Hay there! I rode my Spottie mare when I weighed about 350. She weighed between about 1400 - 1600 pounds, so I was about 25% of her weight. I was very very easy on her, and we only trail rode, and at a walk. Gradually got up to trotting a little, when both of us were in better shape. I weighed 322 on the day of surgery. I'm 9 days post op now, and am so looking forward to this spring and riding at a better weight and with less knee pain. However, my mare is fatter than ever and it'll take a while to get HER back into shape. LOL! We have 2 Spotties and 2 Paints, so I have the best of 2 worlds. I can ride my giants while I'm big, then switch to our Paints as I get back to a normal weight. Our Paints are just 2 year olds this spring, so they're just babies in training. We'll be ready together!

HI Beth. I LOVE IT!!!! I want to have it!!!

Saw the cutest bumper sticker today "is you ride my bumper any more , you better put a saddle on it "

While its true a horse can become accustomed to any wieght rider, a thicker bodied stock type horse will carry a larger person more comfortably, and of course you should keep in mind to make sure you post during trotting, and expect that your horse may suffer injuries easier with increased weight , The general rule of thumb is any horse can carry any rider without additional conditioning, up to 250. lbs, more than that, and the horse should be accustomed to it , and interestingly enough , geldings/stallions can of course carry more,but are prone to back strap muscle strains but mares are more prone to leg injury carrying larger weights, if you ride trails, and cross country its a lot easier on your horse, than riding hard packed dirt or roads which makes sense , right I am down to 259 now and ride as often as possible, its great fun , and have missed not having my own horses for some time .... but when i did have my own horses , i rode them at 300-320 and they adjusted, because of my weight and comfort, i didnt trot or run much , because it hurt me I am currently trading free riding time on some great roping cutting horses for training a sweet 9 month old bay QH studcolt they arent painted, but hey its a horse Beth

i love horses but havent had or road ONE forever i think i forgot how i cant pull myself up on one no more and i wouldent want to kill the POOR horse maybe one day soon i can ride off into the sunset with a sexy cowboy [email protected]