Pinto/Paint pony.. How much weight can she carry?

Question

I have a pinto/paint pony. She is about 6 years old, and I need to know how much weight she can hold. I am 120 lbs. Can I ride her without breaking her back? Will it be really uncomfortable for her if I ride her? Equine people only, please.

Answer 1

you could ride her for bout an hour a day i ride a pony (i train it) and i weight 138 lbs. so you can could ride if your pony can't handle your weight she will let you no

Answer 2

Depends on many hands she is compared to her weight.

If she is let say 13 hands at 800 pounds, you don't want to put more than 16% to 18% of her weight on her pertaining she is in good health. Which is about 128-144 pounds.

Horses in good health can naturally hold 20% of their weight. )1100 X .20 = 220. However, only for short distance and not "all at once". If a horse is used to 130 pounds and one day you put a 300 pound person on that horse, then that is not good for their back and joints.

Answer 3

If she is on the bigger side of a pony, you should be ok but i would still recommend you to move onto a horse.
I think you and her would be ok riding, but i wouldn't do it for a long time sice it might make her sway back much quicker.

Answer 4

If shes a pony then you need to move to a taller horse. one that can carry your weight. it might be uncomfortable for her to carry that kind of wait. im that weight and i won't ride a pony because of the weight i might put on her. i usually ride my 17.5hh horse.

Answer 5

First, there are several different methods to calculate - very crudely - the amount of weight a horse can carry. Most commercial stables base their rider weight restrictions on the idea that an average horse can safely carry up to 20% of its own weight, and figure that the average horse weighs 1,000 pounds, which means that it could carry 200 pounds - which would typically break down to 20 pounds of tack and 180 pounds of rider. There are problems with the formula, though - and with the "measure the horse's bone" formula, and with any formula that's supposed to give easy answers to difficult questions.

First of all, there's no such thing as an average horse - there are 1200-pound horses that couldn't possibly carry 200 pounds, and there are 850-pound horses that routinely carry 250 pounds or more. Second, there's the rider's skill level to take into account - a horse can have a hard time coping with a light but unbalanced and/or inconsiderate rider, whereas a horse can comfortably carry much more weight if the weight comes in the form of a good, balanced rider. Third, there are all the usual issues of saddle fit and proper hoof care, fitness and conditioning, weather conditions, and terrain.

If you were going to design a horse to carry weight, you would want that horse to have a strong, sturdy body, good bone (in terms of both circumference and density), legs set on well to provide support, a short, strong back, a wide loin and a deep body. THIS is the type of horse that's usually described as "built like a tank" or "built like a truck". If that describes your Dandy, then I say you should listen to your husband and your trainer, and go out and ride your horse. The "fifteen minutes, every other day" isn't a bad idea at all. Limit yourself to short, slow rides on good footing until you and your trainer (and, of course, Dandy) are all sure that Dandy is comfortable carrying you. As long as he shows no signs of discomfort or fatigue, believe that he's fine. If he begins to hollow his back or take short steps or duck sideways when you lead him to the mounting block, believe that he's getting sore. He won't lie to you.

Oh, and here are three more things to think about.

First: Riding horses carry their own weight, the weight of the rider, and the weight of the tack. But there's more to this than simple addition. Two riders with different abilities and skill levels may weigh the same amount, but a horse might find it easy to carry one and very difficult to carry the other. Rider ability, fitness, balance, coordination, and attentiveness to the horse are all very important.

Second: Tack comes in all sorts of sizes, materials, and weights, but here again, there's more to the picture than simple addition. A horse carrying a 265-pound cowboy and a 35-pound saddle is carrying 300 pounds. A horse carrying that same cowboy with a 15-pound synthetic saddle would be carrying only 280 pounds... but this isn't a maths question, so what we want to know is HOW COMFORTABLE IS THE HORSE? The lightest saddle you can find may not be the best-fitting saddle you can find, so beware of thinking only in terms of numbers of pounds! If the heavier saddle distributes the rider's weight more effectively and doesn't interfere with the horse's spine or shoulders, the rider should go on using the heavier saddle.

Third: Riding horses carry their own weight... I know, this was part of my first point above, but it's important. I know that you're worried that your own weight is pushing the upper limit of the amount your horse can safely carry, even for short periods of time. But consider this: If a horse is carrying too much fat, it's carrying extra weight every single minute of the day, every day of the week. Be careful not to let Dandy become overweight. Old-style Quarter Horses and old-style Morgans both tend to gain weight easily, and since Dandy is a "tank", I'm guessing that he may have gotten the "easy keeper gene" from both sides of his family. When you ride him, he is carrying your weight and the weight of the tack during the ride, and then that weight is GONE. Carrying an additional 300 pounds at a walk for fifteen minutes out of forty-eight hours is not likely to damage a sturdy, well-built "tank" of a horse. But carrying an extra 200 or 300 pounds on his OWN body, day in and day out, WILL cause damage.

I think you should take the advice your trainer has given you. She's had the horse in her field and in her care - and in her training program - for almost three years. Dandy DOES sound like an ideal weight-carrying horse. You trusted your friend enough to have her keep and train Dandy for you - now trust her when she says that he's ready for you to ride for short periods. She KNOWS the horse. Begin by taking the precautions you've described - they're sensible and they'll make you feel better. Look after your horse, ride him sensibly, pay attention to his reactions, and I think he will remain sound and happy and look after YOU.

One more thing: If you're walking four miles every day AND doing Tai Chi, I can promise you that a lot of regular HORSE-SENSE readers are saying to themselves "Gosh, I wish I were that fit!" In fact, I'm saying it to myself, right now. ;-)

Jessica

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Answer 6

you should be fine as long as she is over 14hh. anywhere under that i would be very cautious and only put under 100 pounds on her.
if you have anymore concerns MSG me i have plenty of reliable resources!

Answer 7

how big is she? how many hands? what does she weigh? what was she doing in her last home riding wise?