Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Weight of horse compared to rider

>Elaine betwab@xxxxxx
Hi,
What is the rider to horse weight ratio.  A friend who is new to riding and
endurance has purchased a horse that is 13.2 and he is 6.4.  The thought are
that the horse is really to small for him.  The horse is a arabian of aboout
750 lbs.  While he is about 170 to 180 lbs. without the saddle.  The total
wieght with his present saddle is about 200 to 210.  Thanks for any infor on
this situation.


It is the substance of the horse and the conformation of the horse that
carries the rider, not the height.  You are only asking this horse to carry
28% of his body weight, which is not unrealistic for a well-built
individual.  As another poster admitted, the problem is the tall rider
feeling uncomfortable (and I'd add that this is due to preconceived notions
of how he is supposed to look, not to any sort of physical discomfort)--the
horse really doesn't care, and is not being asked to do anything
extraordinary here, unless he has a long or weak back or other conformation
faults that predispose him to difficulties in carrying weight.  It has been
my experience that more of the taller horses actually have poor backs in our
breed, and hence they often tend to have more physical problems with heavier
riders than do shorter and more correctly conformed individuals.

Heidi



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