I'm sure you are familiar with handicapping at the racetrack. Weights
are assigned so that ideally all the horses come down to the wire in a
dead heat. One reason fillies are assigned 121 lbs rather than the 126
for the boys is to make for a "level playing field".
I typically condition our horses and Kevin competes with a 40-50 lb
advantage. One reason I don't do 50 milers is because of my weight. I
simply won't ask a horse to carry the weight during race conditions where
so much is out of my direct control. At home I can control the pace and
decide what feels right/wrong at any given time.
A heavyweight rider however is not necessarily "handicapped" by the extra
pounds if that rider stays centered, light in the seat and flexible in
the joints. A situation where the horse must carry dead weight to make
the 165 FEI cut-off is at a greater disadvantage because the dead-weight
does not move freely in synch with the motion.
If you plan to "catch-ride" a horse used to a lighter load, you will
definitely need to pre-ride that horse quite a bit so as to not impair
its chances for a successful finish.
Diane @ Safe Haven
Allentown, PA
On Tue, 26 Mar 1996, lee clark wrote:
>
> Hi,
> Would a 40 pound difference in rider weight, from 170 to 130 pounds,
> be noticed by a 900-1000 pound horse? They are so large, that
> percentage-wise I wonder if it would make a difference in their performance.
> Thank you,
> Lee Clark
> Sandia Park, NM
>