First off, "a good little 'un will beat a good big 'un any day". I read
that when I was a kid, and, although at 5'2" I may be prejudiced, I still
believe it.
In my string of horses, I have everything from a 12.2 hh Arab/Welsh cross
gelding (who has WON three endurance races) to a 17.2hh Russian
Orlov/Thoroughbred. We often have riders over 200 pounds....once the 49ers
football team came to ride~!! For heavyweight riders, I do the same as the
rodeo bull doggers and team ropers.....I look for a short coupled, big
boned, sturdy horse who is 14.2-15.2 hands high. I agree with the posting
of Gary Fend....a big horse has to pack his OWN weight as well as the
rider's. Also, if his legs are long and lean, the torque at speed and
around corners is greater than if the weight is carried closer to the ground,
I have a friend who weighs nearly 300 pounds, and is an excellent rider.
She rides an Orlov cross horse of mine on all day rides up and down
mountains at speed, pretty well keeping up with my endurance winning Arabs,
and at the end of the day the Orlov's recoveries are great, her back is
sound, and neither of us think she's been abused. She's about 15.3+hh.
I've had 95 pound riders sore my horses' backs by riding stiff and out of
balance.
Which brings up my personal gripe about the dead weight my horses have to
carry when I compete for Best Condition or at FEI type events. I'm sure it
is harder for them than for the horse whose rider weighs closer to the
required amount. When I used to compete on Sham, who weighed in at 650
pounds on his 12.2 hh frame, I wished there was some formula to take into
account my weight compared to his.
As for cardiovascular effort....there is no doubt weight matters for short
distances at speed. My personal observation is that as the distance
increases, if a horse is conditioned to the weight, the quantity of weight
is vastly less important than the quality of the riding.
I put heart rate monitors on as many as six horses at a time on our treks,
and find that the degree of conditioning of the horse is more pertinent to
his being able to carry weight than is his size. Some of my 15.1hh horses
do better at speed carrying weight than my 16.1hh horses.
So, yes....weight matters. But getting a bigger horse won't solve the
problem. Getting one that is conformed and conditioned to carry it will.
Lari
Lari Shea http://www.horse-vacation.com
Ricochet Ridge Ranch Riding Vacations on the Mendocino Coast with
24201 North Highway One Lodging at Unique B&B Inns; International Riding
Fort Bragg, CA 95437 Akhal Teke and Russian Orlov/cross horses
707-964-7669ph/ 707-964-9669 fax At stud: RRR Stolichnaya & RRR Russia