tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559850219424554239.post6097168011009769398..comments2023-09-25T11:48:08.067-04:00Comments on Unapologetically Fat: Giving Up the Fantasy (update)JoGeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093660035883346402noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559850219424554239.post-5626344517181145242008-02-29T11:21:00.000-05:002008-02-29T11:21:00.000-05:00Actually, tall is a hindrance, usually, in my expe...Actually, tall is a hindrance, usually, in my experience, unless it's all in your legs. I personally have a hard time riding small horses not because of my weight but because I have short legs and therefore a proportionally longer torso, so if I tip forward the balance gets all F'ed up. I'm short, but proportionally my legs are the short part and my torso is about normal. On a horse with a longer overall frame, and a long neck, it isn't as big of an issue.<BR/><BR/>Yoga is great. Pilates is perhaps even better, but core strength is the key no matter how you got there. Being able to *lower* your center of gravity is what makes you feel secure and balanced (to yourself as well as to the horse).<BR/><BR/>Take the Chronicle forums with a grain of salt if you choose to talk about your weight, though--there are a lot of reasonable folks, but also a fair number who will rip you a new asshole for "horse abuse". Then again, we also have a whole thread that's usually not depressing on where to find riding clothes for folks our size. It's called the "Womanly-sized riders thread" or something like that, and it's in the "Off Course" forum.crisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03617979978585839326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559850219424554239.post-73326174838191021482008-02-29T09:23:00.000-05:002008-02-29T09:23:00.000-05:00Great info Kate! I'll definitely look into the Ch...Great info Kate! I'll definitely look into the Chronicle forums you mentioned for more information. I've heard that a horse can more easily carry a heavy but well-balanced rider than a lightweight neophyte, but after not riding for 10 years I have no idea how long it'll take me to get my "seat" back. Luckily I'm tall enough to have a balanced center of gravity, and I've been doing enough Yoga to give me an edge.JoGeekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16093660035883346402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559850219424554239.post-91224850136309484902008-02-28T21:17:00.000-05:002008-02-28T21:17:00.000-05:00If you lease a horse, make sure you have a good le...If you lease a horse, make sure you have a good lease agreement signed by both you and the owner. That will protect you, the owner, and most importantly the horse. You have no idea how many things can go horribly wrong if both human parties don't have a clear understanding of their rights and responsibilities beforehand. I recommend going to <A HREF="http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/" REL="nofollow">The Chronicle of the Horse forums</A> and searching for [lease agreement terms] (remove the brackets) to get an idea of what I'm talking about.<BR/><BR/>At your level, where the horse is not a competitive prospect or likely to earn you any money, a "free lease", where you pay the horse's expenses but don't pay the owner a fee, is the most common. If it's an on-farm lease (that is, it sounds like the horse stays in his home and you go there, to the owner's property, to ride him), you will probably just pay "board" to the owner as if it were someone else's horse she was boarding. If it's a partial lease--she expects to use the horse at certain times--you may pay less than full board, or you may pay only board but not vet or farrier bills. You MUST get all that clear beforehand.<BR/><BR/>For a beginner, it is probably good to ride a draft horse or draft cross if you are heavy. I have to tell you, though, horses are tougher than some people will have you believe; while I, as a size-24-ish person, wouldn't ride an average Arabian or pony (or even some small Thoroughbreds, as they can be pretty dainty and delicate), I can ride a wide variety of horses without causing them any distress. I'm an experienced and (IMNSHO) fairly balanced rider, so I am a lighter burden than a beginner would be (I have been riding with basically no interruption for 22 years, with some really good instruction along the way). All this is just to say, don't let anyone tell you that you can't ride a 15.3hh, 1100-lb Quarterhorse because you weigh over 200 lbs. <BR/><BR/>Generally, a horse can carry 25-30% of its weight of moderately-well-balanced rider, and certainly you see plenty of big men (especially western riders) on small horses. It's just that, don't you know, a 250-lb woman weighs more than a 250-lb man...so be prepared for people to be aghast that you are crushing the poor dear horsie, but if the horse doesn't appear fatigued by the work you are doing, and is seen by an experienced person (trainer, leased horse's owner, etc) to be sound and comfortable in its work, don't let them get you down.<BR/><BR/>Riding a draft or draft cross is basically like riding anything else, except wider. :) Be prepared for your hip joints to hurt like hell when you are done riding, at least for the first few weeks. They will feel like they've been relocated several inches out. That's okay (unless you have joint issues). <BR/><BR/>Drafts are also usually pretty mellow, so good for beginners, although they are also big and strong, and if they decide they *reallyneedtobeelsewhererightnow* you can be quite out of luck. :) That said, all horses are bigger and stronger than us, so smart and careful horsemanship (and an understanding that if you ride long enough, you'll get hurt someday) is key no matter what size or breed the horse.<BR/><BR/>As for how they differ from Saddlebreds: The Saddlebred is a breed (unless you're just talking about "saddle horses" as in "riding horses"). They are supposedly quite comfortable to ride as some of them do special gaits other than walk, trot, and canter. They can also be quite energetic and spooky, though of course not all are; in showing, it is desired for them to be as "hot" and energetic as possible, so some of them have that natural "hotness" enhanced through various means. They naturally carry their heads very high and tend not to have as long a "topline" (the line along the top, over the back and hindquarters) as your average draft cross, which has advantages and disadvantages depending on what you want to do.<BR/><BR/>As a general thing, you can find great information about a lot of things at the Chronicle forums link I put in the first paragraph.crisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03617979978585839326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559850219424554239.post-19946305978554714942008-02-28T18:26:00.000-05:002008-02-28T18:26:00.000-05:00Yay! I know it's a bad idea to count your colts b...Yay! I know it's a bad idea to count your colts before the deal is done, but this is really encouraging. At the very least, it shows that your fantasy isn't just fantasy!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559850219424554239.post-41233688590768074862008-02-28T17:05:00.000-05:002008-02-28T17:05:00.000-05:00I love this! I rode for many years when I was a ki...I love this! I rode for many years when I was a kid and just two weeks ago I mentioned to my husband that I wanted to start riding again. Thank you for sharing this. I'm gonna call the stable near my house and start riding.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559850219424554239.post-20359835628981196352008-02-28T13:25:00.000-05:002008-02-28T13:25:00.000-05:00I hope everything works out for you and for the ma...I hope everything works out for you and for the mare. This sounds like an ideal arrangement. <BR/><BR/>I'm SOOOO jealous. I wouldn't have the money or time to ride anyway. But yeah, jealous. If it works out you'll have to do some posts on riding draft horses. I've only ever ridden saddle bred horses, I wonder how it will differ.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559850219424554239.post-79329550124380824322008-02-28T12:13:00.000-05:002008-02-28T12:13:00.000-05:00OMG. You literally have me in tears! This is so co...OMG. You literally have me in tears! This is so cool. I'm so glad you're following this dream!<BR/><BR/>Good for you (in every way!)Rebekah Duerksenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11724293383270469470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559850219424554239.post-27527342346362832972008-02-28T12:08:00.000-05:002008-02-28T12:08:00.000-05:00That's fantastic. I really hope you get the mare; ...That's fantastic. I really hope you get the mare; there's nothing like a good hack out to make you feel better about the world. Please keep us updated.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06043187346768891537noreply@blogger.com