can understand that, especially if that is their riding program’s weight limit. If it’s a low weight like 150, that needs to be addressed. At the same time, like someone above said, they’re not standing at the gate to weigh a rider that they think might be too heavy. If you know your rider is within 10 pounds or so, you’re probably ok.

[Kirikou]

I’ve so far seen 150 and 170 in this region as a “blanket limit” (which I would guess is where a lot of average walk/trot college students would fall). I’ll reach out to the region coordinator to make sure I am understanding the emails correctly and see whether we can plan accordingly.

[Renn_aissance]

@Montanas_Girl

That is exactly what was done in one (very successful) region to accommodate a couple of very tall walkt/trot riders one year. A barn that happened to have two very tall, quiet horses brought them to every show to ensure those riders would have mounts.

It is wonderful that that barn was able to accommodate the region in that way. That puts quite a demand on that particular program for the logistics of shipping, horse handling, not to mention the horses’ daily schedules, and it was lovely of them to manage to make that work.

[Montanas_Girl]

This region (the one I rode in and have the closest ties to) is just like that. Most schools haul horses to every show to help share the burden. Most of the participating schools are public universities, many without any school-owned horses, so resources are limited.

I have been involved in other regions where the attitudes are much more cutthroat and elitist. They give IHSA a black eye, in my opinion.

[trubandloki]

I have never participated in IHSA, but I am Facebook friends with people who do. In this part of the world it appears things are done like how @Montanas_Girl describes. Most of the participating programs bring some horses to each show.

[sassy]

The whole show having a weight limit is… odd.

However IHSA/IEA is a bit of an odd beast. There are a decent amount of novice riders that participate (which is great!) but there is a big difference between a horse carrying 150 lbs of an experienced, ex big equitation rider vs. 150 lbs of total beginner who may not have great balance yet.

I allow my barn’s program to use my large pony for IEA. His weight limit is well under what I think he can comfortably carry simply because I don’t want a beginner of a certain weight jarring around on his 22 year old back or balancing on his mouth. However I exceed the weight limit I put on him for IEA because I like to think I’m capable of staying balanced and light in the tack.

[clipclop12]

Repeating what a lot of others have said. I did IHSA about 15 years ago now. I was in a region that didn’t have a large hunter/jumper scene and was more Western heavy. The schools that we showed at had a much larger Western team than an English team and cross-utilized many of the horses - especially for the flat classes.

We never had a weight limit for the whole show. But we did have weight (and I think even height limits) for a few horses (hony size) at most every show. But it was just a couple/few horses.

[initiate1987]

I rode IHSA in a great region where horse sharing was very common between schools. A lot of them had IEA teams too and did the same thing.

I do find it amusing that I was in the 160-170 range during college, but rode our “weight limited” horses at shows in lessons regularly, and warmed them up at shows a few times. That said, I had good balance and rode relatively lightly. But I was bumped to the alternates a few times, especially at a barn that had a fair number of small horses and ponies.

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

Very common to have a weight limit but not sure if it was the whole show or just the section where specific horses were drawn. This has been happening for over 20 years. I haven’t been in college in at least 20 years and they had weight limits back then… mostly to make sure that large or medium ponies that might have been used in the competition wouldn’t be ridden by someone that was 160+ pounds, which, if I’m being honest… kinda checks.
If it was the whole show, it would be because they needed to make sure that the draw was even and equal, not make special arrangements for those in that class level that might pull the ponies.

[trubandloki]

@Tini_Sea_Soldier1

If it was the whole show, it would be because they needed to make sure that the draw was even and equal, not make special arrangements for those in that class level that might pull the ponies.

This seems like, if it was a case of trying to make the draw even and not providing special arrangement for people to not use ponies who are over weight, then every show would either have a show wide weight limit or no ponies or aged horses that had restrictions.

To clarify, I totally get and agree that certain horses should have a weight limit.

I also agree with the OP in this situation that if the whole show, not just specific horses, typically have a weight limit, it should be obviously available and public so people thinking about joining can know that they should not bother to join because they will never be allowed to show.

[pompeiii]

While it’s been a long time since I’ve participated in IHSA, like others, I have never seen a blanket weight limit. I will add, depending on the weight limit, something like 150lbs, could likely limit the show to women only too. IHSA is dominated by women so it’s important not to exclude the men that do compete.