Rider weight/horse size

[Sarah Ralston <ralston@AESOP.RUTGERS.EDU>]

I only yesterday renewed my subscription and may have missed it if some one
else brought it up, but in the recent debate on rider weight/horse size etc
I've not seen mention of the factor of riders getting off and leading as
another significant factor influencing how a horse does, regardless of
size/weight issues. Take Matthew McKay-Smith and his wife Winky as
examples: both ride in the HW division. Neither of them carry an ounce of
extra body fat-just tall people :-) ! They tend to ride tall horses-more
due to their own long legs than anything else. Matthew at least used to jog
a lot on a ride, Winky had to stay mounted because she had an orthopedic
problem that prevented her from jogging. Both consistently finish in the
top ten, though I believe Winky has a better completion record than
Matthew. However, Matthew once told me (this was back in the 80's) that he
considered Winky to be an incredible horse person because she did do so
well without getting off, implying that most people who did really well
spent a lot of time on the ground. Sure makes sense to me, though I
admittedly am a far cry from being a fit person and avoid jogging unless
there is a very large scary monster chasing me. I do sometimes get off and
lead on rides, especially up really steep hills. I know the Crandalls and
Kanavys also spend a lot of time on the ground on trail at the tough rides
like the OD. Would be interesting to survey the top riders to find out just
how much jogging they do-fitness of the horse may not be the only key
factor!  

Sarah and Fling (Aw, MOM, I know I'm fat but do we really have to ride
EVERY night in the dark and cold?)