How Much Weight Can Horses Carry?

I am going to feature some important yet often overlooked pieces of information that I feel every horse owner should know.

Today's topic is how much weight can a horse comfortably carry?

http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31900/how-much-weight-can-horses-comfortably-carry

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/24/big-riders-big-horses-obesity

As per the above link, a Japanese study concluded that an average horse can carry approximately 29% of their body weight, but found it increasingly difficult to carry adults who weigh over 209 LBS.  

Now conformation and breed are also going to factor in heavily in this debate.  If you are riding a 14HH sturdy, short-backed draft-cross horse and you weigh over 200 LBS, the horse is likely to be okay carrying you depending on its fitness and the distance in which you plan to ride.

Just because a horse is tall, doesn't mean that it is strong enough to carry a heavy rider. There are many factors contributing to this.  Again, conformation is a huge factor.  A long- backed thoroughbred type or even an appendix quarter horse type may not be able to carry much more than 150  - 200 LBS comfortably. 

The horse's fitness level and the rider's fitness level also come into play here.  

If your horse hasn't been ridden much in the past year and you decide that he or she can handle a rigorous trail or mountain ride, think again.  Horses are athletes just like people. How would you feel if you lived a sedentary life, and then someone expected you to go on an all day mountain hike carrying a heavy backpack?

They get sore just as we do.  If you plan to put your horse through rigorous work, then do the right thing.  Give them a rub down with liniment after that long ride.  The next day they are bound to be stiff, so why not walk them and when their muscles are warm, give them a good stretch and another rub down?  Even a few doses of arnica can help to soothe their soreness.

Are you an experienced rider with an active seat or does your horse have to carry you?  If you are inexperienced, or unfit, then likely your horse is carrying you and very likely you are an unbalanced load.  He will have to work that much harder to carry you, straining the muscles on one side of his body to compensate for your lack of self carriage.  

Imagine if you combine that with a sway backed horse or an ill fitting saddle.  The entire ride will be causing your horse pain.  At the very least, please ensure that you have a comfortably fitting saddle or in the case of a swayed back, make sure that your horse is wearing a therapeutic saddle pad with padding to ensure that the saddle isn't digging into their back or shoulders.  

People wonder why their horses don't want to be caught after having to work hard. Would you want to sign up for that type of use?  I think not.

If you want to create a great relationship with your horse, his comfort should be one of the biggest factors, for a happy horse means a happy owner!

Food for thought.