The other thing you never seem to see when we talk about these issues are the effects of the fitness of the horse. It seems a no-brainer to me, after riding green beans that you could knock off balance with an overly exuberant dismount (later fixed with strength) that horse fitness and strength probably affects the % of carrying capacity considerably. I see many horses who are not fit enough to do the work requested of them.
When I look at studies conducted, often they have some major flaws such as the study that failed to change saddle size for the heavy and very heavy rider. It’s a no brainer for me that a heavier person sitting on the cantle of the saddle because it’s too small is going to cause pain, and it’s likely that a light person sitting on the cantle of a too small saddle would have a similar issue. But no one talks about that either.
I think we would be far better off discussing horse and rider fitness, strength, and saddle fit & hoof care issues rather than blanket statements about weight for personal horses & riders. Hacking stables & lesson stables have slightly different challenges, but many of those skimp on the horse care bit, let’s be frank.
