Horse People, where are you? Whinny if you can hear me!

I have 7 horses and they have definitely been my motivation to lose weight. I have two that are pony size and as no one is riding them I swore I'd be small enough when one of them came back from training. I've been on here for 91 days and have dropped from 184 to 164.8. I have ridden both of the ponies since dropping the first 15.

As for balance, my horse in my Avatar dumped me 3 times earlier this year so he too was a motivator. I figured if I lost weight my balance would be better and he'd quit dumping me. It has worked. I'm no longer afraid that he will buck when going into a canter. I KNOW he is going to buck, and I now know I am going to stay on his back.

Losing weight helps tremendously. It's as simple as eat less, move more. It's not hard. It's slow. My goal was to lose one pound a week, and I am a little frustrated that every week that is exactly what I lose. I keep thinking one week I'll have a surprise and be down 2 - but nope, it's always 1. It is slow - but even if it takes 52 weeks to lose it all - it will be better than being the same wieght 52 weeks from now. Good luck.

Oh I hear you! I ride a lot. I run barrels and I always keep thinking how much faster I could be losing some weight! Those precious tenths of a second count! So that is my motivation as well!

I posted this picture on the over 50 board, but then realized that it probably belongs here also. My husband, me and my two young kids rode today. It isn't often we get to ride together. Loved it.

My daughter rides english....starting jumping this year. I love going to the stable to watch her ride. I like to ride recreationally too but my fat belly made it umcomfortable to ride and very hard to mount and dismount! I saw a picture of how ridiculous I looked on the horse and havent ridden since. By next summer I hope to be back in the saddle again...walk on!

Still practicing my pic posts! This was my eye opener -- yikes! This mare has been a great horse -- she is patient with me! Janey Blue deserves a lighter me! Ive had her for almost ten years -- she wasn't ridable when I got her -- but with a lot of learning on both our parts -- she is my favorite. I also ride her off-spring - Wildfire.

Rode my 13.3 hand pony yesterday (something I wouldn't do 20 pounds ago). Loved the ride and loved her. I still look a little big on her, but I still have 20 more pounds to lose. I thought she looked great in this picture.



Too bad you had to sell your pretty girl mrskatie. And I understand the eye opening pictures MrsMartin.

LOVE horses ! I would love to own one again one day. I used to have a pony called Breeze, she was a lovely chestnut mare, very quiet but sadly I outgew her. My next horse was a nutty thoroughbred lol., but I had to sell her because I just didn't have the time for her. sad. My cousin has moved to a large property with a few horses including a miniture ! I can't wait to visit her. She has loads of dogs, some lambs so it will be a lot of fun !

Hi there, can I join?
My name is Francis, I'm from the Netherlands and just joined MFP 4 days ago. First just to check it out and log what I'm eating while I'm not dieting but within two day's I'm already watching what I eat 'cause I don't want to log 'bad foods'. So I guess it's working already!
And that's a good thing 'cause I want to lose weight before I can ride my 'new' girl. I ride since I was 10 and I've owned my own horses since I was 30 (I'll be 45 in a few weeks) but about 10 years of those 15 years I've been a 'non-riding' horse owner. First 'cause I couldn't ride the Painthorse foal I bred (had to sell the mare due to my divorce) and had to wait 'till she was old enough, than 'cause we had saddle-problems, than I had to sell her because I couldn't afford her anymore. After half a year being horseless (and VERY miserable) I bought a very traumatised Merens from a horsetrader just to save him from a very bad future. I managed to get him back on his feet so to speak, but the first time I rode him it went wrong (my fault, not his) and after that I just couldn't give him the 200% trust he needed to get him under saddle again. I sold him to a girl that wasn't affraid and he's all well and a great trail-horse now.
But it left me horseless again, and again, I found out that I'm not doing well without horses in my life. Because of the money I waited, but after 2 years (that was last year), a friend of mine showed me an add of a pony she just knew would be great for me. I fell in love with the pics and knew right away I would be buying her. Went to see her a few days later and fell in love even more. She would be mine, no matter what it took (turned out she was a bargain and I could afford her as well, lucky me!)
There was only one tiny problem ... She was shorter than what I planned to buy. I always said I should't ride a horse smaller than 14.3 hh (1.50 m.) but she turned out to be only 14.1 hh (1.45 m.).
I rode her - eventhough my crash with the Merens made me pretty scared to ride unknown horses i felt at ease with her right away - and fell in love even more.
A friend that was with me said the height wouldn't be a problem 'cause it's a sturdy mare (she's a Hucul / Konik mix) and it didn't look weird. She took a picture that I showed (pretty ashamed.. ) to serveral people and all said it looked fine.
But even though height isn't a problem, , I think my weight is, especially because I want to ride long-rides in the future. So I promissed her and told myself that I couldn't ride her untill I weigh less than 90 kg. (I'm 106 now).

I own her exactly 1 year today and she needed that time to relax and land a little, the place (a kids riding school) wasn't right for her, but she had a year to relax and be herself again and I think she's ready by now... I've already worked with her from the ground and will start doing that more and hopefully I'll be able to find her a fitting saddle soon.
Than it's all up to me, losing the weight so I can FINALLY be a riding horseowner again.

So.. this is my sweet girl, Raya, from Poland, half Hucul, half Konik (when I bought her she was véry overweight and she still is heavier than on this picture, but also getting there... we're going to lose weight together)




And pretty ashamed I will show you the picture of me riding her. This was 1 year ago and I'm still about the same weight.


And this is what I looked about 15 years ago, showing my first own Painthorse mare Spring Bid Flygirl at my first show ever.
Here I'm at my thinnest (just under 70 kg.), don't think I will be able to reach this again, but everything below 80 would be great.

Hi Wessecg,

I'm 5'8 and in the picture with my Paintmare I weigh about 70 kg. That was very hard to maintain for me, I've been 69 kg for a few weeks but couldn't stay below 70. In my slim period I've fluctuated around 72 kg.
I'm 45 now and I honestly don't think it's a realistic goal to want to reach 70 again. I'm aiming for 75, but frankly I'll be happy with anything below 80. I want to be at least 90 before I start riding Raya. But with winter coming I'll have time, hope I will be able to start riding next spring.

Bought my daughter a new horse this weekend. Now I'm up to 8 horses!!! One has to go. Anyway, he is an 11 year old 15 hand Tennessee walker. Doesn't gait so much unless you know how to put him into it (which we don't).