07/30/2023
*** RIDER WEIGHT AND HORSE WELFARE; WITH WHOM DOES THE RESPONSIBILITY LIE? ***
It is a PRIVILEGE to ride a horse, NOT a right.
I first posted about this last year, but following some discussion on my post from the local show last weekend, and the fact I seem to be seeing more riders that are clearly too heavy for their horses/ponies, not less, I’m bringing it up again.
A tough topic to broach. But, I’m sorry to say, one that really, really needs broaching. Back in March 2019, the exceptional Dr Sue Dyson, published her pilot study on the influence of rider:horse body weight ratio. The conclusions weren’t really that surprising; large riders can induce temporary lameness and behaviours consistent with musculoskeletal pain. The hugely disappointing outcome of this study, is that I still regularly see riders that are far, FAR too heavy for their horses. No b******t about how heavy riders can “ride light”. Rubbish. The fact remains that if you are 5 stone too heavy for your horse, you are far too heavy for your horse, even if you can ride along with your toe resting on your elbow.
But who is going to be “brave” enough to walk up to a rider, and tell them that their weight on that poor horse’s back, is in fact a welfare issue? And with whom does this responsibility lie? I’ve been chatting to a few people involved in trying to help the poor horses seen out and about with riders very much too heavy for their backs, and some of the videos doing the rounds are shocking. These horses are almost buckling behind, trying to carry their riders, and several can’t even manage to canter.
Does it lie with the dressage or jumping judge, to ring their bell and eliminate a rider for being alarmingly too heavy for their horse? Maybe? But that rider then bursts into tears, and shares a photo of their 20 stone self, perched on their little Connemara cross, and 600 “be kinds” on social media, immediately tell said rider that the judge is a bully and they look great. 🤷♀️🤷♀️ What about being kind to their poor little horse/pony?
I’m sure this is offending at least 25% of you so far, but I actually don’t care. Riding is classified as a “sport”. Therefore, whatever our level, should we not be classing ourselves as “athletes”?? If you are obviously too heavy for your horse (and I’m sure most people will be aware if they are, or they aren’t) then losing a few kilograms will not only benefit your horse, but also your own health. This isn’t “fat shaming”, this is science. If you are huffing and puffing in the saddle after six strides of canter, then you aren’t fit enough to ride. Improving fitness and losing weight can only be a good thing, surely?
No amount of physio/chiro sessions for Nobby, will compensate for the fact he has to brace his whole back as you land in the saddle. No amount of matchy matchy fleecy leg bandages will support his tiny little limbs as he struggles to maintain canter for more than three seconds.
In Dr Dyson’s trial, ALL SEVEN of the very heavy rider tests were abandoned due to the weight of the rider resulting in obvious lameness, in horses that were sound minutes before, and sound again straight after. A very heavy rider was one whose rider:horse body weight percentage was greater than 20%. An average horse is around 500kg, so these riders were over 100kg/15-16 stone. Every single one of these riders induced lameness in the trial horse they were on. Just ponder that thought. These were not subtle lamenesses, either. We are talking 4-5/10 lame in trot, during the first trot with that rider. That is lame. To be fair, these riders may have been 20 stone, as there was no upper limit.
So we look at the “heavy” group, who had a rider: horse body weight percentage of 15-18%. So, on a 550kg horse, that would be a rider weighing 82-100kg, or 13 stone- 15.5 stone. FIVE of the heavy rider tests were abandoned due to lameness, and one due to the horse showing pain in canter.
So, back to the point of the article. Who should be the person responsible for telling these riders that they are far too heavy (I’m not taking a stone too heavy, even)? Have I been tempted? Absolutely. But would I then get a roasting on social media? Most definitely. Have I told clients that they are too heavy? Yes. Not as often as I probably should have, but yes, I have. It’s a very, very tricky subject to broach with riders, who often genuinely love their horses, and don’t realise the damage they are doing, and the pain they may be causing.
I honestly don’t know the answer to my question. If I was judging, I may never be asked to judge again. As a vet, I’m probably better placed to go and have a quiet word, but then I can guarantee I’d be met with, “well, my vet doesn’t think I’m too heavy”, followed by a “she’s so unprofessional” social media rant. But something needs doing, and saying.
Finally, other shows are now starting to implement measures following the wonderful GYS. Let’s hope ALL shows and ALL disciplines follow suit.
20% IS generous! It’s actually very generous. But we need a cut off point, so that is it. I’d be happier with it being 15%. So if you weigh more than 20% of your horse’s ideal weight, including boots/saddle/girth, then you are too heavy to ride your horse.
Finally, the “mental health” issues that are frequently brought up in these discussions. It is simply not acceptable to allow horses to suffer because it helps someone’s mental health. Sorry, but it’s not. Horses can’t say, “please get off, I am struggling to carry you and my back is hurting.” Actually, they say it very obviously, but people either can’t see it, or don’t want to see it. So we need to address this animal welfare issue.
Watch this space!
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Photo of Johnnie and I going clear at Houghton 4* last year, because you haven’t had a Johnnie photo for a while!
