Re: Horse/Rider Weight at Tevis

Truman Prevatt (truman.prevatt@netsrq.com)
Mon, 27 Jan 1997 12:45:30 -0400

Whle structure is important consider the following. One reason weight
lifters "bulk up" is not so much for strength but to be able to handle the
weight. When I was a kid at 150 I could handle 120 pound hay bails. But
my 200 pound buddy had a much easier time. No he was not stronger (I could
lift more than he could) the weight to body mass was smaller for him than
me. This ment that his body could better handle the reactions from tossing
the bails around - in physics this is called inertia. While I could toss
them around I seemed to always be off balance.

So while weight is not the only factor, it is a factor.

In the bridge analogy, the forces that are referred to below are static
forces. In riding a horse the forces from the rider are more along the
lines of dynamic forces. While one might be able to build a bridge out of
tooth picks, paper stips and flour that would hold a loaded semi trailer,
it is doublful that this bridge would hold up to a 100 mph wind while the
semi sit in the middle.

>Generally speaking, a smaller horse can carry a higher percentage of its
>body weight than a larger one (in much the same way that...all other
>things being equal...a shorter bridge can suppport more weight than a
>longer one), but this is still a gross generality and I would never dream
>of trying to put a number on it.
>
>If you want to know if your horse is a weight carrier...look at the way
>it is built...don't put it on a scale.
>
>kat
>Orange County, Calif.

Truman Prevatt
Sarasota, FL