Heavy Riders

Full Blooded Percherons. 
I love my arabs and little quarter horses but percherons and percheron crosses are the name of the game. Particularly if you can find shorter full blooded ones. We have two full percherons that we use for riders over 220lbs. We also have a draft cross as well. 
Also haflingers are worth their weight in gold. 10x over. They are fantastic for the high BMI short people. And you pretty much never have to feed them anything more than minerals, to boot.
The trick with the drafts though — not every ride can be a heavier rider. They are also lovely horses for smaller people who want to feel like they are riding into war! The draft horses will need LOTS of schooling at the trot and canter to build their topline and back strength to teach them to carry themselves properly and not hollow. They actually need extra work to take on the extra work!! 

No Walk Ups – All By Appointment

I have a pretty intensive ride request form for people to explain what they want in a ride and put in all of their statistics. On that form there are MULTIPLE iterations where it states and warns of our weight limit.
Included in this form I have the following selection:

Basically they HAVE to indicate, and there will be proof of this indication, that there are heavier riders in their group and that they understand this. 

Weighing People

I honestly haven’t had to weigh anyone in years and actually no longer have a scale in my barn. But I still have the THREAT of it on my webpage. 
A lot of this is dealt with by people giving me their weights in writing ahead of time, the fact that I have warnings in my request form, AND my waiver has a line attesting to the fact that they are less than 250 lbs. I figure that helps to also cover my butt if there is an incident and they fall or a horse trips due to their weight.

Preemptive Supplements and Nutrition for Horses

Who knows if it actually works but it can’t hurt
Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory and antihistamineFlax Seed has tons of Omegas which are incredibly important for jointsHyaluronic Acid supplement is also one of the better choices when it comes to joint supplementsHYDRATION is also key for avoiding early onset arthritis. When horses are dehydrated the fluid sac in their joints lessens and more wear and tear occurs.

Weight Limit Wiggle Room

I have my weight limit set at 250 – but in reality our largest percheron can carry up to 275, even 280, if all we are doing is walking and staying on flat ground.
So really what the weight limit is is the Announced weight limit for people’s Declared Weight. Not their actual weight and actual weight limit. 
When people give me their weights I always have the following assumptions:

• They weigh themselves naked   + 15lbs
• Men only weigh themselves once a decade  +10lbs
• Husband filled out the form for his wife   +10lbs to her weight because he has no clue
• If they are super petite but heavy they will have more side to side wiggle  + 10lbs ballast 
• If they are over 6′ tall the weight distribution and length of leg for balance offsets the weigh significantly   – 5lbs ballast
• If they have never ridden a horse before or seem like they might as well have never ridden a horse before   + 5lbs ballast
• If they are trained, lessoned and skilled riders and can post a trot   – 5lbs ballast

All of this is what BMI would help with but it’s more than just a simple BMI math problem.
So when I do the mental math in my head it usually adds up to still being within Gringo’s limit if they are declaring they are 250lbs. 
I also calibrate what the ride will be like if people are nearing that 250+ actual weight and ballast situation. For instance with heavier riders I will refuse to do any trotting and I’ll reroute to avoid riverbanks or any big hills. I may also limit them to a ride of 1 hour, maximum, and I’ll try to schedule it as the first ride of the day while the horse is fresh and will be carrying themselves with the most balance.
But what all of this also means I only really have one horse that can truly take them riding. With Brienne being a backup for a second heavy person… so if I get a group of 4 that all, in my head, are going above the limit there just aren’t horses and they cannot book the ride. 

Mounting

People have to be able to mount themselves with only a 3-step mounting block (probably 2′ tall?) and minimal support.
If they cannot get on the horse they cannot ride. It’s that simple. And I’ve found that usually it is harder for people to get OFF than it is for them to get ON so if they struggle on the way up they may make a big mess of it getting off later. 
And it’s to their disadvantage if they are heavier because they are going to naturally be riding the 16.2-17hh percherons and will have a larger mountain to climb. 
In all honesty if someone isn’t heavy but has a weak knee or arthritis I’ll help boost them aboard, but if someone is heavy (and I am worried) I probably actually offer them less support because I’m not sure I want them on. 

Rejection Email  — and eventually conversations in person if people really do lie beyond my assumptions

It is important to talk about YOUR herd. Yes, they may be able to ride somewhere else because of THEIR herd, but at your farm it is YOUR herd and you don’t have a horse capable. 
Below is the email I send to reject people for weight reasons:

Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate riders larger than 250 lbs. as we do not have a herd that can carry such a rider. 
Sometimes for people just slightly over the 250 lbs. mark we can make exceptions based on people’s proportions and depending on when you are looking to ride – as we only have a couple horses capable of taking heavier riders and we want to make sure they are available. 
It takes a very specific herd to be able to take beginner riders out, but especially heavier beginner riders. Our goal is to ensure a pleasurable ride for all of our riders. If a horse is carrying more weight than it is comfortable, it not only takes a toll on the horse, but also can cause unpredictable and unsafe behaviors no matter how well trained a horse might be (tripping, slipping, reluctance to move, irritability and even bucking). 
Our restrictions are not a matter of prejudice against heavy persons, but for safety for you as well as our horses. For further explanation of our policy, please see www.paintedbarstables.com/Weight_Policy.html

This explanation has actually caused about a dozen people to lose weight and come back 6 months later at 240# to ride with us. Particularly mothers who want to take their daughters riding. It’s super moving that they lost 20# just to take them riding and often it’s a trend that continues beyond too and I am so proud of them for getting on the bandwagon!