Balance is extremely important. Try wearing a 40 pound backpack that is
not balacnced. It will tire you very quickly. But 40 pounds is 40 pounds
and it is extra weight. Physically speaking when a horse trots he has to do
work to raise the weight of the rider. Try jogging with this 40 pound back
pack - which will raise it with every step. It takes a lot of work. This
is work not required at a walk. If the saddle fits properly why is walking
is any harder on the horse than trotting? IMO you should change gaits and
speeds to use many muscle groups instead of just using one gait and over
tiring one muscle group. Where I can and when it makes sense I get off an
jog with the horse. This gives him a chance to relax his back. It is
amazing what 5 minute of you on the ground will do for you horse.
Truman
>
>No doubt these top finishers were riding in balance with their mounts --
>balance
>is more critical than weight per se. Even a lightweight rider can cause a
>horse
>to eventually go off due to fatigue-induced crookedness. I would also
>think that
>a heavy rider walking (i.e., sitting in the saddle) for long periods of
>time is
>potentially more damaging to the back than active trotting.
>
>Does your mare seem to carry the rider easily? Does she stay round, or
>does her
>back sink when he settles into the saddle? If she is long backed herself
>or has
>any tendency to go high-headed and hollow-backed, then lots of riding with
>this
>much weight, especially if not perfectly balanced, may be detrimental. On the
>other hand, if your mare is stout and built like a certain brick building (as
>1,000# packed into a 14.1 frame sounds!), then she may be just fine.
>
>My dressage instructor always insists that his students stand in the stirrups
>for five to 10 seconds every 20 minutes or so to unweight the back. This might
>also be a good practice for your friend as he learns.
>
>Bobbie Lieberman
>Maryland
Truman Prevatt
Sarasota, FL