RC: rider weight horse weight??????

[Lynette Helgeson <helgeson@lansford.ndak.net>]

Dear Dolly and Sandy and anyone who thinks like them,

This summer I rode a 13.1 hh arab/welsh cross. I am 5'9" and
with
tack weigh over 200 lbs. This pony weights around 600 lbs. So
with
our weight combined, this pony, Cloud Dancer, was carrying
around 
800 lbs down the trail. 

Take me and put me on a 15 hh, 1000 lbs horse, our combined
weight
for this horse to carry would be 1200 lbs! that is 400 more lbs
than
Cloud Dancer had to carry. So when Cloud Dancer is going down
the trail
with me on his back he has less weight to carry  and an easier
job, then the bigger 15 hh horse has.  

So the question is, is it fair for these big, tall horses,
having to work so hard to carrying all of their extra weight,
plus your butt down the trail, when a smaller horse could do it
so much easier? :-)

Oh and by the way, Cloud Dancer, (carrying me) got first and
second places, high and clean vet scores. No filling on the
legs, no sore back, the vets could not fault him. And this was
his first season. 

Lynette and Cloud Dancer, the wonder pony

Jim & Dolly Miller wrote:
> 
> I don't think that it's fair. The rider size should match the horse
> size. Arabians are strong but why push a small horse to their limit with
> your weight. Aren't we asking enough of them by riding the miles that we
> do.
> Dolly
> 
> Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 07:45:35 EST
> From: SANDYSROB@aol.com
> To: Merryben@aol.com, ridecamp@endurance.net
> Subject: RC:     Rider weight -horse weight/?????????
> Message-ID: <0.71768a91.2551886f@aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> 
> In a message dated 11/3/99 0:46:17 AM EST, Merryben@aol.com writes:
> 
> << The Jim Jones Award for stallions was in honor of Jim Jones and his
> stallion,
>  Rowell.  Rowell was a tiny little thing and Jim was over 6' and not
> tiny.
>  They did just fine...........Maryben >>
> 
> But is it fare to ask a tiny horse to carry that much weight, ofcourse
> being
> Arabs their going to try their heart out for you.
> 
> Sandy
> Sorrento, FL
> 
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=