I think if your new to riding the 20%-25% rule is a good rule to follow because there is people that are to big for certain horses and weight does affect some horses a lot ❤
Hi Sidney, thanks for watching and your thoughts! If you are a beginner rider it is good to get your trainers advice if you are thinking about leasing or possibly buying a horse. It’s good to sit on a variety of sizes and see what feels comfortable. Much more important is the horse’s demeanor and experience with new riders. The 20% may be a starting point but it’s more complex than a number. A heavier rider who is experienced, balanced and follows the horse’s movement is going to feel very different to the horse than a very light inexperienced rider who bounces more on horses’s back, etc.😊🐴💜
Excellent point and very spot on. Another factor that is almost never accounted for is the fact that the light horse's back/spine, joints and feet are not designed to 'self carry' over a certain size. Light horses, naturally, are about 14.2 hh/1000 or less, unless they have been selectively bred to be bigger...which that is most breeds of light horses today. The bigger you go the less relative weight that horse can carry because now he's added his own weight over and above what nature designed his bone, joints and feet to carry. If a horse is smaller, they can carry more weight relative to their size. Case in point, when a wrangler acquaintance of mine goes on a week long outing over steep and rough terrain, he always chooses a horse under 14.2 hands and ~1000 pounds or a little less and he's no lightweight, he and his saddle and equipment weigh about 230 pounds combined and he's about 6 foot tall. he's found that smaller horses can carry him over that steep and rough terrain quite nimbly with little to no fatigue compared to horses that are 15 hh+/1200lbs+. He says his horse will be fresh the whole week, while his buddies on bigger horses that are carrying the same weight are sore and fatigued after their work day and they are not as nimble, much slower picking their way through rough country. Most of his wrangler friends choose horses about 14-14.2hh and
@@DragonflyGlitter thanks very much for this information! My Arabian mare is 15 hands but weighs about 850 lbs. She’s definitely nimble but she’s living an easy life! We have mainly been doing Dressage! I’m looking forward to more trails in the future!
@@alifewithhorses-meryllynn You're welcome 🙂 I learned this aspect of horses decades ago and was a part of classical dressage. The old riding schools never kept horses over 15.1 hh because of that knowledge. It seems like this has been long forgotten and horses are bred to be too big nowadays. If one wants to go big, get a "small" draft horse, their bones and joints are meant to carry much more weight. But drafts are suffering from going too big as well, their average size used to be in the 16 hand range, now they are 17-18+ hh. My Percheron is 16hh/1400lbs and can carry a massive amount of weight long distance at a good clip and shows no fatigue.
I want to thank you for the speedy reply on my question today:) I have completed the entire video and while I agree it's better to be safe than sorry, I also know that each horse is built differently and has different capabilities. Take mine for instance, she is a very large pure Arabian. Standing around 15.25 hands and the back of a gaited horse, she is incredibly strong and healthy. I feel that a good groundwork regimen is vital BEFORE mounting your horse as well as a muscle massage. This loosens up the muscles and decreases tension the horse may be carrying in a certain part of their body. This arabian can work all day carrying my daughter and want to go more. Yet, there are measures such as bell boots and leg boots to protect the tendons ect we also do for her.
@@meganpahl3612 she is big! My straight Egyptian Arabian mare is 15 hands. Thanks for sharing! And best wishes to your daughter in her horse riding endeavors! 😊🐴
Thank you for posting this, great to know there's been an actual study of horses, and not just some random figures being bandied about in regards to how heavy a rider can be (that made sense in my head!!)
Hi Siobhan! Thanks for watching! It’s so important to get facts wherever possible. Sometimes things that are not 100% accurate get repeated so much we just take it for granted that it’s factual information! 😊💜🐴
Im over 200 pounds and because I want to ride again I hade weightloss surgery. I’m hoping I can ride again since my oldest horse passed away in 2019 at 34 years. She was a Icelandic horse and obviously I didn’t ride her anymore but the kids did walk her threw the riding arena. No hard work for her anymore because she was with horse pensioen. But I’m looking to buy a new horse again but I’m looking into a draft horse now , a Percheron. So we can ride with a wagon and I can do trails again. Greetings from The Netherlands
So im a guy im 100kg and i wanted to get into riding and then i found this weird weight limit that i dont understand, i can carry a woman with 70kg on my back for quite while probably an hour if i trained that skill 😂 and some people wanna tell me a horse 3x my weight thats mostly muscle and no fat can not carry me for an hour? Like knights armor and horse armor in medival times weigh more than i do and that doesnt even include the rider. I saw a tiktok where a horse refused to follow on the leash and carried the entire weight of a grown man with just its neck draging him away 😂 Thanks for clarifying that topic a bit :)
Hi! Thanks for reaching out! I hope you were able to watch this full video! I explain that the blanket so called 20% rule is outdated and much more recent studies say the science and evidence don’t support this. Be more mindful of the size and body condition of the horse you are going to ride to make sure it’s appropriate and work to become a balanced rider! Let me know how your riding is going! 😊🐴👏
I badly want to ride horses for my health, this gives me a small bit of hope. I have severe arthritis in my lower spine that is slowly removing my ability to walk. A lot of health studies are saying horseback riding is a major benefit to easing that pain.
I’m so sorry that you are dealing with such severe arthritis. I’m hoping you can find a horse therapeutic program near you so you can see if riding may help! 🙏🐴
The 20% rule developed by the US cavalry around the time was taking into account a rider and his gear going all day for days in a row. It should not be the target for going for a 50 minute trail ride at walk
@alifewithhorses-meryllynn now for a controversial take... yes, people are fatter than they were and we must be aware of overloading a horse, but I feel a lot of the changes in the horse industry are fueled by horses becoming an almost exclusively female past time. There is a lot of bitching and backstabbing and character assassination in the world of modern amateur horse riding. Telling some girls they are too fat to sit up on a horse is part of that.
@@twoonthewall Working to be fit to ride or improve your horse riding skills is an ongoing project for many riders. Even riders who are more petite or lower weight have to build strength which doesn’t happen just through riding alone. I work out a couple times a week to build core strength and flexibility! No one should be “fat shamed” or “weight shamed” in any sport. We all have our individual goals and challenges and everyone who wants to ride, woman, man or child or any other genders should be supported. Just some of my thoughts on the important things you have raised!💜🐴
Hi I have a thoroughbred she weigh about 1000 and I have a friend that wants to ride my horse, but she 225lb? Would that be too much for my horse if she ride her?
Hi! I think some additional considerations besides just looking at weight are is your friend a balanced rider or will they bounce a lot on the horse’s back. What kind of riding will they be doing? A short trail ride? Etc. There is no strict weight ratio in and of itself without thinking about these questions too! Thanks for watching! 😊🐴
Thanks for watching! None of us would ever be able to get on our horses! Pippa weighs about 807 pounds. Tack and rider could not exceed 162 pounds. My saddle probably weighs 15-20 pounds and Western saddles weigh 25-35 pounds!
Adding or subtracting weights from race horses has to do with the complicated handicapping system in horse racing. They need to make sure the racing betting odds of each horse are competitive. Thanks for watching!! 😊🐴
Extremely irresponsible conclusion on your part based on very sparse clinical data. The elephant in the room no one even brought up was the 'long term' (years) effect of weight on the spinal system and muscle groups. The old Calvary 20% rule was based on this more than any other criteria, some thing you and all the researchers, you referenced, totally blew off without even a concern. As a professional engineer, this content is barely pseudo science! Thumbs down! 👎
Yes! The Mongolian Horse is typically 12-14 hands tall. They are small but stocky and incredibly strong. Part of the reason for their resilience is the habit of Mongolians to switch horses frequently so as not to overtax any one horse. It is reported that a Mongolian Horse weighing approximately 250 kg can carry a load of 300 kg! 😊🐴
I think if your new to riding the 20%-25% rule is a good rule to follow because there is people that are to big for certain horses and weight does affect some horses a lot ❤
Hi Sidney, thanks for watching and your thoughts!
If you are a beginner rider it is good to get your trainers advice if you are thinking about leasing or possibly buying a horse. It’s good to sit on a variety of sizes and see what feels comfortable.
Much more important is the horse’s demeanor and experience with new riders.
The 20% may be a starting point but it’s more complex than a number. A heavier rider who is experienced, balanced and follows the horse’s movement is going to feel very different to the horse than a very light inexperienced rider who bounces more on horses’s back, etc.😊🐴💜
@@alifewithhorses-meryllynn I agree with that ❤
Excellent point and very spot on.
Another factor that is almost never accounted for is the fact that the light horse's back/spine, joints and feet are not designed to 'self carry' over a certain size. Light horses, naturally, are about 14.2 hh/1000 or less, unless they have been selectively bred to be bigger...which that is most breeds of light horses today. The bigger you go the less relative weight that horse can carry because now he's added his own weight over and above what nature designed his bone, joints and feet to carry. If a horse is smaller, they can carry more weight relative to their size.
Case in point, when a wrangler acquaintance of mine goes on a week long outing over steep and rough terrain, he always chooses a horse under 14.2 hands and ~1000 pounds or a little less and he's no lightweight, he and his saddle and equipment weigh about 230 pounds combined and he's about 6 foot tall. he's found that smaller horses can carry him over that steep and rough terrain quite nimbly with little to no fatigue compared to horses that are 15 hh+/1200lbs+. He says his horse will be fresh the whole week, while his buddies on bigger horses that are carrying the same weight are sore and fatigued after their work day and they are not as nimble, much slower picking their way through rough country. Most of his wrangler friends choose horses about 14-14.2hh and
@@DragonflyGlitter thanks very much for this information! My Arabian mare is 15 hands but weighs about 850 lbs. She’s definitely nimble but she’s living an easy life! We have mainly been doing Dressage! I’m looking forward to more trails in the future!
@@alifewithhorses-meryllynn You're welcome 🙂
I learned this aspect of horses decades ago and was a part of classical dressage. The old riding schools never kept horses over 15.1 hh because of that knowledge. It seems like this has been long forgotten and horses are bred to be too big nowadays. If one wants to go big, get a "small" draft horse, their bones and joints are meant to carry much more weight. But drafts are suffering from going too big as well, their average size used to be in the 16 hand range, now they are 17-18+ hh. My Percheron is 16hh/1400lbs and can carry a massive amount of weight long distance at a good clip and shows no fatigue.
I want to thank you for the speedy reply on my question today:) I have completed the entire video and while I agree it's better to be safe than sorry, I also know that each horse is built differently and has different capabilities. Take mine for instance, she is a very large pure Arabian. Standing around 15.25 hands and the back of a gaited horse, she is incredibly strong and healthy. I feel that a good groundwork regimen is vital BEFORE mounting your horse as well as a muscle massage. This loosens up the muscles and decreases tension the horse may be carrying in a certain part of their body. This arabian can work all day carrying my daughter and want to go more. Yet, there are measures such as bell boots and leg boots to protect the tendons ect we also do for her.
@@meganpahl3612 she is big! My straight Egyptian Arabian mare is 15 hands. Thanks for sharing! And best wishes to your daughter in her horse riding endeavors! 😊🐴
Thank you for posting this, great to know there's been an actual study of horses, and not just some random figures being bandied about in regards to how heavy a rider can be (that made sense in my head!!)
Hi Siobhan! Thanks for watching! It’s so important to get facts wherever possible. Sometimes things that are not 100% accurate get repeated so much we just take it for granted that it’s factual information! 😊💜🐴
Im over 200 pounds and because I want to ride again I hade weightloss surgery. I’m hoping I can ride again since my oldest horse passed away in 2019 at 34 years. She was a Icelandic horse and obviously I didn’t ride her anymore but the kids did walk her threw the riding arena. No hard work for her anymore because she was with horse pensioen. But I’m looking to buy a new horse again but I’m looking into a draft horse now , a Percheron. So we can ride with a wagon and I can do trails again. Greetings from The Netherlands
I wish you well! And I hope you find a horse that you can ride and love! 👏💜🐴
So im a guy im 100kg and i wanted to get into riding and then i found this weird weight limit that i dont understand, i can carry a woman with 70kg on my back for quite while probably an hour if i trained that skill 😂 and some people wanna tell me a horse 3x my weight thats mostly muscle and no fat can not carry me for an hour? Like knights armor and horse armor in medival times weigh more than i do and that doesnt even include the rider. I saw a tiktok where a horse refused to follow on the leash and carried the entire weight of a grown man with just its neck draging him away 😂
Thanks for clarifying that topic a bit :)
Hi!
Thanks for reaching out!
I hope you were able to watch this full video!
I explain that the blanket so called 20% rule is outdated and much more recent studies say the science and evidence don’t support this.
Be more mindful of the size and body condition of the horse you are going to ride to make sure it’s appropriate and work to become a balanced rider!
Let me know how your riding is going! 😊🐴👏
Great insight- thanks for making this information available
Thanks for watching! 😊
I badly want to ride horses for my health, this gives me a small bit of hope. I have severe arthritis in my lower spine that is slowly removing my ability to walk. A lot of health studies are saying horseback riding is a major benefit to easing that pain.
I’m so sorry that you are dealing with such severe arthritis. I’m hoping you can find a horse therapeutic program near you so you can see if riding may help! 🙏🐴
The 20% rule developed by the US cavalry around the time was taking into account a rider and his gear going all day for days in a row. It should not be the target for going for a 50 minute trail ride at walk
@@twoonthewall I agree! And point out in the video many other factors that impact the horse as a rider!! Thanks for watching! 🐴😊
@alifewithhorses-meryllynn now for a controversial take... yes, people are fatter than they were and we must be aware of overloading a horse, but I feel a lot of the changes in the horse industry are fueled by horses becoming an almost exclusively female past time. There is a lot of bitching and backstabbing and character assassination in the world of modern amateur horse riding. Telling some girls they are too fat to sit up on a horse is part of that.
@@twoonthewall Working to be fit to ride or improve your horse riding skills is an ongoing project for many riders. Even riders who are more petite or lower weight have to build strength which doesn’t happen just through riding alone. I work out a couple times a week to build core strength and flexibility!
No one should be “fat shamed” or “weight shamed” in any sport.
We all have our individual goals and challenges and everyone who wants to ride, woman, man or child or any other genders should be supported.
Just some of my thoughts on the important things you have raised!💜🐴
Hi I have a thoroughbred she weigh about 1000 and I have a friend that wants to ride my horse, but she 225lb? Would that be too much for my horse if she ride her?
Hi!
I think some additional considerations besides just looking at weight are is your friend a balanced rider or will they bounce a lot on the horse’s back.
What kind of riding will they be doing? A short trail ride? Etc.
There is no strict weight ratio in and of itself without thinking about these questions too!
Thanks for watching! 😊🐴
Interesting stats and info.
Thanks for watching! 😊
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 😊
Good to know we don’t have to make professional jockey weight. 😊
Thanks for watching! None of us would ever be able to get on our horses! Pippa weighs about 807 pounds. Tack and rider could not exceed 162 pounds. My saddle probably weighs 15-20 pounds and Western saddles weigh 25-35 pounds!
Wow an amazingly detailed report
Thanks so much for watching! 😊🐴💜
Why do they add weights to race horses if jokey are to light.
Adding or subtracting weights from race horses has to do with the complicated handicapping system in horse racing. They need to make sure the racing betting odds of each horse are competitive.
Thanks for watching!! 😊🐴
@@alifewithhorses-meryllynn Grid!
Excellent video
Very interesting content
Extremely irresponsible conclusion on your part based on very sparse clinical data. The elephant in the room no one even brought up was the 'long term' (years) effect of weight on the spinal system and muscle groups. The old Calvary 20% rule was based on this more than any other criteria, some thing you and all the researchers, you referenced, totally blew off without even a concern. As a professional engineer, this content is barely pseudo science! Thumbs down! 👎
What about the Mongolian there horses were small.
Yes! The Mongolian Horse is typically 12-14 hands tall. They are small but stocky and incredibly strong.
Part of the reason for their resilience is the habit of Mongolians to switch horses frequently so as not to overtax any one horse. It is reported that a Mongolian Horse weighing approximately 250 kg can carry a load of 300 kg! 😊🐴
@@alifewithhorses-meryllynn Thanks for reply.