At 250 lbs, the rider would only be at 20% of the horse's weight. I think since your horse is a sturdier type, there would be no concern.
If the horse showed signs of physical issues or soundness problems, then you might consider what needed to change.

Also, if you are using a 50 lb saddle, that might strain the horse more, or distribute the weight better. It all depends.

A 200 lb rider would be considered a normal weight for a quarter horse performing athletic maneuvers, same ratio. Usually wearing a heavy saddle.

I do agree as riders we need to consider our weight and how the horse tolerates it. How we carry our weight can also make a difference. It should not be considered a plus sized issue though, because horses come in all sizes. I am riding a pony at 21% of her weight, but that is with boots, clothing and tack.

 

@tinyliny: I think it is a viable concern for ongoing review even with the 20% rule of thumb. I do believe a lot depends, also, on how how frequently they are riding. Monitoring your horse's ability to have them riding for X hours X times a week. Conditioning of your horse is important. As noted, saddle weight, too. Speaking of saddle, yours or theirs and how it fits your horse with them in it?

On the equestrian vacation we researched years ago, there were human weight limits based on the horses available and frequency/duration of rides. We understood as the horses were part of their businesses.

 

I wonder how fit this rider is. A lot of men weigh 250 lbs and can be very fit. Certainly, some women can have a bigger frame and weigh 250 lbs but still be very strong and fit. However, overall, women tend to be build smaller so it's harder to carry all that weight and still maintain some fitness. So HOW that weight is carried would be my biggest concern. If she is very fit, it should not be a problem to balance up and down hills. If not, then it would make a difference.

 

Am I TOO Heavy for my Mare?

Hello, all. I have been trying to loose weight my whole life, but this may actually motivate me to do it for real this time. Lol- To put it plainly, I fear I am too heavy for my draft cross mare. I have always had this worry in the back of my mind, but I need some real, non-biased (from my own...

www.horseforum.com

No matter how well she rides this is something to consider...

There's a second link that lays out the formula in the link above. None of my drafts were horses I'd put someone heavier plus tack on. A friend had a Suffolk that would do fine but he was thicker in bone density and shorter. Most of the bulldog style quarter horses with good feet and dense bone do much better. So do the shorter cobs.

 

You have good right to be concerned.
To me, that 20% is only numbers and guide....

The truth of what that animal can and should carry is not based only on its weight, but more importantly on its build, fitness and the riding terrain along with hours the animal will be expected to carry its burden. {we are all "burden, not singling out anyone!}
Based on the riders fitness level, ability and finesse would have more of my concerns quieted or raised.
But at 250 pounds, sorry that is not a fit rider...its not.
I've never been thin, but that is a burden to carry for any horse. Some horses are better at adapting and compensating, but there is a limit to what you task the animal with too.
A quiet rider, one who is very conscious of their weight with how it impacts the animal and controlling their movements astride where indeed weight moving around can upset a horses fine-tuned sense of balance easily.
Maybe.
A fit animal and one who is better built to carry weight of this amount is needed, not just any horse because it weighs in at 1250 pounds is going to be a good match, truth! You already know that tinyliny.

Because its a "draft-cross" does not mean it can carry a heavier burden...
In fact some crosses have more limitations to them than a straight bred breed, why?
Because it has to do with the horses build and the riders build.
That is a lot of burden to sit in concentrated location on the spine and then add motion, movement and variables of balance of the rider and their skill level.
Well fitting saddle the rider fits and not overwhelms is crucial for weight distribution better, a excellent supportive saddle pad used and those rides are not endless for hours, but workload the animal must endure and time also needs consideration.

Once you cross the 200 pound number you just took out a lot of animals and their comfort level of abilities to carry.
Many may want to hang me, no....
I advocate for the animal and fact is it is easier on the animal to carry a burden of any rider when that rider is lighter in mass/weight and not so top heavy as much of that weight not hug the ribs of the animal but is perched above its spine and is not a stationary burden but moving around...
The rider being discussed is 250 pounds and with a saddle and tack add another 25+ pounds....that to me is the line we do not cross.
Sure some do....but at the expense of the animal and everyone's safety... no.

Your concerns are appropriate.
I think if this rider really wants to ride, they will work on their weight so they are safer astride for this or any animal to carry. Every pound lost is a difference felt by that animal.
You yourself said you were at this number, have lost weight and the difference in your riding is immense....you know the answer it should be.
So does that rider.
🐴... jmo.

 

Because its a "draft-cross" does not mean it can carry a heavier burden...
In fact some crosses have more limitations to them than a straight bred breed, why?
Because it has to do with the horses build and the riders build.
That is a lot of burden to sit in concentrated location on the spine and then add motion, movement and variables of balance of the rider and their skill level.
Well fitting saddle the rider fits and not overwhelms is crucial for weight distribution better, a excellent supportive saddle pad used and those rides are not endless for hours, but workload the animal must endure and time also needs consideration.

The ability to carry a rider for drafts is related to the fact that they are not bred to be ridden, but rather to pull. Yes, I know that some were also used in war, but their everyday use was pulling the plow, sleigh or cart, therefore their backs are not necessarily adapted to carrying a lot of weight. People assume that because drafts are bigger, they can carry more weight, but it really depends on the breed and individual fitness level of the horse as you point out @horselovinguy.

 

If you do the calculations, she is within the 20% of the horse's body weight which means the horse can carry her safely with no problems. If she gains a bit more weight, then I wouldn't allow her to ride but as of now, she's fine riding this horse. You said she's a good rider with soft hands and a great seat so I wouldn't be concerned. I'm sure she's aware of her weight.

Personally, I would let her lease the horse but I'd make sure that she knew about the 20% rule and tell her that if she gained weight, she'd have to look for another horse so that both her and the horse would be safe. Saying that isn't making you fat phobic. It's making you a responsible owner.

 

She is at 20% and you still have to add tack. That puts her over. This is a draft cross. Taller if I remember. Not necessarily a long back but not a short back. Read the link. Do the measurements and figure top weight. Then use your good judgment. You, @tinyliny are considering the horse for purchase - if the animal belonged to you what would you say.

Here you go. Examples and formula.
Horse weight + (rider+tack) equals total weight. You divide total weight by canon circumference and then that by 2. You want a number between 75 and 85.

Examples

1) 18.2 hh, 1800lbs, 12.25 inch canon circumference and a #6 shoe using a rider plus tack weight of 250 pounds the number you get is 84. At the high end of the range. This horse has a longer back and is hitch bred. I won't put anything more than that on her.

20% for her is 360lb. I would never put anywhere near that on her.

2)15.2hh, 1000lb, 8.25 inch cc and a #1 shoe and using same 250lb rider and gear you get 76. Has a longer back but when fit and conditioned I have gone a little higher with allowed weight. If she had a shorter back she could carry a bit more before hitting that upper end of 85.

20% for this one is 200lb - she has no problem with the extra 50lb. I am comfortable with that for her.

3) 15hh, 900lb, 8 inch cc and #1 shoe with same as both above and you come up with 72. She does have a nice short back and is built like a bulldog. I could probably add more muscle but she is fairly fit. She could carry more than the others. Her sons are built just like her but a little taller, a little beefier and thicker in then canon bone.

 

Thanks to all for responses. This horse will become MY horse in a week. My first horse. I will make a thread on that when it happens.
But back to the subject . . .. I will let her part lease with the caveats of

1. no additional weight gain
2. She will ride twice a week, one can be a lesson if she likes w/t/c and the other a trail ride of less than 1.5 hours.
3. regular observation of his back, to see that soreness does not develop.

she is a good rider. NOT physically fit, but has a good feel for the horse and overall is a good rider. I wish she had a larger saddle, but she must use my saddle for now. I have a thinline pad and a sheepskin half pad.

I wish I did not have to part lease him at all, but the finances require it. Hopefully, we will both love on him so much that it becomes a mutually beneficial arrangement. I spent years being a part-leasser and i always tried to bring positivity and benefit to the relationship beyond the money I paid. That is what I hope to gain, too.

 

@QtrBel How very interesting. that formula.

I am purchasing this horse. And, I agree with @Golden Horse in that the horse will tell me if it's ok.

 

@QtrBel How very interesting. that formula.

I am purchasing this horse. And, I agree with @Golden Horse in that the horse will tell me if it's ok.

Actually I've found with drafts and crosses they don't tell you anything and even if that something they need to tell you goes from bad to worse they avoid telling you. They keep it to themselves until they're beyond hiding it and once it gets to that point it is usually a serious thing.

 

I really don't think you can do numbers or calculations, it just all depends on how fit for the work the horse and rider are. People have different conformation like horses. Someone said a person weighing 250 would not be fit, but I've had a female friend 6' tall who worked hard and had a lot of muscle. Carried the weight distributed all over instead of in one place, and her BMI would have been 34. That's the same as a 5'3" person weighing 190 lbs, which is not an uncommon rider, but my friend was far more balanced than most shorter people I've seen with that BMI.

In this picture, all the horses are carrying similar loads in my opinion. Three riders with three sizes of horses, and you can't say the red coat person is unfit or unbalanced on her horse. I am on the far left, but my horse was only 14.2 hands, and even though I weighed 100 lbs less, the horses were similarly loaded for the horse size and rider size. This was a 25 mile ride, and all the horses had good marks from the vet.
The big horse is a standardbred/connemara cross.

 

I think this person is not physicallly fit. I rode out today alone and Leo's way of trotting can be quite jarring, strung out and fast if he is not strongly encouraged to slow down and carry himself a bit better.. She may quickly find that she is happier at a walk out there. And that's fine. Just taking a horse out for a walking trail ride is still a real joy.

In the arena, she does well at the trot and the horse seems to be ok. At the canter, he was flustered and made half hearted bucks of irritation. no cantering for a bit, is best.

 

@tinyliny, I'm going to play Devil's advocate here, ultimately it's all up to you because it's your horse and as your first it's understandable if you want to be a bit overprotective.

First, are you SURE that lovely young Renaissance fellow you posted the pics of only weighs 1250 lbs? I ask because Skippy was just at the vet for his yearly exam and ran across the scale at significantly more than that and he's only a 15.3 hh AQHA, no draft in him, it shocks me that that young man you're buying is that light.

As for the lady wanting to ride him tipping the scales at 250...... if she's got a good seat and hands, I'd be a lot less inclined to be worried about her weight than a beginner who weighed in at 125 who bounced around like a sack full of rocks because they have no balance and no muscle tone and no clue.

If she's willing to take a lesson and comply with your restrictions (your horse, your rules) and work on her fitness to reach some goals, I'd say go for it. As you say, the horse will tell you if there's a problem. Besides, if she can't do something she loves to get fit, how will she ever lose the weight and accomplish those goals? I'm all for looking out for the horse's well being and making sure we don't over use them, but I think we also have a tendency to forget they are beasts of burden. Yes, I am the worst of that bunch because ain't NOBODY gonna ride one of MY horses I don't care who they are or what kind of shape they're in, because those horses are MY BABIES and that's all there is to it. So there. You're willing to do a lease, so you already have better sense than I do, so do it and just watch out for the horse and make sure she lives by the rules you set down.

Congrats on your purchase!

 

@Dreamcatcher Arabians . you mean to tell me that if i showed up on your doorstep, and I BEGGED, you would not let me ride one of your horses??!!

 

My thoroughbreds are 1300lb on scales (both 16.2, one long in every direction and the other compact but built like a truck) - mare actually gets up to 1350ish at some points in the year. I'd be surprised if a larger draft cross was only 1250. My gelding weight tapes at 1100lb, but was 1300 on scales when I had his teeth done last, and my mare weight tapes at over 1400 :| but actually weighs around the 1300 mark. Weight tapes are highly inaccurate in my experience and I think it's likely your horse weighs more than you think.

That being said.. I've put 250+lb riders on both my Thoroughbreds, and they've both carried those riders with absolute ease. My partner is a big guy, 6'1 and solid... and a complete beginner. With good saddle fit and proper management, there's absolutely no harm done to my horses when they carry him.

 

Just curious, how will you tell if she gains weight if you are making that a condition for the lease?

 

Also very curious how you planned on enforcing this?

 

Weight can be a factor for anybody, thin or heavy, if you dont have the balance and ride like a sack of potatoes bouncing on your horse (if you are thin or heavy) you will sore them up no matter. I have seen lighter riders that dont know how to sit a horse do more harm then a plus size rider that has the balance and I have seen plus size riders pull their horse on top of them because they dont have the balance while doing events and pull the horse over and knock them off balance, seen this happen with a light weight rider as well.
Weight can be a factor if the horse is a small frame/light weigh.

Ride the horse that fits you/comfortable for the horse. Balance is always the key if you are thin,got some fluff are really fluffy, Balance Balance Balance...

 

Ride the horse that fits you/comfortable for the horse. Balance is always the key if you are thin,got some fluff are really fluffy, Balance Balance Balance...

Good bra as well!

 

Re BMI charts, this is me, according to the chart posted above pre obese

wearing size 4, and still, according to the charts, FAT…

It’s up to @tinyliny to advocate in the best way she can for her horse, but let us not forget…unless the horse has been on a livestock scale we are guessing at his weight. Besides, seriously math has much less to do with this than common sense, and looking at that particular paring of horse and rider.

 

Excuse my language, but screw the BMI chart. That is SUCH an out dated way of measuring fitness and health. It doesnt take into account muscle mass, for starters. Any athletic person with any amount of muscle is considered obese on that stupid, out of date, waste of time chart.

I am 280 pounds and ride a 15.1hh morgan. We competed this weekend, placed top 3 in all of our classes and I had strangers commenting on how soft and light i ride. Riding capability is SO much more important to a horses well being than the number on the scale.

 

I am not going to argue, debate or defend with anyone ....
You do you and I will do me....
We are all entitled to our opinions, that is a fact.

I will say 250 pounds whether feathers or cinder blocks is still 250 pounds.
If you came to ride my horse at that weight you would be told no, not happening.
My choice, my decision and my opinion.

A moot point & discussion as tinyliny has made her decision, and is acting upon it.

Have a good day all....
🐴...

 

But you're wrong? Your opinion is just incorrect. You're entitled to it for sure, but that doesn't make it true.

250 pounds of balanced weight is a whole lot different than 250 pounds of bouncing and pulling.

 

I think the point is that it's still heavier regardless of riding balanced or not.

I personally know someone who is an excellent rider but has gained quite a few pounds since getting her latest horse. She admitted to me that her horse now let's out a small groan everytime she mounts and he NEVER did that before. When other lighter weight people ride her horse he doesn't make any sound like that. So he is telling her he doesn't like the extra pounds! She rides only on occasion so he can probably take it but who knows?

Everyone has to make their own decisions on this issue and the horse may or may not let on til it's too late. I also refuse to let any heavy folks ride my horses for any reason. I can also talk because I was heavy at one time--180+ lbs--and I went down to under 120lbs by changing my diet. Exercise alone is not enough. I didn't start losing the jiggly body fat until I stopped eating all refined flour and sugar. That's what worked for me.

Even if you are balanced and a good rider your body fat is still moving around--I know cause I could feel it on myself when riding. The horse may or may not react.

 

Another thing to consider: does she fit the saddle?

I can't remember what you ride in, but it might be a good idea to watch for 'overfill', especially as it hasn't been made to fit her. Not just in the walk, watch in the trot and canter as well, as we can shift our bahookies out at the back at times.

Different placement of weight, such as extra on the cantle, can cause rubbing and pressure and, I agree with what others have said, horses won't tell you that something is wrong until it's serious.

Outwith that, it's your choice, you know her better than anyone on here.

 

I decided to delete what I wrote. Self-censoring is never a good omen.

 

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