From: Geoffrey
I am new as a rider and real new as an owner. I have a background in massage therapy (humans) which seems to be really useful with horses both psychologically and physically.
Anyway, I just purchased a really delightful Gelding 1/2 Percheron 1/4 Morgan 1/4 Friesan who is 16 hands and growing. 3 Years old. Technically he is just green broke, but he is so responsive and willing that he is already breaking hearts as is a complete sweetheart. If he can smell whatever "It" involves then he will do "It". Needless to say, I feel honored to have such a really cool being in my life. He walks, trots, canters (somewhat). He is not shod and I aim to continue with that if I can.
I am six feet 3 inches and weigh 235 lbs. As Ebony is growing, I hope to be dieting. He does not seem to mind having me on his back though persons watching do report his back sagging slightly. I think my size and weight is relavant to this question. As I am a little new to all this, I am probably not the smoothest rider either.
I have a good supply of smaller persons who are more experienced and can help with his training. I am patient and I have a long view of developing this horse.
So .. my sense is to go very easy with him in the next year as far as carrying me on his back. I think a little is OK, but only for short periods and not much more than a walk. Probably very limited trail rides, just a mile or two over easy terrain.
Perhaps I can compensate for some problems by giving him great massages and rub downs?
Am I going too easy on him? Or ... not easy enough? The real question buried in all this is: How much should I ride him as he continues to grow? I want him to have great training and I want him to not develop any problems for later. Of course, I also want to ride my horse.
Any pointers on how to balance his need for training and care with my need to really enjoy him? His needs are definitely first, but exactly how patient need I be?
Geoffrey
Hi Geoffrey! First, let me say that you have a wonderful attitude, and it sounds as though you also have a wonderful horse. Congratulations!
You DO need to be patient. Your horse is very young, really only a baby, and he needs time to grow up. With his breeding, there's a very good chance that he won't reach full physical maturity until he is 7. Take your time -- it won't be wasted.
If I were you, I would probably stay off this horse until he was at least four if not five years old. In the meantime, why not get some professional help and teach him to drive? That's a wonderful way to enable you and your horse to work together, without putting potentially damaging strain on a developing back.
What you need to consider is that the very LAST part of the horse's skeleton to complete its growth is the part that you sit on. The spinous processes that create the withers and the area of the topline just behind the withers -- in other words precisely where the saddle sits -- are not fully developed until sometime between the ages of 5-6 in fast-developing horses, and between the ages of 6-7 (sometimes even 7-8) for the slower-developing breeds. I'll cite a typical case of someone who bought a lovely small Warmblood (15.3hh at four years old) and then found, much to her chagrin (she's only 5'2") that he grew into a much larger animal -- 17.1hh at seven years old!
Once your horse is well-sstarted and a bit more grown up -- allow at least another year for this -- he'll be able to deal with you riding him occasionally for short periods of time, say 15-20 minutes. The problem isn't just a matter of your weight and his stage of growth, it's also a matter of physical development. Older, well-trained and conditioned horses have stronger legs, ligaments, tendons, and -- most important -- strong, well-developed abdominal muscles that help support the horse's back and whatever it is asked to carry. In a young, untrained, unconditioned, undeveloped horse, the support structures have not been strengthened, and the abdominal muscles are undeveloped. As a result, such a horse will carry a burden with nothing more than the muscles next to his spine.
You are asking the right questions. My suggestion to you is that -- in addition to considering all the above -- you arrange to take regular lessons on a strong, mature, fit, conditioned horse. This way, you can improve your own skills while your youngster is growing up. The better your skills and coordination, the better your reflexes, the easier you will be for your horse to carry when you do begin riding him. This may, in fact, be much more important than your actual weight! I'm sure you've heard the terms 'So-and-so rides "heavy"' and 'So-and-so rides "light"'. This has nothing to do with physical weight -- I know 120-pound riders who ride heavy, and 200-pound riders who ride light. It has EVERYTHING to do with the skill, balance, and coordination of the individual rider -- and those are things you can improve while riding other horses, as well as by doing exercise OFF horseback (yoga and tai chi are both wonderful for riders, and WALKING is also wonderful).
Good luck, be patient, give your horse time to develop, give yourself time to become a rider, and you should have a lovely horse to ride well into his 20s. ;-)
Jessica
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