Did you know, there is no such thing as being “big boned”. Bones can be spread further apart from person to person… Different ethnicities MAY have bigger bones - BUT the difference in size is by mere millimeters hardly enough to warrent being overweight.
Oh for heaven’s sake. Do you really think that someone bitching about weight is going to make someone go lose weight? All it’s really likely to do is make the other person stress-eat. I think it’s pretty obvious what horses can and can’t handle certain weights. I don’t see the point of the OP.
I feel that obese people should be able to ride a horse that will fit them properly. I was always worried that I was too big for my horse until I met the woman at my farm riding her poor tall thin built thoroughbred weighing at least 300lbs. Having a back problem and being constantly unsound couldn’t possibly be due to the fact that she can hardly get her ass out of the saddle to post let alone when after his numerous vet visits and chiropractor appointment she gets on him bareback. I honestly feel bad for the professionals who can’t properly diagnose their patients in fear of hurting the clients feelings. She has a smaller older horse that I have to look away at that point. I’m not saying that people of that weight can’t ride they just need to find a stalkier drafty horse that can handle the stress along with routine maintainence.
I think it is more than millimeters. My 5’1" friends wrist is about an inch or more smaller than mine—when I was a size 8. SO, I do think there is big bones. I’m German and Irish. Just as ankle sizes…I had anklettes that were just right on me—and swimming on her. My body fat was only 9%. Not much fat on my bones and she weighed only 105. SO…my “frame” and bones are large. I wear an 9-10 ring --even when I was at 160–that is my wedding ring size. (depending on bloat of summer or “.”)…I’m a large framed woman. At 160lbs I was a size 9. But, could wear a bikini with no problem…used to model.
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Woo-hoo you go horsecrazy27!
My question is this. I am considered obese myself, why then is it ok for a man whom trains horses professionally that is 6’10", weighs the same as I do (I’m 5’3"), not considered to heavy for the 15 hand QH he is working? He is taller than I but is packing the same weight.
What gives here?
[QUOTE=Candle;2457495]
I think it’s pretty obvious what horses can and can’t handle certain weights. I don’t see the point of the OP.[/QUOTE] I thought the point was to draw attention to the fact that riders need to consider their own physique and fitness when thinking about the conformation of a horse. And in particular if its a swayback.
I believe it was probably (or coincidentally) posted as an aside to a thread asking for opinions re purchase of a swaybacked horse and in which there was a general mention that the horse would be ridden by 2 large people.
The OP was suggesting that some folks spend money, time and effort trying to do such as getting a sway backed horse so its free from pain and in truth its a waste of money if the horse is going to be ridden by an obese rider that is too big for it.
[QUOTE=Mersy;2457706]
Woo-hoo you go horsecrazy27!
My question is this. I am considered obese myself, why then is it ok for a man whom trains horses professionally that is 6’10", weighs the same as I do (I’m 5’3"), not considered to heavy for the 15 hand QH he is working? He is taller than I but is packing the same weight.
What gives here?[/QUOTE]
EXACTLY my point. I am very tall, and even when I weighed close to 200 lbs, I still visually looked reasonably thin. NOBODY commented about my weight when I went to ride their horses, even when I was on short, small horses. You bet if someone shorter than me, who weighed the same, had gotten on the same horse, SOMEONE would have been there, going “gee, what a fat rider. save the horse!!” :mad:
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Do you really think overweight riders don’t KNOW that they are overweight? With the stereotypical view that a woman should look like an inflated barbie, its rather hard not to notice that a size 12 is now considered “large”.
I am overweight. It’s something I’m working on. I have another 20lbs to go before I’ll feel comfortable with myself. Fortunately in my case, I’m tall and carry the weight relatively well. It still doesn’t negate the fact that I’m fat and overweight. It’s particularly hard, as a rider, when many of the women look like prepubescent boys, and while I’m wondering if my bra supports me enough, they are pulling up their breeches because they have no hips to support them.
Does weight impact a horse? Most definitely-obviously if you take two riders with the same skills and one is 30lbs lighter, the horse is going to know that. But how is it that small Quarter Horses manage to carry 220lbs+ for HOURS on a working ranch without problems? Yet you see a woman who is 180lbs plus on a 16hh warmblood for maybe 45 minutes of the day, and people cry cruelty?
More bone size…
[QUOTE=Horsecrazy27;2457578]
I think it is more than millimeters. My 5’1" friends wrist is about an inch or more smaller than mine—when I was a size 8. SO, I do think there is big bones. I’m German and Irish. Just as ankle sizes…I had anklettes that were just right on me—and swimming on her. My body fat was only 9%. Not much fat on my bones and she weighed only 105. SO…my “frame” and bones are large. I wear an 9-10 ring --even when I was at 160–that is my wedding ring size. (depending on bloat of summer or “.”)…I’m a large framed woman. At 160lbs I was a size 9. But, could wear a bikini with no problem…used to model.[/QUOTE]
I was also thinking of the horses bone size…thinking of my friend as the arabian and me as the warmblood… LOL!!! MORE than Millimeters there too!
Thanks for the support.
I know a ton of cowboys riding 14.3 hand horses doing reining and working those horses HARD that weigh around 250…so, I think it is all how the horse will handle and its confo.
My question is this. I am considered obese myself, why then is it ok for a man whom trains horses professionally that is 6’10", weighs the same as I do (I’m 5’3"), not considered to heavy for the 15 hand QH he is working? He is taller than I but is packing the same weight.
What gives here?
Absolutely not singling you out Mersy…just using the above quote and not finger pointing.
There is quite a difference in the case of an over 6’ person who weighs, let’s say 250 lbs and a 5’3" who weighs 250 lbs. Gender nonspecific…either person of either height being either gender.
Try comparing it to carrying a back pack. Put on a back pack and pack it with about 20% of your body weight in books and then jog around some cones, up and down a few stairs, tight corners, circles, hop over a laundry basket, etc for a few minutes.
Then empty the back pack and pack it with water balloons making up 20% of your body weight and do the same things you did when it had books in it.
You’ll notice an immense difference in your comfort, ability to negotiated turns and handle inclines, jumping obstacles and maintaining your balance.
Books will be better proportioned inside the book bag and also not a soft moving mass. The balloons will settle with a different center of gravity…and that center of gravity will shift around as you move. Soft mass vs not as soft mass. You can even try the same thing with balloons filled tight with sand vs water balloons and notice the same difference.
A person at 5’3" and 250 lbs is not going to be solid and unmoving…even if they have seriously toned muscles underneath their subcutaneous fat. The exterior mass will move, bounce, slide and shift balance as the horse moves. Someone 250 lbs at 6’ will feel much different to the horse and have less affect on it’s balance, back and legs.
This is not to say that the short heavy rider is a worse rider than the tall heavy rider…the shorter one may indeed be the better rider. But if talent is similar in both, the horse carrying the shorter, less solid rider will experience more “wear and tear” on it’s body than the horse carrying the taller, more solid rider will. It’s not so much a matter of center of gravity as it is that the mass around the center will not be stable during movement. Even if the core never shifts…the exterior will.
…And, reading this thread just reminds me yet again that this very week I’m about to start riding my Cortes for the first time EVER. I’m over 5’9" and overweight, my boy’s 16.2hh and warmblood, but he’s definitely on the finer side. I’ve done all of his ground work since I’ve owned him, he’s my baby, but I’ve always had a friend who’s smaller riding him. She’s a terrific rider and does a really great job, but they just don’t have the same connection he and I have…he’s forever watching me as she rides him around, the crazy fool WANTS me to be the one riding him…so, this week it is. I’m really dreading it on one level, I’d been thin most of my life and have hardly ridden since overweight because I worry about the added burden of my extra weight on my horses…and this is riding my special boy we’re talking about!!! Will I make him uncomfortable or hurt him in some way, god I hope not…will my next post be me pleading ‘how can I help my sway backed stallion???’
Kelly.:eek: :eek: :eek:
I have to say I’m grappling with this very issue at the moment… And having to face the distinct possibility that I may be too much for Penny The Project Mare. 
The bottom line is that she IS more comfortable with a lighter rider. I’m not sure if this is something she will work out of or not. She has put on amazing amounts of weight and made a splendid recovery (arrived to us a 2 on the body scale back in Jan.) and BM thinks she still just needs to build up muscle… But I’m not so sure. :no:
Wish you were in my area, Cubs, I’d hire you in a heartbeat to come out and tell me honestly what you think. And wouldn’t be offended by it, either! 
:lol: I am thinking of having my vet out to do an eval., b/c I loff my vet and I’m pretty sure she’ll tell me the truth.
Sigh. It’ll be a heartbreaker for all concerned if she cannot comfortably carry me. But if she can’t, I won’t ask her to.
We (meaning us overweight folks) have to make sure our horses are comfortable carrying us. Make sure our saddle fits well. If our horse appears to be having problems us then maybe we need a horse that is more suitable. I do believe a well built horse can carry a fair amount of weight within reason. I have had 3 horses of various sizes, yet they have had good bone structure, good feet. I have not had any noticable problems. I condition gradually and am very aware of how I might be affecting my horse. I may even watch how my horse handles under a lighter rider to get a better idea of how I affect him.
I really do want my horses to be comfortable, I do care about them. They seem to enjoy themselves when we are out on the trail.
I do know I’m overwieght, and I struggle with it. But if I spend my life telling myself I’m to overweight to do anything then all will seem hopeless and I will just continue to gain more weight.
I really just got the impression from the OP that fat people should not be seen doing anything because it is so aweful to see.
As far as swayback horses go I have not seen to many around. The ones that I have seen actually don’t get ridden to much so I could not tell you if it was from a heavy rider. They seem to be more predesposed to the condition more then anything. I would think a horse suffering from to much weight bearing would actually break down in the legs before seeing a sway in the back.
That said, some people can be cruel to their horses whether they are fat people or thin people. We could start a whole new thread on that.
[QUOTE=Coup De Des;2454728]
Obese people should not ride horses! It is cruel, regardless of the size of the horse.
If you want to ride, lose weight. Stop making excuses and just do it.[/QUOTE]
What do you consider obese?
Yeah either way that is a pretty rude and well…ignorant comment.
[QUOTE=Horsecrazy27;2457578]
I think it is more than millimeters. My 5’1" friends wrist is about an inch or more smaller than mine—when I was a size 8. SO, I do think there is big bones. I’m German and Irish. Just as ankle sizes…I had anklettes that were just right on me—and swimming on her. My body fat was only 9%. Not much fat on my bones and she weighed only 105. SO…my “frame” and bones are large. I wear an 9-10 ring --even when I was at 160–that is my wedding ring size. (depending on bloat of summer or “.”)…I’m a large framed woman. At 160lbs I was a size 9. But, could wear a bikini with no problem…used to model.[/QUOTE]
Yeah but your arent overwiehgt.
Size 9 isent overweight hun
WAS a size 9…now a 16.
[QUOTE=LiveToFly;2465027]
Yeah but your arent overwiehgt.
Size 9 isent overweight hun[/QUOTE]
I was commeting back from a previous post…I WAS a size 9. TRYING to get back there. STILL stuggling with the stomache bacteria and adrenal glan issue. BUT I’m sure I’ll be a size 9 again!!! WANT IT!! Just got to get my bod to cooperate.
[QUOTE=Coup De Des;2457334]
Did you know, there is no such thing as being “big boned”. Bones can be spread further apart from person to person… Different ethnicities MAY have bigger bones - BUT the difference in size is by mere millimeters hardly enough to warrent being overweight.[/QUOTE]
No, but you may be built with a bigger frame then other people.
that means you might have broader shoulders or wider hips or be taller…
it doesn’t mean you should have a gut on you like the michelin man. 
[QUOTE=Horsecrazy27;2466608]
I was commeting back from a previous post…I WAS a size 9. TRYING to get back there. STILL stuggling with the stomache bacteria and adrenal glan issue. BUT I’m sure I’ll be a size 9 again!!! WANT IT!! Just got to get my bod to cooperate. :)[/QUOTE]
Oh I see.
I wanna be a size 9 again, right now Im a 14 tho
except a horse has 4 legs and moves differently than a person, as well as the shorter person with a little extra weight generally carries it in the rear end, the part sitting in the saddle, and secured with a leg on each side of the horse… not like a water balloon rolling around in a backpack. The taller rider has shoulders, possibly a longer torso that would pull the horse and rider much more off balance when it moves because of it’s higher center of gravity.
A person at 5’3" and 250 lbs is not going to be solid and unmoving…even if they have seriously toned muscles underneath their subcutaneous fat. The exterior mass will move, bounce, slide and shift balance as the horse moves. Someone 250 lbs at 6’ will feel much different to the horse and have less affect on it’s balance, back and legs.
except most of the posters concerned about overweight riders are comparing a 5’3 150-180 lb person to a 6’ 220 lb person, the 6 footer being a good weight, and the 5’3 rider being obese. I’ve got a few extra pounds padding, but I am fit. I run 15 miles a week, and regularly gallop and jump my horse. I find it hilarous that people don’t think a 16+ hand warmblood can’t carry a 200 lb rider, stock horses have been carrying more than that for years … heck, tiny little Arab’s have too. I do agree that a horse with a sway back should probably have weight restrictions, as should animals with conformational issues … heck, some shouldn’t carry a rider at all.
This thread just shows again and again why so many women have eating disorders, society makes them ashamed of their bodies unless they are size 2 with implants so they have breasts.
