Any other horse-riders here?

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  • carinalewis
    carinalewis Posts: 84
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    seriously think they can all shove it i dont feel that big. im a size 12 with my skinny jeans on. size 14 with them off lol
  • Doingitforthehorse
    Doingitforthehorse Posts: 9
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    seriously think they can all shove it i dont feel that big. im a size 12 with my skinny jeans on. size 14 with them off lol

    I'm guessing not too big for a 17h warmblood at all then :bigsmile:
  • Teerai
    Teerai Posts: 243 Member
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    yes although my lovely mother has told me im too 'fat' to ride any horses on the yard and often jokes about how they would be better off riding me and then maybe i would lose some weight. its really disheartening. i bought a mini shetland for my boys last year so now my time is spent running around after them. why i have to be down to 10stone to ride a 17hh warmblood i do not know!!!! but i will continue to try and shift it.

    My Beloved has told me that I'm too fat for my horse - how rude! Horse doesn't have any trouble bronking when I'm on him so I don't think so! (I'm still less than 10 stone so he is just being rude, I just want to be trimmer so I don't have to squidge the fat back between my thighs before I start :embarassed: )


    Be assured you ARE NOT too big for an average horse.

    I would answer your mom and others that most horses throughout history were animals bred to be war horses. That is carrying at least one MAN who was a warrior and fighting fit, supplies and weapons and in many cases armor,..... We are talking a few hundred pounds. They marched all day sometimes for months on end. Horses that did not cut it were culled.

    It makes me laugh that 185 pound women think they are too heavy for the horse. Even ponies are amazingly sturdy and have carried heavy loads historically.

    So given an average sound horse there should not be a problem on that side. Just figure that they can carry an average 200lb man with ease.

    The losing weight as a rider is all for better balance and skill. This does benefit the horse also but technically so does becoming a more experienced and better rider. That takes hours on the back of one or more horses.

    Definitely pursue riding. There are wonderful sturdy horses in many school programs. It is more important to strive to be a kind, sensitive rider in tune with your mount. The advantage to us losing weight is that riding is one of the finest and most fun calorie burns on the planet (My Not So Humble Opinion! lol)


    Here's a summary of me and my horses. I have several pics of my stallion on my profile.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Teerai

    Welcome to MFP!!!!
  • bonkers5975
    bonkers5975 Posts: 1,015 Member
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    Yay! Another Spotted Draft owner!! I love Belgians....I want my hubby to get one. His first horse was a rescue Tennessee Walker that was green green grean and mean. He got kicked in the knee twice (tearing a ligament the 2nd time) and bit numerous times and so we readopted him to someone who was prepared to work with him every day. After seeing how sweet Gypsy is, my hubby has decided he wants a draft too....I'm pushing for a Belgian!

    My partner's Belgian - he's not sweet at all :laugh:

    LMAO
  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
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    I don't ride but I am an owner. Does that count.

    I co-own two racehorses. At the moment if I sat up on a thorough-bred racehorse I would be arrested for cruelty to animals. :laugh:

    I'm hoping to get my weight down far enough that I will be able to sit up on them
  • bonkers5975
    bonkers5975 Posts: 1,015 Member
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    Yes, the key to riding any horse is is that horse fit to be ridden? I bought sully at my heaviest of 345lbs, and rode every single day. Had the horse vet checked constantly to make certain I wasn't harming him in any way. I will say, that after losing over 100 lbs, he's much perkier on the trail, and actually greets me in the field when it's time to go riding. So I'm sure I'm more fun to carry :) lol We have such fun now!

    My trainer told me that a horse shouldn't be made to carry more than 1/3 to 1/4 of his own weight. And don't think taller means stronger. As someone mentioned, look at ponies. A 600 lb pony can effortlessly carry 400 lbs (I'm not condoning that, btw!)

    It just irks me how cruel and ignorant people can be. I never had anything but my horse's comfort in mind, and took all kinds of garbage from sh!theads who had never been on a horse in their life.

    I'll put away the soapbox now.

    Had a great ride this afternoon! Sully was a doll. Loving my easyboots, he goes so much better over these rocky roads. (mmm, rocky road. Dang it, now I want ice cream!)
  • hollyd1986
    hollyd1986 Posts: 39 Member
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    Me :-)

    I ride 4/5 times a week for about 40minutes (sometimes more sometimes less) a time and only use my exercise bike on days I dont ride as riding burns a fair few calories itself :-)

    Im based in East Anglia in England :)

    Feel free to add me as a friend if you want!
  • Doingitforthehorse
    Doingitforthehorse Posts: 9
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    I think it's easier to have a good position when you're thinner though, do you agree? Also, I hate the sesnation of my belly wobbling around when I do a sitting trot - always a good incentive to loose a few kilos :embarassed:
  • Baydale
    Baydale Posts: 22
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    I think it's easier to have a good position when you're thinner though, do you agree? Also, I hate the sesnation of my belly wobbling around when I do a sitting trot - always a good incentive to loose a few kilos :embarassed:
    I agree, the past few weeks I find I'm sitting up better and it's not quite so hard to keep my backside in the saddle :laugh: That'll never be easy for me with my horse though, he's far too bouncy :tongue:
  • diverchic73
    diverchic73 Posts: 314 Member
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    I rode from when I was a child until my late teens and then had to stop as I couldn't afford it :-( Have occassionally ridden since but now I live in London it's just way too expensive to ride in Hyde Park :-(

    It is one of the things I miss a lot but I distract myself with other hobbies.
  • bonkers5975
    bonkers5975 Posts: 1,015 Member
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    Absolutely! I thought I loved riding, and even just general horse care, before, but the more weight I lose, the more I love every aspect of my horse. Riding now is exhilerating. Riding then was lots of fun :)

    I am planning to go over and give Sully his annual spring haircut. I never body clip him, but I do get rid of the mud-holding feathers and belgian beard he puts on over the winter. I love the before and after! Makes pre-and post-ride grooming a heck of a lot easier!
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
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    I am a dressage rider and Pilates has nothing on sitting trot ;-)

    Now that DST has kicked in, I am going to ride after work and try to get my cardio in before work!
  • bonkers5975
    bonkers5975 Posts: 1,015 Member
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    Don't you love DST? It's like better than christmas to me ;)

    I am trying to teach myself to post, I have had lessons, but at the time was too heavy and my knees just wouldn't do it. I think I oculd now, but I'm riding in a Aussie saddle, but I've been told you can post in whatever you use. I have an english close contact saddle, but I'm afraid to try it without instruction! I'm thinking in the dead of summer when Sully sleepwalks our whole ride I might get brave... still has to be more secure than bareback, right? and I'm a pretty good bareback rider.

    Anyone have in tips on posting? I really would love to master it. Sully has a super bumpy fast trot, and then a smooth slow western type jog... I tend to encourage the jog more cause his fast trot is rough on the boobage! lol
  • Lanfear
    Lanfear Posts: 524
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    Don't you love DST? It's like better than christmas to me ;)

    I am trying to teach myself to post, I have had lessons, but at the time was too heavy and my knees just wouldn't do it. I think I oculd now, but I'm riding in a Aussie saddle, but I've been told you can post in whatever you use. I have an english close contact saddle, but I'm afraid to try it without instruction! I'm thinking in the dead of summer when Sully sleepwalks our whole ride I might get brave... still has to be more secure than bareback, right? and I'm a pretty good bareback rider.

    Anyone have in tips on posting? I really would love to master it. Sully has a super bumpy fast trot, and then a smooth slow western type jog... I tend to encourage the jog more cause his fast trot is rough on the boobage! lol

    It took me ages to get it and I was forever out of time with the horse, sitting when they were rising etc. Very uncomfortable! Then one day it just clicked. I don't know if this is any use, I found it ages and ages ago but it kind of breaks down the movement?

    http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/17814/1195/9

    Edit: I've just re-read this link and I suspect it will be a bit too "simple" for an experienced rider!

    My friend once told me that it's not "rising" to the trot, as this makes most people stiffen and push up against the stirrups, but more swinging your pelvis backwards and forwards with the movement of the horse - she made me sit on a barrel and pretend that I was, er, "on top" and that it was the same movement when trotting. LMAO. A low rise will also enable your horse to balance itself better.

    I "rise" as the outside shoulder goes forward, and "sit" as the shoulder comes back - when I'm rising this means the horse's inside hind is underneath him, providing the push forward, which is easier to do without extra weight in the saddle. Also when doing school movements if your weight is out of the saddle as the inside hind pushes forwards, it helps with balancing on circles etc - at least this is how it's been explained to me so I hope it's correct!

    You should also be able to use your rising to slow the horse down if it's rushing.
  • bonkers5975
    bonkers5975 Posts: 1,015 Member
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    Thanks, Lanfear! I think this will help me alot, just in understanding the mechanics. Love your "on top" description! lol Too funny. Now I'm going to be blushing while I attempt to post on my horse :p lmao
  • vonalj
    vonalj Posts: 124 Member
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    I have a 23yr old polish arabian that believes he is 5yrs old. He was the first love of my life! I used to show him hunt seat. We do mostly trail riding or fun shows now. And we also take wine/beer with us on trail rides! I think he likes me better when I weigh less... :) !
  • Lanfear
    Lanfear Posts: 524
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    Thanks, Lanfear! I think this will help me alot, just in understanding the mechanics. Love your "on top" description! lol Too funny. Now I'm going to be blushing while I attempt to post on my horse :p lmao

    It works though!!!! :laugh: Good luck - now, if I can just find a similar description for canter.... LMAO!!! :bigsmile:

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