Too heavy to ride a horse? 20% Rule Explained

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@RedHybiscus 2 ай бұрын

I am so thankful for this topic. Most people have lost sight of the fact that horses and ponies have limits regarding how much is safe for them to carry. Even more disturbing is that people will overload the horse and the horse is not able to function and they act like the horse is being bad some how. Thank you so much for this discussion

@0annonymous Ай бұрын

Actually, on OUR horse farm, I can tell you this was total HOGWASH All of our Riders were of average height and weight for their age, and there were no restrictions whatsoever on any of our horses OR ponies as long as you weren't ridiculously overweight Any adult or child could ride anything on the farm if they were one of the accepted guests on the farm who was actually allowed to go out into the pastor field and ride, no restrictions whatsoever All of the adults already new by Common Sense that if they rode a PONY, to ride them GENTLY and for SHORT amounts of time, it was something we just did AUTOMATICALLY We didn't have to be told, we just did what was RIGHT, and that was why there were no restrictions for any of us on what any of us can and can't ride Every last one of us Was of an average height and weight and Pappy was sure to keep only The safest healthiest animals on the farm that anyone either child or adult could easily ride If any animal didn't meet the expectations That he was looking for, they were returned to Sugar Creek Horse auction and trade it off for another trial with another animal until we found the right animal, until our farm was STOCKED with ONLY what Pappy was looking for We didn't have sick or injured animals on our farm, we made sure of that Because if anything was wrong with them for what Pappy wanted on his farm, they were returned to Sugar Creek because we weren't being financially drained with an expensive vet bill My Pappy wanted a nice horse farm in his old age So not only he could ride anything and everything he wanted, but he also wanted his visitors to also be able to ride anything and everything that was ridable Again, as long as you were of a proper weight and height and as long as Didn't come too close to the ground, you COULD RIDE EVEN a small pony! I know what I'm talking about, because we DID it No adult rode for any more than just a few minutes on the ponies, that's just how OUR farm operated Before any of the horses or ponies became available, they had to go through a period of evaluation and observation to make sure they were WELL, and NOTHING was wrong with them, so yes they had to be well and able-bodied No one on our farm was ridiculously overweight, and Pappy had a way of making SURE that for the farm HE wanted to run, that ONLY the people who were of a proper weight and height for even his smallest animals were the ONLY ones who were allowed on that farm, and only those he could actually trust to properly be around his animals I don't think he would have let someone who was fat on our little dolly, that's not what he did at all What Pappy was looking for when he was matching you up to an assigned animal is he would put you on whatever he had available on the farm that wasn't being shown or had anything wrong with it, EVEN IF that was a PONY The only way I ever rode during observation and evaluation is at a SLOW, GENTLE WALK There was a time I was only Temporarily assigned to a small Pony until I was reassigned to another one I could ride for longer because I only rode dolly for short and sweet, no more than just a few minutes, like let's say 5, give or take There was another Pony that was close to the size of a 3/4 , you could ride her for longer but she had to go back to Sugar Creek because Pappy deemed she wasn't 100% safe When she noticed something in her behavior no matter who was interacting with her I'm not sure I noticed Much accept one time something spooked her and she almost reared up, that I think was what sent her back to Sugar Creek I was assigned to different horses and ponies for Observation and evaluation for the right match and then Pappy found something I REALLY wanted, a WHITE Horse or Pony This was a very big Pony that grew to be just under the size of a regular horse Comma she was about 13-14 hands high, PERFECT for ANY adult OR child Snowball was MY baby, she KNEW who HER Mommy was! 🥰 Anyway, if you can have a picture in your mind of how our farm was, we need far more farms just like Pappy's Comma and I'd like to see that become more of a reality because the way Pappy ran the farm, if you were of average weight and weren't Ridiculously heavy, you could ride even A small Pony as long as your feet were reasonably above the ground and you couldn't even touch your tiptoes to the ground With your feet and legs all the way extended.... If you could Point your toes all the way out and extend your legs all the way Award the ground and not even your tiptoes touched the ground no matter what, you were perfect to ride that pony, SHORT and sweet! If you're on a pony THAT short That only stood at about your HIPS at the BACK, and you were at a SLIM weight, ride for no more than about 5 minutes MAX, and dismount Ponies that stood about at your waist, you could also ride for about that amount of time, maybe a minute or too longer or maybe even 10 minutes longer, maybe even longer yet, depending on your weight When I was around a high school weight, I was able to ride THAT size of pony with a pony saddle for quite a little while We were all closely watched and observed, especially if you were NEW We had ways of getting you to dismount, and we had ways of being able to do it seamlessly if we were wanting to put someone else up there and maybe you come join us on another one or maybe engage you in conversation, it was just that smooth and seamless that no one was ever offended We all got along real well, we were all kind of like a family It was just a nice smooth seamless flow out there at the farm because It was just so beautiful And we never had a problem with anyone being too heavy for any of our ponies, so any adult could ride any horse or pony because it was SCREENED BEFORE becoming available to ride Now we did have two ponies in the quarantine Barn and I was able to ride one of those as I was assigned for a time until it was turned out and then eventually returned to Sugar Creek because Pappy must've found something he liked BETTER is what my thought is Unless it was a horse or pony that was meant to actually stay, you couldn't get to attached or sentimental, which was HARD for SOME of us.... If I had my way, I'd have a whole wide open ranch to be able to let all the horses and ponies flow through there and stay as long as they wanted and be able to ride whatever came along As an adult, You should only ride the shorter ponies as I described for only a very short distance and only at a walk Is what I recommend, that's what kind of rider I am The shorter ponies that come up to your hip, only ride them short and sweet at a slow gentle walk with no saddle As long as you're at a nice healthy Slim weight and you're not badly overweight The ones that come up to your waist, same rule except you can ride them some longer, even much longer as long as you follow the slow gentle walk rule The ones that come up about Midway up to your mid tummy, you can definitely ride them a bit longer, you may even get away with a very short run, same rule, SLIM weight, but don't carry much extra weight if you do happen to be some overweight I was at my high school wait under 200 lb, but my Pappy was over 200 lb and he was able to ride our waist High Pony with a saddle for about a half hour with absolutely no problem, and he rode for about a half hour I was on my snowball who was that 3/4 Pony just under 15 hands Comma she was about 13-14 hands, I could ride her all day with no problem because I normally rode bareback, and I was also at a SLIM weight I never rode her all day at all until the day we went to a trail, so I was on Snowball and Pappy was on Cindy, our little bit bigger Appaloo so that was 15 hands So the bigger ponies and the regular sized horses you can ride for longer and further as long as you're at a proper weight and not too heavy for them One time years ago I saw an article on some website from a vet who even said pony bone structure is actually MORE able to hold adults than an actual horse can, because ponies bones are found to be made stronger than a big horse When I read that, I was PLEASANTLY SURPRISED Having a nonsense policy doesn't necessarily work, the way my Pappy ran his farm Is the ONLY right way to run a horse farm I know because PAPPY and the horse TRAINER where my TEACHERS, because that HORSE FARM was my SCHOOL 🏫

@RedHybiscus Ай бұрын

@@0annonymous thank you so much for raising this topic

@karaneal7732 2 ай бұрын

Another outstanding example of basic horsemanship information! Loved it!

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much @karaneal7732 I love making videos like this and I've been heavily researching this since i realised I was too heavy to ride Hope! Ive got this weeks vlog going live tonight swell so you'll see all about that too :)

@Kelly_Ben 2 ай бұрын

Great video! I love your common sense, educated approach!

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your lovely comment and thank you so much for watching @Kelly_Ben ❤❤❤

@dizzysdoings 2 ай бұрын

Years ago I was involved in a horse forum. One of the people was quite overweight. She was looking for a horse. She got one, but hadn't posted any pictures. Wasn't too long before she started having problems when she went to mount, so she asked if anyone was available to come over and help her figure out what was wrong. A friend and I volunteered to go over and see if we could help her. As soon as we got there, we realized what the problem was. It wasn't a horse, it was a large PONY and was way too small for her. I wasn't mad at her, she didn't know any better. I was upset with the seller. They assured her that this was a good match for her. 🤬

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Oh my word @dizzysdoings thank heavens you were there to give advice. They are so loyal and forgiving and they try so hard for us until they cant. ❤🐴💕

@dizzysdoings 2 ай бұрын

@@EssentiallyLivingtheDream exactly. I have a friend that's a bit on the heavier side. She would NEVER ask to ride my Arabian. Her horse is a haflinger.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

@dizzysdoings I used to have a haffy many moons ago called Robert. He was amazing! X

@sidilicious11 2 ай бұрын

My sturdy-built Paint horse weighs, by tape, 1100 lbs. I’m 153 lbs plus 30 lbs western gear=183 lbs, well under the 220 lbs 20%.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Oh @sidilicious11 it is my absolutely dream to one day have a paint or a QH. I have the most beautiful western saddle that used to be Toby's that I know would be perfect. I would absolutely love to see your paint ❤ ❤ ❤

@sidilicious11 2 ай бұрын

@@EssentiallyLivingtheDream he’s a very, very handsome solid black Paint! Because he didn’t have ‘color’ we paid a relatively low price for him as a yearling. He was offered to us, we weren’t even looking for another horse. He wasn’t anything much to look at but with good hay and supplements and a loving mare to take over his education he grew into stunner. Who knew? And such a princely attitude, I call him a stall-ding (a stallion like gelding😉). He has a decidedly macho personality. He has been the most challenging horse I’ve ever owned. I’m just a backyard horse enthusiast with a 2 horse limit, and they live their lives out here. So I’ve only had around 8 horses in my life. My last mare(since died at 35 last year) was another real firebrand, and I learned ton of horsemanship because of her. But this guy, the most gorgeous, athletic horse I’ve owned, is almost too much for me. I’ve kept at it for 9 years and now I’m 69. We’ve come a long way. But I’m too old to fall off anymore. A few years ago I was starting to ride him and he spooked, I fell off, and I was in bed for 2 months. I kept at it and am just starting to ride him again after a huge amount of time put in to him, and lots more love between us. That’s enough blah blah. Thanks for commenting on my comment.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Oh I love this @sidilicious11 !!! I am going to sort out a post on my Facebook page where everyone can post pictures of their horses because I absolutely love hearing about them and always wonder what they look like 😍

@Faelani38 2 ай бұрын

thank you I did learn more about it.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Oh super @Faelani38 I am so happy I could help ❤🦄💕

@beabarber4300 2 ай бұрын

In reference to the US Cavalry rule of thumb - back in the 1920s there was a MUCH higher level of awareness of working horses and what was a reasonable ask for them to do. Old information can be good information if backed up with decades of experience. The kikkuli training method is 3000 years old but still works particularly well for endurance race horses. Also, cavalrymen depended on their horses for their lives, not for medals or ribbons or the like. So their accumulated experience should not be discounted imo.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much @beabarber4300 for such and informative and educational comment. I feel like we would have really great conversations! It is so true, horses are kept more as pets, sports equipment or as toys these days and not enough thought is given to what they need mentally as well as physically. I'm sure if the majority of riders suddenly had to rely on their horses to live and survive that these type of videos wouldn't ever need to be made. Again thank you so much for your comment, I really did appreciate it. Hayley.

@beabarber4300 2 ай бұрын

@@EssentiallyLivingtheDreamI learned to ride back in the 50s from my grandfather, who was in the Australian Light Horse during WW1, and took part in the famous charge at Beersheeba. He preferred thoroughbreds and thoroughbred crosses to ride all his life - and he rode daily until he was in his 90s. From memory, all his personal horses were active and in work until their mid-twenties at least, and I know of at least two who were still in work at over 30. He did make a point of purchasing horses that had never been raced or been in racing training, and had some hard words to say about the TB racing industry. I've been riding all my life on various kinds of horses, although now I'm over 70 I've had to slow down a bit. I hope to keep going for a while at least!

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Your grandfather sounds like he was an incredible person ❤❤❤ I hope we can ride until the end!

@juliehumphreys173 Ай бұрын

Don’t despair bigger riders. Obesity is now regarded as an illness rather than a moral failing. I am on Ozempic because I was pre diabetic and I’ve been on for 3 weeks and lost 3kg already and not up to the full dose yet. Doing the right thing by your horse can be good for you as well ❤

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream Ай бұрын

My friend has been on that for a few weeks now and she has lost well over a stone and it is doing wonders for her diabetes. It's definitely such a wonderful feeling to know that you are doing the best for your horse. 💕🐴❤

@Dwynfal 2 ай бұрын

Some 35 years ago I used to work summers and weekends at a mixed barn (private boarders and schooling horses specialised in Hunter and Dressage) to pay for my lessons. One summer we had a new boarder, a small pinto barely two years old, and his owner, probably early 30s and quite plump. First weekend, she tacks up with this big western saddle, obviously too big for her horse and to our dismay leads it out to ride! 😮 Poor horse had trouble just carrying that saddle! There was NO WAY we were going to let her mount and ride! One of us went running to get the owner of the stables who took one look at the situation and told the owner in no uncertain terms that she was NOT going to ride that horse! Cue histrionics from the owner, it's my horse, I've ridden it before, blah, blah, blah. My boss was adamant (she was a tiny woman but she could put the fear of god into an atheist! 😂) 2 days later he was being loaded up to move to a different stable. Never knew what happened to that lovely boy but to this day I think of him whenever I see a pinto.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Oh heavens above @Dwynfal why do people do it? Barely two years old as well? Oh my word I could just cry! All we can do I guess is pray he ended up with someone who knew what they were doing and how to let him just be a baby. Well done you for getting the yard owner straight away too! There's an area about 15 miles away from us that is notorious for kids and adults that that ride youngsters up and down the concrete roads at crazy speeds and they keep their horses in their gardens! It really is a whole different world isn't it.

@Kelly_Ben 2 ай бұрын

How sad!! I’ve got a peanut of a Lippitt Morgan. She’s 3 1/2, and I still haven’t backed her, though she’s had a saddle and bridle on. Until she gets some bulk to her little frame, I’m not risking permanent damage for her lifetime for the sake of riding a year earlier.

@johnmcfadden9732 Ай бұрын

The US Calvary guide was the max load should not exceed 15% of the horse's weight.. Which, given how much fatter people are, in general, today than they were in the mid-to-late 1800's, would prevent many folks from riding a horse. At least until they took pity on the horse and lost a bit of weight first..

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream Ай бұрын

I can think of a few people that wouldn't be riding if the rule was compulsory @johnmcfadden9732 🤯😅🐴

@finngamesknudson1457 2 ай бұрын

How do you determine a horses ideal weight? If they are underweight do you adjust down? If they are overweight do you add their excess weight to that of gear and rider? I keep hearing the 20% rule - should it be adjusted for activity? Surely a fit horse can carry more on a short slow walk then someone riding endurance races or chasing steeples. Ah I just had to keep listening - you addressed these questions.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

I'm so glad you found this video helpful @finngamesknudson1457 I'm also working on a video that will explain how you find out what your horses perfect weight is.

@Broke_horse_girl 2 ай бұрын

a healthy horse will have no hip bones showing, little to no rib bones showing, and no spine showing, well-muscled in the neck and back end, if they are underweight you shouldn't ride them until they go onto the right diet and gain weight. a fat horse will have a big stomach, almost looking pregnant, and might even have a big crest on the neck like a stallion, where fat is building up.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much @Broke_horse_girl ❤🐴💕

@finngamesknudson1457 2 ай бұрын

@@Broke_horse_girl - TY. Now to find a scale. Somehow my bathroom scale seems insufficient.

@AnnaMaria-zm8cv Ай бұрын

I rather look at physical signs if a horse can handle a rider or not, how they respond on mounting, do they step away, grunt, shake their head, lift legs etc. For some horses even a child is too much and others are bulldozers that carry more heavy riders without any issues. I have Icelandics and many riders here are way more than 20% but we change horses every 20 minutes, Literaly no one has only one horse here, always 2 or 3 so we can change horses on our rides. The more feisty ones first and the spare horses just follow with or without a fixed leadrope.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream Ай бұрын

I remember when I was a kid at the riding school, there was a girl who was far too big for her horse and you could physically see him brace himself before she got on. I never forgot that. Thank you for watching @AnnaMaria-zm8cv and thank you so much for your comment. 💕🐴❤

@Randomcrap-zx5ks 2 ай бұрын

I'm glad. You agree with it?I'm so sick of people saying it's not true if you know you're overweight.Get off.The horse didn't ask to be ridden in the first place.If you're going to invade its body at least have proper respect for it It's not a dog they don't bring the saddle to you i ride and i know Darnwell He doesn't want to be ridden but at least I have basic respect and I know i'm within the proper weight and i don't use a bit

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

We all need to be as careful and loving with our horses as we possibly can ❤

@Kelly_Ben 2 ай бұрын

My horses have always enjoyed being ridden, and come running to the gate… they even appear to get jealous if it’s not their day. Equipment really is only as good as the person using it. Kind hands, kind bit. Abusive hands, abusive bitless bridle.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

I love this @Kelly_Ben

@misssagacious 2 ай бұрын

For the imperial users, this math trick works the same way for pounds!

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

That's good to know @misssagacious thank you so much for your comment and thank you so much for watching ❤❤❤

@claireseyeviewonredbubble 2 ай бұрын

I believe in the UK a rider plus the saddle should weigh 10% not more than 15% of the weight of the horse they are on. If you're heavy, just ride a larger heavier horse to allow for this ratio.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Yes there are many public events now that wont let you ride there if you are more than 15% over the limit. Its good that this is being bought to light now though because I've seen adults riding the tiniest of ponies over the years and they are so well behaved bless them that they never make a fuss.

@3saddlebums 2 ай бұрын

So can't have an elevated heart rate, can't sweat and can't be sore. So, we need to send that message to every athlete, hiker, somebody working around the barn, etc. They came up with that 20% cavalry rule because nobody today can even fathom how hard the cavalry was on their horses back then. Road them every day, 30 miles a day, with lousy feed, long stretches between water, when on campaign. Hell, I doubt there is anyone tough enough today to ride what they did(except maybe some cowboys). I know horses that have carried more than 30% into their middle 20's with no issues and ones that carry 120 lb people that have the vet out twice a week.

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Oh heavens I actually know a couple of 120lb people that have the vet out multiple times per month @3saddlebums . I think the research subjects were pushed to extremes to see how they coped and they just came up with a general set of data to go with. I remember when I was a kid riding my blind horse Toby every single day of the 6 weeks holidays from early morning till late at night and he never sweated and didn't bat an eyelid about it... Funny really been as he has no eye to have an eyelid 😂 Thank you so much for commenting @3saddlebums its nice to see all sides and differing opinions in all things. 😊

@elidor8193 2 ай бұрын

The horses that couldn't stand up didn't make the calvary. Plus people did not pack on the processed =poison. food pounds like today.

@agnesrobakiewicz5639 2 ай бұрын

What do you mean by, "ideal" weight of the horse? You keep saying "divide the horse's ideal weight..." shouldn't you divide the actual weight of the horse?

@EssentiallyLivingtheDream 2 ай бұрын

Fantastic question @agnesrobakiewicz5639 and I am working on a video at the moment that explains exactly how you can find out their ideal weight so stay tuned for that. The reason we cant use the weight that they are now is because if they are overweight it can give you a false amount of the weight that they can carry. At the moment my horse is 100 kilos overweight and is on an exercise program to try and get it off. If I did the calculation on her now it would say that she can carry 3 stone more than what she can actually carry comfortably. Ill get the video done for this week hopefully and it will fully explain everything.

@BenjiloveSandy Ай бұрын

First of all. Super video. Only thing i would like to ad: You say 20% is ideal. But below the 20% is ideal. It aint a problem when you are 10 ore 15 %. 20% is de max a horse can carry when in good condition.