Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Here is a guideline that I found on the net:

Be Sure Your Horse Measures Up
The U.S. Calvary published "The Cavalry Manual of Horse Management", by 
Frederick L. Devereux, Jr., in 1941. He recommended that the collective 
weight of rider and gear not exceed 20% of the total weight of the horse. 
These were horses in top condition whose riders' very lives depended on the 
horse's ability to carry them long miles, often at speed. It stands to 
reason that if they were to incorporate a margin of error, it would be on 
the side of the horse being overly capable of carrying its rider, rather 
than less so.
 Comparably, a study of 374 competitive trail riding horses compared 
horse/rider weight relationships. They concluded that these horses can 
easily carry over 30% of their body weight for 100 miles and not only 
compete, but compete well. As would be expected, good body condition and 
bone structure were found to be paramount. Bone structure was evaluated 
using the front leg cannon bones as representative of general structure.


I think people should spend more time worrying about how much weight their 
truck is hauling than their horse! ;)  According to the 15 to 20% 
guideline, I am overweight for Chief, and I ride as a featherweight.

Karen



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