Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

So, does this mean that the max a horse should carry is 30% of body weight
or does the combined weight of horse and rider trump this?

 

No, this means that that's as high as the ratios went in Susan G's study.  And there was no significant decline in the ability to finish with rider weight to horse weight ratios at that level.  Intuitively, one knows that at some point the ratio must make a difference (a 500 lb horse is not going to carry, say, a 1000 lb rider)--but for a horse carrying a rider, that point has not yet been reached with rider weights exceeding 30% of the horse's weights, and we don't know, based on this study, where that crossover point is.

It is more about the horse's build rather than weight?

Certainly the balance and conformation of a given horse has a lot to do with his ability to carry weight.

 

Heidi

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

 Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
 Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
 Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

 Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=