how much could he carry?

[kirstie]

sorry have removed the pic

[spottycayuse]

Depends firstly on the condition of the horse and also on height of rider I think.

I take your point that in summer he'd be carrying more condition so that being the case I'd say a tall rider (eg. 5ft 7" and over) then 14-15 stones, but a shorter rider then less weight. With taller riders the weight is distributed differently, move evenly down the sides whereas with shorter people it tends to be more on top. I tend to think there is a difference between male and female riders too - weight distribution wise! - but that's not a golden rule, it all depends on the rider and how he/she is built. However, fairly often you'll see a 14-15 stone man think nothing of riding a horse like yours. I must stress though that my opinion is only an opinion and is based on the horse carrying more condition and the rider being well balanced.

He's lovely incidentally!

[kirstie]

thank you

[spottycayuse]

Was that the right answer? LOL Do you have a rider in mind?

[kirstie]

lol no was just wondering although having just had him ripped to shreds on another site maybe i should never sit on him again

hes lost alot of weight this winter & lacks alot of topline so that pic is not the best

[spottycayuse]

I would ignore the other site. You know, if people have nothing nice to say they should keep quiet. I think he looked lovely and yes, although he could do with a bit of condition, it's mid-winter for goodness sake! I don't know what the weather has been like where you are but it's been extremely wet and windy here and the best of them lose weight. I wouldn't give it another thought. Ignore them.

[kirstie]

thank you,just me being over sensitive as i love him to bits

[Catrin]

Get a weight tape, then divide the weight by 6. This should include saddle to be fair. A 60 kg person could ride a fairly fine Arab. My TB here on the left, could take 110 kg, so that's me and my saddle and a 12 year old that needs a lift.

[katefox1812]

Weight-carrying ability is mostly determined by the amount of bone a horse has. Measure the bone (circumference of the front legs, just below the knee). I don't know all the weight/bone ratios, but a horse with, say, 8 inches of bone can carry up to 13 stone (that's including saddle, rider's heavy winter clothing, etc., so does not mean a 13-stone rider).

Obviously other factors such as condition, age, conformation, etc. have to be taken into consideration as well - but these factors would only subtract from the maximum amount of weight indicated by the bone, never add to it. In other words, a horse with 8 inches of bone should not be asked to carry the maximum 13 stone if the horse is very old, in poor condition, has poor conformation (especially a weak back or leg faults), etc. A horse with 8 inches of bone but in perfect condition, with excellent conformation, etc., should still not be asked to carry more than 13 stone.

The other factor to take into account is what the horse will be asked to do with this weight on its back - obviously gentle hacking is much less demanding than hunting or eventing!

I think you would be quite safe to put a photo up here - people on this site are not given to slagging off other people's horses. Sorry you had such a bad experience elsewhere - that sort of thing can really knock one's confidence. People really should be more considerate.

[kirstie]

thanks

ok,he has lost alot of weight & we are trying to get it back on,he is a stressy horse & has been getting stressed hacking & getting worked up.

he has rubbish hinds but i know that already, he needs alot of work as hes just back in work after a year off.

16.2hh id x tb 12 years old, has hunted & x/c in the past,will be hacking/schooling & sj-ing


he looked like this a few months ago

[Rosie J]

I think your right that he needs a lot of bringing back into work, I would go for a lot of groundwork to really build up those back muscles before doing too much with a rider.
He doesnt look in bad shape though - dont let that meanie on the other board get to you! As others say, lots loose a little over the winter and he certainly isnt skin and bones, so dont worry. Most horses in the UK are obese so thats what people are used to seeing.

I would say his muscle tone needs a lot of work to be able to carry a rider easily, aprticularly if not a light one.

Do you know what I dont get about this question ' how much could he carry?'
I mean he could probably carry 25 stone befor ehe actually fell over, but obvioucly tyhis would be unkind, so when you say how much can he carry, he can probably carry as much as you can put on him. That doesnt mean to say its nicwe for him - but even an 8 stone rider is a burden isnt it? then people always answer with 'Im so-many stone and I rode a 14hh pony and he carried me fine' - what esle did you expect him to do - drop you?
So its a tricky wuation to answer because it isnt like you get to a certain wieght and they just buckle (well you probably do but its well beyond what we are talking about) so what we are really asking is what weight do we feel comfortable with them carrying? how difficult/ uncomfortable is it allowed to be before we consider it cruel? And as its very hard to know what they are feeling, exactly, its hard to naswer.

If this was my horse, at the moment, I wouldnt want more than 10 or maybe 11 stone on him including tack etc, with a very light balanced rider. Then maybe mroe when his topline has come up a bit.
But Im not saying thats THE right answer, its just honestly what I'd do.
He has quite a bit of bone, but his body looks more TB than ID at the mo.
He is lovely, I like his shoulder, and dont let meanies on DGs get to you, they always have something to say dont they!
Good luck with him.

[kirstie]

thank you

he doesnt seem to trouble about having me on & i am heavier than what you suggested, he jogs etc with me & i find it hard to stop him,but saying that i dont think its fair for me to ride him if i am to heavy

[julz]

kirstie, he's lovely!!!!!!

[Rosie J]

As I say its only my personal idea, not knowing how the horse carries himself (and you) etc which will make a huge difference.
I am 10 1/2 stone and ride a 13.3 lw NF 4yo here - I wouldnt recommend it over the internet to a 10 1/2 stone rider and a 13.3 NF 4yo that I dont know though! So although I stick by what I said, that doesnt mean your doing anything wrong necessarily - does that make sense? Im talking riddles now aren't I?

One point to hin kabout though - when you say he doesnt seem to have troubloe with you, what sort of trouble would you expect to see if there were a problem? I mean aside from actually crumpling which I think is beyond all riders weights, its difficult to say what is and what isnt troubling him seeing as even a light rider is a bit of a burden and its all a scale - at what point is it too much?!
His jogging could be his enjoyment and excietment as he loves you riding him. That is the most likely explanation. Particularly if he has no mounting problems and seems happy on rides.
It could aslo be that he is uncomfortable in his back and cant find a comfy way to settle and relax, more weight may cause him to take shorter and shorter steps - imagine carrying something heavy yourself, or it could mean that he is rushing to get his work over with because he is uncomfy.
Only you know him, and only you know if he is happy and comfy.
No rule of thumb or measurement can decide what a horse can carry, its down to what you see as acceptable and what your horse finds comfortable.
What is clear is that you adore him, and wouldnt do naything wrong by him, Im sure you know him well enough to deduce whether or not he is happy carrying you. Why not put a light rider up and see if he goes any differently if your unsure?
I stick by the grounbdwork - longlining will do wonders for his topline and his ability to carry you. 16.2 should be big enoughto carry quite a lot of weight, he just needs some muscle building first.

[katefox1812]

rosiej - I totally agree! It drives me nuts when people say 'my little 14hh pony carries me just fine!' As you say - just because the horse/pony does not actually collapse or buckle under the rider's weight - or refuse point blank to move - does NOT mean it is 'fine'. A too-heavy rider could be doing the poor animal all sorts of damage.

I do wish people would go to the trouble (very little trouble, really) of measuring the horse/pony's bone rather than trying to make guesses about how much weight it can carry on the basis of its height, breed, whatever. A fine-boned 15.2 TB may actually be less able to carry a heavy rider than a 14.2 stocky cob with lots of bone.

Kirstie - your horse may have dropped some weight but he is hardly skin-and-bone! I'm sure his condition will improve with good food and appropriate work. He may not have perfect conformation (most horses don't!) but he does seem to have a nice short back - just needs the topline building up, as you've already said.

Have you thought of getting some help with his 'stressy' behaviour under saddle? A good instructor or maybe RA should be able to help with this, perhaps?

A feed company advice-line might also be able to advise you on what to feed him to improve his condition without making him even more wound-up.

Sorry if I'm suggesting stuff you already know!