29/05/2025
Always a difficult subject but as well as weight you need to think about the length of the horses back, can they take a big enough saddle to accommodate you. ๐
๐๐ฒ๐'๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ.
Now we know this is not always a comfortable topic to discuss, but it is an important one for animal welfare.
The old rule of thumb is that a rider can weigh a maximum of 20% of a horse's body weight.
However, a 2019 study found riders exceeding 15% of the horse's body weight (17% if including tack weight) caused the horses to become temporarily lame and/or have significant behavioural signs of musculoskeletal pain, when ridden for 30 minutes of walk, trot and canter work.
Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that 15% should be the maximum rider weight limit, especially if asking for a significant amount of trot and canter work. It is also important to remember that this must be calculated from a horse's ideal weight. An overweight horse cannot carry any more weight than it would if it were a healthy condition. For example, for a 500kg horse with a healthy body condition score, the maximum rider weight would be 75kg (85kg including tack). It is worth noting that a heavier saddle will reduce the rider weight that a horse can take.
It is also important to consider the size of horse required to match the saddle size required by the rider. A saddle's length should never extend past the horse's last thoracic vertebra (last rib), and it is not acceptable to compromise on this to allow for the rider. Therefore, we must ensure to ride an appropriate size horse to allow a correct saddle seat size for our shape, weight and height.
Note - the above study acknowledges that the results are not necessarily applicable to walk only exercise (e.g. walking hacks), as significant concerns were only seen at trot and canter.
๐ฆ๐ผ, ๐น๐ฒ๐'๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป. ๐๐ฒ๐'๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐, ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐ณ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ.
To read the study, please go to: https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eve.13085 #:~:text=The%20conclusions%20and%20clinical%20relevance,bodyweight%20and%2For%20weight%20distribution.
