Plague of the overweight riders who are too heavy for their horses



Only one in 20 riders are within the optimum weight for their horse

A heavy load can mean back pain, lameness and bad behaviour in horses



Vet guidelines advise that riders weigh less than 10 per cent of their mount



Weighing more than 15 per cent of horse's weight poses health risks



Research is published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour



Horses are the latest victims of the obesity crisis as they take the burden of their overweight riders, experts have warned.

A study found a third of recreational riders were too obese for their mounts, leaving the animals at risk of health problems such as back pain and lameness.

They can also develop behavioural problems, such as bucking, rearing and problems following commands.

Horses are the latest to suffer from the obesity crisis - because riders are too heavy for them, say researchers

Hayley Randle, one of the scientists behind the research, said: ‘People tend to think horses are such big animals they must be okay, and not to take notice of the weight issue of riders. But the health impact on the horse can be quite extreme, quite quickly.’

Published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour, the study assessed 152 horses and their adult riders from stables across Devon and Cornwall.

Guidelines set by vets state that riders should weigh less than 10 per cent of the weight of their horse. But researchers from Duchy College in Cornwall found that just 5 per cent of the riders passed the test.

Riders should weight no more than 10 per cent of their horse's weight to prevent it from suffering from health problems as it adjusts to its load, scientists at Duchy College said

Thirty-two per cent weighed more than 15 per cent of the weight of their animal, a level considered to pose a welfare risk. The remaining 63 per cent tipped the scales at between 10 and 15 per cent of the weight of their horse – a level seen as ‘satisfactory’.

Miss Randle, who conducted the study with Emma Halliday, said guidelines should be put into place to protect horses from overweight riders.

She added: ‘The problem is that these ratios are not widely known by people in the horse industry. People do seem generally to be a bit heavy for horses. That is just a consequence, I suppose, of our average weights going up. It is definitely a potential welfare issue. These are broad-brush guidelines.

‘They don’t take account of all factors, such as the age of the horse, the breed, the style of riding or the experience of the rider.

‘But they are still important and helpful and people are not taking enough notice of them.’

Keith Chandler, president of the British Equine Veterinary Association, said his members spent a large part of their time dealing with lameness and back problems, which is often be caused by ‘the wrong riders on the wrong horses’.

He added: ‘Many riding schools are very aware of these problems and exactly who can ride which horses and who cannot, but there are some horse people who may not fully understand the issues.