irideon makes petite sizes but they stop at XL so no good for me when im the 1x plus size, I just deal with the longness.
I bought a pair of 1x cocoa irideon windpro’s off ebay they should be here within 2 weeks! my tuffrider witer breeches were crap.
and i got a sheepskin seat cover from arete! they are soo helpful and awesome customer service!
I just have to tell myself i dont need a thinline now or beige breeches now or new tendon boots… or a bit… i need help
Choco, more kudos to you about telling us about Big Dee’s. I had no idea that Ariat did plus sizes, since none of the other catalogs carry them.
I just wish we had a wider selection in color when it comes to Shapely / Figurefit FULL SEAT breeches. White? Never except a show. Beige? Not yet. Black? Ho hum, have 10000000000000 pairs of black. Those Tuff Rider Figurefits come in lots of colors, but only in kneepatch.
And I really want a nice denim shapely full seat breech. Stomping feet for additonal emphasis.
Actually the credit goes to RobinDHH who posted about the sale and listed XXL breeches, etc.
I always knew about Big Dee’s myself but never knew they had clothing…especially not plus size stuff.
Soooo, Golf Claps to Robin 
I thought this was the longest thread on COTH, but the Super-fun horsey stick art thread is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY ahead of us!
Come on, we gotta catch up!
_____
_~ (|)/>
/>/>______
Me – cool womanly-sized rider riding!
I’m glad the info about the clothing at Big D was helpful for folks.
Now if somebody finds a source of clothes (and especially foot and
leg wear) that will work for us height challenged types and is available
on discount, please post. I get really frustrated about the blank
part of the half chaps chart; the area where the height is lower than
the calf measurement. And the EE width (usually mens) boots that
simply do not go down to my 4.5 length size.
so i THOUGHT i remembered seeing a link in this thread for some great full chaps in womanly sizes, but i cant seem to find it!! anybody know? they were very comfy looking and had elastic down the sides. help please:confused:
[QUOTE=Coreene;3534459]
http://aretesaddlery.com/tack/index.php
They do great half chaps.[/QUOTE]
thanx, but the link i was looking for is for FULL chaps!! guess i’ll keep searching…
My bad, Blonde Without Reading Glasses. The only ones I have seen ever are from 18-24, which I would never buy from.
Time to indulge on a pair of customs! 
[QUOTE=Painted Up;3534473]
thanx, but the link i was looking for is for FULL chaps!! guess i’ll keep searching…[/QUOTE]
I think Arete did have some…they went up to 30" thigh!
Barnstable makes some that go up to 28 inch thigh.
In case you need a reminder, because sometimes I do…
Just thought I would share this with you guys. I almost didn’t read it because I thought it would leave me feeling bad. But just the opposite. I hope it can help one of you beautiful ladies out there!
This is from Jessical Jahiel’s Horsesense Newsletter. She takes questions on her site and then answers them in her newsletter every month. You can find more at www.horse-sense.org or www.jessicajahiel.com.
From: Carla
Subject: Need to advise fat rider
Dear Jessica,
this is kind of a sensitive subject and I don’t know anybody else to ask, so here goes. I teach riding part-time at a barn where I board my horses. The barn owner is okay with me teaching here and I have four regular students who are doing pretty well at shows. Now there is a new boarder who wants lessons but there’s no way she’s going to be riding with me! I have respect for the sport of riding and for my horses too. This girl is just plain FAT and I don’t want her wrecking my horses trying to use them for weight loss machines. I understand that self-control can be difficult. I am a size 4 and I have to fight to stay that way, I can’t run around eating everything I want whenever I want it. That’s the price I pay to be a rider.
Somebody needs to tell this girl that she has a serious problem and she needs to do something about it now or it will be a problem forever. I think she is already in her twenties so it may be too late already if she has a strong habit of eating everything all the time. Anyway I like my students to be a credit to me and I always insist that they dress correctly for shows and clinics and I don’t think they even make riding clothes that would fit this girl. And anyway there is no point to taking riding lessons when you are so fat you can’t enjoy it or learn anything or ever go to a show anyway. So you can see my problem! I need to come up with a nice way to tell her this and to help her understand that she really needs to go on a diet if she ever wants to ride a horse and also just to be healthy. What would be the best way to approach this?
She hasn’t asked me for lessons yet but I know she is going to because the barn owner told me she was going to ask me soon. I need to be ready. What is the best way to explain the problem to this girl? This isn’t just about riding it’s about her health too. Do you ever say anything to overweight riders if they show up at your clinics, and how do you deal with that problem? Please don’t use my real name here because I wouldn’t want to embarrass her if she reads this. I just don’t want this whole thing to develop into a “situation” and that is my problem, I guess you would call it a dilemma. Hope you can help!
Carla
Hi Carla!
I, too, hope that I can help, but I’m not certain that I can answer your question as asked. I agree that you do have a problem here, but… the problem you have isn’t the problem you think you have.
I read your letter three times, and I believe that the most accurate way for you to explain the situation you’ve described, if and when you do talk to this girl, would probably be to say “Hi, I have a problem: I’m violently prejudiced against fat people and I don’t want any of them anywhere near me or my horses in case we catch ‘fat cooties.’ Would you please help me out by NOT asking me for lessons?”
This may sound harsh. With all due respect, I intended it to sound harsh. Your question probably seemed simple and straightforward when you wrote it, but it actually involves a lot of subtext and many assumptions. I hope that you will stay with me as I examine some of that subtext and some of those assumptions along with your question. I’ll divide the subject matter into four sections: Weight, Fat, Learning, and Teaching, and address one section at a time.
WEIGHT
Let’s begin by looking at the issue of rider weight - not fatness, not fitness, not health, just weight. (For now, let’s put aside the question of whether fat is actually the moral failing that you perceive it to be.) You are a riding instructor. Answer these two questions:
If your answer in each case is “Yes” then that’s that - you don’t have a dilemma. Many riding establishments set maximum weight limits for the horses’ sake. Not all horses can comfortably carry the same amount of weight, and it’s the instructor’s responsibility to protect the horses.
If you don’t have such a rule in place, ask yourself just how much weight is under discussion here? Heavy beginner riders are not uncommon; I’ve seen many beginners - men and women - between 200-250 pounds. Ask yourself whether your real concern is weight or size/bulk/appearance. If you look at (say) a 200-pound woman and automatically dismiss her as “too heavy to ride,” do you also automatically turn away all male riders who weigh 200 pounds or more?
FAT
Second, I can’t quite picture this young woman in my mind. That bothers me. Your evaluation of her as someone who should not be put on a horse may be accurate, or it may not be - I truly can’t tell. It’s possible that she is terribly unfit or very unhealthy, and of course both of these things could affect her ability to ride. But the operative word here is “could.” Again, I just don’t know. From your letter, it seems that you don’t know either, because the ONLY information you’ve provided about her is that she is (a) fat and (b) probably in her twenties. That’s not much to go on, and it certainly doesn’t make me jump to the conclusion that she shouldn’t learn to ride.
You’re right: The subject is sensitive. Based on thirty-plus years of teaching, I’m going to make a couple of educated guesses here:
This young woman already knows that she is fat. Telling her that she is fat won’t give her any new or helpful information. I believe in giving people information that they can use.
Second, you’ve made a mental leap from “She’s fat” to “She’s fat, therefore she must be both unfit and unhealthy.”
I haven’t seen the young woman in question but I’ll take your word for the fact that she’s fat. But “fat” and “unfit” and “unhealthy” are terms that don’t automatically go together. Lack of fitness is not strictly correlated to size or weight - I’ve taught all sorts of riders including fit, heavy riders and unfit, thin riders. Less weight does not necessarily mean more fitness – and doesn’t always mean better health.
So, if this young woman is not above the maximum weight limit you’ve set for your horses’ welfare, ask yourself some questions. If you are concerned for her health, ask yourself “Is she healthy enough to ride?” and then consider whether you ask this question about every potential student. Riders come in all shapes and sizes – and have all sorts of medical conditions. Your current students may all be slender, fit, and healthy, but that may not always be the case, especially if you, like many other riding instructors, find yourself teaching more and more adult students.
Before writing off a potential student as “too fat” ask yourself “Too fat FOR WHAT?” Let’s leave competition out of the equation for now. We’re all aware of the sadder aspects of competition, including various “shouldn’t matter” factors such as horse breed, tack style/cost/colour, trainer’s name, and rider size. These issues have nothing to do with riding or horsemanship, and shouldn’t concern beginner riders or their instructors. A concerned instructor won’t ask “Is she too fat to reflect well on ME, her instructor, at shows?” but “Is she too fat to be able to learn to ride in safety and comfort?”
This brings us back to the issues of health and fitness. I need more information in order to offer you anything beyond the most general guidelines. When you describe a rider - or a horse - “fat” or “thin” isn’t enough to allow me to reach any conclusions – tell me about health and fitness! Does a prospective student (or horse) seem to be too weak and sickly to be able to learn? Or – far more likely – does a prospective student (or horse) have health and fitness issues that will require a gentle, slow, customized approach so that s/he can learn at his/her own pace and to the best of his/her abilities? If so, that student (or horse) is… typical.
LEARNING
You’ve made various assumptions about this young woman’s abilities and motivations. You indicate that she lacks respect for horses and riding, and that she has no self-control. You feel that she won’t be a credit to you, won’t be able to find riding clothes. You say “there is no point to taking riding lessons when you are so fat you can’t enjoy it or learn anything or ever go to a show anyway.” This still doesn’t tell me anything about her, although it tells me quite a lot about you.
As an instructor, I would never tell a prospective student that she couldn’t enjoy riding - how could I possibly know that? I would never tell a prospective student that she couldn’t learn anything - how could I know that, and why would I want to assume it? Competition wouldn’t be a deal-breaker either - there are heavy riders who are successful competitors. There are also many riders who adore riding and horses, take their lessons very seriously, and have no interest whatsoever in going to a show.
Do you know what sort of lessons she wants? When you think of teaching a heavy rider, are you visualizing a horse straining to carry her at a canter up and down hills, or over a jumping course? It’s entirely possible to teach a heavy rider horsemanship and riding – just take care that the initial lessons are taught at the walk and on good footing, as would be appropriate for any beginner.
Since I don’t own a crystal ball, I can’t instantly know the specific cause of any rider’s weight, size, flexibility, or fear level. I work in the real world, with real humans who are, for the most part, in their forties and up - so I’m very aware of the effect(s) that many different conditions, illnesses, injuries, and diseases have on the human body. I’m also aware that most riders are trying their hardest and doing their best – they are highly motivated TO RIDE AS WELL AS THEY CAN. Some use riding as a way to maintain fitness; others work to keep up their fitness so that they can ride. Either way, I can’t imagine accusing a rider of a lack of self-control or an unwillingness to pay the necessary price to be a rider.
You asked what I say to overweight riders at my clinics. I say exactly what I say to every rider: “Hi, what’s your name, tell me a little bit about yourself and your horse, your riding experiences, your goals and your achievements and your frustrations – and the three things that you would most like to work on during this clinic.” Those things all have a bearing on the lesson(s) to follow. A rider’s size won’t come into the conversation unless (a) she wants to discuss it or (b) I can see that it’s having an immediate, negative effect on the horse. Very often, the rider’s size just isn’t all that important.
TEACHING
If you have a long, successful career as a riding instructor, this subject will come up often. We live in a “thin is beautiful” culture, but riding instructors see all sorts - and all sizes - of prospective students. It’s not always easy to make a living as a riding instructor, and arbitrarily eliminating a large (no pun intended) segment of the potential student population from consideration won’t help your income or your career.
Someday when you’re a well-established and popular instructor, you’ll be able (if you so choose) to limit your students to certain physical types. Until then, though, why not consider every student as an opportunity for you to improve your teaching skills?
Part of the fun of teaching is the fact that different rider types provide challenges that cause instructors to study, learn, and improve. If your students are all sixteen, thin, and short, you may find yourself using the same, limited set of exercises for every student, every time. It’s to your advantage to have students who are short, tall, fat, thin, heavily muscled, barely muscled at all, students with short heavy arms and legs, students with long thin arms and legs, short-waisted students, long-waisted students, bottom-heavy students, top-heavy students, students who are naturally coordinated and students who aren’t. As you struggle to find the right approach and the best exercises to help each individual student become the best rider s/he can be, you will learn and teach hundreds of exercises and you will eventually become a very good teacher indeed. And those are just some physical issues – there are many others, and you’ll also be dealing with mental and emotional issues. You’ll have students who are brave and students who are timid, and you’ll discover just how many different learning styles exist amongst a diverse group of students. Be patient, be compassionate, watch and listen and LEARN. This is not just about your students’ education, it’s about your own.
New students can be surprising. They may have problems we can easily observe (e.g., a bulk interfering with flexibility), problems we can infer (e.g., an arthritic rider’s difficulty using joints - hips, knees, ankles, fingers - that may be weak and/or sore), and problems that we can’t even guess at and will require to be told about (e.g., a rider recovering from illness, injury, surgery, or childbirth, or a rider with a condition (e.g., asthma) that may flare up suddenly under certain conditions).
As instructors, we have a duty to observe, process information in our heads, arrive at conclusions, and customize our teaching to each student’s abilities and needs. We don’t always get it right. Sometimes the things we first observe and define as problems turn out NOT to be problems; sometimes the things we first observe and say “Oh, well, THAT’s not going to be a problem” turn out to be huge problems. We’re not perfect. We miss things and we get things wrong, but if we’re committed to becoming the best instructors we can be, we realize that we, like our students and our horses, are perpetual works in progress, and that we must always strive to do our jobs better.
One way we can continue to progress as instructors is to make a conscious effort to understand our students’ drawbacks and problems. Developing the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes (riding boot?) is essential to improving your teaching skills.
I hope that you will reconsider and give this young woman a chance. If you are concerned about her health and feel that she needs motivation to improve her health and fitness, consider this: If she really wants to learn to ride, your lessons, your good example, and your horses may provide her with the best motivation in the world.
Jessica
I know, I was so happy to see that! This was my favorite line: “I agree that you do have a problem here, but… the problem you have isn’t the problem you think you have.” And then she also went on to give really good advice.
Priceless…absolutely priceless. :sadsmile: Thanks for posting that :yes:
Oh…my…gosh.
This line was the best:
I read your letter three times, and I believe that the most accurate way for you to explain the situation you’ve described, if and when you do talk to this girl, would probably be to say “Hi, I have a problem: I’m violently prejudiced against fat people and I don’t want any of them anywhere near me or my horses in case we catch ‘fat cooties.’ Would you please help me out by NOT asking me for lessons?”
Northern Lights… thanks!
To Ms. Jahiel… AMEN Sistah! :yes:
JUST SHOOT ME NOW.
eBayer “toomanyponies” sells lots of Ariat plus sizes as well. I know this because my black vest I bought from her arrived today. WhichI like, I just wish it was fitted and not straight. Though to be fair I have not seen many fitted heavier vest.
Please, tell me I do not need this jacket:
Which, of course, I am actually posting the link to as a Public Service Announcement.
Half Chaps!
I’m having the toughest time finding half chaps that are wide enough to fit my very muscular calves, yet short enough to fit my short legs (I’m 5’2"). It’s making me crazy. The owner of a local tack shop is ordering a pair for me that she thinks might work, but who knows if they really will? The irony is, riding is one of those activities that builds calf muscle, yet everything seems to be designed so narrow (I also have this same problem with ski boots). God help me when it’s time for me to try and find a pair of tall boots! It’s so freaking frustrating.
Sorry, I’m just venting.
Wide twist/narrow twist
I’m trying out saddles. Does anyone know anything about wide twists vs. narrow twists in saddles and their relation to butt size? Would a womanly-sized rider like myself with a substantial butt and hips (I will take a 18.5 size dressage saddle) necessarily require one type of twist or the other?
The saddle I’m looking at felt comfortable but I only rode in it for 10 or 15 minutes at the most. If I bought a saddle with a narrow twist and I needed a wide twist, how would it manifest itself?
And how about the width of the seat?
I currently ride in a size 18 Wintec 500 and it is very comfortable but I realized while trying out Counties today that the Wintec does nothing for my sitting trot and the County made it a lot, lot easier.
Thanks in advance!
[QUOTE=ChocoMare;3540368]
One place has what you want right now: http://www.aretesaddlery.com/tack/apparel/chaps/cat_3.html
:D[/QUOTE]
Thanks, I’ve actually been studying that site and I’m still not sure that the chaps there are going to work for me. The ones that seem wide enough look like they’re going to be too tall – grrrrr. I suppose I could just take a chance and order them and see. I can just return them if they don’t work.
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