The First Indication of Being TOO Big to Ride a Horse.

Kathy Larsen

— 4 min read
The First Indication of Being TOO Big to Ride a Horse.

I'm sure I'm encroaching on some peoples comfort here but there are some easy ways to tell if you shouldn't ride a horse as someone who is larger.

I am not talking about starting a young horse in this blog, this is the first red flag that I wouldn't push past even as an experienced rider.

First: Use your eyes, does the horse look fit? or does it have boney withers and a limp? If it looks fit and travels well on its own there is a solid chance you can ride it. This is really for moderate obesity, for morbidly obese people know that you probably shouldn't be riding, especially if it is your first time, this is for your safety too not just the horse. However there are some things you can do with horses that overtime will help you get to the riding point which I will put in a different post.

This horse has really nice muscling and I would just by looking at her consider getting on her. she has a nice topline, good neck muscles, and her hind end looks nice and full. The red flag is the hooves and how she probably is due for a trim.
This is a horse that if I would not consider riding at my weight. I can visibly see the lack of topline, hind leg muscling, and the neck is hollow and lacking in the fullness of the other horse. Surprisingly her shoulders look really stable. The other tell tale sign of a weaker topline is the pot belly look, this tells me that she isn't using her abdominal muscles well. If I was looking to ride this mare I would start building her muscles up before I got on, it might take me months given her age as she is in her mid to late 20's.
This is one of those horses that you would want to do a movement assessment on if you were heavier and wanted to ride. The first thing to note is her downhill build, what that means for you as a rider is your center of balance is going to be off, making her a tricky ride for beginner over weight or unbalanced riders. Second thing to note is how her hips almost look like they point upwards, that's odd, and tells me she is compensating for something or she has more of an upright pelvis. Third thing to note is the uneven muscling on her shoulder, though it is hard to see with her pattern her lower shoulder muscles are much more developed then the upper muscles. We can visibly see some asymmetries right off the bat with this one which could be cause for concern, but at the same time they could be nothing.

I generally always assess a horse first looking at the shoulder the topline and the pelvis in and around the areas I have circled, before I get on to ride. I would be uncomfortable on the middle horse due to her overall lack of muscling, although I know I could ride her if I weighed less. There is a lot I can do on the ground to help her build muscle and I will also get in the exercise. The last horse is one I would ride if I was having a good day, I know that with her down hill build I have to be diligent with my body balance and center of gravity, I would not place a overweight beginner rider or even an average weight beginner rider on her as she is so down hill if they can't get her to activate her thoracic sling there will be too much pressure and force running through the front end. Most horses carry over 60% of their body weight on their front end, as riders we have to acknowledge that fact and teach the horse to balance with us on them.

The first horse is one I would willingly get on, her muscling is good and she has a strong looking back. Her feet need to be done but otherwise if I was new to her and someone told me to hop on her at my current weight I probably wouldn't over think it too much. If you are unsure of your weight or ability to ride there are so many exercises you can do to prep your body, and maybe you wont be in the best shape of your life but at least you will have more balance and stability in the saddle.

If you are questioning yourself and your horses ability to hold you. I hope looking at these areas on your horse help you make better decision. When in doubt ask a professional, a vet, bodyworker, chiro, animal osteopathic practitioner and trainer should all be able to give decent advice. If you want my opinion drop a comment I would need pictures of both sides and a picture of the hind end to do a small assessment. My disclaimer here is that someone with hands on the horse would be able to be far more accurate then I would with just pictures.

-Kathy

#overweightriders #learninghorses #shouldIrideahorse #amItoofattoride

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