#plus size equestrian

[horse-md]

Some of y'all are like Chase from House MD when it comes to equestrians who aren't skinnylicious wisps of air 💀

This post is outside of the norm that I usually post, but I care deeply for horses and fostering the love of my favorite creatures. I hope y'all realize that ANYONE can participate in this sport in some capacity.

The 15-20% rule is a general guideline to follow, it is not an absolute. A horse who is healthy, sound, happy, and well looked after with regular veterinary oversight who has a plus sized rider is not the end of the world. Horses are not made of glass, they will not shatter if a heavy person exists in their presence. It is absolutely not your business or your place to shit on big riders for being "too big" for their healthy, happy, and sound horse who does not struggle or strain during a ride.

Yes, taking care of a horse and knowing it's limits is very important for their health, but the fact is a lot of you guys aren't worried about the horses health, you just hate fat people. I have seen an absolutely concerning amount of people both in my personal life and online world repeating very harmful stereotypes and parroting disordered thoughts about other equestrians, and frankly it needs to stop. Every horse is unique, and has different abilities and capacities.

I know this is shocking to some people, but nuance actually does exist in the world of equestrian sporting! A rider's weight does NOT automatically mean they are abusing a horse. A lightweight rider is just as capable of injuring or abusing their horse as a larger rider, and one is not more prone to it than the other. If a horse is uncomfortable or unfit for that rider, it WILL show up in their behavior, scans, checkups, or vitals. You are not a hero if you judge or "call out" a horse and rider without knowing them, their situation, their vet records, ect.

Simultaneously, I think some of you genuinely don't view anything other than riding as equine sporting. People who cannot ride, whether that is because they don't have a horse that can safely carry their weight or for any other reason are absolutely still welcome in the community. Riding is never and was never the end-all be-all of horses. Ground training, liberty work, in-hand classes, driving sports, and anything else I didn't mention are all incredibly important parts of equine sporting. Truly anyone can participate, regardless of their size. You can be a horseman no matter who you are or what you look like.

The beautiful thing about horses is that they will meet you where you are. If you are brand new and have never touched a horse, there is a horse for you. If you are an Olympic gold medalist equestrian, there is a horse for you! The horse does not discriminate, and neither should you.

If you're an equestrian who feels like they don't fit, I see you and I love you, and you are always welcome. This sport adapts to you, if you can't do one thing, pivot and try another thing! The options are practically endless with these amazing animals.

If you are a person who is uncomfortable with this idea that Equestrianism is for everyone or promote the disordered thinking that is ever-so-rampant in this sport, please IMMEDIATELY reevaluate your view on life cause you really need to 😭 get it together, it's pathetic to see. You are pathetic and no better than anyone else. Treat other people well, it is the actual bare minimum to be polite, respectful, kind, and sportsmanlike.

I really don't expect this post to gain any sort of attention cause this is not a point often defended in the community, but if you made it this far I appreciate your time. Please do your best to promote the versatility and accessibility of the sport!

[theinclusiveeqeustrian]

I have always been a big girl, I have always loves horses. Those 2 things, especially when I was younger, don’t necessarily go together. There has always been prejudice against plus sized riders, and even though its not as bad as it once was (at least in the USA, I feel its far worse in Europe)  I believe that prejudice will always exist on some level.

I fell in love with horses when I was 2 years old. I was at my fathers company picnic and down in a field at the bottom of a hill pony rides were being given. I took one look at those ponies and took off, away from my mom, down that hill yelling “Need to ride the pony” and that was it, the fire was lit, a fire that has never burned out. Little did 2 year old me know just how hard hard of a journey my love of horses would take me on!

I began riding lessons when I was 7 years old. My first trainer was a good trainer, I will give her that. She helped me develop a great seat and gave me a great foundation. She was also close minded, fat shaming, B-word. I didn’t realize until later in life, after I left that farm, just how much she bullied me. There is one moment that will always stick out in my mind. I was around 10 or 11 years old and I was having a riding lesson. I was riding this Mustang pony named Twinkle. She was 14 something hands and well built, not some dainty little pony. My trainer stopped the lesson and told 10 year old me to get off the pony and come with her. She brought me up to her house and made me get on a scale! She then informed me that I wouldn’t be able to ride Twinkle anymore because I was too heavy for her. I can tell you right now I was not too big for that 14 hand mustang pony, I was 10 years old.

At one point she told me I could only ride draft horses, and that I would never be able to jump higher then 2′ because I would always be too big to do more. She also used me to ride new horses to see if they could “handle weight”. At one point I came back on college summer break to take lessons and she wouldn’t let me use my own saddle because it was leather. She told me if I wanted to ride the lesson horse (a big stocky paint named Scribbles) that I would have to use one of the wintec lesson saddles, even though it didn’t fit me nearly as well as my saddle did, because it was light and we didn’t need to “Add anymore weight on top of mine to the poor horse” That day was the last time I ever went to that barn, but I spent 12 years being bullied and fat shamed by that woman because I thought she was right, that there was something wrong with ME. It took me a long long time to realize that there was actually something wrong with her.

Trainers since my first trainer have had different views then she did. I remember when I told my first trainer after that original trainer that I was never allowed to jump higher then 2′ because I was too fat to jump higher, she was in complete disbelief. She had me jumping 2’9 in no time, and the horse survived *Eye Roll*. I know that sometimes people ARE too heavy for the horses that they ride, and of course that is something that plus sized riders need to be conscious of, but if you are on an appropriate sized horse that is well proportioned to you, there is NOTHING stopping you from doing whatever you want to do in the equine world. Never ever let anyone tell you different.

[theinclusiveeqeustrian]

New boy! Meet Noodle!!

[piningforafjord]

I completely forgot to post about the horse show here!

I did indeed end up showing this past Sunday! I went out to the barn early to check Caleo and he was 100% fine, no heat or lameness at all. We registered for hunter on the flat and hunt seat equitation in the Xrails division, as planned. As for my rides, they certainly could have been better. I picked up the wrong lead once (fixed it within three strides) and let Caleo break the canter three times. But, realistically, my rides could have been much, much worse, given that I was shaking and on the verge of peeing my pants most of the time. We ended up with a second in the Hunter class (because Caleo is an angel baby) and a fourth in the equitation.

The placings were a little disappointing, seeing as how I was competing against a bunch of 10 year olds, but for my first show EVER, I'll take it.

I'm gonna post some photos and videos of my round here as soon as I get my hands on them. I may also be going to another schooling show in July! Will keep you posted, nonexistent blog readers.

[piningforafjord]

This is me and my Big Man! Caleo is an 18 hand Holsteiner who belongs to my barn owner. I've been working with him for nearly two years and I love him to bits. Sidebar: I love riding in tshirts and imagining the huge conniption George Morris would have if he saw me. A fat girl daring to ride a horse?! And in a tshirt no less! OH THE HUMANITY